Rajouri

Rajouri lies among the mountains southwest of Kashmir, on an approach to the valley. Known as Rajapuri in Kalhana's twelfth-century chronicle, the Rajatarangini, it was ruled by a line of Jarral Rajput rajas. In the fifteenth century the campaigns of Malik Tazi Bhat brought Rajouri under the suzerainty of the Kashmir Sultanate. Its rulers retained limited autonomy in return for tribute and military support.

After Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586, the Jarral rulers came to an agreement with the Mughal Empire and received the title of Mirza. Rajouri resisted Ranjit Singh's attempts to conquer it in 1810 and 1812, but the following year Gulab Singh captured the town for the Sikh ruler, defeating Raja Aghar Khan. Parts of the territory were granted as jagirs, including one to the defeated raja's brother Rahimullah Khan.