Pratap Nagar is a very beautiful city of Uttarakhand which is located at a distance of about 15 kilometers from Tehri. The beauty of Pratap Nagar is worth seeing. This Raj Mahal is situated in Pratap Nagar assembly constituency which was the princely state of Tehri from 1815 to 1950. Pratap Nagar city was built by King Pratapshah. Natural beauty of Pratap Nagar is amazing. King Pratap Shah made Pratap Nagar his summer capital and Tehri the winter capital.
History - Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
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| Pratap Nagar - Raja ka Mahal |
The story behind the construction of the palace is also very interesting. It is believed that after the Gorkhas left in 1815, Garhwal king Sudarshan Shah shifted his capital from Srinagar and made Tehri the capital. After ruling there for about 45 years, Maharaja Bhavani Shah ruled for 12 years and after him Pratap Shah took over the reign in 1871 at the young age of 21 years. It was Pratap Shah who made Pratap Nagar his capital and ruled his kingdom from there during summers. There is a very interesting story behind its creation.
Story behind Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
It is said that due to extreme heat during summer, Raja Pratap Shah used to go to Mussoorie and Shimla with his entire army. At that time also Pratap Shah had gone to Mussoorie with his entire army. He had just climbed the heights on the Mall Road in Mussoorie when he was stopped there by a British soldier. Due to this, a lot of debate started at that time and Raja Pratap Shah got angry and even slapped the Englishman. Due to the slap, the Englishman fell on the spot and lost his life. After this incident the king was asked never to come to Mussoorie.
At that time the British had established control over many areas of Garhwal and Mussoorie also came under their jurisdiction. Raja Pratap Shah felt very bad about this and after this he decided that he would build his capital at a more beautiful place than Mussoorie.
King Pratap Shah shared this with his courtiers. Then a search started for a place which was more beautiful than Mussoorie and finally this search stopped at Thangdar. This is the same place which is situated near Tehri at an altitude of about 7000 feet above sea level. From here the beauty of the Himalayan mountain range can be easily seen and the view of Tehri Lake can also be seen on the other side. Surrounded by cedar trees, this place receives heavy snowfall in winter.
Due to so much snowfall, the temperature here dropped below zero and there was fog most of the time. That is to say, along with extremely beautiful natural beauty, there was very good weather here. Raj Mahal was built at this place in Thangdar in 1877.
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Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
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| Pratap Nagar - Raja ka Mahal |
After the Raj Mahal was built, the name of Thangdar was changed to Pratapnagar after the name of the king and the king declared Pratapnagar as his capital. At that time, King Pratap Shah made Pratap Nagar the capital for 6 months and ruled from Tehri for the remaining 6 months. King Pratapshah lived in Pratapnagar from May to September. Here a road was also prepared by the king to the old Tehri.
Panchdev Mandir - Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
A Panchdev temple was also established by Raja Pratap Shah. Later, the local people collected donations and built this temple and named the temple as Shri Badrinath Ji Temple. Today this temple has a grand appearance.
Court - Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
It is said that during the time of Raja Pratap Shah, arrangements for English education were made here and police arrangements were also made here. A court system was also established here. The king's court was held in the royal palace and the proceedings were also conducted from here. After the death of King Pratapshah, his son Kirti Shah took over the reign. When Kirtishah assumed the reign, he was also very young. Kirti Shah took charge under the supervision of Maharani Guleria, wife of Raja Pratap Shah.
Rani Mahal - Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
The queen's palace is also built in front of the king's palace. There were about 30 rooms in this palace of the queen. After the merger of the monarchy with independent India in 1949, this palace has become a neglected building. There is a continuous demand for renovation and beautification of Rani Mahal. The local people here want to save this royal palace and bring it to life as a tourist attraction.
Other activities - Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
Pratap Nagar is a small hill station which, being not very well known, is untouched by the crowd and the harm caused by it. If you want to spend some time in a peaceful, beautiful place with pleasant weather, then Pratap Nagar is the perfect place for that.
Apart from experiencing the beautiful views of the Himalayan peaks and pleasant weather, paragliding is a main adventurous activity here.
How to reach Pratap Nagar Raja ka Mahal
Pratap Nagar is located at a distance of about 70 kilometers from Tehri. Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradun is the nearest airport. Dehradun to Pratap Nagar is 135 kilometers which can be covered by road.
To reach here by train, Rishikesh Dehradun station is the nearest and further journey till Pratap Nagar can be done by road.
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