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According to Lepel Griffin,
there is a legend believed at Bahrwal
that runs as under: About the year 1595
Guru Arjan, travelling with a few followers
in the Lahore district, reached the
small town of Bahrwal which had been
founded by an Arora Khatri, named Bahr.
The Guru was not received with due hospitality.
So he passed on to the neighbouring
village of Jambar where he lay down
on a charpai (cot) under a shady tree.
By this time, Hem Raj, a Sandhu Jat,
chaudhari or headman of Bahrwal, who
was absent when the Guru passed through
his village, heard of what had occurred
and ashamed of his town-men's inhospitality
went to Jambar and brought the Guru
to his town. The Guru blessed Hem Raj
and prophesied that his son and successor,
Hira Singh, would be a great and powerful
chiefs.
This legend would have been more correctly
applied to Alam, the father or to Mahmana,
the grandfather of Hem Raj, for Hira
Singh, who was certainly the first man
of note in the family, was not born
till nearly a hundred years after the
death of Guru Arjan which took place
in 1606.
Hira Singh
Hira Singh, was the son of Hem Raj,
of Bahrwal village in the pargana of
Fasilabad and in the province of Multan.
He was born in A.D. 1706 (BK. 1763).
He was initiated into the Khalsa in
1731,3 and he joined the Sikh movement
in the Punjab in 1748. In the course
of a few days time about two hundred
Sikhs gave him a following and remained
in attendance on him, day and night.
Hira Singh gathered power about the
middle of the eighteenth century. He
took possession of the Nakka territory
lying between Lahore and Gogaira and
between the rivers, Satluj and Ravi,
which has given its name to the family
of Hira Singh and to the Misal which
he commanded. In 1749, he took Satghara
and Chunian from the Afghans and augmented
his resources considerably Shortly thereafter,
the number of his horse and foot rose
to three thousand. His territorial possessions
included Bahrwal, Faridabad, Jethpur,
Chunian, Khudian, Mustfabad and Shergarh
and areas from river Ravi to Dogran
and Manwan, situated on the bank of
river Satuj. Day by day, Hira Singh's
status and position increased.
At that time, Sheikh Subhan was the
gaddi-nashin of Baba Farid-ud-Din of
Pak Pattan. He had, at his command,
one thousand horsemen and two thousand
pyadas. He was carrying on the administration
of the estate attached to the dargah.
According to Gian Singh and Muhammad
Latif, Subhan Khan Qureshi, the rais
(landlord) of Pak Pattan wanted of Muslims
to slaughter the cows in large numbers,
without compunction. His Hindu subjects
felt deeply hurt over it. They made
appeals to Hira Singh to ask Subhan
Khan to desist from hurting the feelings
of the Hindus. But Subhan Khan cared
meither for the Hindus nor for Hira
Singh's request. Hira Singh launched
an attack on Sheikh Subhan. Hira Singb
received a gun-shot on his forehead
and died instantaneously. His companions
brought his dead body to Bahrwal where
it was cremated.
Hira Singh had a Suckling son, named
Dal Singh. But the Sikhs of the derah
assembled and unanimously decided to
place his place Nahar Singh as caretaker
of the Nakkai Misl.
Sad note: One of his descendant (fourth
or fifth generation) converted to Islam
in early 20th century as he came in
the influence of a Muslim woman., but
carried on the name Nakai. Recently,
Arif Nakai, grandson of the person who
converted to Islam was made an interim
prime minister of Pakistan (before Nawaz
Sharif).
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Bhagat Singh "History
of Sikh Misals"
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