DISTRIBUTION OF SETTLEMENTS IN EARLY MEDIEVAL CHAMBA: AN INSCRIPTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

The present paper seeks to understand the distribution of rural settlements in early medieval Chamba on the basis of inscriptions.The study explores the spatial arrangement and sequent occupance in the given region.

INTRODUCTION:

            The major source of information about the study have been drawn from the varieties of inscriptions of early medieval Chamba(Himachal Pradesh,India).The article has tried to draw a picture of rural settlements and its landscape from the study of the inscriptions including fountain stone-slab inscriptions, image inscriptions, rock inscriptions and copper-plate inscriptions (land charters).These inscriptions also contain the geographical descriptions. The time period of the inscriptions range from A.D 600-A.D.1200.

            The inscriptions of Chamba gives us a fair idea about the distribution of settlements of Chamba region. There are 21 fountain stone-slab inscriptions,11 image inscriptions, 6 rock inscriptions and 6 copper-plate inscriptions(land charters) belongs to early medieval Chamba.The fountain inscriptions and image inscriptions provide a long list of the settlements during the early medieval period. The core concern of settlements- is the spatial arrangement and sequent occupance which is well denoted through the German term ‘Seidlungs Geographie’.[i]

[i]  ‘Seidlungs Geographie’-The historiogenetic approach, most appropriate for studying: (1) the degree of continuity of territorial organization, and (2) problems of interaction between man & environment. See. Singh, R.Y.(1998). Geography  of Settlements. New Delhi: Rawat publications,p.11.