ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>TEJ SI&#7748GH R&#256J&#256 (1799-1862)</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="TEJ,SIDGH,RJ,Person,Person"> <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">&#65279TEJ SI&#7748GH, R&#256J&#256 (1799-1862), son of Misr Niddh&#257, a Gaur Br&#257hma&#7751 of Meerut district, was born in 1799. His original name was Tej R&#257m. He was a nephew of Jam&#257dar Khush&#257l Si&#7749gh, a dignitary of the Sikh Kingdom. He took up service at the court in 1812. In 1816, he received the rites of <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 and was named Tej Si&#7749gh. He proved his worth as a soldier and made rapid progress in the army cadre, becoming a general in 1818. He served in all the three Kashm&#299r expeditions of 1813, 1814 and 1819, and took a leading part in reducing Manker&#257, Lei&#257h and the &#7692er&#257j&#257t. He was a divisional commander in the Pesh&#257war campaign of 1823 and fought in the battle of &#7789er&#299. In 1831, he had under his command twenty-two battalions of the regular Sikh army. In 1839, he was sent to Pesh&#257war with other army generals to help Colonel Wade's contingent to force the <u>Kh</u>aib&#257r Pass for an invasion of Afghanistan.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tej Si&#7749gh acquired great influence over Ka&#7749var Nau Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh. He supported the cause of R&#257&#7751&#299 Chand Kaur, when, after the death of Nau Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh, she staked her claim to regency. He was among those who signed the agreement of 27 November 1840 proclaiming Chand Kaur as regent. On the eve of the Anglo-Sikh war of 1845-46, Tej Si&#7749gh was appointed commander-in-chief of the Sikh army. His conduct during this war and during the one following was however marked by duplicity. He established secret liaison with the British and desired their victory rather than that of the army he led. Two divisions under his command hovered around F&#299rozpur when that strategic town could have been stormed and the small British garrison destroyed. At the fiercely fought battle of Ferozesh&#257h (21 December, 1845), he kept this army away from the battlefield. When the action was over, he appeared with his army on the morning of 22 December and drove straight into the shattered British cavalry lines. But suddenly his guns ceased to fire. He abandoned the field and took the road to Lahore. At Sabhr&#257o&#7749 (10 Feburary 1846), he advised the brave Sikh general, Sh&#257m Si&#7749gh A&#7789&#257r&#299v&#257l&#257, to leave the battlefield. The latter continued the battle determined to fight to the end, but Tej Si&#7749gh and Commander L&#257l Si&#7749gh fled hastily even as the contest hung in the balance. </p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the battle went in favour of the British, Tej Si&#7749gh cut out the retreat of the Sikh army by sinking the bridge of boats and the <i>tete de pont</i> constructed in front of it. At the end of the war, he made an offer of Rs. 25,00,000 to Lord Hardinge to buy for himself an independent Kingdom like Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh had done. However, he retained his position of pre-eminence in the new set-up. He was nominated president of the council of Regency in December 1846, and was allowed to continue commander-in-chief of the Sikh army. He was created R&#257j&#257 of Si&#257lko&#7789 in August 1847.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the time of the annexation of the Punjab to Britain, he was guaranteed the enjoyment of all the privileges and rights which he possessed under the Sikh government. He was invested with the full powers of a magistrate in his estate and was nominated a member of the committee for the management of the Golden Temple. During the uprising of 1857, he raised Sikh cavalry regiments to aid the British. His scattered <i>j&#257g&#299rs</i> were consolidated and he received the new title R&#257j&#257 of Ba&#7789&#257l&#257. He died on 4 December 1862 and was succeeded by his adopted son Harba&#7749s Si&#7749gh (his brother whom he had adopted before the birth of his son, Narindar Si&#7749gh).</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, <i>'Umdat ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i>The Punjab Chiefs</i>. Lahore, 1890<BR> <li class="C1"> Hasrat, Bikrama Jit, <i>Anglo-Sikh Relations</i>. Hoshiarpur, 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Chopra, Barkat Rai, <i>Kingdom of the Punjab</i>. Hoshiarpur, 1969<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">J. S. Khur&#257n&#257<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>