1 150
2 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
3 <SL
4 Forms the
5 Sookkur or
6 Sukkur Chu-
7 koea Missul,
8 Killed by the
9 bursting of Ms
10 gun*
11 salt mines; at length he formed an independent
12 Missul/named the Sukker Chukeea.
13 Sookkur, or Sakkur, was a village in the Manja
14 country, which is now in ruins ; but from his
15 residing there, Churrutli Singh named his Missul
16 after it.
17 Churruth Singh was killed in the year 1767, by
18 the bursting of his gun, when Maha Singh was
19 only seven years old. The Mootusuddee and
20 Dewan managed the affairs of the Missul for the
21 young sirdar ; but when he attained the years of
22 maturity, he took the management into his own
23 hands. Maha Singh became a great sirdar, and
24 had 60,000 horsemen. At the age of twenty, and
25 while at war with the zemindars, his son Runjeet
26 Singh was born. At this time he took the fort of
27 Rusoolghur, and the name Ranjeet was bestowed
28 on liis son, signifying the “ field of battlethis
29 occurred in 1780, or thirteen years after the death
30 of Churruth Singh. Maha Singh managed the
31 affairs of his Missul satisfactorily, and at length
32 demanded the daughter of Goorbuksh Singh, Gliu-
33 neeya, m
34 marriage
35 for his son. When Runjeet,
36 Singh was eight years of age, or in 1788, Maha
37 Singh died of dysentery.