ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>RAJAS OF THE PUNJAB</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>RAJAS OF THE PUNJAB</i>, by Sir Lepel H. Griffin, first published in 1870 and reprinted in 1970 by the Languages Department, Punjab, Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, contains accounts of the principal Sikh princely states in the Punjab and of their political relations with the paramount power. The author admits that the title of the work is open to objection because of the omission from it of some of the important chiefs of the Punjab such as those of Kashm&#299r and Bah&#257walpur. The work is based mainly on the official records and papers of Delhi, Amb&#257l&#257 and Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 political agencies as well as on the despatches of Malcolm, Ochterlony, Matcalfe, Murray, Wade, Macnaghten and Prinsep, and official correspondence emanating from Fort William, Calcutta, with regard to the relations of the British government with the protected states. The book is divided into eight chapters, each dealing with an individual Sikh state. The book opens with the history of the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 state, the largest in the M&#257lv&#257 region. Its founder, &#256l&#257 Si&#7749gh (1691-1765) became as a result of his conquests "the most distinguished" among the Sikh chiefs of his day in that region. He allied himself with the dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 to take possession of the Sirhind subdivision. He made Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 his capital in 1752. In 1761 he was invested by Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299 with the title of R&#257j&#257. Griffin considers him a. "gallant and at the same time prudent" leader of men who "laid strongly the foundations of the most important of the cis-Sutlej states." His successor Amar Si&#7749gh (1748 1782) as the strong man of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, Griffin being of the view that had he lived longer or had he been succeeded by a ruler as capable as he was, "the cis-Sutlej states might have been welded into one kingdom and their independence might have been preserved, both against the Lahore monarchy on the one hand and the British Government on the other." A notable feature in the history of the family was the emergence of women of extraordinary courage and political wisdom at periods of crisis. One of them was R&#257&#7751&#299 R&#257j&#299nder K&#257ur, grand-daughter of &#256l&#257 Si&#7749gh, whom Griffin descibes as "one of the most remarkable women of her age, possessing all the virtues which men pretend as their own." In 1785 she marched on Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 from Phagw&#257r&#257 where she had been and reinstated N&#257n&#363 Mall as D&#299w&#257n. She formed a coalition of the leading Sikh Sard&#257rs against Dh&#257r&#257 R&#257o, the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257 invader. In 1790 when the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257 force commanded by R&#257ne <u>Kh</u>&#257n D&#257d&#257j&#299 and 'Al&#299 Bah&#257dar Peshw&#257 knocked at the gates of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, she made a journey to Mathur&#257 to settle the matter with M&#257h&#257dj&#299 Scind&#299&#257, vice-regent of the Mu<u>gh</u>al empire. S&#257hib Kaur, daughter of R&#257j&#257 Amar Si&#7749gh, was another prominent name in the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 annals. In 1791, she became the chief minister of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 at the young age of eighteen. In1795,when the cis-Sutlej region was invaded by N&#257n&#257 R&#257o Mar&#257&#7789h&#257, she, gathering round her the forces of J&#299nd, Kals&#299&#257, Th&#257nesar and Bhadau&#7771 in addition to those of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, defeated him at Mard&#257npur on the banks of the River Ghaggar near Amb&#257l&#257. R&#257&#7751&#299 &#256s Kaur, the wife of R&#257j&#257 S&#257hib Si&#7749gh of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, was a woman of great ability and her wise administration of the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 state during her husband's reign and during the minority of her son, won the admiration of the neighbouring states, and was warmly praised by the British Government.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; R&#257j&#257 Ham&#299r Si&#7749gh, the builder of N&#257bh&#257 state, and his wife, Des&#363, have received tribute from the author. He calls Ham&#299r Si&#7749gh "a brave and energetic chief," and has all praise for Des&#363 who fought bravely against Gajpat Si&#7749gh of J&#299nd who had taken her husband prisoner by treachery and attacked Sa&#7749gr&#363r. Griffin agrees with Sir David Ochterlony's assessment of Jasvant Si&#7749gh, son of Ham&#299r Si&#7749gh, whom he called "one of the principal Sirdars under our protection, and by far superior in manner, management, and understanding to any of them I have yet seen." He also refers to the continuous hostility between the states of N&#257bh&#257 and Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gajpat Si&#7749gh, the founder of the J&#299nd State, was on friendly terms with Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, but an enemy of N&#257bh&#257. His daughter, R&#257j Kaur, was the mother of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. The chiefs of Bhadau&#7771, who trace their ancestry to Chaudhar&#299 Dunn&#257, also belonged to the Ph&#363lk&#299&#257&#7749 stock. The most famous chief of Bhadaur was Gauhar Si&#7749gh. The village bards used to sing ballads in praise of his martial skill, his victories and his charity to the poor.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257, the founder of the Kap&#363rthal&#257 state, was the leader of the Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 and had fought many battles against the Mu<u>gh</u>als and the Durr&#257n&#299s. His grandson, Fateh Si&#7749gh, gave full support to Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh in war as well as in diplomacy. He was the architect of the Tripartite treaty of 1805 between the British, Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh and Jasvant R&#257o Holkar.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The ancestors of the rulers of Far&#299dko&#7789 had their seat initially at Ko&#7789 Kap&#363r&#257. Ham&#299r Si&#7749gh made Far&#299dko&#7789 his headquarters. Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's general, Muhkam Chand, seized Far&#299dko&#7789, but it was restored to the family after the Anglo-Sikh treaty of 1809.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ma&#7751&#7693&#299, one of the K&#257&#7749gr&#257 hill states, first became tributary to Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, but later on accepted British paramountcy.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The minor Ph&#363lk&#299&#257&#7749 families of Ba&#7693rukh&#257&#7749, Di&#257lpur&#257, Ji&#363nd&#257&#7749, Ko&#7789 Dunn&#257, Lau&#7693hghar&#299&#257, Malaud and R&#257mpuri&#257 are touched upon in passing.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">B. J. Hasrat<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>