ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>CHA&#7770HAT SI&#7748GH (d. 1770)</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="CHAZHAT,SIDGH"> <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">&#65279CHA&#7770HAT SI&#7748GH (d. 1770), grandfather of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, was the eldest of the four sons of Sard&#257r Naudh Si&#7749gh. He took to arms while still very young and started taking part in the raids and expeditions led by his father. He also fought in the Sikhs' skirmishes with the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n invader Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299. After the death of his father, he broke away from the Faizull&#257pur&#299&#257 Misl and determined to acquire territory for himself. He left his ancestral village of Sukkarchakk and established his headquarters at Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257, where he had gathered a considerable following within a short time. One of his constant companions was, Am&#299r Si&#7749gh, who was known in the area for his valour. In 1756, Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh married Des&#257&#7749, the eldest daughter of Am&#299r Si&#7749gh. This united the resources of the two families and added considerably to the importance of the young Sukkarchakk&#299&#257 chief.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh attached Emin&#257b&#257d, killing the <i>faujd&#257r</i> and plundering the town. He next captured Waz&#299r&#257b&#257d. His most significant victory was at Si&#257lko&#7789, where in August 1761 he besieged Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299's general, N&#363r ud-D&#299n B&#257meza&#299. He pressed the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n general hard and forced him to flee the town. He had now to face <i><u>Kh</u>w&#257j&#257</i> Ubaid <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n governor of Lahore, who marched upon Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257 to chastise him. The town was besieged, but Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh fought with courage and surprised the besiegers by his night sallies. In the meantime, other Sikh <i>sard&#257rs</i>, under the leadership of Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257, came to his rescue. Ubaid <u>Kh</u>&#257n was forced to retreat, leaving behind siege guns, ammunition and stores. In the Va&#7693&#7693&#257 Ghall&#363gh&#257r&#257 or Great Holocaust of 5 February 1762, when the Sikhs were involved in a pitched battle with Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299, Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh fought with great skill and courage.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; No sooner had Ahmad Sh&#257h returned to Afghanistan than the Sikhs reappeared all over the Punjab. Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh and the Bha&#7749g&#299 <i>sard&#257rs</i> sacked Kas&#363r in April 1763. In November 1763 he engaged at Si&#257lko&#7789 the Sh&#257h's commander-in-chief, Jah&#257n <u>Kh</u>&#257n, who had been especially sent to punish the Sikhs, and inflicted upon him a severe defeat. The Sh&#257h who came out himself was forced to return home harassed by the pursuing Sikh bands.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh swept across Rachn&#257 and Chaj Do&#257bs and reached Roht&#257s. The Af<u>gh</u>&#257n commander of the fort, Sarfar&#257z <u>Kh</u>&#257n, offered stiff resistance, but was overcome near A&#7789&#7789ock. Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh defeated. Sarbuland <u>Kh</u>&#257n, governor of Kashm&#299r, who was on his way to meet the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n ruler at Lahore. He followed these victories with the occupation of a large portion of Dhann&#299 and Po&#7789hoh&#257r areas. He then took Pi&#7751&#7693 D&#257dan <u>Kh</u>&#257n, and built a fort there. The Salt Range of Kheo&#7771&#257 and M&#299a&#7751&#299 was the next to fall to him.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh's rapid successes, especially in the Salt Range and Pi&#7751&#7693 D&#257dan <u>Kh</u>&#257n, aroused the animosity of the Bha&#7749g&#299 <i>sard&#257rs</i> who had always reckoned these areas within their sphere of influence. Their antagonism came into the open when Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh and the Bha&#7749g&#299 <i>sard&#257rs</i> took up sides in the family dispute at Jamm&#363. Its ruler, Ra&#7751j&#299t Deo, wanted to pass on the succession to his younger son, but was opposed in this attempt by Brij R&#257j Deo, the elder son, who managed to secure the active support of Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh and of the Kanhaiy&#257s. Ra&#7751j&#299t Deo enlisted the support of the Bha&#7749g&#299s. The rival armies marched into Jamm&#363 in 1770. Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh was fatally wounded in the skirmishes that followed by the bursting of his own gun.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, '<i>Umd&#257t-ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Bha&#7749g&#363, Ratan Si&#7749gh, <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n Panth Prak&#257sh</i>. Amritsar, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i>Ranjit Si&#7749gh</i>. Oxford, 1905<BR> <li class="C1"> Gupta, Hari Ram, <i>History of the Sikhs</i>, vol. IV. Delhi, 1982<BR> <li class="C1"> Khushwant Singh, <i>Ranjit Singh Maharajah of the Punjab</i>. London, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Hasrat, B. J. , <i>Life and Times of Ra&#7749jit Singh</i>. Nabha, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>Maharaja Ranjit Si&#7749gh</i>. Delhi, 1980<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Sard&#257r Si&#7749gh Bh&#257&#7789&#299&#257<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>