Enthronement Prince Baj Chand became the
Maharaja of
Kumaon in 1638 after the death of Maharaja Trimal Chand.
Recapturing Terai The area of
Terai Bhavar was highly prosperous. But since the time of Maharaja Laxmi Chand, the
Chands were engaged in domestic quarrels, so they could not pay attention to Terai. There the Hindu chiefs of Kather had grabbed major part of their kingdom. In a letter addressed to the
Vazīr-e Azam of the
Mughal Empire during that time, Baz Bahadur Chand accused the
Raja of Garhwal for lodging a false complaint against him in the court of emperor Aurangzeb, falsely stating that he possessed huge wealth, so much gold that would not be available even on conducting searches all over the mountains. Baz Bahadur Chand then said that Raja of Garhwal should prove the authenticity of his statement. He then continued, saying that in regard to invading
Srinagar (capital of
Garhwal) without permission from the Mughal court, he is ready to pay a fine for it. In October. 1673 the Maharaja was granted pardon and he sent his prince to the imperial court. === Management of
Terai === The Maharaja greatly loved
Terai Bhavar. He always toured that region. He appointed officers there. They were ordered to live at
Bazpur and
Rudrapur in winter. In summers the officers shifted to Kota and Badakheda. Each and every
bigha of land was then under cultivation. Kota was the main capital of Terai Bhavar. The Kumaoni
Governor of Terai Bhavar lived there. Some Muslim
sardars and the army also was posted there and their commission was fixed. Among the Muslims some who belonged to Hedi and
Mewat were allotted the duties of watchmen of Bhavar.
Introducing new court customs Upon his return to
Almora, Baz Bahadur Chand introduced several customs inspired by the traditions he had observed in Muslim courts and the courts of other rulers. He established
naubat (kettle drums) and
nakkarchikhanas (designated areas for drummers to perform). Additionally, he appointed bearers of
asa (a staff adorned with gold and silver plating) and
ballam (a specially crafted mace), along with
chopdars (ceremonial guards). The Maharaja also brought with him a group of mace-bearers, drummers,
mirasis (traditional performers), clowns, and mimes from the plains to enhance the grandeur of his court. Furthermore, a
Brahmin confectioner was employed to prepare sweets for the royal palace. === Views on
Jizya === Baz Bahadur Chand was against
Jizya tax being implemented on
Mughal associated states like
Kumaon. According to Raja Anand Singh, a descendant of the
Chand dynasty and
Indian freedom fighter, an application from Kumaon was sent that this tax should not be levied. === Installation of
Nanda Devi === Baz Bahadur Chand invaded Garhwall and from there brought
Nandadevi along with all her attendants and installed her in Malla Mahal,
Almora. Royal maid servants were placed there for the service. Later on George William Traill, second commissioner of
Kumaon, shifted and installed her at the present place. === Invasion of
Taklakot (
Tibet) === Maharaja Baz Bahadur Chand was a man of strong religious convictions. He was shocked to hear the stories of atrocities of the Lamas from the pilgrims to Mansarovar and Kailash. In response the Kumaoni forces invaded
Tibet and captured
Kailash Manasarovar, a holy site for Hindus and Buddhists, along with several forts.
Cause Many pilgrims came to the court of Baz Bahadur Chand to complain about the Huniyas (The area from northwestern
Tibet till the borders of
Ladakh at that time was known as Hundesh, and Tibetans there were called Huniyas, ཧུ་ནི་ཡ) robbing them on their pilgrimage to
Kailash Manasarovar, and committing atrocities. Being quite religious, he could not stand it, and decided to bring an end to this problem.
Invasion Baz Bahadur Chand himself led his army through
Juhar Pass and entered Tibetan territory, which was then under
Khoshut Khanate (ཁོ་ཤུད་ཀན་དེ), a nominal
vassal state of the
Qing Dynasty. He captured the
Fort of Taklakot (ཏེག་ལ་དཀར་རྫོང་) in 1670. It is said that the chasm in it that was made by the royal army still exists in its original form. He also forced the Huniyas there to pay tribute to his Kingdom. This was the first time in history that an Indian king had captured this stronghold of
Tibet.
Aftermath There was no strong response from the higher Tibetan authority to this intrusion, and although it is not very well documented, civil war and unrest, Mongol conquest and rise of regional warlords in Tibet could be a probable cause. The Maharaja deprived the Huniyas of their right over the passes of
Kailash, and took it in his hands. He also stopped the commission that the
Bhotias paid to the Tibetans, but when the Tibetans agreed that in future they would raise no dispute in respect of religion, communication and trade, then he allowed it to continue. With the revenue of the nearby villages, he made an arrangement for food, clothing and lodging of the pilgrims to
Kailash Mansarovar. === Reconquest attempt by
Kingdom of Garhwal ===
Reconquest attempt and response When Maharaja Baz Bahadur Chand was in Bhot, the
Raja of Garhwal collecting an army re-captured the regions formerly conquered by Baz Bahadur Chand. Baz Bahadur Chand taking some commanders and army with him reached
Garhwal via
Pindari while other commanders went to Lohaba via
Ramganga. They drove away the
Garhwalis up to
Srinagar. In
Srinagar, a truce was signed and realising the expenditure incurred on military operations and accepting presents the
kingdom of Garhwal was handed back to the
Raja of Garhwal. ==== Wiping out descendants of
Katyuri Dynasty ==== Pali (
Ranikhet and
Dwarahat) was conquered in the days of Maharaja Kirti Chand but the
Katyuris living there were allowed to live in the Manila fort of
Salt. In this battle when the news reached Baz Bahadur Chand that the Katyuris had helped
Garhwal, he destroyed that fort and also drove out the Katyuri king from there. In this way the descendants of the family of Katyuris vanished.
