ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>AHW&#256L-I-FIRQAH-I-SIKKH&#256&#7748</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="AHWL,FIRQAH,SIKKHD"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279AHW&#256L-I-FIRQAH-I-SIKKH&#256&#7748, variously titled as <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u>-i-Sikkh&#257&#7749, Kit&#257b-i-Tar&#299<u>kh</u>-i-Sikkh&#257&#7749</i> and <i>Guz&#257ris&#7749-i-Ahw&#257l-i-Sikh&#257&#7749</i>, by Munsh&#299 <u>Kh</u>ushwaqt R&#257i, is a history in Persian of the Sikhs from their origin to AD 1811. <u>Kh</u>ushwaqt R&#257i was an official news writer of the East India Company accredited to the Sikh city of Amritsar. It was written at the request of Col (afterwards General Sir) David Ochterlony, British political agent at Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 on the Anglo-Sikh frontier. Opinion also exists that it was written at the suggestion of Charles Theophilus Metcalfe. Henry Prinsep and Capt Murray based their accounts of the Sikhs on this manuscript. The British Library preserves a manuscript (No. Or. 187) under the title <i>kit&#257b -i-Tar&#299<u>kh</u>-i-Sikkh&#257&#7749</i> ( in the Preface it is designated <i>Guz&#257rish-i-Ahw&#257l-i-Sikkh&#257&#7749</i>). The name of the author is not mentioned. Copies of the manuscript are also preserved at Punjab State Archives, Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, and at <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College, Amritsar. The manuscript (No. M/ 800) entitled <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u>-i-Ahw&#257l-i-Sikkh&#257&#7749</i> at the Punjab State Archives has 194 folios. The account begins with the birth of Gur&#363 N&#257nak in 1469, followed by lives of the succeeding Gur&#363s, of the career and exploits of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh, the chiefs of the &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257, Ph&#363lk&#299&#257&#7749 and Kanh&#257iya <i>misl</i>, the hill chiefs of K&#257&#7749g&#7771&#257 or the Ka&#7789och dynasty, and of the Sukkarchak&#299&#257 <i>misl</i>. Events of the reign of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh up to 1811 such as Holkar's arrival in the Punjab in 1805 and the conquests of Pa&#7789h&#257nko&#7789 and &#7692ask&#257 are described in some precise detail. The account closes with the arrival in 1811 of the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n embassy for a meeting with Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. <u>Kh</u>ushwaqt R&#257i's work furnishes considerable information on the early history of the Sikhs though it is not exempt from inaccuracies or personal prejudices. The account of Sikhs' rise to power is however factual and straight forward.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The manuscript remains unpublished. An Urdu translation, the only one known to exist, was discovered by Dr Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh in the armoury from under the debris after an accidental gunpowder explosion in Qil&#257 Mub&#257rak at Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 on 1 May 1950. The first 16 pages of the manuscript were missing. A Punjabi translation of the manuscript made by Milkh&#299 R&#257m Kishan is preserved at the Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University, Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257. The manuscript awaits publication.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Gurbax Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>