Ramgarhia Misl

Ancestors of Jassa Singh – During the Era of Guru Gobind Singh ji and Banda Singh Bahadur

Baba Hardas Singh (1670 – 1715)

   Baba Hardas Singh was the grand father of Jassa Singh. During the seventeenth century his ancestors were settled in the North-Western region of India. He himself was the resident of village Sur Singh, a village near Amritsar on Indo-Pakistan border. Hardas Singh, a farmer by occupation, was initiated into the Khalsa faith by Guru Gobind Singh ji himself from whose hands he took Pahul and fought some battles from the Guru’s side. He must have been a man of standing, education and with martial & political incline that he became a close confidant of Guru Gobind Singh ji. He was involved in the noble work of preparing the early recension of Guru Granth Sahib ji, the holy book of Sikhs and fought many battles with him. The “Das Granthi manuscript” contains Gurbani which is believed to be have been selected by Guru Gobind Singh. The scribe of this Granthi (smaller version of Granth) is Baba Hardas Singh. He worked under the guidance of Bhai Mani Singh at Sri Anandpur Sahib. Baba ji was a great scribe in the service of Guru Gobind Singh ji. His handwritten masterpiece of Adi Granth was enshrined in the Sikh Reference Library. His manuscript that was lying at the Sikh Library in Amritsar containing Saloks of Guru Tegh Bahadur was destroyed in Operation Blue Star in 1984 AD. The World Sikh Heritage Museum has now collected three Granths by this great manuscript writer.  Baba Hardas Singh fought in all the battles with Guru Gobind Singh ji. After the death of the Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1708, when Banda Singh organized the Sikhs to fight against the Mughals, Hardas joined him and participated in most of the battles fought by him. He was martyred in the battle of Bajwara (Hoshiarpur) in 1715 AD. His place of residence can still be seen in his village Sur Singh near Amritsar which is now being maintained by the community trust.

   As per Sir Lepel H. Griffin, his last name was Najjar (refer the contents of “The Punjab Chiefs written by Sir Lepel H. Griffin” of 1865 edition). Actually depending upon the local dialect of different regions, the word Najjar is also spelled in English as Nijher, Nizzar, Nijjar, Nadjar in some other parts of the world. This is common to many other words. Like Amritsar has been spelled as Umritsar in the above book of 1865 edition. Though difficult to trace roots of this last name, some believe that it is associated with the Middle East region of Palestine, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. And it is possible since people from that region had been invading the areas of Punjab. At one time, these last names were considered to be part of Nomadic Jews tribe which after persecution fled to different parts of the world. However no conclusion can be made without more research but there are quite a few in Punjab, both in India and Pakistan; Iran and in some other middle east countries. Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar is currently (2009) the Defense Minister of Iran.

“Hardas Singh was intiated into the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh himself from whose hands he took pahul and fought some battles from the Guru’s side – Dr. Bhagat Singh Ph. D”

Bhagwan Singh (Died 1739)

   Bhagwan Singh, the only son of Hardas Singh, was of a still more adventurous disposition. He took Pahul (baptism) from Banda Singh Bahadur when he was still young. He had also mastered, the Adi Granth, the Sikh scripture, preached the Sikh faith and was called Gyani. He shifted to village Ichhogil which lay about twelve miles east of Lahore. He preached the Sikh faith in the neighboring villages. As Dr. Bhagat Singh, he was an intrepid soldier. Bhagwan Singh had five sons, named. Jai Singh, Jassa Singh, Khushal Singh, Mali Singh and Tara Singh. After the death of Banda Singh Bahadur, Sikhs were left with no central leadership and fell apart to fend for themselves. Likewise, Bhagwan Singh, who by the virtue of his social and financial status had his own following, was left to fend for himself. He with 200 followers then entered the Imperial forces under the Governor of Lahore and commanded a contingent of one hundred horsemen. In 1739, during the invasion of Nadir Shah, Bhagwan Singh saved the life of the the governor of Lahore at the cost of his own. To reward his brave deed the governor gave a village each to all of his five sons. The villages gifted were: Valla, Verka, Sultanwind, Tung and Chubhal. Of these villages Valla came to the share of Jassa Singh. Jassa Singh and his two brothers Mali Singh and Tara Singh are also said to have fought against Nadir Shah.

