1 The battle at Jhang.
2 Defent and flight of
3 Ahmad Khan, Sial
4 The sack of Jhang.
5 The Maharaj& seizes
6 Teh, Sahiwal, and
7 Garh Maharaja, 1803,
8 Renewed ravages by
9 Sansar Chand of Kot
10 Kangra.
11 He is compelled to
12 retreat, 180+.
13 Disenssion on the
14 word “ ShalAmar.”
15 860 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB,
16 known as Najibwalé, together with the Mahardja’s own artillery, formed
17 part of the expedition. very village through which he passed was plun-
18 dered, though not without some resistance on the part of the zemindars,
19 which frequently resulted in considerable loss of men on the Mahardjd’s
20 side. Orders were therefore issued prohibiting the troops from visiting the
21 villages, till they had reduced the power of the Sial Chief. Ahmad Khan
22 had collected around him a large number of the Mahomedan tribes, con-
23 sisting of Sials, Kharals, Bharwdénds and others, He had also with him
24 two pieces of artillery, but they were manned by novices. The battle lasted
25 from noon till evening, when Ahmad Khan retired to the city with his
26 two guns. The casualties on both sides were very great. Ranjit Singh
27 besieged the city by night, and cut off the communication of the besieged.
28 The next day the fighting was continued with the same pertinacity as
29 before. Ahmad Khan superintended his artillery personally, and managed
30 to send a shot through Ranjit’s tent, which, however did very little
31 mischief, The siege lasted three days. Desertions now commenced on
32 the side of the nawab, and waoy of the people whe had come from the
33 country to render aid to their chief, returned to their homes. The Hindu
34 population sent a petition to the Maharaja, couched in the most humiliating
35 terms, and promising to render him all the aid in their power immediately
36 on his entering the city. The nawab’s own servants deserted him, and
37 all fled, except WNasrat Khan, Sidt. Ahmad Khan, seeing his cause
38 hopeless, fled with his family to Multdn. The Mahardjd entered the city
39 and took possession of the Immense wealth which the Sial chief had
40 been accumulating for so many years. The Choudhris of the town sued
41 for protection from plunder, which was promised, and orders were issued
42 accordingly. As the troops had gained nothing in the last three campaigns,
43 little notice was taken of the orders issued prohibiting their plundering.
44 They were determined to make what they could out of this victory, and
45 accordingly eased the inhabitants of all that they could by any means
46 remove. In vain was redress sought from Ranjit Singh, who declared himself
47 powerless to suppress the disorder that prevailed, Ahmad Khan having
48 agreed to pay a tribute of Rs. 60,000 a year to the victor, returned to Jhang.
49 The Mahardj& now crossed the Tirmu, attacked Uch, and exacted a large
50 tribute from the chief of that place, Nég Sultdn, a Bokhari Syad. The
51 towns of Sdhiwdl and Garh Maharaja were then visited, and the Baloch
52 Mussulman chiefs of those places were forced to satisfy the cupidity of the
53 Mahardjé with money and horses, with the alternative of having the Sikh
54 army let loose in their city to supply their own wants.
55 Sansdy Chand again left his hill possessions in 1804, and renewed his
56 ravages on Hoshidérpur aud Bijwdra, but when Ranjit Singh approached,
57 with the confederated armies, the hill Raja was compelled to retreat. About
58 this time the Gorkbds aspired to the sovereignty of the whole peninsula of
59 India, and the hill chief soon after became involved with these people.
60 The “Shalémdr Gardens” (or the famous gardens of the emperor,
61 Shah Jahdn at Ldhore), became the subject of an animated discussion
62 between Ranjit and some of his suite. The Mahardjé4 was of opinion that
63 the literal meaning of the word was “God’s Curse,” from Shala, “ God,”
64 in the Jhang dialect, and ma1, a Hindi word meaning “curse.” He, there-
65 fore, resolved to change the name for some other more appropriate term,
66 whereupon it was explained to him that Shala was a Turki word, mean-
67 ing pleasure, and mar meant place, in that language, so that the words
68 really meant “a place of pleasure,” and this name was given to several
69 gardens similarly founded by the Chughattai emperors in Hindostdn,
70 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh J i eLibrary ; NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com