CHAPTER II
HISTORY
The district of Mansa came into existence on
The name of the district derives its
name from the historical and religious town Mansa. The town is said to have
been founded by Bhai Gurdas, who hailed from village Dhingar now in Mansa
District. He is said to have been married at this place among the Dhaliwal Jats.
Once he came to his in-laws to take his wife alongwith him, but they refused to
send her with him. At this Bhai Gurdas sat in meditation before the house of
his in-laws. After some time the parents of the girl agreed to send their
daughter with Bhai Gurdas. But he refused to take her with him, stating that he
had now renounced the worldly way of life. In his memory a Samadh was
constructed where a fair is held every year in month of March-April. People in
large number attend the fair and offer ladoos
and gur at the Samadh.
Before discussing the history of
Mansa District, it is worthwhile to mention here that whole of the area of
present Mansa District once fell in the Bathinda District. Thus the history of
present Mansa District relates to the history of previous Mansa Tahsil of
Bathinda District.
The ancient history of the Mansa
District has been traced to the Indus Valley Civilization. The archaeological
finds at different places of Mansa District are almost similar to those of
The sites explored in the Mansa
District have been classified into Pre-Harappan, Harappan and Late Harappan
period. The conclusions have been drawn from the various types of pottery found
from mounds explored.
The sites1 found near the
following villages of the Mansa District have
1
B.B. Lal, S.P.Gupta, Frontier of Indus Civilization (
15
been classified to the period are given below:
Pre-Harappan Period
1
Alipur Mandran
2
Bare
3
Chhoti Mansa
4
Baglian-de-Theh
5
Dhalewan
6
Gurni Kalan
7
Hassanpur
8
Hirke
9
Lakhmir Wala
10
Naiwala Theh
Harappan Period
1
Alipur Mandran
2
Baglian-de-Theh
3
Dhalewan
4
Chhoti Mansa
5
Gurni Kalan
6
Hassanpur
7
Hirke
8
Karanpura
9
Lakhmir Wala
10
Lallian Wali
11
Lalu wala
12
Ali-da-Theh
13
Naiwala Theh
Late Harappan Period
1
Alipur Mandran
2
Chhoti Mansa
3
Ali-de-Theh
4
Bare
5
Bhikhi
6
Danewala
7
Dalewala
8
Nehriwala
9
Sahnewali
The main characteristics of
Pre-Harappan culture were that the bricks used by the people were unbaked and
smaller than those of the Harappan period. They used copper to manufacture
their implements and ornaments.
The main characteristics of the Harappan culture are
good town planning, careful layout of streets, elaborate drainage system,
organised municipal government and on the whole a developed urban life.
The main characteristics of the Late Harappan culture
shows unmistakable signs of all round decadence. New houses were built, drains
laid out in utter violation of the municipal rules. Kilns were sometimes built
in the heart of the town.
The urban type of Harappan
Civilization was destroyed by the Aryans, who were basically a rural tribe. The
appearance of the Aryans on the soil of
The people of the Indus Valley
Civilization had built grand cities and had highly developed cultural life.
Cotton and woolen fabrics were in common use, ornaments were worn by both men
and women, beautiful pottery was produced and the sculpture technique was well
developed. The carpenter, the blacksmith, the goldsmith, the jeweller, the
stonecutter and the ivory workers had a flourishing trade. The people of this
Civilization followed some organized religion.
From the
excavations and explorations of the sites of
During the Rigvedic Aryans period, the area of the Mansa district to have been the part of Saptasindhu (Seven waters) which became to be known as Panchanada (five rivers) in Mahabharata time. During the Maurya and Gupta period, the area of the present Mansa District was undoubtedly a part of the empire of Mauryas and Guptas. Hence the ancient people of the Mansa District enjoyed the blessing of an efficient administration of the Mauryas and Gupta kings.