In the battle fought between Nadir Shah and Zakaria Khan at Wazirabad, Bhagwan Singh fought very bravely but lost his life. Jassa Singh and his two bothers Mali Singh and Tara Singh, when still very young, are said to have fought against Nadir Shah.

Bhagwan Singh was an intrepid soldier – Dr. Bhagat Singh, Ph. D.

Misl Period

Jassa Singh (1723 – 1803)

   Jassa Singh was the son of Bhagwan Singh and led a Sikh Misl and belonged to an eighteenth-century Sikh ruling clan which ruled various parts of the Punjab region. Maharaja Jassa Singh, as some people address him, was the head of Ramgarhia Misl and one of the most important Misl leaders in the region. Actually he was being called by this title before much Ranjit Singh came on the scene. This Misl was one of the most powerful of Sikh confederacies, and towards the close of eighteenth century consisted more than ten thousand fighting men of all castes and tribes like any other Misl including both Jatts and non-Jatts. Actually the Misl existed as an organized body for many years under Khushal Singh and Nand Singh Sanghania, but it was only when Jassa Singh Ichohill (as he was then known) succeeded the command in 1758 that it became powerful and renowned.

‘…Jassa Singh Ramgarhia who earned a good name in the region appeared to have shrewd grasp of realpolitik, relying equally on diplomatic persuasion and martial prowess to accomplish his goals….’  – Dr Purnima Dhavan, Ph. D, Associate Professor, University of Washington, Dept of History (South Asia),

 Jodh Singh Succeeded Jassa Singh

A painting depicting Sardar Jodh Singh Ramgahia

   Jassa Singh Ramgarhia had two sons, Jodh Singh and Bir Singh. Jodh Singh succeeded to his father after his death. At the time of Jassa Singh’s death in 1803, Ranjit Singh (1780 AD-1839 AD), was around 23 years in age. He began to lust after Ramgarhia territory, and feigned the greatest affection for Sardar Jodh Singh after the death of Jassa Singh. On one occasion he, thinking that Ramgarhia Misl under Sardar Jodh Singh was too powerful to let him annex his estate militarily, he invited him to Lahore on a friendly visit. Apprehending Ranjit Singh’s strange invitation, he went to Lahore with a large contingent of force. On the next day while going to attend Ranjit Singh’s darbar, he took 25 chosen followers, whom he posted outside. Maharaja received him with utmost cordiality, but suddenly Ranjit Singh signalled his men to surround Sardar Jodh Singh. But Jodh Singh who was well prepared, immediately took out his sword and challenged Ranjit Singh and his men because he would not be taken prisoner as long as he was alive. His courage brought Ranjit Singh plans to naught to capture him alive, and dismissed the Chief with honor and rich gifts. To further appease Jodh Singh, he later went over to Ramgarh Fort almost unattended, and ordered the construction of his new fort named as Gobindgarh (Gobind is name of 10th Sikh prophet thereby meaning the fort of God like Ramgarh Fort) to be built in the same design. Jodh Singh was won over and convinced by Ranjit Singh that he had no intention to annex his territory and established a bond of friendship with him. Later Jodh Singh told them that he would join Maharaja Ranjit Singh as an ally on the acceptance of two conditions. First, that Batala, Kalanaur, Bajwara, and Sangowal which previously belonged to them and, of late, were in the hands of their opponents, should be restored to them. Second, Gurdit Singh Bhangi, who was lying at his door, should be provided with a jagir for his subsistence. The Maharaja accepted both the conditions. Jodh Singh, accompanied by his close associates, came to Amritsar and met Ranjit Singh at Harmandir Sahib and he was duly honoured by the latter. The demanded territories were restored to Jodh Singh and Panjore and five or six villages were given in jagir to Mai Sukhan and her son, Gurdit Singh. 

