ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SUKKH&#256 SI&#7748GH (d. 1752)</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="SUKKH,SIDGH"> <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">&#65279SUKKH&#256 SI&#7748GH (d. 1752), eighteenth-century Sikh warrior and martyr, was born at M&#257&#7771&#299 Kamboke, in Amritsar district, in a family of carpenters of the Kals&#299 clan. As a small boy, he had heard with great fascination stories of Sikhs' daring and sacrifice in those days of fierce persecution and, although his parents in order to restrain his enthusiasm got him married when he was barely 12, he visited Amritsar to receive <i>kha&#7751&#7693e d&#299 p&#257hul</i>, the vows of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, and began to entertain fugitive Sikhs in his home. His parents, apprehensive of the government's wrath, one day cut off his hair as he lay asleep. Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh on waking up felt so disturbed at this sacrilege that he decided to put an end to his life, and jumped into a well. He resisted the people's effort to pull him out, until a Sikh who was passing by advised him that it was sheer cowardice and a sin for a Sikh to take his own life. Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh allowed himself to be helped out, regrew his <i>kesa</i> and joined the <i>jath&#257</i> or band of Sard&#257r Shi&#257m Si&#7749gh. He acquired uncommon skill in the use of weapons of war and won his comrades' admiration for his boldness and powers of endurance. Once taking up the challenge thrown by Q&#257z&#299 'Abd ur-Rahm&#257n, the <i>kotw&#257l</i> of Amritsar, to the Sikhs to come, if they dared, for a dip in their holy pool, Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh went to Amritsar broad daylight, made his ablutions and, loudly declaring who he was, rode away to the safety of the woods. An immediate pursuit led by the infuriated Q&#257z&#299 resulted in an encounter with the Sikhs in which the Q&#257z&#299 himself was killed.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh accompanied Mat&#257b Si&#7749gh to Amritsar in August 1740 to chastize the notorious Masse <u>Kh</u>&#257n Ra&#7749gha&#7771, the successor of the Q&#257z&#299 Abd ur-Rahman as <i>kotw&#257l</i> This further enhanced Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh's popularity among the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 and he soon became the leader of a separate <i>jath&#257</i> of his own. Early in 1746, he and Sard&#257r Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257 pushed northwards and entered the Emin&#257b&#257d territory in Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257 district where they were attacked by the local <i>j&#257g&#299rd&#257r</i>, Jaspat R&#257i, brother of Lakhpat R&#257i, the <i>d&#299w&#257n</i> of Y&#257h&#299y&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the governor of Lahore. Jaspat R&#257i was killed in the encounter. This led to the vengeful Lakhpat R&#257i's relentless campaign against the Sikhs ending on 1 May 1746 in what is known in Sikh history as a Ghall&#363gh&#257r&#257 or holocaust. During this fateful battle, Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh's leg was fractured by a direct hit from an enemy swivel. He immediately tied his leg to his saddle with his own turban and continued to fight and lead his men across the Rivers R&#257v&#299, Be&#257s and Sutlej. It was three days later, after he had taken the survivors of the Ghall&#363gh&#257r&#257 to the safety of the sandy desert of M&#257lv&#257, that he got his injury properly dressed. Taking advantage of the civil war between the sons of Zakar&#299y&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, which commenced in November 1746, the Sikhs recrossed the Sutlej and converged on Amritsar. Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh, then camping at Jaito, joined them too. He raided Sar&#257i N&#363rd&#299n, Sa&#7749gh&#257rko&#7789, Maj&#299&#7789h&#257, and Chh&#299n&#257. At the last-named village he killed in a duel Karm&#257 Chh&#299n&#257, a notorious informer who had been responsible for the arrest and execution of many of the Sikhs. He also joined the Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 in their raid on the camp of Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299 at Ser&#257i N&#363rd&#299n during the latter's first invasion of India early in 1748. In 1749, when disturbed by the rebellion of Sh&#257h Naw&#257z <u>Kh</u>&#257n of Mult&#257n, Mu'in ul-M&#363lk, the governor of Lahore, sought the assistance of the Sikhs, Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh and Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257 turned out to join the campaign in which Sh&#257h Naw&#257z <u>Kh</u>&#257n was killed. Having thus overcome the Mult&#257n rebellion, Mu'in ul-M&#363lk resumed his policy of persecution with redoubled vigour, forcing the Sikhs once again to seek safety in their jungle haunts. Early in 1752, as Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh and his <i>jath&#257</i> lay in the forest along the River R&#257v&#299 north of Lahore, Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299 came out leading his third invasion into India and camped at Sh&#257hdar&#257 preparatory to an attack on the Punjab capital. Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh, out on a foraging expedition north of the river, encountered a strong body of enemy troops. A fierce action took place in which Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh and his men died fighting to a man. This was sometime during the first half of January 1752.</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"> Lakshman Singh, Bh&#257gat, <i>Sikh Martyrs</i>. Madras, 1928<BR> <li class="C1"> Teja Singh and Ganda Singh, <i>A Short History of the Sikhs</i>. Bombay,1950<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Sard&#257r Si&#7749gh Bh&#257&#7789&#299&#257<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>