ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>&#298S&#256 KH&#256N</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="*S"> <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'&#298S&#256 <u>KH</u>&#256N, an early eighteenth-century Muslim R&#257jp&#363t chief, of Mañjh clan, claimed descent from Prince Kailo&#7749 of Jaisalmer, who had carved out for himself a small separate principality in the Punjab in 1425. During the Muslim invasions, the descendants of Kailo&#7749, like many other R&#257jp&#363ts of this area, had accepted Islam as their religion. '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, whose grandfather and later his father, Daulat <u>Kh</u>&#257n, had been leaders of robber bands, managed to establish himself as the overlord of an extensive tract along the left bank of the River Sutlej. In 1700 he founded Ko&#7789 '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, now in F&#299rozpur district, but he had his headquarters in Tih&#257&#7771&#257, an old village now in present-day Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 district. In the battle of J&#257ja&#363 (1707), fought between two sons of Aura&#7749gz&#299b for succession to the throne, '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n offered his services to Prince Mu'azzam, later Emperor Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h, and was enrolled as a petty <i>mansabd&#257r</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kap&#363r&#257 Br&#257&#7771, chief of Ko&#7789 Kap&#363r&#257 and an ancestor of the princely house of Far&#299dko&#7789 , who also claimed descent from the ruling family of Jaisalmer, was a rival of &#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n for ascendancy in the cis-Sutlej region. '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, finding Kap&#363r&#257 more than a match for him, resorted to a stratagem. Cultivating friendship with him, he once invited him to his house and treacherously killed him (1708) .</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n's fortunes rose with the accession of Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h to the imperial throne. He collaborated with the <i>faujd&#257r</i> of Jalandhar in his campaign against the Sikhs, then rallying under Band&#257 Si&#7749gh Bah&#257dur. In the struggle for succession that followed B&#257h&#257dur Sh&#257h's death, '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n helped the winning contender, Jah&#257nd&#257r Sh&#257h, who on his accession conferred on him a <i>mans&#257b</i> (rank) of 1500, the title of <u>Kh</u>&#257n and the <i>faujd&#257r&#299</i> of Jalandhar Do&#257b. He ruled over the Do&#257b with a heavy hand. The power he possessed and the terror he struck in the hearts of the people have been described by the author of <i>Ma'&#257sir-ul-Umar&#257</i> in these words: "Through fear of him the tiger used to draw its claws back. Nobody could dare interfere with his possessions." He amassed great wealth through extortionist measures and through robbers and plunderers he harboured in his territory. As a news item, dated 11 December 1714 included in <i>A<u>kh</u>b&#257r-i-Darb&#257r-i -Mu'all&#257</i> indicates, his activities were being reported to the royal court and the government was watching with concern his increasing power and possessions. The ambitious <u>Kh</u>&#257n also considered himself a rival of 'Abd us-Samad <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the governor of the Punjab, and tried to supplant him. In 1718, the latter despatched a force under sh&#257h&#257d Keshg&#299 of Kas&#363r to chastise '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n. The Br&#257&#7771s of Ko&#7789 Kap&#363r&#257 who had n&#363rsed a grievance against him for the assassination of Chaudhar&#299 Kap&#363r&#257 also joined the expedition. The combined force attacked Tih&#257&#7771&#257, and in the battle that ensued both '&#298s&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n and his father Daulat <u>Kh</u>&#257n were killed .</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bha&#7749g&#363, Ratan Si&#7749gh, <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n Panth Prak&#257sh</i>. Amritsar, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Janak Si&#7749gh, tr., <i>Asr&#257r Samad&#299</i>. Patiala, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i>The Rajas of the Punjab</i>. Delhi, 1977<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Bhagat Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>