   When Ranjit Singh by himself was unable to conquer Kasur near Lahore, he sought the help of Sardar Jodh Singh in preference to his customary confederates. Sardar Jodh Singh’s men brought Qutb-Din-Khan, the Nawab of Kasur, with bound hand and foot. After the occupation of Kasur the Maharaja gifted an elephant to the Ramgarhia chief. Later Jodh Singh sided with Ranjit Singh in his expeditions against Multan and against his other adversaries. Jodh Singh thus remained an ally like Kenheya Misl; and part of Ranjit Singh’s close coterie until his death in 1816.

   Jodh Singh also contracted friendship with Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra with whose help he occupied parganas of Batala, Bhunga, Hoshiarpur and the surrounding areas. When Maharaja Ranjit Singh demanded the zamzama gun from Mai Sukhan, the widow of Gulab Singh Bhangi, in 1805, she gave a flat refusal to hand over the gun and prepared to fight against the Maharaja. Jodh Singh sent a secret reinforcement of three hundred soldiers to Sukhan. At the same time he advised her either to hand over the bone of contention—the zamzama gun, to Ranjit Singh or destroy the gun. She did not accept either of the suggestions. The Maharaja, accompanied by his allies, Sada Kaur and Fateh Singh Ahluwalia, besieged Amritsar. When the opposing forces were at the point of severely clashing, Jodh Singh and Akali Phula Singh intervened and persuaded Sukhan to surrender. Thus, they were able to avert the bloodshed. 

   In earlier stages, Jodh Singh was very friendly towards Sansar Chand Katoch but later their relations got strained due to the former’s inability to help the latter against the Gurkhas. Jodh Singh was very much known for his magnanimity of heart and lavish generosity. Any defeated chief or impoverished person could go to him and enjoy his hospitality. He always sympathised with those on whom the fortunes frowned. In his Misal, he had introduced strict discipline and anybody found guilty of theft or any other crime was strictly dealt with. He would never sell justice but administer it with utmost honesty. He was very keen to give neat and clean administration to his people and there was nothing nearer his heart than the welfare of his subjects.

  Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave away in jagir the pargana of Ghuman to Jodh Singh.  It gave an annual revenue of twenty five thousand rupees. Formerly, this area belonged to the Ramgarhias and at that time it was in the bands of Gulab Singh Bhangi. In 1811, Ranjit Singh gave to Jodh Singh eleven villages from the pargana of Sikhowala (Sikhowala, according to Khushwaqat Rai, and Sheikhupura, according to Gian Singh) which was in the possession of the sons of Fateh Singh Kanaihya, which fetched an annual revenue of twelve thousand rupees. Of all the Sikh Sardars the Maharaja had the greatest regards for Jodh Singh Ramgarhia and addressed him as ‘Baba Ji. When he came to see Maharaja Ranjit Singh the latter would go out a few steps to receive him and seated him by his side during the Durbar. He was always seated next to the Maharaja in the Royal Darbar of Sikh empire. Jodh Singh, mostly, lived at Lahore or Amritsar and he mobilized his forces on the request of the Maharaja. Because of his good relations with the Maharaja the Ramgarhia chief had no problem retaining his possessions intact till his death on August 23, 1815.

  Jodh Singh was a deeply religious person. He completed the construction of Bunga and also built the first two stories of Baba Atal Sahib Gurdwara, the loftiest building in Amritsar, near the Golden Temple. Sardar Jodh Singh died in 1815 and his Samad is located at Gurudwara Shahidan (Shahid Ganj) in Amritsar.

