ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>TARU&#7750&#256 DAL</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="TARUF,DAL"> <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">&#65279TARU&#7750&#256 DAL, army of the youth, was one of the two main divisions of Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, the confederated army of the Sikhs during the eighteenth century, the other one being the Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 Dal (army of the elders). These Dals came into existence in 1734 when, during a truce with Zakar&#299y&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the Mu<u>gh</u>al governor of the Punjab, different roving bands of the Sikhs were concentrated in Amritsar.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Taru&#7751&#257 Dal was subdivided into five <i>jath&#257s</i> or fighting groups of approximately 1300 to 2,000 men each, mostly mounted. The first was commanded by Bh&#257&#299 D&#299p Si&#7749gh, commonly known, after he met with a martyr's death, as B&#257b&#257 D&#299p Si&#7749gh Shah&#299d. It was called Shah&#299d&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 Jath&#257. The second, commanded by Bh&#257&#299 Karam Si&#7749gh and Dharam Si&#7749gh of Amritsar, came to be known as Amritsar&#299&#257&#7749 d&#257 Jath&#257. The third led by B&#257b&#257 Binod Si&#7749gh and his son B&#257b&#257 K&#257hn Si&#7749gh was called S&#257hibz&#257di&#257&#7749 d&#257 Jath&#257 or Gur&#363-A&#7749si Jath&#257. The fourth Jath&#257 was commanded by Bh&#257&#299 Dasaundh&#257 Si&#7749gh of Ko&#7789 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 and the fifth by Bh&#257&#299 B&#299r Si&#7749gh Ra&#7749ghre&#7789&#257. Both Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 and Taru&#7751&#257 Dals accepted Naw&#257b Kap&#363r Si&#7749gh as their overall commander. It was determined that while Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 Dal remained at Amritsar to look after the shrines, Taru&#7751&#257 Dal would be available for action where needed. However, Zakar&#299y&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n ended the peace pact in 1735 and resumed his repressive policy against the Sikhs so that both Dals had to abandon Amritsar and seek safety in distant hills and forests. Taru&#7751&#257 Dal retired into the Siv&#257lik hill states of Kahl&#363r, Hi&#7751&#7693&#363r and Sirm&#363r which fell within the jurisdiction of Sirhind <i>sark&#257r</i> in the S&#363bah of Delhi. From there it launched out intermittantly to raid the territory of Manjh R&#257jp&#363ts of Jalandhar Do&#257b. Once during 1736, crossing into the M&#257jh&#257 country, it defeated the <i>gasht&#299 fauj</i> (roving army) sent from Lahore, and pillaging the Ri&#257&#7771k&#299 area (present district of Gurd&#257spur) went back to its hilly haunts. During the summer of 1739, the Taru&#7751&#257 Dal harassed and plundered the richly laden baggage train of the Persian invader N&#257dir Sh&#257h who, while returning home after a hearty plunder of Delhi and the Punjab, was keeping close to the hills with a view to avoiding the heat of the plains. The Sikhs followed the invaders up to Akhn&#363r on the River Chen&#257b where they rescued from their hands a large number of Hindu girls and safely restored them to their families. This chivalrous act and their daring attacks on N&#257dir Sh&#257h, contrasting with the abject surrender of the rulers of Delhi and Lahore, endeared the Sikhs to the general populace. The two Dals now returned to the Punjab and started assembling at Amritsar on the occasions of Bais&#257kh&#299 and D&#299v&#257l&#299. At the Sarbatt (lit. entire) <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 meeting on Bais&#257kh&#299, 29 March 1748, a major reorganization of the Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 was put in hand. The entire force was divided into 11 <i>misls</i> or divisions. Six of these <i>misls</i> were assigned to the Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 Dal while the rest formed the Taru&#7751&#257 Dal. The latter comprised Sukkarchakk&#299&#257 <i>misl</i> under Sard&#257r Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh (grandfather of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh), Bha&#7749g&#299s under Sard&#257r Har&#299 Si&#7749gh; Kanhaiy&#257s under Sard&#257r Jai Si&#7749gh; Naka&#299s under Sard&#257r H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh; and R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257s under Sard&#257r Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257, as distinguished from his namesake of the &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257 clan, who was chosen as commander-in-chief of the Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 as a whole. Taru&#7751&#257 Dal continued to participate in joint expeditions of the two Dals, but its specific sphere of operation lay to the north of the Rivers Sutlej and Be&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After the conquest of Sirhind in January 1764, the <i>misls</i> divided the territory among themselves and started adding to their respective domains. From among the Taru&#7751&#257 Dal only one Sard&#257r of the Bha&#7749g&#299 <i>misl</i>, R&#257i Si&#7749gh had participated in the partition of Sirhind territory. He had occupied 204 villages around B&#363&#7771&#299&#257 and Jag&#257dhr&#299. The remaining <i>sard&#257rs</i> of the Taru&#7751&#257 Dal had their eyes fixed on the northern Do&#257bs of the Punjab proper. The Bha&#7749g&#299s controlled a major part of the city of Lahore and extended their hegemony over Mult&#257n and subsequently occupied Jha&#7749g, <u>Kh</u>ush&#257b and Chinio&#7789 in the West and Si&#257lko&#7789 and Gujr&#257t in the east. The Kanhaiy&#257s ruled over the area comprising a major part of the present Gurd&#257spur district and Muker&#299&#257&#7749 <i>tahs&#299l</i> of Hoshi&#257rpur district. The territory of the R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257s lay on both sides of the River Be&#257s and included villages around Mi&#257&#7751&#299 and Urmu&#7771 &#7788&#257&#7751&#7693&#257 in Jalandhar Do&#257b. They also held sway over the hill states of Chamba, N&#363rpur, Jasv&#257n and Har&#299pur. In 1776, they were defeated by the combined forces of the Kanhaiy&#257 <i>misl</i> and R&#257j&#257 Sa&#7749s&#257r Chand Ka&#7789och of K&#257&#7749g&#7771&#257.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Sukkarchakk&#299&#257 <i>misl</i> under Sard&#257r Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh established itself around Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257 which they made their headquarters and extended their territory up to Roht&#257s beyond the River Jehlum ; Cha&#7771hat Si&#7749gh's grandson, Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh (1780-1839) subdued the other <i>misls</i> and became the ruler of the entire Punjab from the Satluj to the <u>Kh</u>aib&#257r.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Cunningham, J.D., <i>A, History of the Sikhs</i>. London,1849<BR> <li class="C1"> Forster, George, <i>A Journey from Bengal to England</i>. London, 1798<BR> <li class="C1"> Narang, Gokul Chand, <i>Transformation of Sikhism</i>. Lahore, 1912<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> <li class="C1"> Latif, Syad Muhammad, <i>History of the Punjab</i> [Reprint]. Delhi,1964<BR> <li class="C1"> Teja Singh and Ganda Singh, <i>A Short History of the Sikhs</i>. Bombay, 1950<BR> <li class="C1"> Gupta, Hari Ram, <i>History of the Sikhs</i>, vol. II. Delhi, 1978<BR> <li class="C1"> Gandhi, Surjit Singh, <i>Struggle of the Sikhs for Sovereignty</i>. Delhi,1980<BR> <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> </ol><p class="CONT">Gulcharan Si&#7749gh <br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>