~Sirmur~ (~Nahan~) lies to the north of the Ambala district, and occupies the greater part of the catchment area of the Giri, a tributary of the Jamna. It is for the most part a mountain tract, the Chor to the north of the Giri rising to a height of 11,982 feet. The capital, Nahan (3207 feet), near the southern border is in the Siwalik range. In the south-east of the State is the rich valley known as the Kiarda Dun, reclaimed and colonized by Raja Shamsher Parkash. There are valuable _deodar_ and _sal_ forests. A good road connects Nahan with Barara on the N.W. Railway. In 1815 the British Government having driven out the Gurkhas put Fateh Parkash on the throne of his ancestors. His troops fought on the English side in the first Sikh War. His successors, Raja Sir Shamsher Parkash, G.C.S.I. (1856-98), and Raja Sir Surindar Bikram Parkash, K.C.S.I. (1898-1911), managed their State with conspicuous success. The present Raja, Amar Parkash, is 25 years of age. In the second Afghan War in 1880, Sirmur sent a contingent to the frontier, and the Sappers and Miners, which it keeps up for imperial service, accompanied the Tirah Expedition of 1897. [Sidenote: Area, 3216 sq. m. Pop. 135,989. Rev. 4 _lakhs_ = L26,700.] ~Chamba~ lies to the N. of Kangra from which it is divided by the Dhauladhar (map, p. 284). The southern and northern parts of the State are occupied respectively by the basins of the Ravi and the Chandrabhaga or Chenab. Chamba is a region of lofty mountains with some fertile valleys in the south and west. Only about one-nineteenth of the area is cultivated. The snowy range of the Mid-Himalaya separates the Ravi valley from that of the Chandrabhaga, and the great Zanskar chain with its outliers occupies the territory beyond the Chenab, where the rainfall is extremely small and Tibetan conditions prevail. The State contains fine forests and excellent sport is to be got in its mountains. There are five _wazarats_ or districts, Brahmaur or Barmaur, Chamba, Bhattoyat, Chaura, and Pangi. The authentic history of this Surajbansi Rajput principality goes back to the seventh century. It came into the British sphere in 1846. During part of the reign of Raja Sham Singh (1873-1904), the present Raja, Sir Bhure Singh, K.C.S.I., C.I.E., administered the State as Wazir, filling a difficult position with loyalty and honour. He is a Rajput gentleman of the best type. The Raja owns the land of the State, but the people have a permanent tenant right in cultivated land. [Illustration: Fig. 124. Raja Sir Bhure Singh, K.C.S.I., C.I.E.]