   Jodh Singh as stated above succeeded Jassa Singh in 1803. Having commanded the Misl for more than 12 years he too died in 1815 as a close ally of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.Ranjit Singh was actually a self-made and a capable ruler. As mentioned in the The Panjab Chiefs by Sir lepel H Griffin, his father killed his mother due to suspected adultery and similarly Ranjit Singh killed his mother on similar suspicion. Both ladies believed to have more than one lover; and it is doubtful if Mahan Singh was the son of Charrat Singh or Ranjit Singh was the son of Mahan Singh. There is also a mention that even Ranjit Singh’s first wife Mehtab Kaur was not the mother of Maharaja Sher Singh and Tara Singh, because in realty she never bore any children to the Maharaja. But despite such disturbing episodes in Ranjit Singh’s personal life, the scion of one of the least important of the twelve Sikh clans, he at seventeen begun his journey with  force, flattery, and diplomacy to forge the warring Sikh tribes into a unified command. The Ramgarhia Misl under Sardar Jassa Singh and Jodh Singh remained one of the most powerful Misls and could not be annexed as long as they were alive by Ranjit Singh.  However, on the death of Sardar Jodh Singh the family began to quarrel. Diwan Singh (Jodh Singh’s first cousin and the son of Tara Singh), Vir Singh (second son of Jassa Singh), the widow of Jodh Singh and Mehtab Singh, another cousin of Jodh Singh and son of Khushal Singh (the brother of Jassa Singh) were all claiming the estate. It was now a perfect occasion for Ranjit Singh, and in realty a perfect opportunity for any person eying to annex the Ramgarhia Misl. On learning this, Ranjit Singh called three cousins, Vir Singh, Diwan Singh and Mehtab Singh at Nandaun, promising to settle the dispute by arbitration. On their arrival the Maharaja received them with courtesy; and immediately left the reception tent signalling his men to capture them. They were immediately surrounded by his troops, and three cousins were taken prisoners. Ranjit Singh then marched towards Amritsar and after some severe fighting, captured the fort of Ramgarh. Again marching towards Northwest, he seized the entire Ramgarhia estate and in a short time reduced entire forts and fortifications of the Misl and were placed under Sardar Lehna Singh Majithia. On the intercession of Sardar Nihal Singh Ahluwalia and Chanda Singh Kanaihya the Ramgarhia Sardars were released from the jail and an annual jagir of 35,000 rupees was granted to them. The widows of Jodh Singh were given jagirs of four villages for their maintenance. Vir Singh was given Dharmkot Randhawa in jagir. These were service-free jagirs.70 Vir Singh had died six years earlier, in 1828, when two-third of his jagirs were resumed by the Maharaja. (The downfall of the family based Misls was not only confined to Ramgarhias;  but prevailed in almost all Misls including Sukarchakia wherein it disappeared after the demise of their able leaders. While Maharaja Ranjit Singh was able to unify all Misls under his command, the Sikh empire few years after his death collapsed and was lost to the British during second Anglo Sikh War in 1849.)

Diwan Singh

   Diwan Singh refused to accept his share. He fled to Patiala where he was well received. He also left that place and moved about for some time. Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent a word to Diwan Singh, through Desa Singh Majithia, assuring him the grant of a big jagir which he accepted. He was respect fully received by the Maharaja at Lahore and was given command of 700 men in the expedition then setting out for Kashmir. There, he remained in charge of Baramula, a difficult hill post, till his death in 1834.

   In 1828, Maharaja Ranjit Singh fell sick. Diwan Singh on hearing this at once came to Lahore with a large contingent without the permission of Ranjit Singh. By chance Ranjit Singh recovered from serious sickness, and he learnt about Diwan Singh’s arrival with a contingent of troops, and understood the purpose of his coming but took no offense. He in turn pleased him with rich gifts, and Diwan Singh went back to Baramulla where he commanded the region for 14 years.  His Samadh together with Dharmshala (Rest House) was situated on the banks of Jhelum for many years. The area is was also known as the cantonment of Diwan Singh. Till date a significant population of Sikhs is settled in Baramula.