Salt also was annexed to
Kumaon.
Rebellion of prince Udyot Chand Some ministers and nobles managed to influence Prince Udyot Chand, successfully inciting him to conspire against his father, Baz Bahadur Chand, in an attempt to seize the throne. Upon learning of this plot, the Maharaja took action by sending Udyot Chand to
Gangolihat, across the
Saryu River, entrusting him with the administration of regions such as Sor, Sira, Akskot, Darma, and Bhot. In his book
History of Kumaon, Shri
Badri Dutt Pandey recounts an intriguing exchange between the Maharaja and the prince:
"Udyot Chand wrote from Gangoli an ordinary letter to the king but a white (grey) hair was found in it. The king asked its reason from his courtiers. They said that by sending white hair he wants to convey that he had grown old ; he was yet only a prince, when would he become a king ? Thereupon, the king dictated his reply to this letter and despatched it with a black hair of his head and in it also sent a message that the king had not yet grown old. But to console the prince he went to Gangoli and there affectionately met him and after consoling him returned to Almora." Resignation of Diwan Narottam Joshi To ensure fairness and proper governance, Maharaja Baz Bahadur Chand and his
Diwan, Narottam Joshi, agreed that no royal order would be issued without the Maharaja's signature (Royal
Seal). The Maharaja would sign a document only if the Diwan deemed it just and fair. To facilitate this process, the Diwan controlled access to the royal pen-stand, keeping its key in his possession. He would take a pen from the stand, fill it with ink, and hand it to the Maharaja for signing. This system was strictly followed. During the reign of the Chand kings, official copper plates, known as
katardar, bore the mark of the ruler's dagger instead of a signature. The king's name was engraved at the beginning, along with the names of chief officers. This practice extended to signing official documents as well. On one occasion, in the Maharaja's absence, Diwan Narottam Joshi issued a royal order under his own signature for an urgent matter. His opponents took advantage of the situation and influenced the Maharaja, who, in response, ordered that the Diwan's hands be cut off. To prevent this severe punishment, a deputy minister paid a fine of 40,000 Rupees on the Diwan's behalf, leading the Maharaja to pardon him. A few years later, another critical order required the Maharaja's signature while the Diwan was unavailable. The Diwan's rivals persuaded the Maharaja that he was being treated as a mere figurehead while the Diwan held real power. Enraged, Baz Bahadur Chand broke the royal pen-stand and had the order signed by another officer. When Narottam Joshi returned and discovered what had happened, he resigned from his position. Later, when the Maharaja's anger subsided, he summoned Joshi back, but the Diwan refused, sending a message that if the Maharaja no longer trusted him, he would not serve him again.
Later years and cognitive decline Baz Bahadur Chand showed symptoms of cognitive decline and also became paranoid. The once popular and celebrated ruler gained a notorious reputation in his later years. A Dalakoti Brahmin deceived the Maharaja by suggesting that his failure to regularly test his officers could lead to betrayal. When the Maharaja asked for a way to conduct such a test, the Brahmin proposed a method: he would place two heaps of rice—one containing good rice and the other containing bad rice. By touching either heap, he claimed he could determine which officers and courtiers were loyal and which were not. Since Baz Bahadur Chand has developed
paranoia and other mental issues in his old age, he believed him. Following this advice, the Maharaja ordered his servants and courtiers to participate in the test. Based on the Brahmin's judgments, many individuals were deemed disloyal and subsequently executed. Whomsoever the Dalakoti Brahmin wanted to be killed, he declared him bad on the ground that he had touched the heap of rice. In this way on the advice of the Brahmin the Maharaja got hundreds of his men killed. Eyes of many more were pulled out. Since then, the
Kumaoni proverb goes "
वर्ष भया अस्सी, बुद्धि गई नस्सी " (When one becomes eighty years old, his wisdom is destroyed). Sri Sundar Bhandari, a trusted attendant from the village of Bajel in
Almora, was a favorite of Maharaja Baz Bahadur Chand. One day, he warned the Maharaja that he had been misled by the Dalakoti Brahmin and had unjustly executed many individuals, causing discontent among his officers. The Maharaja, however, insisted that he never ordered executions without proper inquiry and believed the rice test to be a fair method of judgment. To challenge this belief, Sundar Bhandari set up two heaps of rice and told the Maharaja that one heap would signify that he considered the ruler bad, while the other would indicate he saw him as good. By chance, Sundar Bhandari touched the heap containing bad rice. This unexpected turn of events made the Maharaja realize the flaws in the test. Acknowledging his mistake, he punished Dalakoti and admitted that he had committed a grave injustice. As a gesture of remorse, he provided financial support to the families of those who had been executed. Despite this, people remained fearful of approaching him. It is said that Maharaja Baz Bahadur Chand was greatly hurt by this sin. == Abdication ==