ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>NIH&#256L SI&#7748GH A&#7788&#256R&#298V&#256L&#256 (d. 1817)</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="NIHL,SIDGH,AlR*VL"> <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">&#65279NIH&#256L SI&#7748GH A&#7788&#256R&#298V&#256L&#256 (d. 1817), soldier and courtier in the time of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, was born the son of Gauhar Si&#7749gh A&#7789&#257r&#299v&#257l&#257. The At&#257r&#299v&#257l&#257s were Siddh&#363 Ja&#7789&#7789s, settled at &#7788ibb&#257, a mound midway between Lahore and Amritsar, where Gauhar Si&#7749gh built a house which because of its imposing facade came to be called an <i>a&#7789&#257r&#299</i>, in Punjabi a house with a high elevation. This was the origin of the name of the family and of the village that grew around the house. Gauhar Si&#7749gh (d. 1763) joined in those days of high adventure the <i>jath&#257</i> of Sard&#257r Gurba<u>kh</u>sh Si&#7749gh Ro&#7771&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 and in 1737 took under his <i>r&#257kh&#299</i> or protection a number of villages around A&#7789&#257r&#299. Later he joined the Bha&#7749g&#299 <i>misl</i> under Gujjar Si&#7749gh and acquired a military command and a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i>. His son, Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh served under S&#257hib Si&#7749gh Bha&#7749g&#299 and took part in the campaign against the Af<u>gh</u>&#257ns. He won special distinction fighting in 1798 against Ahmad <u>Kh</u>&#257n Shah&#257ñch&#299b&#257sh&#299, one of the generals of Zam&#257n Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299. With the Bha&#7749g&#299s, he confronted Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh at Bhas&#299n in 1800, but later took up service under him. From 1801 to 1817, he participated in most of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257's military expeditions, including those of Kashm&#299r and Mult&#257n. In 1803, he was assigned to a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> worth 50,000 Rupees annually at Sukkho in Po&#7789hoh&#257r and in 1807 he was put in charge of Kas&#363r after the defeat and expulsion of its Pa&#7789h&#257n ruler, Qutb ud-D&#299n. He accompanied Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh in the first two of his campaigns across the Sutlej in 1806-07.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh was known for his loyalty and devotion to the person of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. The family tradition recounts how he sacrificed his life for the sake of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257. When in 1817, Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh fell seriously ill and the remedies applied by royal physicians had proved of little avail, Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh walked round his bed praying that his ailment be transferred to him. He retired to A&#7789&#257r&#299 where he languished and died soon afterwards. Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh had meanwhile recovered from his illness.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i>The Punjab Chiefs</i>. Lahore, 1890<BR> <li class="C1"> Hasrat, Bikrama Jit, <i>Life and Times of Ranjit Singh</i>. Hoshiarpur, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Sard&#257r Sh&#257m Si&#7749gh A&#7789&#257r&#299v&#257l&#257</i>. Amritsar, 1942<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>