Clockwise from top: View of Kumarsain town from a nearby village, St. Mary's Church at Kotgarh village, View of Dhauladhar mountain range from Kumarsain, Koteshwar Mahadev Temple at Mandholi village, A meadow on the way to Derthu Mata Temple, Tani Jubbar Lake
Kumarsain is located at
31°19′05″N77°26′46″E / 31.318145°N 77.446189°E / 31.318145; 77.446189 and has an average elevation of 1,675 metres (5,495 ft). It is situated above the Satluj river in the North-West Himalayas, about 80 km from Shimla towards interior ranges. Kumarsain has many villages within its boundary namely Mateyog, Damali, Lathi, Bharara, Bai and Dethal.
Scenic view after sunset as seen from KumarsainKumarsain during Snowfall
Tourist attractions around Kumarsain include Narkanda, Kotgarh-Thanedhar, Hatu Peak, Tani Jubbar Lake, Derthu Mata Temple
As of 2011 India census,[8] Kumarsain had a population of 5,461. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kumarsain has an average literacy rate of 97.8%, much higher than the national average of 74.04% male literacy is 97%, and female literacy is 89%. In Kumarsain 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
History
Kirat Singh, also known as Kirti Singh (later Rana Kirat Chand), who was an office holder and Jagirdar at the court of Raja Narayan Pal of Gaya in Bihar, founded Kumharsain State in the 11th century AD. He along with his two brothers (Kartar Singh and Prithvi Singh) was driven away from Gaya, by the fear of Mahmud Ghaznavi and settled around Kumharsain. They conquered the country from a local chief named Bhambu Rai of Delath.[9] Later on Kirat Singh gave a tract called Karangla to his brother Kartar Singh. Descendants of Kartar Singh founded the states of Khaneti and Kotkhai. The younger brother, Prithvi Singh, established his independent state at Delath. Since the 15th century, Kumharsain was a feudatory of Bushahr State, but was declared independent after the expulsion of the Gurkhas in 1815, by a sanad dated February 1816, but at the same time lost its own tributary states of Bharauli, Balsan and Madhan. The Rana maintains a military force of 45 infantry and 1 gun (as of 1892).[10] Kumharsain State was ranked 6th in Order of precedence in the Shimla Hill States and 11th amongst the Punjab Hill States.[11][12]
Kumarsain State SymbolWatercolour painting of Rana's house at Kumharsain by Baden Henry Powell, c.1872
Kumarsain's famous Hira Mahal (named after the 56th Rana of Kumharsain, "Hira Singh"), which served as the home to the Ranas of this princely state, was burnt because of an accidental fire that took place in the mahal on 25 December 2007.[14]
Hira Mahal in 2005
Also the first American apple tree grown in India was at Kotgarh (a village in Kumharsain tehsil), which was planted by an American immigrant Satyanand Stokes in 1916.[15]
India
