1 He obtains a cession
2 of Lahore from the
3 Afghan sovereign,
4 1799.
5 The collapse of the
6 Bhangi confederacy,
7 Khoshal Singh
8 founds the mist.
9 Nodh Singh succeeds
10 him on his death.
11 Jassa Singh, the
12 carpenter.
13 He supports Adina
14 Beg Khan against the
15 Afghans.
16 Proceedings of Adfna
17 a Khan against the
18 1
19 a
20 306 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB.
21 possible. The-Shah now sent a firman to Ranjit Singh, informing him, that, in
22 the event of his taking care of his ordnance, and having it conveyed to Kabul
23 as early as practicable, he would be pleased to consider favourably his aspira-
24 tions with regard to Lahore. Out of twelve guns which had sunk in the bed
25 of the river, eight were readily extricated and forwarded to Kabul. Asa
26 reward for this service, Ranjit Singh got from the Kabul king what he de-
27 sired, namely, a royal investiture of the capital of the Panjab. Thencefor-
28 ward the history of the Sikhs merges in that of their great Maharaja. The
29 remaining four guns, which were taken out in 1823, were placed in the aise-
30 nals of Labore.
31 Sahib Singh, whose career had been hitherto marked by energy and
32 enterprise, now became an indolent debauchee and drunkard. He quarrelled
33 with the rival chiefs and sardars, and, his power being thus weakened, Ranjit
34 Singh seized upon all his possessions, which were merged in the new king-
35 dom which he was now forming. In 1810 the Maharaja, at the intercession
36 of Mdi Lachmi, mother of Sahib Singh, granted him a jdgir worth one lakh
37 of rupees, which he held until his death, which occurred in the following
38 year. Ranjit Singh had, by this time, conquered Multan, and married two of
39 the widows of the deceased, Dya Kour and Rattan Kour, by the rite of cha-
40 darandazi. Dya Kour gave birth to Peshora Singh, and Rattan Kour to
41 Multana Singh, the reputed sons of the Great Mahardjd. Fatteh Singh, the
42 youngest son of Gujar Singh, went to Kapurthalla and took up service under
43 the Ahluwalia chief, but died soon after, leaving a son, Jymal Singh, who
44 resided in Ramgarh, without pension or estate, and thus the great Bhangi
45 confederacy collapsed. :
46 2,—THE RAMGARHIA JAMSL.
47 This misl took its name from Ram Rouni, or ‘Fortalice of God, at
48 Amritsar, converted into Ramgarah, or ‘Fort of the Lord,” by Jassa Singh
49 the celebrated thokd, or carpenter. The founder of the mist was Khoshal
50 Singh, a Jdéé of Mouza Guga, in the vicinity of Amritsar, and a follower of
51 the Byragi Bandd. He took his Pdéhal from Bandé, and, on the death of
52 the latter, became a notorious robber and commander of an armed force.
53 When he died, one Nodh Singh, of Sahangi, near Amritsar, succeeded him.
54 As a freebooter, he was more notorious than his predecessor, and always had a
55 greater number of followers. The most daring and intrepid among these
56 were the three brothers, Jassa Sing, Malla Singh or (Mali Singh) and Tara
57 Singh, sons of Bhagwana Giani, carpenters of Mouza Sarsang, in the Lahore
58 district, who, giving up their profession, took up the new one of robbery
59 under the leader Nodh Sing. Jassa Singh took to the profession of arms,
60 and subsequently became very famous among the Sikhs as a brave and
61 intrepid warrior.
62 Jassa Singh, with his two brothers, fought on the side of Adina Beg
63 Khan, when that chief entered into hostilities with the Abdali king, Ahmad
64 Shah, and his gallantry was so conspicuous that Adina Beg gave him the
65 command of his own troops, which, at that time, were chiefly Sikhs. When,
66 being hard pressed by the Afghans, Adina Beg, had fled to the hills, Jassa
67 Singh joined Jay Singh, Kanhia and Amar Singh, Kingré, in their war
68 against the Pathans, and greatly distinguished themselves. On the departure
69 of Ahmad Shah from India in 1757, and the return of Adfna Beg Khan
70 from his hill retreat, the latter made a vow to extirpate the Sikhs, who had
71 become troublesome, and made common cause against the Mussalmans. The
72 Mahrattas, who had, at this time, swept the Panjéb, elevated Adina Beg
73 Khan to the viceroyalty of Lahore, The new viceroy, after reducing Kutab
74 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com