Chamba's origins date back to 920 CE when it was founded by Raja Sahil Varman. According to local lore, the city was named after the Raja’s daughter, Champavati, who was enamored by the site during a visit. Following her wishes, Sahil Varman relocated the capital of his kingdom from the ancient town of Bharmour to this new plateau along the Ravi River.
Because of its isolated geographical position behind high mountain passes, the Chamba kingdom maintained a high degree of autonomy for centuries. While it eventually paid tribute to the Mughal Empire and later the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, it was rarely directly occupied or pillaged. This unbroken lineage allowed classical arts to flourish, reaching a zenith in the 18th and 19th centuries when artists fleeing the plains sought refuge in the hills, birthing the famous Pahari school of painting.
Following the Anglo-Sikh wars in the mid-19th century, Chamba became a princely state under British suzerainty. It underwent significant modernization during this period, including the construction of suspension bridges and modern administrative buildings, culminating in the establishment of the Bhuri Singh Museum in 1908. On April 15, 1948, following Indian independence, the princely state of Chamba merged with the Indian Union to become part of the newly formed state of Himachal Pradesh, continuing its legacy as a cultural capital of the region.