Chiefs And Families Of Note

· 1890 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1THE KANGRA DISTRICT.

2383

3held to palliate, the conduct of his successor towards the

4British Government. Yet, the Raja’s infant son could

5scarcely be regarded as responsible ; although from the de-

6meanour then assumed by his officials proceeded the mis-

7fortunes which subsequently fell upon him. All the other

8Kangra Rajas had stipends assigned them by Ranjit Singh,

9and their claims were easily disposed of. by the British

10authorities. But the Raja of Nurpur never acquiesced in

11the seizure of his birth-right by the acceptance of a jagir.

12His case was therefore exceptional, and had to be treated oh

13special grounds. The opposition which he had always

14made, and his repeated attempts to recover his territory,

15had given him and his advisers a bad name with the Sikhs,

16who regarded them as turbulent and dissatisfied ; and no

17doubt this character was true, though justified in part by

18the treatment they had received. Acting upon these im-

19pressions Sir Henry Lawrence, Agent to the Governor-

20General, proposed a jagir of Rs. 20,000 for the young Chief,

21on condition that he should not reside at Nurpur, which the

22officials, misled by false hopes, most foolishly and insolently

23refused. For a year the Raja remained without any provision,

24and in the interval John Lawrence, Commissioner, had

25lowered the offer by three-fourths ; and this the Raja was

26ultimately obliged to accept.

27On the outbreak of the Rebellion of 1848, Ram Singh,

28son of the Wazir of the ex-Raja, collecting a band of adven-

29turers from the neighbouring Jamu Hills, suddenly crossed

30the Ravi and threw himself into the unoccupied fort of

31Shahpur. That night he received a congratulatory deputa-

32tion from the neighbourhood, and proclaimed by beat of drum

33that the English Rule had ceased; that Dalip Singh was the

34Paramount Power; Jaswant Singh, Raja of Nurpur, and he,

35Ram Singh, his Minister. When the news reached Hushiar-

36pur a small force was hurried off to the spot and the fort