ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>ZOR&#256WAR SI&#7748GH (1786-1841)</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="ZORWAR,SIDGH,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">&#65279ZOR&#256WAR SI&#7748GH (1786-1841), military general who conquered Lad&#257<u>kh</u> and B&#257ltist&#257n in the Sikh times and carried the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 flag as far as the interior of Tibet. About Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh's place of birth authorities differ. Major G. Carmichael Smyth, <i>A Reigning Family of Lahore</i>, says that he was a native of Kussal, near Rias&#299, now in Jamm&#363 and Kashm&#299r state. Hutchison and Vogel have recorded that he was a native of Kahl&#363r (Bil&#257spur) state, now in Him&#257chal Pradesh. A modern writer Narsi&#7749g D&#257s Nargis, on the basis of information supplied to him by a great grandson of Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh, states in his book <i>Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh</i> that he was born in a R&#257jp&#363t family about AD 1786 in the village of Ansor&#257, in K&#257&#7749g&#7771&#257 district. It is stated that when 16, Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh killed his cousin in a dispute over property and escaped to Haridv&#257r, where he met R&#257&#7751&#257 Jasvant Si&#7749gh, who took him to Galih&#257n, now known as &#7692o&#7693&#257, near Jamm&#363, and trained him as a soldier. He joined service under Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh &#7692ogr&#257,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh employed Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh mostly for defending the forts to the north of Jamm&#363. For some time he also worked as an inspector in commissariat of supplies where he did a commendable job by effecting a saving in the much-needed provisions about 1823. When R&#257j&#257 Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh, the feudatory chief of Jamm&#363 under Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, was appointed governor of Kishtv&#257r, he appointed Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh to administer the new district with the title of <i>waz&#299r</i>. In Kishtv&#257r, Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh introduced fiscal and judicial reforms and had the old fort of Kishtv&#257r&#299 rulers renovated. From here he led several expeditions into Lad&#257<u>kh</u>, the first one in the series in July 1834. From Kishtv&#257r, the &#7692ogr&#257s entered the Sur&#363 valley. After fighting pitched battles at places such as S&#257&#7749k&#363, La&#7749gkartse, Kantse, Sot and Pashkam, the invaders pushed on to Leh, the capital of Lad&#257<u>kh</u>. The Lad&#257<u>kh</u>&#299 king, Tse-pal Namgyal, was made to pay war indemnity. He also underlook to pay an annual tribute of Rs 20,000 and acknowledged the suzerainty of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. The Lad&#257<u>kh</u> --is, however, soon rose in revolt against their new masters and Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh launched a second attack. This time he followed the short but difficult Kishtv&#257r-Za&#7749sk&#257r route. He quelled the rebellion, deposed the old king and appointed his prime minister and brother-in-law, Nagorub Stanzin, as the new ruler of Lad&#257<u>kh</u>. But Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh had to make two more incursions before Lad&#257<u>kh</u> was annexed to the Sikh kingdom in 1840. The same year, Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh attacked B&#257ltist&#257n, a Muhammadan principality in the Indus valley, to the northwest of K&#257rgil. He defeated the B&#257lt&#299s and deposed Ahmad Sh&#257h, whose eldest son, Muhammad Sh&#257h, was installed as the new king of B&#257ltist&#257n Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh next turned his attention towards western Tibet. The conquest of Tibet was an ambition he had harboured in his heart for some time and, as Sohan L&#257l S&#363r&#299, the court chronicler of the Sikh times, records, this was the suggestion he proffered to Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh when he in March 1836 waited on him at the village of Jan&#7693i&#257l&#257 Sher <u>Kh</u>&#257n to pay <i>nazar&#257n&#257</i>. He told the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 that he was ready to "kindle the fires of fighting" and "by the grace of ever triumphant glory of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257, he would take possession of it." The Mah&#257r&#257j&#257, however, was not willing to allow him to undertake the adventure. Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh had his chance in the time of Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's successor, Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh. In April 1841, by which time the conquest of Lad&#257<u>kh</u> had been completed, he marched into Tibet at the head of a large army and within six months had conquered territory to the north west of the Mayyum Pass. But then a strong Tibetan army descended down from Lh&#257s&#257 and confronted the invaders at T&#299rthapur&#299, near Lake M&#257nasarovar. Zor&#257war Si&#7749gh could get no reinforcements from Leh or from any other place as heavy snows had blocked all the passes. He fought many a pitched action in the vicinity of Lake M&#257nasarovar and was killed in the last one of these on 12 December 1841. Although this great conqueror perished mid-campaign, his initiative did not go unrewarded. In September 1842 a treaty was signed by representatives of Chinese and Lh&#257s&#257 governments on the one hand and of <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Darb&#257r and Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh on the other which extended the Sikh, and hence Indian, frontiers to their present international boundary. The whole of Lad&#257<u>kh</u> thus became a part of the Indian territory. An English version of the treaty is as follows :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As on this auspicious day, the 2nd of Ass&#363j, samvat 1899 (16th/17th September 1842) we, the officers of the Lh&#257s&#257 (Government), Kalon of Sokan and Baksh&#299 Shajpuh, commander of the forces, and two officers on behalf of the most resplendent Sr&#299 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 J&#299 S&#257hib, the asylum of the world, King Sher Si&#7749gh j&#299, and Sr&#299 Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 S&#257hib R&#257j&#257-i-R&#257jag&#257n R&#257j&#257 S&#257hib Bah&#257dur R&#257j&#257 Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh, i.e.. the Mukt&#257r-ud-Daul&#257 D&#299w&#257n Har&#299 Chand and the asylum of viz&#299rs, Viz&#299r Ratn&#363&#7749, in a meeting called together for the promotion of peace and unity, and by professions and vows of friendship, unity and sincerity of heart and by taking oaths like those of Kunjak S&#257hib, have arranged and agreed that relations of peace, friendship and unity between Sr&#299 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 j&#299 and Sr&#299 Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 S&#257hib Bah&#257dur R&#257j&#257 Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh j&#299, and the Emperor of China and the L&#257m&#257 Gur&#363 of Lh&#257s&#257 will henceforward remain firmly established forever; and we declare in the presence of the Kunjak S&#257hib that on no account whatsoever will there be any deviation, difference of departure (from this agreement). We shall neither at present nor in future have anything to do or interfere at all with the boundaries of Lad&#257<u>kh</u> and its surroundings as fixed from ancient times and will allow the annual export of wool, shawls and tea by way of Lad&#257<u>kh</u> according to the old established custom.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Should any of the opponents of Sr&#299 Sark&#257r <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 j&#299 and Sr&#299 R&#257j&#257 S&#257hib Bah&#257dur at any time enter our territories, we shall not pay any heed to his words or allow him to remain in our country.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We shall offer no hindrance to traders of Lad&#257<u>kh</u> who visit our territories. We shall not even to the extent of a hair's breadth act in contravention of the terms that we have agreed to above regarding firm friendship, unity, the fixed boundaries of Lad&#257<u>kh</u> and the keeping open of the route for wool, shawls and tea. We call Kunjak S&#257hib, Kairi, Lassi, Zhon Mahan, and Khushal Chon as witnesses to this treaty.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></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&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Hutchison, J., and J.Ph. Vogel, <i>History of the Punjab Hill States</i>. Lahore, 1933<BR> <li class="C1"> Charak, Sukhdev Singh, <i>Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories</i>. Pathankot, 1978<BR> <li class="C1"> Smyth, G. Carmichael, <i>A History of the Reigning Family of Lahore</i>. Calcutta, 1847<BR> <li class="C1"> Hasrat, Bikrama Jit, <i>Anglo-Sikh Relations, 1799-1849</i>. Hoshiarpur, 1968<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">C. L. Datta<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>