ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MU&#298N UL-MULK (d. 1753)</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="MULK"> <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">&#65279MU'&#298N UL-MULK (d. 1753), shortened to M&#299r Mann&#363, was the Mu<u>gh</u>al governor of the Punjab from April 1748 until his death in November 1753. He took over charge of the province after he had defeated the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n invader, Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299, in the battle fought at M&#257&#7751up&#363r, near Sirhind on 11 March 1748. In this battle his father, Waz&#299r Qamar ud-D&#299n, prime minister to the Mu<u>gh</u>al emperor of Delhi, was killed. As governor of the Punjab, M&#299r Mann&#363 proved a worse foe of the Sikhs than even his predecessors Abd us-Samad <u>Kh</u>&#257n (1713-26), Zakar&#299y&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n (1726-45) and Y&#257hiy&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n (1745-47), and continued the witch hunt with much greater severity. According to Syad Muhammad Lat&#299f, the Muslim author of the <i>History of the Panjab</i>, his first act was to storm the fortress of R&#257m Rau&#7751&#299, in Amritsar, where 500 Sikhs had taken shelter. He then stationed detachments of troops in all parts with any Sikh inhabitants to apprehend them and shave their heads and beards. This drove the Sikhs to seek refuge in the mountains and jungles. Mann&#363 issued orders to the hill chiefs to seize Sikhs and send them in irons to Lahore. Hundreds of Sikhs were thus brought daily to Lahore and executed at Na<u>kh</u>&#257s, the horse-market, present site of Gurdw&#257r&#257 Shah&#299d Gañj, outside of the Delhi Gate, within sight of crowds of spectators. However, under the influence of his Hindu minister, Kau&#7771&#257 Mall, who was a sympathizer of the Sikhs, but more because of the threat of another invasion by Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299, Mann&#363 was led temporarily to halt his campaign against the Sikhs and make peace with them by granting them a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> of twelve villages from the areas of Pa&#7789t&#299 and Jhab&#257l yielding an annual revenue of about a lakh and a quarter rupees. As Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299 entered the Punjab in December 1748, M&#299r Mann&#363, receiving no help from Delhi, agreed to make over to the invader all territory west of the Indus and the revenue of Ch&#257r Mah&#257l or the four districts of Si&#257lko&#7789, Aura&#7749g&#257b&#257d, Gujr&#257t and Pasr&#363r, assessed at 14 lakhs a year.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1750, Sh&#257h Naw&#257z <u>Kh</u>&#257n was appointed to the independent charge of the province of Mult&#257n by the Delhi rulers much to the chagrin of M&#299r Mann&#363, whose authority was thus severely curtailed. He despatched Kau&#7771&#257 Mall to Mult&#257n with an army including some forces of Ad&#299n&#257 Beg <u>Kh</u>&#257n and newly recruited contingents of Sikhs under the command of Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257. Kau&#7771&#257 Mall defeated the Mult&#257n army, cut off the fallen Sh&#257h Naw&#257z's head and sent it as a trophy to M&#299r Mann&#363. A grateful Mann&#363 bestowed upon him the title of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Bah&#257dur and made him governor of Multan. The D&#299w&#257n who believed that he owed his success mainly to the Sikh soldiers, rewarded them generously.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By the autumn of 1751 the Punjab was rife with rumours of another Af<u>gh</u>&#257n invasion. M&#299r Mann&#363 had failed to pay the revenue of the four districts ceded to the Durr&#257n&#299 and, in the middle of November, advance units of Af<u>gh</u>&#257n army under General Jah&#257n <u>Kh</u>&#257n crossed the Indus; Ahmad Sh&#257h followed closely behind. M&#299r Mann&#363 summoned Kau&#7771&#257 Mall from Mult&#257n and Ad&#299n&#257 Beg <u>Kh</u>&#257n from Jalandhar and made preparations to join battle. In December 1751, he crossed the R&#257v&#299 to check the Af<u>gh</u>&#257ns. Instead of joining Jah&#257n <u>Kh</u>&#257n, Ahmad Sh&#257h made a detour, and closed in on Lahore from the northeast. Mann&#363 quickly retraced his steps and entrenched himself outside the city walls. Hostilities between the two armies opened on 5 March 1752. Kau&#7771&#257 Mall fell on the second day of the battle while Ad&#299n&#257 Beg quietly disappeared from the field. M&#299r Mann&#363 fought as lo&#7749g as he could, and then laid down arms. The Af<u>gh</u>&#257ns extracted an indemnity of thirty lakh of Rupees in cash from Mann&#363. By the terms of the treaty, ratified by the Mu<u>gh</u>al emperor on 13 April 1752, Lahore and Mult&#257n were ceded to Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The death of Kau&#7771&#257 M&#257ll snapped the only link between M&#299r Mann&#363 and the Sikh <i>sard&#257rs</i>. They had taken advantage of the conflict between the Af<u>gh</u>&#257ns and the Mu<u>gh</u>als to spread out in the B&#257r&#299 Do&#257b, Jalandhar Do&#257b and across the Sutlej as far as J&#299nd, Th&#257nesar and beyond coming within 50 miles of Delhi. Mann&#363 discovering how Sikhs had occupied large parts of his territory, now resumed his policy of repression. Prices were once again laid on their heads and strict orders were passed against giving refuge to them anywhere. Skirmishes between Sikh bands and Mann&#363's roving columns took place in different parts of the province. Mann&#363's musketeers combed the villages for Sikhs. The able-bodied from among them were killed fighting; the non-combatants including women and children were brought in chains to Lahore and slaughtered in the horse market. The fighting and reprisals went on until the death of Mann&#363 on 4 November 1753 of an accidental fall from his horse. With Mann&#363's death ended yet another attempt to quash the rising power of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. A Punjabi doggerel which became current among Sikhs in those days sums up how light they made of the atrocity Mann&#363 heaped upon them.</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mann&#363 is our sickle,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We the fodder for him to mow,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The more he cuts, the more we grow.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bha&#7749g&#363, Ratan Si&#7749gh, <i> Prach&#299n Panth Prak&#257sh </i>. Amritsar, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i> Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u> Gur&#363 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 </i> [Reprint]. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Lati, Syad Muhammad, <i> History of the Panjab </i>. Calcutta, 1891<BR> <li class="C1"> Khushwant Singh, <i> A History of the Sikhs </i>, vol.1. Princeton, 1963<BR> <li class="C1"> Gandhi, Surjit Singh, <i> Struggle of the Sikhs For Sovereignty </i>. Delhi, 1980<BR> <li class="C1"> Ganda Singh and Teja Singh, <i> A Short History of the Sikhs </i>. Bombay, 1950<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i> The Heritage of the Sikhs </i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Bhagat Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>