After the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846, under the terms of the Treaty of Lahore, 1846, the British East India Company acquired Kashmir from the Sikh Empire and transferred it to Gulab Singh, recognising him as an independent Maharaja.

[8] The term Dogra is thought to derive from Durgara, the name of a kingdom mentioned in an eleventh century copper-plate inscription in Chamba.

According to Mira Seth, the Durgara region was situated between the outer hills located between the Ravi and Chenab rivers and was derived from a tribal name.

In modern times, the term Dogra turned into an ethnic identity, claimed by all those people that speak the Dogri language.

The two sons ruled from the Bahu and Jammu on the opposite banks of the Tawi River and their descendants came to be called Bahuwals and Jamuwals respectively.

[11] The members of the family however claim descent from a legendary Suryavanshi (solar) dynasty ruler Jambu Lochan, who is believed to have founded the city of Jammu in antiquity.

[9] The Dogras claim descent from migrants who originated from the present-day regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal prior to the Islamic invasions of the Indian subcontinent.

[9] Most of the ruling families of the Pahari Hill States traditionally trace their ancestry back to Ayodhya, claiming descent from Sumitra, who was the last descendant of the Suryavanshi lineage of Rama.

[14] According to local mythology, Jambu decided to construct a settlement at Jammu after he witnessed a wild goat and lion drinking from the same water-hole in a forest that was located at the site, being impressed by how two species of predator and prey could peacefully co-exist.

[14] The first historical mention to a Pahari ruler relates to two copper-plate inscription dated to the years 1056 and 1066 that eulogize the feats of Raja Sahilavarman of Chamba State (r.

[9] The Dogra-ruler Vajradhara is said to have allied with Trigarta (Kangra), Vallapura (Balaor), Vartula (Batal), and Thakkuras of the Chandrabhaga Valley, to pledge allegiance to Bhikshachara of Kashmir.

[14] Raja Hamir or Bhim Dev was recorded as being a supporter of Mubarak Shah (r. 1421–1434) of the Sayyid dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate against the Khokhars of the Darvabhisara Hills.

[14] With the oncoming of the Mughal empire, the Jammuite rulers resisted their attempts overwhelm them but finally succumbed once they could reach favourable terms.

[14] Jammu was a small principality until the decline of Mughal authority in the early 18th century, where-after it arose to become a regional powerhouse during the reign of Raja Dhruv Dev.

[citation needed] During the reign of Dhruv Dev, Jammu was unified and it established authority and dominance over the other surrounding Hill States.

[17] He occupied the regency of Jammu State from 1735 to 1747, as Ranjit Dev had been arrested and imprisoned at Lahore between the years 1735–1747 due to the Mughals suspecting him of being disloyal to their governor of the hill region, therefore Ghansar served as regent in his elder brother's absence.

[14][9] During Ranjit's reign, Jammu's local economy benefited, as trading developed, which was noted by the English traveller George Forster in 1783.

[9] Many refugees from other areas of India settled in Jammu during this period, such as Malka Zamani, Mughlani Begum (widow of Mir Mannu), Hari Singh (s/o Kaura Mal, the diwan of Mir Mannu), and Dalpat Rai (s/o Lakhpat Rai)[9] The downfall of the Mughals led the Sikh Misls to arise in the Punjab in the subsequent power-vacuum that followed, with this change having repercussions on the Hill States.

[9] Kharak Singh's agents were unable to maintain law and order, with locals led by Mian Dedo rebelling against the Sikh jagirdar (governor).

[23][24] In 1812, the Dogra commander Gulab Singh led the Sikh forces against Kashmir and assisted their attacks on Multan in 1819 and against the Pashtun Yousafzai.

[9] At various points, Gulab Singh was bestowed with the jagirs of Bhera, Miani, Qadirabad, Dangi, Pind Dadda Khan, Jhelum, and Gujarat.

[9] The Sikh rule was then extended beyond the Jammu Region and the Kashmir Valley to include the Tibetan Buddhist kingdom of Ladakh (conquered in 1834[9]) and the Emirates of Hunza, Gilgit and Nagar.

[30][31] Under the terms of the Treaty of Amritsar that followed in March 1846, the British government sold Kashmir for a sum of 7.5 million Nanakshahee rupees to Gulab Singh, hereafter bestowed with the title of Maharaja.

He made primary education compulsory in the State, introduced laws prohibiting child marriage and allowed low castes to go to places of worship.

[citation needed] Hari Singh was as a member of Churchill's British War Cabinet in WWII, and supplied troops for the Allies.

Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh after serving as the President of Jammu and Kashmir from 1952 to 1964 went on to become the youngest cabinet minister as a leading member of the Indian Congress Party in 1967.

[9] The tradition of painting later developed in the hill states of Jasrota, Mankot, Lakhanpur, Samba, Bhoti, Bandralta, Bhadrawaha, Poonch, and Rajauri.

[9] The extant wall-paintings of the territories of J&K State all date back to the reign of Gulab Singh, however there are miniature paintings that pre-date this time.

[9] Many of the extant Dogra wall paintings cover religious themes as this was the primary reason for executing them, to pay respect to the divinity of the deity, area, or temple.

[9] As per lore, a Tarkhan artist named Hiru mistri of Suneeta village was the one who carried out the painting work of the walls of Ramnagar Palace.