1 MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH. 431
2 and tore his beard, and inveighed vehemently against the treason of his
3 brethren, who had brought so dire a calamity upon him. Generals Allard
4 and Ventura were followed to Chan Kdva, the camp of Muhammad Azim
5 Khan, opposite the bank of the river, by Prince Sher Singh, Dewdn Kirpa
6 Ram and Hari Singh, Nalwa. Azim Khan, hastily collecting the wreck of
7 his forces, and picking up his harem and wealth at Michini, crossed the
8 Momand hills with precipitate haste, and regained the valley of Jalla-
9 labad, leaving the field clear for the Sikh monarch and his army. The
10 following day the Maharaja proceeded against the fort of Hashtnagar and
11 occupied it. Ranjit Singh made his entry into Peshawar on the 17th of
12 March, and his Sikhs plundered the whole, country up to the Khaibar Pass,
13 though the town of Peshawar was saved from pillage. The feeling of the entire
14 Mussalman population was intensely roused against their infidel invaders,
15 and the united bands of these zealots cut off all the stragglers of the Sikh
16 army, whose camp had to be watched continually every night to guard ib
17 against their predatory excursions, Ranjit Singh, finding that public feeling
18 throughout the country was bitterly against him, did not think it prudent to
19 retain it. He privately sent for Yar Muhammad Khan and Dost Muhammad
20 Khan, who repaired to the Sikh camp from Dhaka, bringing with them five
21 horses, including the far-famed Gauhar Bar (or Shower of Pearls), which,
22 by its exquisite beanty and smartness, particularly pleased the Sikh
23 monarch. He rewarded their treason to their brother and their services to
24 himself by wisely allowing them to retain Peshdwar as tributary to the
25 Léhore Darbér. He, however, took care so to divide the territory between
26 the brothers that Dost Muhammad Khan was placed in an antagonistic
27 position to Yar Muhammad and his brothers, the object of the wily chief
28 being to create an ( scasion for future dissensions and strife among the
29 brothers, which shou i place him in a position to support one party or the
30 other, as policy migi.t dictate. After effecting these arrangements, the
31 Mahardja returned to his capital, on the 26th of April.
32 Muhammed Azim Khan died shortly afterwards, of dysentery. He died ,
33 broken-hearted, and with his death was dissolved the union of the brothers
34 who had governed the three provinces of Kdbul, Kandahar and Peshawar.
35 After the death of his famous brother, Wazir Fatteh Khan, Muhammed Azim
36 Khan was looked upon as the head of the family. He had a reputation
37 for indomitable personal courage and lavish generosity. He was munificent
38 and dignified, fond of show and pleasure, but not at the expense of public
39 business. He: fell a sacrifice to the treason of his brothers. His death
40 renewed the dissensions and quarrels among his numerous brothers and
41 nephews, who acknowledged nobody as their head.
42 The return of the Maharaja to Lahore, after the victory won by him at
43 Peshawar, was an occasion of great rejoicing. The towns of Léhore and
44 Amritsar were illuminated and several days were spent in merry-making. It
45 having been now resolved to enclose the town of Amritsar with a wall of
46 masonry, the work was entrusted to the sardars, who each had a portion
47 allotted them to build. The work was carried on with great vigour, Sardar
48 Fatteh Singh, Ahluwalia, sending a thousand masons from his territory, and
49 Dal Singh, Desa Singh, and other jégirdars, each furnishing their quota of
50 men and materials from their respective jdgirs. The Mahardjé then pro-
51 ceeded to Dinanagar, and thence to Sujanpur, where he received the
52 respects of the rdj& of Bassoli in the hills, and collected three lakhs of
53 rupees from the hills rdjds, as nazrdnd. The Dasahra was celebrated
54 at Ldhore in October, and towards the end of the year the Mahardjé
55 marched to the Indus, to reduce the refractory Mahomedan jégirdars,
56 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary
57 Flight of Mubham-
58 mad Azim Khan.,
59 The Maharaja's
60 triumphant entry into
61 Peshawar.
62 He leaves Peshawar
63 gs a dependency with
64 Yar Muhammad Khan
65 and Dost Muhammad
66 Khan, 1823.
67 Death of Muhammad
68 Azim Khan, 1823,
69 Rejoicings at Lahore,
70 Building of the city
71 walls of Amritsar, 1823.
72 NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com