ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>BIJAY BINOD</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="BIJAY,BINOD"> <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">&#65279BIJAY BINOD, a chronicle in Punjabi verse of the turbulent period following the death in 1839 of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, the sovereign of the Punjab, written according to internal evidence in 1901 Bk/AD 1844. The only known manuscript of the work, still unpublished, is preserved in the private collection of Bh&#257&#299 Haridhan Si&#7749gh of B&#257ga&#7771&#299&#257&#7749. The manuscript, which comprises 84 folios, with 495 stanzas, is dated 1921 Bk/AD 1864. The poetic metres used include Dohar&#257, Sora&#7789h&#257, Bhuja&#7749g Pray&#257t and Kabitt. The work was undertaken by the poet, Gv&#257l, at the instance of Pa&#7751&#7693it Jalh&#257, a close confidant of H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh &#7692ogr&#257, prime minister to Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's son, Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Duleep Si&#7749gh, and that explains much of his bias in favour of the &#7692ogr&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The work begins with verses eulogizing Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh who is deified as an incarnation of Lord K&#7771&#7779&#7751a. R&#257j&#257 Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh, the &#7692ogr&#257 minister, is presented as the incarnation of Arjuna (25). The author dwells at length on the qualities of Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh (26-36) and is at pains to establish that Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh and his son H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh were the real well wishers of the Sikh state and personally loyal to the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 which was not true of the Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257s, especially Atar Si&#7749gh, Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh and Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh. Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 visits Calcutta to seek the help of the British against Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh (269-71), but, when he fails in his mission, he asks for royal forgiveness which he obtains through the intercession of Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh and Bed&#299 Bikram Si&#7749gh. Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh is also stated to have secured, on Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh's request, the release of Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257. The poet casts the &#7692ogr&#257s as the benefactors of the Sikh state and Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257s as traitors. The work concludes with H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh's protestation of loyalty to the new king, Duleep Si&#7749gh. The poet's object obviously was to clear the &#7692ogr&#257s of the slur that had accrued to them because of their betrayal of the trust the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 had reposed in them. This has led to severe distortions of historical fact.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Dharam Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>