Editing Dharamshala (section)

===Early history===
References to Dharamshala and its surrounding areas are found in ancient [[Hindu scripture]]s such as [[Rig Veda]] and [[Mahabharata]].<ref name="HP">{{Cite web|url=https://hpkangra.nic.in/history/|title=History of Kangra|access-date=22 October 2023|publisher=Government of Himachal Pradesh}}</ref> There are mentions of the region by [[Pāṇini]] in 4th century BC and by [[China|Chinese]] traveller [[Heun Tsang]] during the reign of king [[Harshavardhana]] in 7th century AD.<ref>{{cite book|title=Buddhist Western Himalaya: A politico-religious history|first=Omacanda|last=Hāṇḍā|year=2001|page=43|publisher=Indus Publishing Company|isbn=81-85182-03-5}}</ref> The indigenous people of the Dharamshala area (and the surrounding region) are the [[Gaddis]], a predominantly [[Hindu]] group who traditionally lived a nomadic or semi-nomadic [[transhumance|transhumant]] lifestyle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/Wzkj0Wad8pumyLNu5nkfGK/A-journey-with-Gaddi-pastoralists.html |title=A journey with Gaddi Pastoralists|date=6 October 2016|newspaper=Live Mint|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref>

The region was subject to attacks from Mughal rulers [[Mahmud of Ghazni]] in 1009 and [[Firuz Shah Tughlaq]] in 1360. In 1566, [[Akbar]] captured the region and brought it under the Mughal rule. As the Mughal rule disintegrated, [[Sikh Empire|Sikh]] chieftain [[Jai Singh Kanheya|Jai Singh]] brought the region to his control and gave it to [[Sansar Chand]] of the Katoch dynasty, legitimate [[Rajput]] prince in 1785. [[Gurkhas]] invaded and captured the region in 1806 before being defeated by [[Ranjit Singh]] in 1809. The Katoch dynasty was reduced to the status of [[jagirdar]]s under the treaty of Jawalamukhi signed between Chand and Singh in 1810. Post the death of Chand, Ranjit Singh annexed the region into the Sikh empire.<ref name="HP"/>