Bhim Chand (born 1651) was the Rajput King of

Bilaspur state Bilaspur State or Kahlur State, sometimes Kahloor Riyasat, was a kingdom (697–1849) and later princely state (1849–1948) in the Punjab Province ruled by a separate branch of Chandravanshi Chandel rajput dynasty. Raja Bir Chand 697–73 ...

(reigned 1665 – 1692) and

Anandpur Sahib Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur (), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Si ...

fell under his territorial area. He launched his first expedition against

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...

in 1682. In 1686 he conflicted with the armies of

and his disciples in

Battle of Bhangani The Battle of Bhangani was fought between Guru Gobind Singh's army and Bhim Chand (Kahlur) of Bilaspur on 18 September 1686 or 1688, at Bhangani near Paonta Sahib. An alliance of Rajput Rajas of the Shivalik Hills participated in the engage ...

. In 1692, Bhim Chand fought

Battle of Nadaun The Battle of Nadaun, alternatively known as the Hussaini Yudh'','' was fought at Nadaun, between Raja Bhim Chand of Bilaspur (Kahlur) and the Mughals under Alif Khan. Bhim Chand was supported by Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh Guru) and t ...

against

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

and came out victorious.

Biography

His family claimed descent from Chandel Rajputs of the

Bundelkhand Bundelkhand (, ) is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central and North India. It corresponds to the Post-Vedic Chedi kingdom. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Prad ...

region. Prior to his accession to the throne of Bilaspur state (alternatively known as Kahlur state), there had been friendly ties between the polity and the

Sikh gurus The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

. Bhim Chand succeeded to the '' gaddi'' (throne) of Bilaspur on 27 April 1665. Hostilities between Kahlur and the Sikhs under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh has been attributed to Bhim Chand feeling jealous over the growing influence of the Sikh guru and the regal mannerisms he practiced. Reasons for animosity has also been traced to Guru Gobind Singh rejecting Bhim Chand's request for his soldiers and others to pass through Paonta and only allowing the bridegroom and immediate members of the royal family to pass through, as part of a wedding procession of his son, the crown-prince Ajmer Chand, whom was betrothed to marry the daughter of Raja

Fateh Shah Fateh Shah was the Hindu Rajput king of Garhwal, a small kingdom in North India, from 1684 to 1716. Campaigns H. G. Walton states that Fateh Shah led an attack from Dehradun on Saharanpur in 1692. Pundirs and Gurjars were expelled out of Dehr ...

of Garhwal state. The ruler of Kahlur took this rejection as a grave insult. This tension erupted in the

, in-which the alliance of Hill Rajas of Bilaspur, Garhwal, Kangra, amid others, were defeated. Later on, there was a rekindling of amiable ties between Bhim Chand and the Sikhs, ensuing with Guru Gobind Singh assisting the raja in the

against the Mughal forces led by Alif Khan, whom was sent to extract unpaid tribute from the Hill States to replenish the depleted Mughal treasury.

Death

Various sources give different dates for his death. According to the Sikh literary work, ''Guru kian Sakhian'', he died on 16 September 1692. Another source states he abdicated the throne to his son in 1692 to become a ''

fakir Fakir, faqeer, or faqīr (; (noun of faqr)), derived from ''faqr'' (, 'poverty'), is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do ...

'', dying before 1701. He was killed in 1712. He was succeeded by his son, Ajmer Chand, as ruler of Bilaspur.

Notes

References

17th-century Indian monarchs 1650s births {{India-royal-stub