1 Desu a Jd of Sansi.
2 Nodh Singh, his son.
3 A military post
4 established at Gujraoli.
5 Nur-ud-din Khan, the
6 Afghan general.
7 He is besieged at
8 Sidlkot.
9 His flight to Jammu,
10 Khwajé Obed, the
11 Lahore governor.
12 We besieges the Sikhs
13 at Gujraoli,
14 Tint is defeated and
15 shut» hims lf up in
16 Lahore.
17 282, DISTORY OF THE PANJADB.
18 The family possessed no ancestral distinction, or antiquity, to boast of, and
19 the first of the family to embrace the Sikh religion was one Desu Jat, a
20 petty zemindar of the Sansi tribe, who live in Sakarchak, a village in the
21 Manjha country. He owned three ploughs and a well, with which he
22 managed to eke outa living for himself and his family. He had a son,
23 Nodh Singh, who married the daughter of Guléb Singh, a zemindar of
24 Majithia. Nodh Singh, after his marriage, abandoned his agricultural pur-
25 suits, and became a soldier and commander in the Fyzulpuria mzsl, under the
26 leadership of Kapur Singh, of Gujrat.
27 Nodh Singh died in 1752, and Charat Singh, his son, disdaining to serve
28 in any subordinate capacity, established a party of his own, in which his
29 brothers-in-law, Dal Singh and Jodh Singh, ranked next to him, and, with
30 their assistance, he enlisted in his service a number of armed men, whom he
31 employed in predatory excursions, himself heading the operations. With
32 the money thus collected he was enabled to build a small mud fort in his
33 wife’s village, called Gujraoli, north of Lahore. It served asa rendezvous
34 for his troops, and as a store-house for the booty obtained by him from his
35 predatory excursions. It was conveniently situated, being close to Lahore,
36 and serving as a rallying point for the other Sikh confederacies having in
37 view the common object of crushing the Mahomedan power.
38 The wisdom of the Abddéli King in contenting himself with the possession
39 of the country that had been previously ceded to him, was now apparent,
40 for, far from being able to maintain a hold on the country across the Sutlej,
41 he found it no easy task to retain a footing in the Panjab, where the Sikh
42 power was now in the ascendant. Hearing of the success of this people,
43 the Shah, in the beginning of 1762, sent his general, Nur-ud-din Khan
44 Bamizie, at the head of 7,000 horse, to disperse the Sikh insurgents. The
45 general was repulsed with great loss by the combined forces of Charat
46 Singh, Sukerchakia and other Sikh sardars, and compelled to seek refuge in
47 the fort of Sialkot, where he was closely besieged by the Sikhs. At length,
48 provisions failing, Nur-ud-din Khan sought protection with the Jammu raja,
49 where he was joined by the remnant of his troops and officers. The Sikhs,
50 after this success, became still more turbulent, and cut off all communica-
51 tion with Lahore. Jey Singh, Kanhia, and Jassa Singh, Ramgarhia, made
52 themselves masters of Batdla and Kalanaur respectively, while Gujar Singh
53 and Charat Singh laid waste the country round Emnabad, in the neighbour-
54 hood of Léhore. At length, the Durrdéni Governor, Khwajdé Obed, marched
55 out with all his forces to reduce Charat Singh, and oust him from his new
56 post at Gujraoli, The Sikhs made common cause, and from all directions
57 rallied round the fort which they determined to defend to the last. The
58 Afghan Governor besieged them in their mud fort and cut off all their
59 supplies. The Sikhs were joined by Gujar Singh and Jhdnda Singh, who
60 advanced, with their auxiliaries, from Emnabad to the aid of their co-re-
61 ligionists. Some Sikhs serving in the army under the Mahomedan governor,
62 clandestinely entered into a correspondence with their brethren of the Garhi.
63 By these means the ‘Sikhs were enabled to surprise the Afghan camp by
64 night, completely routing the Afghans, and leaving many dead on the field.
65 At this juncture, according to a previous secret arrangement, all the Sikhs
66 in the employ of the Moghal Governor deserted in a body and joined the
67 enemy. The Khwajé himself fled in dismay, leaving his baggage to be
68 plundered by the Sikhs, and shut himself up within the walls of Lahore.
69 rans with their success over the Mahomedan governor of Lithore, the
70 a an aan ze oe the whole country, and, in retaliation for the
71 : y had received at the hands of the Mahomedans, subjected
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