COONCH BEHAR 13 GUN SALUTE STATE
Cooch Behar, also known as Koch Bihar, was a princely state ruled by Rajbanshi clans during the British Raj. The state was placed under the Bengal States Agency, part of the Eastern States Agency of the Bengal Presidency. It is located south of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, in present-day West Bengal.
Cooch Behar
State was formed when the Kamata Kingdom under
the Koch
dynasty split
following the death of Nara Narayan in 1586.
The eastern portion, Koch Hajo, was soon
absorbed by Ahom. The western
portion, Koch Bihar, formed a separate unit that came under direct challenge by
the Mughal
Empire.
After weathering the Mughal threat, a new foe emerged in the form of an
expansionist Bhutanese kingdom. After a series of wars with the Bhutanese and
Tibetans, the Northern threat was pushed back but not before a Bhutanese regent
was installed in the royal court. The Koch Bihar court decided to invite British
intervention. This came in the form of military assistance that -acting in
concert with Koch Bihar forces- ended the Northern challenge once and for all.
However the British East India company sought guarantees whereby the
independence of Koch Bihar was limited by treaties. When the British colonial
rule was finally terminated in India, the Koch Bihar state immediately acceded
to and merged with India in 1949 and became a part of West Bengal. The
district, Cooch
Behar District,
is named after this erstwhile kingdom.
Area
of state was 3414 Sq. Km. ,and
population of state was 5,90,000 in 1931, Privy purse of state at the time of
accession in to independent India on 1 January.1950 was Rs.8,50,000.
Revenue Stamps --
Type-15 : -
issue 1930-40 AD , KM # 150 , Size 24x30mm., Perf . 11 , Wove paper
Maharaja Jagaddipendra
Narayan Bhup Bahadur
One Anna, Vermilion , Ref. # 150
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