‘Sardar-e-Bawakar’ Sardar Mangal Singh, CSI (1800 – 1879)

Sardar-e-Bawakar Sardar Mangal Singh Ramgarhia

   After Diwan Singh’s death his son Mangal Singh, who was born in 1800, succeeded to his father’s estate. During his younger days he served Ranjit Singh on his personal staff. The Maharaja gave him jagirs in Dharmkot, Kalowala, Tibrah and Kundilah worth 9,000 rupees of which 3,600 rupees were personal, and 5,400 rupees for service. The jagir was continued to his successors in perpetuity and “Sardar Sahib” Trilochan Singh (1901-1975) was its last recipient.

Battle of Jamraud, Afghanistan

   After the death of his father in 1834, Mangal Singh was sent to Peshawar in a command of 400 foot and 110 swars. There, he did commendable service along with Hari Singh Nalwa and Tej Singh. On 30 Apr 1837, Nalwa lead his troops to relieve the besieged fort of Jamrud when Afghans laid siege to their lost territory. Hari Singh Nalwa was mortally injured and later succumbed to his injuries. As per some historians, there were more than 3000 casualties including 2000 Sikhs and 1000 Afghans killed in this battle.  Sardar Mangal Singh was part of this historic battle, and after the death of Hari Singh, he continued to protect the Sikh empire in the region. He was placed in charge of hill forts in the tribal areas between Peshawar and Kabul to suppress insurrection with lot of hardship. Till date there is a significant numbers of Sikhs settled in this belt on account of the presence and the influence of the Sikhs in the region.

Ramgarhia Estate, Restored

Knief – Mangal Singh Ramgarhia

   Ranjit Singh was considered to be a great Sikh ruler and an administrator. If he had the strong urge to expand the Sikh empire, he was also known to reward his loyal and deserving  Generals and troops. Since Mangal Singh along with Hari Singh Nalwa was able to have brought honor to Ranjit Singh’s regime in NWFP by successfully overpowering Afghan recalcitrant tribal Chiefs in the region, Ranjit Singh before he died in 1839 rewarded Sardar Mangal Singh for his services in the Afghan region; and returned a portion of his ancestors, the Ramgarhia Estate in Amritsar including the Bunga and Haveli which were annexed after the death of Sardar Jodh Singh (Mangal Singh’s uncle). The Bunga was thus known as Bunga Sardar Mangal Singh and remained with the family for almost 130 years. His descendants owned the lived until 1972 after which it was handed over to SGPC, Amritsar by “Sardar Sahib” Sardar Tarlochan Singh for maintaining it as a historical monument and possibly use it as Sikh museum. Because of the sole ownership and prolonged stay of his ancestors in the Bunga, the descendants of Sardar Mangal Singh until Sardar Sahib Tarlochan Singh were popularly known as “The Bungewala Family”.

   Ranjit Singh died in 1839. However, Sardar Mangal Singh after his return from Afghanistan and during the reign of Maharaja Sher Singh, was also employed with Sardar Lehna Singh in Suket, Mandi and Kulu, and remained there till the end of the first Anglo-Sikh war, also called the Sutlej war of 1846 AD. Actually after Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, the empire was severely weakened due to successive killings / murders of the his successors within the family due to which his heirs could not provide the leadership of their father’s caliber. The opportunity was used by the Britishers to launch the Anglo-Sikh Wars. It was probably the same strategy which Ranjit Singh applied on other Misls to annex. Dogras, erstwhile ally joined hands with the Brtishers. So when the Sikhs were fighting with Britishers, the Rajput Chief under Raja Balbir Singh was not slow to take advantage of the situation and gave the Sardar Mangal Singh with plenty of work to do. He, however, held his positions until 9 March 1846 when the Anglo-Sikh was finished, and he gave up his trust with honor.The Sikh Empire was finally dissolved after the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 and became British province of Punjab. That was the end of Sikh empire and the onset of British empire.

