The first ruler of this Kingdom was
Raja Prithvi Pal from the
Jarral Rajput clan ruled Rajouri from 1033 to 1192, Prithvi Pal defended
Pir Panjal at the time of incursion of
Mahmud of Ghazni in 1021 CE. The old name of Rajouri was "Rajapuri" as mentioned in Rajtarangni of Kalhana Pandita written in 1148 CE. Rajouri came under the suzerainty of the
Kashmir Sultanate during the 15th century through the military campaigns of General
Malik Tazi Bhat. In 1475, he led conquests that brought Rajouri, along with
Poonch,
Jammu,
Bhimber,
Jhelum,
Sialkot, and
Gujrat, under the administrative control of the Kashmiri Sultan. Local rulers retained limited autonomy but were required to acknowledge the Sultan’s authority and provide tribute and military support. This vassal arrangement continued until the late 16th century, when Mughal Emperor Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586, ending Kashmir’s control over Rajouri. During the
Mughal rule, the
Jarral Rajput rulers or Raja agreed to a treaty with the Mughal Empire and thus were given the title '
Mirza'. In 1810 and 1812,
Maharaja Ranjit Singh attempted to conquer
Bhimber,
Kotli, and Rajouri. However, Rajouri successfully resisted these invasions. In 1813,
Gulab Singh of Jammu captured Rajouri for the
Sikh Empire of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh, by defeating
Raja Aghar Khan. After this, Rajouri became part of the Sikh Empire. But parts of it were given as jagirs to
Raja Rahimullah Khan (the brother of Raja Agarullah Khan) and other parts to Gulab Singh. Following the
First Anglo-Sikh War and the
Treaty of Amritsar (1846), all the territories between the
Ravi River and the
Indus were transferred to Gulab Singh, and he was recognised as an independent Maharaja of
Jammu and Kashmir. Thus Rajouri became a part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Gulab Singh changed the name of Rajouri to Rampur. He appointed Mian Hathu as Governor of Rajouri, who remained in Rajouri up to 1856. Mian Hathu constructed a stunning temple in between Thanna Nallah in close proximity to Rajouri city. He also built Rajouri Fort at Dhannidhar village. After Mian Hathu, Rajouri was transformed into a tehsil and affiliated with
Bhimber district. In 1904, this tehsil was separated from Bhimber and affiliated with the
Reasi district. Rajouri was recaptured on 12 April 1948 by the
19 Infantry Brigade of the
Indian Army under the command of Second Lieutenant
Rama Raghoba Rane. Rane, despite being wounded, launched a bold tank assault by conveying the tanks over the
Tawi river bed in order to avoid the road blocks along the main road. When the Indian Army entered the town, the captors had fled, having destroyed most of the town and killing all its inhabitants. After the arrival of the Army, some 1,500 refugees that had fled to the hills, including women and children, returned to the town. The ceasefire line at the end of the War ran to the west of the Rajouri-
Reasi district.
Inside India Soon after the war, the Rajouri and
Reasi tehsils were separated. The Rajouri tehsil was merged with the Indian-administered
Poonch district to form the Poonch-Rajouri district. ==Geography and education==