ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>S&#362RAT S&#298&#7748GH MAJ&#298&#7788H&#298&#256 R&#256J&#256 (d. 1881)</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="SjRAT,S*DGH,MAJ*lH*,RJ"> <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">&#65279S&#362RAT S&#298&#7748GH MAJ&#298&#7788H&#298&#256, R&#256J&#256 (d. 1881), son of Atar Si&#7749gh Maj&#299&#7789h&#299&#257, was a soldier, commander and notable <i>sard&#257r</i> of the Sikh Darb&#257r. Details of his early career and of his service under Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh are scanty. S&#363rat Si&#7749gh was commandant of the Sikh battalion posted at Pesh&#257war during the first Anglo-Sikh war. After the peace settlement of 1846, he was retained in the Sikh army by British Resident Sir Henry Lawrence, and posted to Lahore. He fell foul of Waz&#299r L&#257l Si&#7749gh who became his enemy and ordered the resumption of his <i>j&#257g&#299r</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S&#363rat Si&#7749gh played a prominent role in events leading to the Sikh national rising against the British in 1848. He commanded 2,000 men in the division sent under Sher Si&#7749gh A&#7789&#257r&#299v&#257l&#257 to Mult&#257n to quell D&#299w&#257n M&#363l Raj's revolt. In September 1848, he as well as Sher Si&#7749gh's troops joined the rebels. His appeal to the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 troops in the name of their sovereign, Duleep Si&#7749gh and his call to arms against the <i>feringhees</i> brought an immediate response. Many disbanded Sikh soldiers, religious leaders and laymen joined the standard of revolt. M&#363l R&#257j's troops deserted and rallied round him. He moved northwards, plundered Chiniot and Jha&#7749g and fought the British at Sadull&#257pur, Chel&#299&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 and Gujr&#257t along with Sher Si&#7749gh's force which had swelled to 12,000 men and 28 guns. At Sadull&#257pur, 6 km from the town of R&#257mnagar, at a principal ford on the River Jehlum, the Sikhs nullified General Thackwell's manoeuvre against their flank and safely crossed the river to join Chatar Si&#7749gh's force. At Gujr&#257t, the force under S&#363rat Si&#7749gh was the last to yield.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After the annexation of the Punjab, S&#363rat Si&#7749gh's <i>j&#257g&#299rs</i> were confiscated and he was removed to Ban&#257ras with an annual pension of Rs 720. He lived at Ban&#257ras in privation till 1857, when during the mutiny he helped the British and saved the Ban&#257ras treasury, which contained the jewellery of Mah&#257r&#257&#7751&#299 J&#299nd Kaur, on 6 July 1857, he received a sword cut on his leg which made him lame for the rest of his life. For these services, S&#363rat Si&#7749gh was allowed to return to the Punjab, his pension was raised to Rs 4,800 and he was granted a permanent <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> in Gorakhpur district. In his village of Maj&#299&#7789h&#257 to which he came back in 1861, he was appointed an honorary magistrate and was invested with civil and judicial powers. In 1877, the titles of R&#257j&#257 and Companionship of the Star of India were conferred upon him. He died in 1881 at Maj&#299&#7789h&#257.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, <i>'Umd&#257t ut-Tw&#257r&#299kh</i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i>Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab</i>. Lahore, 1940<BR> <li class="C1"> Hasrat, Bikrama Jit, <i>Anglo-Sikh Relations (1799-1849) </i>. Hoshiarpur, 1968<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">B. J. Hasrat<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>