Hereditary lords · The hill rajas of the Himalayan foot · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Kishtwar and Bhadrawah

The upper Chenab and its side valleys hold two small hill lordships, Kishtwar and Bhadrawah, whose chiefs are known to me by name only from the Rajatarangini and from late tradition.

Neither is a power on the plains. Their loyalty to Kashmir, which lies over the Marwah and Warwan passes, is a Kashmir map matter.

Who he is

Title
Chief or raja of Kishtwar; chief of Bhadrawah (Nag cult country)
Since
not known
Born
not known
Family
Not known.
Confidence
low

Nothing dated for the decade found.

Overlord

none known; Kashmir has the passes above

What it holds

  • Kishtwar (Kashthavata)
  • Bhadrawah and the Chenab-Doda valleys

How it was acquired

Hereditary.

Allies and rivals

Chamba to the south-east, Kashmir to the north, Jammu to the south-west.

How things stand that morning

Two remote valley lordships; no event known.

Wealth

Saffron (Kishtwar, later), herbs, timber; not pinned for 1200.

Military

Hill levies; no numbers.

Threats

  • None named

Places of note

  • Kishtwar: chiefly seat
  • Bhadrawah: Nag country

Where the sources disagree

  • The campaign board entry puts Bhadrawah and Kishtwar in the hill-rajas list without a ruler. We give none.

Evidence: No source for the decade.

"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.

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

  1. 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.