Kanak Pal

Paramara The Paramara dynasty ( IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs. The dynasty was established in either ...

known as Raja Kanakpal of

Paramara dynasty The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs. The dynasty was established in either ...

, was the founder of

Garhwal Kingdom Garhwal Kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, founded in 688 CE by Kanak Pal, the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom uninterrupted until ...

and the first independent ruler of the entire

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Garh ...

state. He possible reigned in 822 AD or earlier.

Life and background

Kanak Pal was primarily a prince of

, belonging to

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also sy ...

or in modern-day

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...

. He was on

's journey to fulfill mandatory religious duties of

Pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

. The state reigning king "Bhanu Pratap", was influenced by him and he placed Kalank Pal on the throne of Garhwal. Before Pal's coronation came into existence, the entire kingdom was split into small parts. After some time spending on the throne, he started conquering divided parts and ultimately, led the foundation of Garhwal Kingdom and merged the bifurcated parts into one.

Diplomacy

The practice of arranging administrative reforms were not much different from other rulers. Before entering in the state, the divided-territory was ruled by several independent families known as "Rana", "Thakur" and "Rai". When he stabilized his throne diplomatically with the help of his descendants, he emerged as the one independent king by conquering the other parts.

Marriage

The foundation of Garhwal Kingdom began when he married to Bhanu Pratap’s daughter. When reigning king "Bhanu Pratap", was searching a groom for his daughter, he was reported about the Kanak Pal’s presence at the

Badrinath temple Badrinath or Badrinarayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu - holy shrines for Vaishnavas - who is ...

where prince was performing religious duties. Pratap offered a marriage proposal to prince to marry his daughter but he declined citing some issues. Upon introducing to princess, he couldn't prevent himself from accepting the proposal and ultimately agreed to marry his daughter. After getting married, the responsibilities of Garhwal Kingdom was taken by Kanak.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pal, Kanak Indian monarchs 8th-century Indian monarchs