The area of the Mansa District, had
been under the rule of the Bhattis for considerable period. It is believed that
in the 3rd century, Rao Bhatti established the towns of Bathinda and
Bhatnaur in Lakhi Jungle. Bathinda remained the district headquarters of
present area of the Mansa District upto
(b) Medieval Period
The medieval period of history start with
the Muhammadan invasions of
The decline and decay of the
Mahmud seems to have been conscious
of the unwieldiness of his empire. Before his death he divided his empire among
his sons, Masud and Mahammad but there was no peaceful succession to his
throne. Immediately after his death, there was a war of succession between
them. Masud gained the upper hand. He defeated his brother, blinded him and
throw him into prison. Masud reigned for ten years from 1030 to 1040 and was
invested with the title of Sultan by the Khalifa. Though Masud was gifted with
great personal valour, he was badly defeated by the Seljuqs in 1040 AD and
compelled to flee towards
Maudud
was a weak ruler who ruled from 1040 to 1049. On his death there was again a
war of succession and one after another, a series of incompetent rules sat upon
the throne of Ghazni. The reigns of these
weaklings where short
and inglorious. Besides the trouble in the
Mahmud annexed the
From the condition of chaos and
confusion created by the continuous onslaughts of the Muhammadan invaders and
especially those of Mahmud of Ghazni, the Rajputs rose to power after the fall
of Hindushahis in the
Muhammad of Ghur made his first
attack on the fortress of Bathinda and beseiged it in 1189 AD.Prithvi Raj did
not seem to have been ready and the attack probably was a surprise one. The
garrison was defeated and had to surrender; Mahammad Ghori stationed his men in
the fortress under a commander named Zia-ud-din. When the Sultan was about to
return, Prithvi Raj appeared in the vicinity of the fortress to recover it . A
fierce battle was fought in 1191 in which Mohammad Ghori was seriously wounded and suffered a defeat. Prithvi Raj besieged the
fortress of Bathinda.
Prithvi Raj Chauhan was defeated in the second battle of
Tarain in 1192, which is a land mark in the history of
District came under the rule of Muhammad Ghori, who was the first
3 Ibid.,
pp. 62-63
Muhammadan
ruler of this area which was subsequently succeeded by his most prominent
slave, named Qutab-ud-din Aibak who laid
the foundation of new dynasty which is popularly known as the Slave Dynasty.
The period between 1206-1526, is
known as ' The period of
Sultanate of Delhi' and the
area
of the present Mansa District undoubtedly remained under the rule of the
Sultans of Delhi. It is also believed that the area of Mansa District was a
part and parcel of main
Qutab-ud-din Aibak was first Sultan
of Delhi who ruled from 1206 to 1210. Iltutmish was the next important Sultan
of Delhi who reigned for twenty years. During his reign, Nasir-ud-din Qubachah (Kubachahj), the ruler of the
After Iltutmish, Raziyya who reigned from 1236-1240
was the next important ruler of the Slave Dynasty. Virtually, she was the first
women ruler of
A second rebellion was reported when Ikhtiar-ud-din
Altunia, the Governor of Bathinda, had rebelled at the instigation of Aitigin
and other nobles. When the army, under the command of Altunia, reached
Bathinda, Yakut, the paramour of Razia. was murdered and Razia was put into the
custody of Altunia, the Governor of Bathinda, Bahram was proclaimed the Sultan
of Delhi on 22 April 1239.5
Altunia, the Governor of
Bathinda married Razia.Soon after, he raised an army especially from the
Gakhar-Jats and marched on
Salari and Malik Qaraqash. In the meantime Bahram Shah was elevated to the
throne, who led his army in the month of September 1240 to check the
5
progress of his opponents. A stubborn battle was fought in
which Razia was defeated and fled to Bathinda. Razia did not lose her
courage and she recollected her
scattered troops and made a second effort to achieve the throne, but she was
again defeated on the plains of Kaithal on
In 1241 Bahram was also
imprisoned and put to death by the Mughal forces which reached upto the bank of
River Beas in the
The most important slave king was Balban who virtually ruled this country from 1266-1287. Balban's cousin Sher Khan awarded the title of Muazam Khan. He was the most renowned men of his age. He possessed all princely qualities. Balban made Sher Khan, the Governor of Bathinda Province. He was also an able administrater who successfully defended his area against the Mangols invasions till he died in 1285 while engaged a fight against the Mangols.
The repeated incursions of the
Mughals had much effected the economic prosperity of the
After the slave Dynasty, the khilzi Dynasty ruled about 34 years (1288-1321). Ala-ud-din Khilzi was an important ruler of this dynasty. After the Khilzi, the Sayyids reigned from 1414-1451. Sayyid Mubarak Shah was an important ruler of this Dynasty who reigned from 1421-1434. During his reign Shaikh Salim was the Governor of Bathinda who had collected a large treasure and huge store of grains. After Shaikh Salim's death in early 1430, Sultan Mubarak Shah bestowed all his lands on Shaikh Salim's two sons who did not however, seem to be satisfied with their lot and for ulterior motives incited Faulad, the slave of their late father, to revolt.
At the time of Shaikh Salim's death,
his two sons were in the royal camp.
