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 Jassa
Singh Ahluwalia was born (1718-1783)
at a village called Ahlu or Ahluwal
near Lahore, established by his ancestor,
Sadda singh, a devotee of Sixth Guru,
Hargobind. Hence the name Ahluwalia
stuck to him. His forefathers were kalals
(wine merchants). Hence he is also called
Jassa singh Kalal.
However such was the admiration he
won of the whole Sikh community that
Jassa singh kalal came to be known as
'Guru Ka Lal' (the beloved son of Guru).
Son of Badar singh Jassa singh was hardly
5 yrs old when his father died (1723
A.D.). His mother entreated Mata Sundri,
widow of Guru Gobind Singh ji, to take
him into her care. Mata Sundri agreed
to do so, and lavished much affection
on him, instructing him carefully in
the arts of war and peace. He studied
Sikh scriptures under Bhai Mani singh.
Later, Mata Sundri asked Nawab Kapur
singh to take charge of the promising
youth. Both he and his mother used to
perform Hari-Kirtan before Nawab Kapur
singh who much pleased at his supreme
devotion to the faith and sense of duty
and humility, appointed him as a storekeeper
with his forces. As was natural, he
participated in many combat as well
where he displayed such qualities of
leadership that Nawab Kapur singh appointed
him his successor on the eve of his
death in 1753. Elated at his successful
helmsmanship, the Khalsa honored Jassa
singh with the title of Sultan-ul-Qaum
(king of the whole people), when they
captured Lahore in 1761.
 On
Feb 5 1762, Sikhs were especially the
target of Ahmad Shah Abdali Sixth invasion
into India. News had reached him in
Afghanistan of the defeat of his general,
Nur-Ud-Din Bamezai, at the hands of
Sikhs who were fast spreading themselves
out over the Punjab and had declared
their leader, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia,
king of Lahore. To rid his Indian dominion
of them once for all, he set out from
Kandahar. Marching with alacrity, he
overtook the Sikhs as they were withdrawing
into the Malwa after crossing the Sutlej.
The moving caravan comprised a substantial
portion of the total Sikh population
and contained, besides active fighters,
a large body of old men, women and children
who were being escorted to the safety
of the interior of the country. Surprised
by Ahmad Shah, the Sikhs threw a cordon
round those who needed protection, and
prepared for the battle. In this formationand
continuing their march, they fought
invaders and their Indian allies (Nawab
of Malerkotla, Sarhind, etc. ) desperetely.
Charat Singh, Hari Singh Bhangi and
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia led their forces
with skill and courage. Jassa Singh
ahluwalia sustained sixty four wounds
on his body and Charat Singh rode to
exhaustion five of his horses one after
another.
Ahmad Shah succeeded, in the end, in
breaking through the ring and glutted
his spite by carrying out a full scale
butchery. His orders were for everyone
in Indian dress to be killed at sight.
The soldiers of Malerkotala and Sarhind
were to wear green leaves of trees on
their heads to distinguish themselves
from the Sikhs. Near the village of
Kup, in the vicinity of Malerkotla,
about 20,000 Sikhs lay on that ghastly
field at the end of a single day's action
(February 5, 1762). This battle in Sikh
history is known as Wadda Ghalughara.
Jassa singh fought valiantly and received
64 cuts, but he survived. Even such
a disaster as had overtaken them at
Kup caused no despondency among the
Sikhs. When the survirors of of the
Great carnage assembled inthe evening
for their prayers. A Sikh got up and
said "No harm done, Khalsa ji!
The Panth has emerged purer from the
trial; the alloy has been eliminated."
Within four months of Ghalughara, Sikhs
under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia inflicted
and a severe defeat on the governor
of Sarhind and were celebrating Diwali
in Harimandir which the Shah had demolished,
and were fighting pitched battle forcing
him to withdraw from Amritsar under
cover of darkness (October 17,1762).
Upto now, Sikhs forces were divided
into 65 jathas Nawab Kapur singh reorganised
them into Eleven bands, each of course
with its own name, flag and leader.
These bands or Jathas, which came to
known later on as Misls (lit. equal,
also an example) together were, however,
given the name of Dal Khalsa (or the
Khalsa force), under over all charge
of Jassa singh Ahluwalia.
It is a miracle of Guru Gobind singh
that everyone irrespective of Caste,
region or station accepted the decision
of their venerable old leader with a
clean and good heart. Here is what Bhangu
Ratan singh has to say 'Ape Raj, ape
Mujdar, Bade bhujangi, dil ke sur. Ape
pisen, ap pakwan, to bade sardar Kahawan.
koi kare na kise sheereka, koi na sunawe
nij dukj ji ka.' which means 'They were
all brave of heart. They themselves
ground their corn and cooked their own
food. It is through such dedicated service
that they became great Sardars. None
felt jealous of another nor ever gave
vent to his own privations or personal
grief.
The fear of his Indian empire falling
to the Sikhs continued to obsess the
Ahmad Shah Abdali's mind and helet out
another campaign against Sikhs towards
the close of 1766. This was his eighth
invasion into India. The Sikhs had recourse
to their old game of hide and seek.
They vacated Lahore, but faced squarely
the Afghan general, Jahan Khan at Amritsar,
forcing him to retreat, with six thousand
Abdali's soldiers killed. Jassa Singh
Ahluwalia with an army of about twenty
thousand Sikhs roamed in the neighbourhood
of the Afghan camp plundering it to
his heart's content. Never before Ahmad
Shah Abdali had felt so helpless, his
dream of capturing the whole of India
was dying before his own eyes. In the
words of a contemporary writer: "The
Shah's influence is confined merely
to those tracts which are covered by
his army. The Zamindars appear in general
so well affected towards the Sikhs that
itis usual with the latter to repair
by night to the villages where they
find every refreshment. By the day they
retire from them and again fall to harassing
the Shah's troops. " Jassa Singh
was also called "Bandi Chhor",
(The delivered) for having rescued 2200
beautiful Hindu women made prisoner
by Abdali for his harms.
Salute to great Sikh Warrior Sardar
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
Heritage of the Sikhs."
Khushwant Singh "History of the
Sikhs."
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