ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SIKHS RELATIONS WITH NAW&#256B OF OUDH</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="SIKHS,RELATIONS,WITH,NAWB,OUDH"> <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">&#65279SIKHS' RELATIONS WITH NAW&#256B OF OUDH. For a whole decade prior to 1774, Sikhs had been regularly raiding and pillaging upper Ga&#7749g&#257-Yamun&#257 Do&#257b and Ruhilkha&#7751&#7693 bordering on Oudh. Yet they had not entered the territory of the Naw&#257b, Shuj&#257' ud-Daulah, who had become an ally of the British since his defeat in the battle of Buxar (22 October 1764). With British help he conquered Ruh&#299lkha&#7751&#7693 in 1774, thus eliminating the buffer between himself and the Sikhs. Z&#257bit&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the defeated Ruh&#299l&#257 chief, invited the Sikhs in 1776 to join him in attacking the imperial domains. &#256saf ud-Daulah, who became Naw&#257b of Oudh at the death, on 26 January 1775, of his father, Shuj&#257' ud-Daulah, began wooing the Sikhs in order to win them over against Z&#257bit&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n. The Sikhs were offered 7,00,00 rupees immediately for the alliance and a similar amount after the Ruh&#299l&#257 chief had been expelled from his possessions in the Ga&#7749g Do&#257b. The Sikhs, however, decided not to betray their old friend, Z&#257bit&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n. They carried out raids across the Ga&#7749g&#257 in the area of Bijnore, Naj&#299b&#257b&#257d and An&#363pshahr in 1778 and again in 1780. Some skirmishes took place between them and the troops of Oudh. </p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the beginning of 1785, a 30,000 strong Sikh force under Baghel Si&#7749gh, Gurdit Si&#7749gh and Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257, entered the Ga&#7749g Do&#257b and pillaging towns on their line of march crossed the Ga&#7749g&#257 into the country of Oudh. On 14 January 1785, they attacked Chandaus&#299, a market town, and after plundering it for two days recrossed the Ga&#7749g&#257 at the news of the approach of Oudh troops reinforced by a British contingent of infantry, cavalry and artillery. They attempted further raids into Ruh&#299lkha&#7751&#7693 on 29 January and again on 5 February, but failed in face of increased vigilance of the Oudh and British troops at all fords and ferries.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By a treaty concluded between Mah&#257dj&#299 Scindia and the Sikhs on 9 May 1785, the latter agreed not to attack the territories of the Naw&#257b of Oudh. Oudh was virtually a British protectorate controlled through the Residency at Lucknow. The British policy as regards the Sikhs was to repel them if they invaded Oudh territory, but to leave them alone otherwise. When on 3 January 1791, a British officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Stuart, fell into the hands of Sard&#257r Bha&#7749g&#257 Si&#7749gh of Th&#257nesar who demanded a large ransom for his release, the Naw&#257b of Oudh volunteered help to Mah&#257dj&#299 Scindia to checkmate the Sikhs, but his offer was ignored by both the British and the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1794, a feud arose in the ruling family of R&#257mpur in Ruh&#299lkha&#7751&#7693 which had been allowed in 1774 to remain a separate state feudatory to the Naw&#257b of Oudh. The Naw&#257b wanted to recognize the usurper, <u>Gh</u>ul&#257m Muhammad, in consideration of a handsome bribe but was not permitted to do so by the British. Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257 offered to support <u>Gh</u>ul&#257m Muhammad with 30,000 Sikh soldiers for an appropriate amount. The Naw&#257b, in order to counteract the move of the R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257 chief, opened negotiations with some other Sikh Sard&#257rs who showed a willingness to help. But he could not settle terms without the approval of the British and <u>Gh</u>ul&#257m Muhammad did not have enough money to attract Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257. So nothing came out of these negotiations.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1795, the Sikhs sought Naw&#257b of Oudh's permission to visit N&#257nak Mat&#257, their holy shrine situated near P&#299l&#299bh&#299t. The British Resident at Lucknow, George Frederick Cherry, advised the Naw&#257b to put off the Sikhs asking them to postpone the visit to the following year. That is the last known point of contact between the Sikhs and the Naw&#257b.</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, 1914<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"> Kapur, Prithipal Singh, <i>Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia</i>. Amritsar, 1957<BR> <li class="C1"> Gupta, Hari Ram, <i>History of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1978-82<BR> <li class="C1"> Gandhi, Surjit Singh, <i>Struggle of the Sikhs for Sovereignty</i>. Delhi, 1980<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Har&#299 R&#257m Gupta<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>