1 MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH. 407
2 In January 1816, the Maharaja was waited upon by Bir Singh, the raja
3 of Nurpur, who had failed to comply with the summons to present himself
4 at the meeting of the sardars at Sialkot. He was subjected to so heavy a
5 fine that he was quite unable to pay it, and he offered his thakwr's or household
6 gods of silver and gold, in lieu thereof, but even their value did not suffice to
7 make up the amount required. At length he was subjected to the disgrace
8 of being personally seized at the door of the hall of audience, and sent back
9 in a palanquin to his State under charge of Missar Ralia Ram, there to witness
10 the seizure of all his property. A small jagir was offered him for his main-
11 tenance, but he declined to accept it, and, after a fruitless attempt to re-
12 cover his lost possessions by force of arms, fled across the Sutlej, and put
13 himself under British protection. Umed Singh, the raja of Jaswal, father-in-
14 law of Bir Singh, was, fora similar offence, subjected to very much the same
15 treatment, all his possessions and jdgirs being confiscated. He, however, was
16 content with the jagir offered to him for his support. Fakir Imdm-ud-din
17 and Dewé Singh were sent with two hundred sawérs, and Ndénak Chand,
18 Daftri, to establish the Sikh rule in the confiscated hill territories.
19 The Maharajd, being joined by Fateh Singh, Ahluwalia, moved in the
20 direction of Multdn and Béhdwalpur, at the head of his troops, collecting
21 tribute and exacting nazrdnds from the zeminddrs on the way. At Pdk-
22 pattan, Dewdn Sheikh Muhammad Ydr, the Sajjdda Nishin of the great
23 mausoleum of that place, presented the Mahardjd with a fine horse and a
24 sword set with jewels. The district was at first placed in charge of Jemadar
25 Khushhdl Singh; but out of consideration for the sanctity of the saint,
26 whose remains are deposited there, it was restored to the Sajjdda Nishin,
27 on condition of his agreeing to pay a tribute of Rs. 9,000 per annum.
28 Sube Rae and Kishan Das, vakils of the nawaéb of Béhdwalpur, having
29 then visited the Mahardjd, a fresh agreement was executed by the nawab
30 to pay a nazrdnd of Rs. 80,000, and an annual tribute of Rs. 70,000.
31 The Mahardj4, marching by easy stages, next reached Harappa, where
32 he was joined by Dayd Singh, Qutb-ud-din Khan, Kasiria, and Mis-
33 sar Dewan Chand, who were returning with their advanced division from
34 Babdwalpur, after the new agreement made with the nawdb. The Maharaja
35 ordered them to Tolamba, where he himself arrived on the 15th Chet, 1873,
36 Samvat. Here Sayad Muhsin Shah, vakil of Muzaffar Khan, nawdéb of
37 Multén, brought presents of horses, shawls and carpets for the Maharaja,
38 who demanded a lakh and twenty-thousand rupees as nazrénd. The agent
39 asked for time to pay the subsidy, offering to pay Rs. 40,000 in cash and
40 the balance after two months, but the Sikh ruler, becoming impatient, laid
41 siege to Ahmadabad, which was reduced without difficulty by the artillery
42 of Missar Dewdén Chand. Then, crossing the Chindb at Trimu Ghat, the
43 Maharajé encamped at Sdlar Wéhan with his troops. An advanced column
44 of Sikhs reached Multén to enforce payment of the tribute; and Phula
45 Singh, Akali, intoxicated with bhang, suddenly stormed the town, at the
46 head of a band of fanatics, with such impetuosity that the storming party
47 gained possession of the outworks of the citadel. The nawab, seeing that
48 the Sikh ruler was determined to proceed to extremes if the subsidy was
49 not soon paid, remitted Rs, 80,000 through Dew4n Bhawani Das, and pro-
50 mised, in a short time, to pay the balance of Rs. 40,000. The cupidity of the
51 Lahore ruler being thus satisfied, he marched on to Mankera. The van of
52 the Sikh army, under Sardar Sundar Singh, Ahluwalia, proceeded down
53 the Indus to beyond the Sindh border. Muhammad Khan, surnamed
54 Muin-ud-doula, the chief of Bhakkar and Leia, whose family had been ex-
55 pelled by the. present Mirs of Sindh, dying about the same time, the suc-
56 Pnnishment of the
57 hill chiefs of Nurpur
58 and Jaswal, 1816.
59 A tour in theconntry
60 bordering the Chinab,
61 1816,
62 Dealings with the
63 Sajjuda Nishin of Pak-
64 pattan,
65 The Nawab of Bahdé-
66 walpur
67 And of Multan,
68 Storming of the
69 citadel of Multan, 1816.
70 The chiefship of
71 Bhakkar.
72 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh J i eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com