Manager of the affairs of Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar

   During the British Empire, Sardar Mangal Singh was appointed Manager of the affairs of the Golden Temple in 1862 and remained in charge for 17 years until he died in 1879. On one occasion, when he was the Manager of Golden Temple, “His Highness” the Maharaja of Patiala visited the temple. When returning from the temple, the Maharaja, remembering the friendship that always existed between the Patiala nd Ramgarhia families, took off  his diamond ring worth Rs 7000 and presented it to the Sardar. Mangal Singh considering the position of his family, did not hesitate to give him his own ring of almost same value to the Maharaja. Both were happy and they eventually kept their own rings with themselves. Mangal Singh was also the Honorary Magistrate of the city of Amritsar.

Recipient of Companion of the Star of India (CSI)

   Mangal Singh was admitted in the Public Viceregal Darbar, Lahore 1864, a rare achievement amongst ruling families. In 1875, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales also conferred upon him the title of “Companion of the Star of India” (CSI), a title that was only given to select ruling families. The original document was however signed in 1877. The family had the honor of possessing the original document of 1 Jan 1877,  his sword with handle engraved in gold and a jade handled knife of around 1837 vintages. Mangal Singh, however, died in 1879.

   Mangal Singh was a man of education and liberal ideas. It was mostly owing to his influence that the cause of female education was systematically taken up in Amritsar.

   Mangal Singh’s two sons, Gurdit Singh and Mitt Singh, served the British government in the police and civil departments respectively.

“…. with a good name and reputation, with praise and fame throughout the world; still, if the Lord does not bless you with His Glance of Grace, ….. nothing can be achieved…  He is only the One, the Giver of all souls… May I never forget Him! “…..  As mentioned in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Gurdit Singh

   After the death of Sardar-i-Bawakar Mangal Singh, CSI, Gurdit Singh, his eldest son, was appointed Municipal Commissioner, Honorary Magistrate and Provincial Darbari. He died in 1900. After Sardar Mangal Singh, his eldest son, Sardar Gurdit Singh became the head of the family. In 1891, he was made a Divisional Darbari in succession to his father and in 1892, he was appointed Municipal Commissioner and Honorary Magistrate. In 1893, he was assigned a seat in the Provincial Darbar. He however died childless in 1900.

‘Sardar Sahib’ Sardar Bishan Singh, Recipient of ISO & King’s Police Medal (Served Punjab State and Jaipur State Police)

   Bishen Singh, ISO, the grandson of Sardar-i-Bawakar Mangal Singh, CSI, who joined police succeeded his uncle Gurdit Singh. He also served as the Head of State Police and Police Member on the Jaipur State Council during 1916-1917; and earned the rare distinction during the early days of the British Raj. S Bishan Singh was made Dy. Superintendent of Police in April 1909. For his distinguished and meritorious services he was made Sardar Sahib and in 1911, he received King’s Police medal. In 1922, he received the Imperial Service Order. In 1916 he was deputed to Jaipur State to reorganize the State Police there, and worked as a member of the council of State in Jaipur. He also served as Offg Superintendent Police in Hoshiarpur and Montgomery (now called Sahiwal in Pakistan). He retired from service in 1923. In 1926 he was made Honorary Magistrate exercising personal powers in Amritsar District and retired in 1932 under 65 years rule. Sardar Sahib, Sardar Bishan Singh was a Provincial Darbari and exempt from the arms act. He was granted 7 rectangles of land in Montgomery Distt in 1916 as landed gentry grant. He was one of the invited guests of the Government of India on the occasion of the Coronation Darbar held in Delhi 1n 1911. During the great war he gave 1/3 of his income towards the War-fund.

