Dasuya (Dasua) is a town and a municipal council in Hoshiarpur district in the state of Punjab, India. Its name is derived from its having been destroyed and rebuilt ten times: Da means Ten and Suya means Built. According to a report by The Tribune newspaper in 1977, the town is referred to in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, as being the seat of king Virata. In recognition of this, Dasuya is still referred to as Virat Ki Nagri today. In the closing decade of the fourteenth century, Dasuya at least twice witnessed the passage of an army during the struggle against the Muslim conquerors, Abu Bakar and Amir Taimur. Later, in December 1557, the army of the incumbent Sultan Akbar, led by his governor of Lahore, Khizr Khan, camped at the town while dealing successfully with a threat posed by Sikandar Sur. More recently, Dasuya featured in debates related to the emergence of Himachal Pradesh. Verma has noted that, "Perhaps no other State of India has suffered as many territorial...
