ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>GURUMUKH&#298 DIN PATR&#298</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>GURUMUKH&#298 DIN PATR&#298</i>, lit. a calendar or daily diary (<i>patr&#299</i>) in Gurmukh&#299 characters, is a manuscript reporting some of the events of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's reign from AD 1805 onwards. The author is one R&#257m Si&#7749gh, perhaps a resident of Amritsar, for he narrates events occurring at Amritsar in greater detail than those at other places. A photo-copy of this manuscript, the original of which was at the Pañj&#257b University, Lahore, is preserved in the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College, Amritsar, under MS. No 1796. It contains 51 folios, i.e. 102 pages, each page comprising 14 lines. On the very first page are mentioned five of the marriages of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, including the one with R&#257&#7751&#299 Jind&#257&#7749, mother of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Duleep Si&#7749gh. It was on the Hol&#299 day of 1860 Bk/AD 1803 that Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh received Jasvant R&#257o Marha&#7789&#7789&#257 [Mar&#257&#7789h&#257] at Amritsar where they exchanged turbans, betokening that they had become brothers from that day. The entry further reads : "Marha&#7789&#7789&#257s did a good deal of shopping, and hence traders of Amritsar benefited to a very great extent. The Gur&#363 himself is the saviour of Amritsar and he saved the honour of the city in the matter of supplies and variety, at which the Marha&#7789&#7789&#257s were really amazed." To give an idea of the Marha&#7789&#7789&#257s' wealth, their elephants are described as having gold chains.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; According to some other entries, Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh conquered Ka&#7749g&#7771&#257 in 1856 Bk/AD 1799, finally occupying it in 1874 Bk. Prince Kha&#7771ak Si&#7749gh, son of Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, was married to Chand Kaur in 1868 Bk/AD 1811. The Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 died in 1896 Bk/AD 1839 and four queens and seven maids burnt themselves on his pyre. The cause? This is what the <i>Patr&#299</i> says: "The Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 had a meeting in December-January with the English and took English wine. He was rendered incapable of speech the next month and died in that condition six months later."</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The diary ends with the Anglo-Sikh war of 1902 Bk/AD 1845-46. However, the last pages contain bits of miscellaneous information. It is recorded that the construction of Ak&#257l <i>bu&#7749g&#257</i> continued until 1906 Bk/AD 1849. We also have the dates of death of Fateh Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257 (1908 Bk/AD 1851), Gujjar Si&#7749gh Bha&#7749g&#299, S&#257hib Si&#7749gh Bha&#7749g&#299 and S&#257hib Si&#7749gh Bed&#299. At the end is appended a horoscope of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Sarmukh Si&#7749gh Amole<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>