Kumaon on 1 January 1200 is the country of what had been the Katyuri kingdom at Baijnath (Kartikeyapura) in the Gomati valley, now breaking into branch lines under Katyuri kin, with Khasa clans holding the hills.
The Chand house at Champawat (Kali Kumaon) rises in the family tradition at some time in the later centuries; its dates in Atkinson and later lists are late. The rajas of this country answer to nobody in the plains, trade with Tibet over the Johar and Darma passes, and are known to Tibet and western Nepal as Khasa lords. The Khasa Malla raids from the west come later in the century (tib sheet).
Who he is
- Name
- Not known for 1 January 1200
- Title
- Katyuri rajas, broken into branch lines
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- The Katyuris ruled Kumaon and Garhwal from Kartikeyapura in copper-plate grants of the eighth to tenth century. By the thirteenth century the realm had split into branches (Baijnath-Katyur, Dwarahat, Doti, Askot): the later tradition, flagged unchecked. A Brahmadeva of Katyur is named in an inscription of 1255 (later).
- Confidence
- low
Wikipedia Katyuri dynasty; plates of the early Katyuris; nothing dated for the 1190s found.
What it holds
- Baijnath-Katyur and the Gomati valley
- Dwarahat and the Ramganga upper valley
- Doti and Askot on the Kali and Gori rivers
- Champawat (Kali Kumaon) as a place
- The Johar and Darma passes to Tibet (Milam)
How it was acquired
Inherited from the Katyuri kings.
Allies and rivals
Garhwal to the west (unpartitioned garh chiefs), western Nepal and the Khasa Malla house to the east (tib sheet), the Tibetan salt and wool road to the north.
How things stand that morning
A broken realm. Which branch is the greatest is not pinned.
Wealth
The salt, borax, wool and gold-dust road to Tibet, grain in the valleys.
Military
Garh forts and hill levies; no numbers.
Threats
- None named for 1200
Places of note
- Baijnath (Kartikeyapura): old Katyuri seat
- Champawat: later Chand seat
- Milam (Johar): Tibet pass road
Where the sources disagree
- The campaign board entry has Baijnath (Kartikeyapura) and Champawat (Kali Kumaon) as towns. The campaign board adds that the earliest inscription naming a Chand is of 1223, as somebody's feudatories, so the Chand seat at Champawat is not yet a power on 1 January 1200.
Evidence: Early plates and late lists; the decade is empty.
"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.
On the map: District block over a country of branch lines.
Primary sources for Hill rajas
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The River of Kings, with Jonaraja's continuation, Kalhana; continued by Jonaraja (Kalhana 1148 to 1150; Jonaraja about 1459). Kalhana's chronicle stops in 1149, so for 1200 the witness is Jonaraja, writing three centuries later and very briefly. Read online
- The Gopala Raja Chronicle, and the Nepalese colophons, Anonymous (chronicle); various scribes (colophons) (the chronicle about 1389; the colophons are contemporary notes of the 11th to 14th centuries). The Nepal valley in 1200 is known chiefly from dated manuscript colophons and short inscriptions, which name the reigning king with the Nepal era year, and from the Gopalarajavamsavali, a chronicle written about 1389 that lists the kings with regnal years.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Katyuri dynasty
- OMNIA board notes for this place (lead only, checked against the sources above)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.