Tara Singh Ramgarhia

Tara Singh Ramgarhia was a prominent Sikh leader, a Sardar, brother of the famous Jassa Singh Ramgarhia (1723–1803).

In the late eighteenth century the Sikh domains were at their maximum extent, with territories that stretched from the Indus in the West almost as far as Delhi in the East, organized as a loose confederation of misls, or states.[1] The Sikhs had recovered from the period of Afghan influence in the Punjab that culminated in the Wadda Ghalughara (great massacre) in 1764, a mass killing of the Sikhs by Muslims led by Ahmad Shah Abdali. After that the three Ramgarhia brothers Jassa Singh, Mali Singh and Tara Singh were forced for a while to go into hiding, but later regathered their forces and recaptured their territory.[2]

Jassa Singh's brothers precipitated a crisis when they attacked and made Jassa Singh Ahluwalia a prisoner when he was passing through their territory. Other Sikh rulers came to Jassa's aid. Mali Singh was driven out of Dhasua and then Batala in 1780, while Tara Singh lost Kalanaur. The Samad of Tara Singh is currently located at village Thikdiwal, few Km North of Qadian, Batala, District Gurdaspur.

The son of Jassa Singh, Jodh Singh, inherited his father's title in 1803. On Jodh Singh's death in 1815 a dispute broke out over the succession, with Tara Singh's son Diwan Singh one of the claimants. Maharaja Ranjit Singh found this to be a good opportunity and conquered the Misl in the garb of settling the family dispute and eventually imprisoned the troublesome Ramgarhias and destroyed many of their strongholds. Eventually Diwan Singh was released and was sent to Barmula in Kashmir to extend Ranjit Singh's Sikh empire in 1820. Diwan Singh ruled the difficult areas of Kashmir in Barmula for 14 years until he died in 1834. The area where he used to live was known as the Cantonment of Diwan Singh Ramgarhia. On his death, his Samad was constructed on the bank of the river near Barmula. Diwan Singh son Mangal Singh, and grand son of Tara Singh's, fought the famous battle of Jamraud in Afghanistan with Hari Singh Nalwa and brought laurels to the Sikh empire. Due to his good work in the battle of Jamraud, Ranjit Singh returned a portion of Ramgarhis's Misl including the famous Bunga near Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Bunga was known as Bunga Sardar Mangal Singh until his descendants handed over to SGPC, Amritsar in 1972. His sword and fruit knife is still lying with the decedents of Mangal Singh, CSI.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Shanti Niketan (July 2005). "Turbulent Times: Sikhs in the 18th Century: 1768 onwards". The Sikh Review. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  2. ↑ "History of the Ramgarhia Misl". Ramgarhia.net. 17 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  3. ↑ "Sardar Jodh Singh Ramgarhia(1758-1815)". Sikh History.com. Retrieved 2010-08-17.

External links

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