1 Chajjé Singh founds
2 the confederacy,
3 His associates in his
4 exploits.
5 The members of the
6 confederacy are addict-
7 ed to bhang.
8 Chajja Singh on his
9 death is succeeded by
10 Bhim Singh,
11 Who is succeeded by
12 Nari Singh, his nephew.
13 Hari Singh estab-
14 Tishes himself in Gil-
15 His conquests,
16 ( 296 )
17 CHAPTER IV.
18 THE HISTORY OF THE SIKH MISZS.
19 I.—THE BHANGI AUSL.
20 HAJJA Singh, Jét, a native of Panjwér, eight miles from Amritsar, was ini-
21 tiated into the Péhal of the Guru by the Byragi Bandé, on whose death,
22 he converted three other Jéts, his relations, named Bhim Singh, known
23 also as Bhima Singh, an inhabitant of Kastr, Mall4 Singh and Jagat Singh.
24 These three, becoming great friends, began to co-operate for purposes of
25 plunder, and were joined in their marauding excursions by Mihdn Singh ©
26 and Gulab Singh of Dhousd, six miles north-east of Amritsar, Karur Singh
27 of Choupal, Gurbaksh Singh, a Sindhi Jdéé of Rordnwalé, Agar Singh,
28 Gangora, and Sdnwan Singh, Randhdwa, who all became Sikhs of the
29 Guru, receiving their Péhal from Chajja Singh, who was revered as a Guru.
30 The members of the confederacy were much addicted to the use of bhang,
31 an intoxicating drug, which is manufactured from hemp, whence they were
32 denominated the Bhangi misl. Numerous Sikhs joined the mis? from all
33 sides, and the armed ruffians began to make night attacks upon villages,
34 carrying away everything of value which they could lay hands on. The
35 success with which they met in their first plundering excursions, was so en-
36 couraging, that they now determined to try what the force of their arms
37 could do as regards territorial acquisitions. They thought the time had
38 now atrived when they could look for the fulfilment of Govind’s prophecy,
39 which was to the effect that, at no distant date, his followers would make
40 themselves masters of the country. Chajjé Singh, on his death, was succeed-
41 ed by Bhim Singh, who gave the confederacy an organized form, and who may
42 be called the real founder of the powerful Bhangi msl. After Nadir
43 Shah’s invasion, Bhim Singh, with the assistance of his allies Malla Singh
44 and Jagat Singh, recruited his forces from the neighbouring claus, and thus
45 made himself the head of by far the most powerful section of the con-
46 federacy.
47 On the death of Bhim Singh, his nephew and adopted son, Hari.
48 Singh, became chief of the Bhangi mist. He had all the spirit of a da-
49 ring freebooting chief. He organized large bands of robbers, with which he
50 overran the country, destroying and plundering the towns and _ villages.
51 Not only did the mist increase in numerical strength under him, but its
52 daring exploits, often attended with rich booty, made it the wealthiest of
53 all the misls. he fighting strength of the Bhangi msl about this time
54 was 20,000 men, who were distributed over various portions of the country.
55 He fixed his head-quarters at the village Gilwdli, in the Amritsar district,
56 capturing Sidlkot, Karidl and Mirowdl. He extended his ravages to Chi-
57 niot and Jhang, and made war on the Abdali king, Ahmad Shah. In the
58 year 1762, he fell on Kot Khwajdé Said, two miles from Lahore, where
59 Khwajd Obed, the Afghan governor of Lahore, had a large magazine, contain-
60 ing arms, ordnance and munitions of war, the whole of which Hari Sing
61 carried off. ,
62 The Sikhs under Hari Singh next swept over the Indus and the Derajat
63 country. Their generais conquered Rawalpindi, subdued the Malwa and
64 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com