 

Imperial Service Order (Above)

      King’s Police Medal (Above)

Lieut Ripudaman Singh, King’s Commission, RMC Sandhurst

   Royal Military College at Sandhurst was a training institution in England whose aim was to train British leaders of the future. It is now known as Royal Military Academy. Leadership was the main emphasis of every course. And today the institution is justifiably proud that over the years, it has trained its officers to meet the contemporary needs and produced many great personalities in different countries. The third son of ,Sardar Sahib, Bishen Singh, Lieutenant Ripudaman Singh (1907-1930), was the alumnus of Royal Military College (RMC), Sandhurst; considered an outstanding achievement during those days. He was awarded King’s Commission in 1927 and returned to India in 1928 to join the Indian Army. Very few Indians could be selected during those days for the King’s Commission at Sandhurst. Officers from RMC, Sandhurst, as mentioned above, have risen to top echelon in their respective countries. He was the batch mate of Late President of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan and General JN Choudhuri, Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army. In 1965, General Ayub Khan and General JN Choudhuri fought the famous Indo-Pak war as rivals as heads of their respective armies. The rare photograph of Royal Military College, Sandhurst showing Ripudaman Singh, Ayub Khan and JN Choudhuri is available with the family. In his autobiography, General JN Choudhuri mentioned the time he spent in the company of Ripudaman Singh at Sandhurst. While RMC, Sandhurst is known to have produced many great personalities, Sir Winston Churchill who was most distinguished British Prime Minister of World War II fame, graduated from Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1894. Field Marshal (FM) Earl Wavell, the Viceroy of India and World War II fame, was also the product of RMC, Sandhurst. FM Earl Wavell’s Sanad awarded the Sanad, the title of “Sardar Sahib” to Sardar Tarlochan Singh is lying with the family in original. Recently (2008) even Prince Williams , the second in line to the British throne, passed out from this institutions. The family and the community is proud of Ripudaman Singh’s achievement that he was commissioned as an officer from this institution at a time when it was extremely rare for any Indian.

 Above mentioned pictures and documents are currently lying at the Archives of the Sandhurst Collection of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley, Surrey, England.

‘Sardar Sahib’ Sardar Tarlochan Singh, Hony Magistrate

  Aitchison Chief’s College, Lahore, also known as Chief’s College, now in Pakistan, was the premier educational institution. Spanning over more than 198 acres in Lahore, it lies in the heart of present-day Lahore and its grounds and buildings are some of the best-known architectural set of pieces of the town. Originally founded in 1886 to cater to the educational needs of Nawabs, Princes and the Rulers, the college was evolved into an institution known for its high standards of academic and extra-curricular achievements. The second son of Sardar Sahib Sardar Bishen Singh, Sardar Sahib Sardar Trilochan Singh, was the product of Aitchison College, Lahore.

   Sardar Sahib Trilochan singh was also the Honorary Magistrate (Honorary Assistant Recruiting Officer), Amritsar much before the partition. Field Marshal Earl Wavell, the Viceroy of India, conferred the title of ‘Sardar Sahib’ on him in 1945. The document duly signed by Wavell is still lying with the family. After the death of his father, ‘Sardar Sahib’ Sardar Trilochan Singh was appointed as the head of the family and President of Sri Darbar Sahib Committee, Amritsar in 1937.

   He was also given his father’s seat in the Provincial Darbar. After the partition of India, SGPC started acquiring properties adjoining The Golden Temple, Amritsar and wanted to acquire the famous Bunga as well. ‘Sardar Sahib’ Sardar Trilochan Singh resisted this move and in took the case to the courts. It was later ruled that the Bunga, the property of the family, could not be acquired by SGPC for demolition. In the ruling of the court also awarded the status of historical monument to this building. It was because of the efforts of ‘Sardar Sahib’ Sardar Trilochan Singh that the Ramgarhia Bunga complex is still intact otherwise the building would have been demolished like other Bungas around the Golden Temple. The Bunga complex remained with the family for for almost 135 years and vacated in 1972 to be handed over to SGPC for its maintenance as a historical monument.

 Family Mausoleum(s) (Samads)