A chronicler of Nahan’s rich past

When Vijay Walia retired from the Himachal Transport Department as a technician in 2004, he realized he had something very unique to tell the world: the history of Nahan, an erstwhile princely state, in rare visuals. Walia has collected hundreds of pictures linked to the royal family of Sirmour, the traditions, various forts, historic coins and postcards. Pictures of various royalties, including those of Maharani Padmini while she was a young girl, are his proud possession. His collection comprises several volumes. 

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Walia is known in the town for his love for the old photographs. “I often thought about the origin of Solan and the royal clan. My interest gradually led me to collect historic pictures,” he says.

Walia says he had to spend at least Rs 1,000 for each picture from local photographers whose families had some links with the royals. Some pictures were also made available by his friends and their acquaintances. He also claims to have rare visuals of the Mughal era as the erstwhile princely state was a part of the Mughal rule. After spending years in his pursuit of recreating the history of Nahan, Walia believes his collection represents the town’s transformation.

Founded in 1621 by Raja Karam Prakash, the town retains some of its historical character: old structures such as the royal fort, Delhi Gate, Ranital (the royal garden) and historic Chowgan Maiden occupy a prominent place in the town. 

His collection ranges from the family photographs to rich royal traditions like the coronation at the historic Chowgan Maidan, hunting expeditions replete with the royal entourage on elephants, marriage ceremonies, community meetings as well as leisure trips to various hill stations. 

Even the traditional bull fighting, which was a popular sport here, is well captured in a photograph. Several historic forts like the Banaser near Parwanoo, Noorpur, Kangra and Udaipur are a part of his collection.

There are some pictures of British officers with their emblems, coins, royal drapes and maces. Walia has created an ensemble of all that signified the royal lifestyles. The visuals show gold-embossed dresses of the staff of the local maharaja as well as the dresses of the British royalty. 

He also has hundreds of silver and copper coins ranging back to the inscribed coins of the former maharajas and the British besides the changing hues of the Indian rupee over the last 100 years. Copies of books carrying history of Nahan, old postcards written by the royals and even horoscopes of various rulers have been ardently collected by him. Walia, however, feels his collection should be taken over by someone who can preserve it with equal passion. He is now on the lookout for an appropriate buyer. Having invested a sizeable amount in preserving these historical ensembles, Walia is worried about their fate now. 

He has, however, stopped collecting new pictures and doesn’t hesitate to offer pictures and books to those who evince interest in them. 

Walia found support in OP Chauhan, a former planning and development officer, who retired from the HP University. While describing his collection as an invaluable repository of history, Chauhan says only a person having a passion for such articles can value their worth.