Tempo:
^
CHAP. V
ASCENDANCY OF RANJIT SINGH
121
with the Gurkhas. That able chief might have given isos. life to a confederacy against the common enemies of the Gurall the old mountain principalities, who were already khas. isos. but Sansar Chand in his sansar levying tribute in Garhwal desire for supremacy had reduced the chief of Kahlur, chand and s conor Belaspur, to the desperate expedient of throwing himself on the support of the Nepal commander. Amar ??'^,^'^^^^j^°' Singh Thappa gladly advanced, and, notwithstanding ^jr^i^el^'^to the gallant resistance offered by the young chief of the north Nalagarh, Sansar Chand's coadjutor in his own aggres- of the sutsions, the Gurkha authority was introduced betvi/een ^ej, isos; the Sutlej and Jumna before the end of 1805, during which year Amar Singh crossed the former river and ^j^^ the Gurkhas laid siege to Kangra. At the period of Ranjit Singh's invest visit to Juala Mukhi, Sansar Chand was willing lo Kangra. obtain his aid; but, as the fort was strong and the sacrifices required considerable, he was induced to trust to his own resources, and no arrangement was then come to for the expulsion of the new enemy. :
ii
In 1807 Ranjit Singh first directed his attention to Ra^J** Kasur, which was again rebellious, and the relative ^'V^'^th''' independence of which caused him disquietude, pa^an^ although its able chief, Nizam-ud-din, had been dead chief of Kafor some time; nor was he, perhaps, without a feeling sur. i807; that the reduction of a large colony of Pathans, and the annexation of the mythological rival of Lahore, would add to his own merit and importance. The place was invested by Ranjit Singh, and' by Jodh Singh Ramgarhia, the son of his father's old ally, Jassa the Carpenter. Want of unity weakened the resistance of the then chief, Kutb-ud-din, and at the end of a month he surrendered at discretion, and received a tract of land on the opposite side of the Sutlej for his maintenance. Ranjit Singh afterwards proceeded towards and partiaiMultan, and succeeded in capturing the walled town; ^y succeeds but the citadel resisted such efforts as he was able to f?^^"^* make, and he was perhaps glad that the payment of a sum of money enabled him to retire with credit; he was, nevertheless, unwilling to admit his failure, and, "
I.
- Cf. Murray, Ranjit Singh, p. 60; 127, &c.
and Moorcroft, Travels,
Sansar Chand attributed his overthrow by the Gurkhas to his dismissal of his old Rajput troops and employment of Afghans, at the instigation of the fugitive Rohilla chief, Ghulam
Muhammad, who had sought an asylum with him. The Gurkhas crossed the Jumna to aid the chief of Nahan against his subjects, and they crossed the Sutlej to aid one Rajput prince against another paths always open to riew and united races. References in public records show that the latter
—
river
was crossed in a.d. 1805.
CHAP. V
ASCENDANCY OF RANJIT SINGH
121
with the Gurkhas. That able chief might have given isos. life to a confederacy against the common enemies of the Gurall the old mountain principalities, who were already khas. isos. but Sansar Chand in his sansar levying tribute in Garhwal desire for supremacy had reduced the chief of Kahlur, chand and s conor Belaspur, to the desperate expedient of throwing himself on the support of the Nepal commander. Amar ??'^,^'^^^^j^°' Singh Thappa gladly advanced, and, notwithstanding ^jr^i^el^'^to the gallant resistance offered by the young chief of the north Nalagarh, Sansar Chand's coadjutor in his own aggres- of the sutsions, the Gurkha authority was introduced betvi/een ^ej, isos; the Sutlej and Jumna before the end of 1805, during which year Amar Singh crossed the former river and ^j^^ the Gurkhas laid siege to Kangra. At the period of Ranjit Singh's invest visit to Juala Mukhi, Sansar Chand was willing lo Kangra. obtain his aid; but, as the fort was strong and the sacrifices required considerable, he was induced to trust to his own resources, and no arrangement was then come to for the expulsion of the new enemy. :
ii
In 1807 Ranjit Singh first directed his attention to Ra^J** Kasur, which was again rebellious, and the relative ^'V^'^th''' independence of which caused him disquietude, pa^an^ although its able chief, Nizam-ud-din, had been dead chief of Kafor some time; nor was he, perhaps, without a feeling sur. i807; that the reduction of a large colony of Pathans, and the annexation of the mythological rival of Lahore, would add to his own merit and importance. The place was invested by Ranjit Singh, and' by Jodh Singh Ramgarhia, the son of his father's old ally, Jassa the Carpenter. Want of unity weakened the resistance of the then chief, Kutb-ud-din, and at the end of a month he surrendered at discretion, and received a tract of land on the opposite side of the Sutlej for his maintenance. Ranjit Singh afterwards proceeded towards and partiaiMultan, and succeeded in capturing the walled town; ^y succeeds but the citadel resisted such efforts as he was able to f?^^"^* make, and he was perhaps glad that the payment of a sum of money enabled him to retire with credit; he was, nevertheless, unwilling to admit his failure, and, "
I.
- Cf. Murray, Ranjit Singh, p. 60; 127, &c.
and Moorcroft, Travels,
Sansar Chand attributed his overthrow by the Gurkhas to his dismissal of his old Rajput troops and employment of Afghans, at the instigation of the fugitive Rohilla chief, Ghulam
Muhammad, who had sought an asylum with him. The Gurkhas crossed the Jumna to aid the chief of Nahan against his subjects, and they crossed the Sutlej to aid one Rajput prince against another paths always open to riew and united races. References in public records show that the latter
—
river
was crossed in a.d. 1805.
©
2026
Lehal.net