ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>CH&#256R B&#256GH-I-PAÑJ&#256B</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 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">&#65279<i>CH&#256R B&#256<u>GH</u>-I-PAÑJ&#256B</i> by Ganesh D&#257s Ba&#7693hera, a history in Persian of the Punjab which, according to the author, then extended from the River Indus to the Sutlej. The work, completed in 1855, was published by <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College, Amritsar, in 1965. The author served under the Lahore Darb&#257r as a revenue official (<i>q&#257n&#363ngo</i>) of Gujr&#257t (now in Pakistan) where earlier his father Shiv Day&#257l, had also served under Sard&#257r Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh of the Bha&#7749g&#299 <i>misl</i>. Later he joined the service of R&#257j&#257 Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh at Jamm&#363 where he compiled his <i>R&#257j Darshan&#299</i>, a history of the &#7692ogr&#257 <i>r&#257j&#257s</i>. <i>Ch&#257r B&#257<u>gh</u>-i-Pañj&#257b</i> was written after the annexation of the Punjab at the instance of the author's British patrons, specifically Sir Richard Temple (1826-1902), then secretary to the Punjab Government. It was in fact the updated version of his earlier work, <i>Chah&#257r Gulshan-i-Pañj&#257b</i>, also called <i>Ris&#257l&#257 S&#257hib Num&#257</i>. Beginning in the traditional style with an account of the solar and lunar dynasties and referring briefly to the Greek invasion by Alexander the Great, <i>Ch&#257r B&#257<u>gh</u>-i-Pañj&#257b</i> deals with the Punjab under the Muslims from the time of the <u>Gh</u>azanavids down to the Mu<u>gh</u>al Emperor Sh&#257h &#256lam II (1759-1806) and the invasions of Zam&#257n Sh&#257h, a grandson of Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299. This is preceded by a sketchy account of early Sikhism based on traditional Sikh versions, with certain obvious discrepancies. For instance, the author states that Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh conferred the title of Gur&#363 on Band&#257 (Si&#7749gh) which is not correct. His account of the exploits of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh Bah&#257dur and of his eventual execution is, however, graphic. Ganesh D&#257s is more reliable in treating of events closer to his own time. The period of turmoil in Sikh history, the rise of the <i>misls</i> particularly the Bha&#7749g&#299s and the Sukkarchakk&#299&#257s, and the emergence of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh as the sovereign of the Punjab are described in considerable detail. So are the geographical and topographical features of the Sindh S&#257gar Do&#257b and the revenue divisions, towns and villages, places of worship and prominent persons belonging to the kingdom of Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. The work takes note of the court factions and intrigues which afflicted the Punjab after the death of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257. It ends with an account of the two Anglo-Sikh wars, leading to the occupation of the Punjab by the British. Ganesh D&#257s's occasional use of opprobrious terms for Sikhs is explainable by his eagerness to please his new masters.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Latif, Syad Muhammad, <i>History of the Panjab</i>. Delhi, 1964<BR> <li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, '<i>Umd&#257t-ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1985-89<BR> <li class="C1"><u>Gh</u>ul&#257m Muhayy ud-D&#299n (alias B&#363&#7789e Sh&#257h), <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u>-i-Pañj&#257b</i> (MS. in the Dr Ganda Singh collection of the Punjabi University Library, Patiala).<BR> <li class="C1"> Ba&#7693hera, Ganesh D&#257s, <i>Ch&#257r B&#257<u>gh</u>-i-Punjab</i>. Ed. Kirpal Singh. Amritsar, 1965<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Syad Hasan Askar&#299<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>