Panwar

The Panwar, or Parmar, dynasty of Garhwal traced itself to Kanak Pal, a prince of Malwa, who in 823 married the daughter of Bhanu Pratap of Chandpur Garhi and inherited his Himalayan fortress. His descendants spent centuries subduing the fifty-two hill fortresses, the garhs, that gave Garhwal its name.

Around 1337 the family ruled only one chiefdom, but in 1358 Ajay Pal united the region. After Mahipat Shah's death in 1631 his widow Rani Karnavati ruled as regent and in 1640 repulsed a Mughal army under Najabat Khan, earning the nickname Nakti Rani for the noses she had cut off.

Gorkha armies from Nepal overran the kingdom in 1803. After the Anglo-Nepalese War the Treaty of Sugauli of 1816 split Garhwal, leaving the eastern half to the British while the heir Sudarshan Shah kept the west as Tehri Garhwal.