Its area was 248 km² and the population (1881) of 12,106 and 1901 of 13,309 consisted almost entirely of Sikhs distributed in 327 villages.

The Pal dynasty of Rajput origin ruled it with the title of Rana.

The founder of the dynasty was a brother of the Raja of Kutlehar and came from Kangra; he acquired the territory by conquest.

The country was conquered by the Gurkhas between 1803 and 1815 but they were expelled by the British who confirmed the old dynasty by a sanad dated 4 September, 1815.

In 1842 the Rana Rudra Pal abdicated in favor of his son and retired to Haridwar.