Introduction
The question of that who remained the Sovereign of Gilgit Baltistan before it became part of the Pakistani state in 1947 has not been answered effectively. Therefore it’s very essential to write down the details of the Sovereign of Gilgit Baltistan before the partition of India.
Gilgit Baltistan was divided into several smaller fiefdoms and ruled over several generations of raja while these original autocrats were defeated by the Dogras and part of it was given to the British by the Degras later.
The Sovereign of Gilgit Baltistan before the partition of the subcontinent are listed below
Hunza
The small villages of present-day Hunza were ruled by the Mirs of Hunza. They were the rulers of their territory, centuries before the arrival of Degras and English. In 1848 Mir of Hunza attacked Gilgit and took it to Dogras.
There are many footprints of history in this valley. The famous fort in today’s Hunza is built by architecture brought from the Baltistan region.
Nagar
Nagar had the Rajas of the Maglot Dynasty and was also known as the Mirs of Nagar. Today district Nagar is bounded by Hunza district from N-East and North, Shigar District from S-East, Gilgit city by South and Yasin district by the West.
Ghizer
It lives under the neighbouring laws of the western Rajas and is governed by original rulers known as thoms.
Baltistan
Baltistan was ruled by the Maqpons, whose regions were Skardu, Kharmang, Raoundu, Gultari and Kargil. The dynasty was established in 1190 by Ibrahim Maqpon who’s said to be a prince of Kashmir, and he was the first Muslim to enter into Baltistan.
Maqpon ruled from Ladakh (east) to Chitral (west) and even some settlements in North Kashmir. But in the early epochs of the 19th century, they were defeated by Dogras leaving behind various landmark infrastructures like the Kharfocho fort, Mindoq khar etc.
Shigar
In an equivalent disposition, the Amacha Dynasty ruled the Shigar territory. The 17th-century Shigar fort which was the palace of Raja of Shigar is a symbol of the Amacha Dynasty. Today this fort is upgraded and taken care of by Serena Hotels.
Khaplu
Khaplu (the present state of Ghanche) was ruled by the Yabgo state for 700 years and claimed that the ruling family came from Yarkand, China. The Ladakh region and Khaplu both were connecting principalities. Today the Khaplu Palace which is built by Raja Daulat Ali Khan of the Yabgo Dynasty is a symbol taken by the Serena Hotels.
Gilgit
Gilgit was ruled by the Tarkhans for centuries and Mirs of Hunza both had the same family roots. The Tarkhans’ reign ended in 1810 when their last raja expired. Gilgit was offered to the British by Dogras for rent.
Conclusion
We do not belong to history, it belongs to us. We should not forget where we came from, and who were our ancestors and should take lessons from our history in a productive way to grow further by protecting our own cultures. The rationale behind this very blog is also to know about the Sovereign of Gilgit Baltistan and its different territories.
