Hari Singh Nalwa
| Hari Singh Nalwa | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Nickname | Bag Mar[1] (Tiger-Killer) |
| Born | 1791 Gujranwala |
| Died | 1837 Jamrud |
| Allegiance | Sikh Empire |
| Years of service | 1807-1837 |
| Rank | General Commander-in-chief dates needed here |
| Commands held | Governor of Kashmir (1820)[2] Governor of Multan (1822)[2] Governor of Peshewar (1834)[2] |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Jamrud |
Hari Singh Nalwa (Punjabi: ਹਰੀ ਸਿੰਘ ਨਲਵਾ) (1791–1837) was Commander-in-chief of the Khalsa, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Multan, Kashmir, Attock, and Peshawar. In 1813 he accompanied Diwan Mohkam Chand on an expedition to Kashmir which helped Maharaja Ranjit Singh to become the master of the Koh-I-Noor diamond.[3][dubious ]
He was responsible for expanding the frontier of Sikh Empire to the Indus River. In 1831, he opposed moves by Ranjit Singh to appoint Kharak Singh as his successor as Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.[4] At the time of his death, the western boundary of the Sikh Kingdom was Jamrud. His frontier policy of holding the Khyber Pass was later used by the British Raj.
He served as governor of Kashmir and Hazara and established a mint on behalf of the Sikh Empire to facilitate revenue collection.
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[edit] Early life
Hari Singh's ancestors came to Majitha and served the Sukerchakia Misl. His grandfather, Hardas Singh, was killed in action in 1762. His father, Gurdial Singh, served under Charat Singh and Maha Singh as a Risaldar and received the Jagir of Balloki, a village in the modern day Kasur District of Pakistan.[4]
Hari Singh Nalwa was born into an Uppal Khatri family, in Gujranwala, Punjab to Gurdas Singh uppal and Dharam Kaur.[5] After his father died in 1798, he was raised by his mother with help from his uncle. His mother fought off attempts to seize the family's Jagir after his father's death. In 1801, at age ten, he took Amrit Sanskar and was baptized as a Sikh.[6] At the age of twelve, he began to manage his father's estate and took up horseriding.[citation needed]
In 1804, at the age of fourteen, his mother sent him to Ranjit Singh's court to resolve a property dispute.[6] Ranjit Singh decided the arbitration in his favour and asked him about his background. Hari Singh explained that his father and grandfather had served under Maha Singh and Charat Singh, the Maharaja's ancestors, and demonstrated his skills as horseman and musketeer.[6] Ranjit Singh gave him a position at the court as a personal attendant.[citation needed]
[edit] Military career
His military career began in 1804 on a hunting trip. At some time during the hunt, he was temporarily separated from the hunting party and a lion attacked him, killing his horse. The rest of the hunters found him but he refused their attempts to protect him and killed the lion by himself with a shield and short sword.[1] Ranjit Singh rewarded him with a commission as Sardar and the command of 800 cavalry.[citation needed]
Sir Henry Griffin called Nalwa the "Murat of the Khalsa".{{cn} He participated in the conquests of Sialkot, Kasur (1807), Multan (1818), Kashmir (1819), Pakhli and Damtaur (1821-2), Peshawar (1834)[7] and finally Jamrud in the Khyber Hills (1837).[8] He defeated the Afghans and annexed a segment of what was the Kingdom of Kabul to the Sikh Kingdom. In Peshawar, he rebuilt the Bala Hisar Fort in Ranjit Singh's name.[citation needed]
Hari Singh served as the governor of both Kashmir and Peshawar. A coin minted in Kashmir came to be known as the 'Hari Singhee'.[9] The coin is on display in museums.
[edit] Legacy
Haripur city, tehsil and district, in Hazara, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, are named after him.[10]
Nalwa was the most senior member of Ranjit's court.[11]
[edit] Plaudits
Hari Singh Nalwa's meeting with British travellers and a German are recorded. Baron Charles von Hügel remembers him fondly in his memoirs. He met the Sardar at his residence in Gujranwala. On that occasion the German was given a portrait of Nalwa in the act of killing a tiger. Hari Singh Nalwa was fluent in the Persian language. He was conversant with Punjabi, Gurmukhi script and Pushtu, the latter being the language of the Pashtuns. He was familiar with world politics, including details about the European states.[citation needed]
Accolades continued to be delivered long after Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa's death.[12] Pannikar sums him up as "The noblest and the most gallant of the Sikh generals of his time, the very embodiment of honour, chivalry, and courage..."[13][Full citation needed]
For decades after his death, Yusufzai women would say "Raghe Hari Singh" ("Hari Singh is coming") to frighten their children into obedience.[14]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sandhu (1935), p.4
- ^ a b c Singhia (2009), p.96
- ^ Duggal (2001), p. 78.
- ^ a b Sandhu (1935), p.1
- ^ http://www.harisinghnalwa.com/family_tree.html
- ^ a b c Sandhu (1935), p.2
- ^ http://www.harisinghnalwa.com/general.html
- ^ http://www.harisinghnalwa.com/final_frontier.html
- ^ http://www.harisinghnalwa.com/index.html
- ^ Tehsils & Unions in the District of Haripur - Government of Pakistan
- ^ Nalwa (2009), pp. 278-80
- ^ http://www.harisinghnalwa.com/accolades.html
- ^ Panikkar (1930)
- ^ Allen (2000), p. 30.
[edit] Bibliography
- Allen, Charles (2000). Soldier Sahibs. Abacus. ISBN 0-349-11456-0.
- Duggal, Kartar Singh (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the last to lay arms. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170174103. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=4udb8LsF3-oC&pg=PA78.
- Nalwa, Vanit (2009). Hari Singh Nalwa - Champion of the Khalsaji]. New Delhi: Manohar Books. ISBN 8173047855. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ULhgNexD92QC.
- Panikkar, Kavalam Madhava (1930). The Founding of the Kashmir State: a biography of Maharajah Gulab Singh, 1792-1858.
- Sandhu, Autar Singh (1935). General Hari Singh Nalwa. Lahore: Cunningham Historical Society. http://www.apnaorg.com/books/english/hari-singh-nalwa/book.php?fldr=book.
- Singhia, H.S. (2009). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. New Delhi: Hemkunt Press. ISBN 978-8170103011. http://books.google.com/books?id=gqIbJz7vMn0C&pg=PA111.
