1 340 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB,
2 securing his hereditary right, and agreed to pay the Snkerchakia a large
3 annual tribute if he succeeded in deposing his father. Charat Singh, who
4 entertained an old grudge against Ranjit Deo, acceded to the wishes of the
5 Charat Fingh takes heir apparent of the Jammu Raj, and, having been joined by Hakikat Singh
6 ee tto gamma, and Jai Singh, of the Kanhia misl, marched towards Jammu, in 1774, at
7 the head of a considerable force. Ranjit Deo was helped by auxiliaries
8 from Chamb4, Kangré, Nurpur and Basehar, and also by a contingent from
9 the Bhangi misl, under Jhanda Singh and Ganda Singh, sons of Hari
10 Singh. Inthe winter of the same year the two armies met on the banks
11 of the Basanti river, Several engagements took place with no decisive
12 results, till at length, in one of these, Charat Singh was accidentally killed
13 Is killed intheac- by the bursting of a matchlock in the hands of one of his own followers.
14 MOUATEe Charat Singh was a man of high aims, and far more advanced ideas than
15 his contemporaries of the misl. He it was who laid the foundation of the
16 greatness of the family. By his industry, economy and perseverance, he
17 extended his estates, and throve upon the disorder which followed on the
18 overthrow of the Lahere governor, Khwaja Obed. He appeared early in
19 the field as an enterprising leader, and soon rose froma common Dhdrwt,
20 or highway robber, to the sardari of a confederacy, and contributed materi-
21 ally to the strength of the Sikhs as a nation. The territory left by him on
22 The territory lett by bis death is computed to have yielded about three lakhs of rupees annually,
23 him on his death, and was inherited by his eldest son, Mahé Singh, then ten years old.
24 Charat Singh left ancther son, Sahaj Singh, and a daughter Raj Kour,
25 who was married to Sahib Singh, son of the famous Gujar Singh, Bhangi.
26 Mahé Singh being too young to take upon himself the responsibility of
27 iis minor son Mang 2OVErning the misé, his mother, Desdn, assumed immediate charge of the
28 Ringh succeeds, under affairs of State, assisted by Jay Singh, Kanhia. She rebuilt the fort at
29 the tutelage Of MS Gujrdnwald, which had been destroyed by Ahmad Shah Abdali.
30 An attempt was made by several subordinate sardars of the misl to
31 His character,
32 Unsuccessful at- shake off their dependence on Maha Singh, the chiefs either mistrusting
33 tempt to overthrow : - P . P . We oO
34 the minor's power. his youth, or being dissatisfied with the regent widow, who had fallen in
35 love with one Jay Ram Missar, a family priest. Prominent among these
36 was Dharm Singh, who openly rebelled. The discontented sardars were,
37 however, greatly disappointed when, contrary to their expectations, no
38 succour came from the Bhangi’s quarters; and they were all effectually
39 punished. The opportunity was now taken of celebrating the nuptials of
40 yttis mnarvinge with Mahé Singh with the daughter of Gajpat Singh of Jhind, to whom the
41 Suughof Jund. «Sardar had been previously betrothed. The ceremony took place with
42 the pomp and grandeur worthy of the name of the m7sl to which the sardar
43 Pe tee The bride was ever after called Mdi Malwain, or the Malwd
44 mother.
45 Shoitly after this, Mahé Singh engaged in an undertaking which
46 rhe battie of Rasen. S2NEd for him great celebrity as a warrior and conqueror. Rassulnagar,
47 nagar, 1778-79. now called Ramnagar by the Sikhs, situate on the ‘east bank of the
48 Chindb, was held by a powerful tribe of Mahomedans called Chatias, also
49 known as Manchurids, the head of the tribe at that time being a Mussal-
50 man Jdé, named Pir Mahomed. Mahd Singh, assisted by Jay Singh,
51 Kanhia, made an attack on this town at the head of 6,000 troops, the
52 pretext being the famous za@mzama gun of Ahmad Shah, which Jhandd
53 Singh, Bhangi, after his conquest of the Chattus, had left with Pir Mahomed
54 in deposit, from its being tov heavy to be taken across the Chindb. Maha
55 Singh now claimed it as the property of the Khdlsd, or the general
56 assembly of the Sikhs. The town of Rassulnagar was besieged, and the
57 blockade continued for four months, The whole of the surrounding country
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