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 Jassa
Singh Ramgarhia was a born leader of
unprecedented qualities. His birth took
place near city of Amritsar. He was
5 years old when Banda Singh Bahadur
attained martyrdom at Delhi. He was
among the crop of those Sikhs who had
fought against all odds for survival
of their newly founded religion. In
those times all Sikhs, cook, ate, fought
together and Sikhism was thought of
a family. Sardar Kapur Singh was elder
and an able leader, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia,
Sardar Budh Singh Sukkarchakia (grand
father of Ranjit Singh), and others
were able leaders fighting Mughals and
Afghnis keeping Khalsa flame alive with
their resistance. In around 1720's Mughals
decided to offer truce to these Sikh
leaders and sent some gifts to them
in mountains where they were hiding.
Mughals offered three towns for Sikhs
and title of Nawab for their leader.
Five Sikh leaders which includes Budh
Singh, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and others
decided to make Kapur Singh Supreme
Jathedar of Dal Khalsa and Kapur Singh
accepted it only when he was reminded
of Guru's order to listen to the anonymous
order of Five Gursikhs . Later this
group of Sikh leaders created Misals
and two factions of Sikhs called Budha
Dal and Taruna Dal. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
were youngsters leading their regiments
under Taruna Dal and reporting to Jathedar
Kapur Singh ji at Diwali and Vasaikhi.
Under Dal Khalsa, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia
established his Misl of Ramgarhia in
and around riarki area of Amritsar,
Gurdaspur and Batala. He also fortified
and constructed fort of Ram Rauni at
Amritsar. His misal contained more then
5000 cavalry always on move and helping
Dal Khalsa whenever Afghanis or Mughals
attacked. Sikhs at this time were in
control of villages while Mughal administration
was only effective in cities. Twenty
years Earlier Banda Bahadur had wrecked
a havoc on administration by abolishing
all taxes and Zamindara system. Now
Sikhs only levied "Dasvand",
that is 10% of their income for Rakhi
tax or "protection tax" for
armies.
Mir Mannu became the new governor of
Lahore and Multan on the 9th April 1748
A.D. He appointed Kaura Mal as his new
Diwan. After setting right the administration
of his province, he deployed army patrol
to finish the Sikhs of his province.
The Sikhs left his territory and moved
to other states. Sardar Jassa singh
Ramgarhia and his squad joined the army
of the Commander of Jalandhar, named
Adina Beg. Adina Beg was a cunning treacherous
soft and sweet speaking mean person.
Adina Beg on one hand would woo Sikhs
to join him against Mughals on the other
hand he had secret links with Afghanis,
while he drew his salary from Mughals.
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, being a simple
minded person trusted Adina Beg and
joined his army.
The Sikhs gathered at Amritsar on the
occasion of Diwali in 1748 A.D. When
Mir Mannu came to know of the gathering
of Sikhs, he sent his general with an
army to blockade Amritsar and sent words
to the Commander of Jalandhar, Adina
beg to to take his army to help his
general in finishing the Sikhs. Adina
Beg not telling his Sikh army personnel
attacked fort of Ram Rauni. Five hundred
Singhs took shelter in fort of Ram Rauni
and the rest moved to forests. The combined
forces of Lahore and Jalandhar surrounded
the fort. Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia
was in army who was in siege of fort,
with his squad. Plight of his fellow
Sikhs sorrounded in the fort of Ram
Rauni was too much for him and his squad.
One day he deserted the royal army and
joined the Singhs inside the fort with
his squad. The Singhs inside the fort
did not surrender even after two months
of siege. Adina Beg felt the departure
of the Jassa Singh Ramgarhia in this
manner very much but could not do anything.
Hearing the news of the second invasion
of Abdali, Mir Mannu made peace with
Sikhs and sanctioned an estate in Patti
area for the livelihood. Thus Jassa
Singh Ramgarhia won the battle of Ram
Rauni.
Abdali attacked India and Jassa Singh's
squad along with other Sikh squad was
deployed in and around hills of Jammu,
Pathonkot, to harass and snatch Abdali's
baggage train. His 5000 cavalry soldiers
harassed Abdali's Afghanis through Guerilla
tactics of warfare that Abdali lost
more soldiers to Sikhs in this type
of warfare than his battle with Marthas.
Around same time Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
freed 2200 young Hindu women from Afghanis
who were being taken to the harems and
bazaars of Kabul, Baghdad and Basra.
It was blessings of Waheguru (the almighty
God) that Sikhs who were weak and few
had defeated Abdali.
Next year Abdali returned to Punjab
only to punish Sikhs. Mughals at this
time were under his protectorate and
small Mughal chieftains like,Nawab of
Sarhind, and Sher Khan, Nawab of Malerkotla
as well as other small time nawabs all
over Punjab helped Abdali to sorround
Sikhs at a place near Malerkotla called
Kup. Taruna Dal and Buddha Dal sorrounded
Women and children and fought head on
for the first time with Abdali and his
allies. Sikhs were outnumbered five
to one (including women and chlidren
on Sikh side). In this battle Sikhs
lost about 30-45000 Sikhs in single
day of battle and to this day it is
called "The greater holocaust".,
or "Wadda Ghalughara"
After this incident, Sikhs came out
strong and in less than five years Sikhs
had defeated all Mughals and Afghani
protectorate in between area of River
Jamuna and River Indus. Jassa Singh's
Ramgarhia Misl had played major part
in this struggle. Later Ranjit Singh
incorporated Ramgarhia Misal into Sarkar
Khalsa and thus a one unified Khalsa
kingdom was created.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Santokh Singh Jagdev
"Bed Time Stories"
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