Faulad was very
greedy man
and he was
in charge of the fort of
6
Ibid., pp. 39-40
7
Ibid., p 43
Bathinda
(including the present area of Mansa District) where Shaikh Salim's had amassed
a large amount of wealth. Faulad Turkbacha rebelled and confiscated the treasure
in July 1430.8
It was suspected by Mubarak Shah
that the sons of Shaikh Salim had a
hand in it and they
were imprisoned under
the order of the
Sultan. On
hearing the news of the insurrection of Faulad Mubarak Shah at once sent Malik Yusuf and Rai Hansu, the son of Rai Diljit Bhatti, to deal with the rebels but they failed, as Faulad posing to negotiate for settlement, threw them off their guard and inflicted a crushing defeat on them. They fled and Faulad Turkbacha pursued them up to Sirsa. Their cash, goods and tents all fell into the hands of the Turkbacha. At this defeat, Mubarak Shah himself marched against Faulad and ordered Imad-ul-Malik, the Governor of Multan to join the royal forces . Before the advance of the forces under Mubarak Shah, Zirak Khan, Malik Kalu, Islam Khan and Kamal Khan, who had been ordered to
proceed against Faulad, had besieged the fort. Being hard
pressed, Faulad sought for an interview with Imad-ul-Malik and agreed to submit
to the Sultan, but he got a secret information that Mubarak Shah was adamant to
kill him and, therefore, under the fear of his death, Faulad give up the idea
of negotiations and carried on the struggle against the royalists. Mubarak Shah
became hesitant to take a drastic action because he was informed that Faulad
was trying to purchase help from the Governor of Kabul with the amassed wealth
that he had preserved in the fort. Mubarak Shah instead of forcing the rebel to
surrender by intensifying the pressure on him acted unwisely in slackening the
operations against him. The Sultan ordered Imad-ul-Malik to withdraw to
Faulad found himself in a tight
corner and there was no way out except asking for foreign help with the offer
of his vast treasure since he had the full apprehensions of being captured by
the Sultan. This interval gave Faulad time to arrange for help from other
quarters and he sent his agents to
8 Ibid.,
p 77
9
Ibid., pp. 77-78
besieging
the fort of Bathinda.10
Sheikh Ali plundered and
devastated the principalities,
particularly of
those
chiefs who were hostile to Faulad with a view to weakening them. He reached the
fort of Bathinda where Faulad was besieged, Islam Khan and Kamal Khan left
Bathinda, when Shaikh Ali was yet ten miles away. Faulad came out of the fort
and offered the stipulated amount of rupees two lakhs for
his
timely help and after this Faulad began to prepare himself for stronger
defiance. Shaikh Ali advanced to Bathinda unopposed and returned through the
district of Rai Feroze, devastating all the villages in his way. He crossed the
Satluj at Tihara in Ludhiana District. Imad-ul-Malik moved from
These events throw much
light on the affairs in the
the
present area of Mansa District) during the Sultan Mubarak Shah's reign. Then Governor of Lahore paid
attribute to induce Shaikh-Ali the Governor of Kabul, to retain from molesting
Faluad who was a power to be
reckoned with in Bathinda had invited powerful foreigners to his aid on payment
and has also entrusted his family to his care in order that they might be
removed to a place of safety. The critical situation of the
Mubarak Shah had ruled for little
more than thirteen years under extremely trying circumstances. He had to face
still greater troubles during his reign. He was threatened with danger on all
sides. The triple menace of the Gakhars, the Turkbuchas and Sheikh Ali, the Mughal
Governor of
10 Ibid., pp. 78-79
11 Ibid..
p 79
12 Ibid.,
p 80
13 Ibid.,
pp. 85 and 89
Faulad Turkbacha, the Governor of
Bathinda, was besieged once again by the royal forces under Malik
Sarwar-ul-Mulk. Shaikh Ali Mughal advanced to
Bathinda for his help.
The Sultan immediately
sent Imad-ul-Malik to reinforce the besieging army. The
reinforcement from
from
Sahiwal.The commanders of
Imad-ul-Mulk was besieging the fort
of Bathinda, when he heard about the
advance of Shaikh Ali on Yusaf Ali at Dipalpur. He at once sent his brother,
Malik Ahmed with a large force to hold Dipalpur.At this reinforcement Shaikh
Ali did not attack Dipalpur but took possession of all the towns between
This was the result of promoting
incompetent men to the most responsible and high posts by Mubarak Shah. In
relinquishing
This cowardice and in competency of
Yusaf Ali and other officers, who conducted the operation at
Before
the rule of the Mughals,
14 Ibid.,
pp. 83-84
Babur.
It is
worthwhile to mention here that the area the present Mansa District(formerly
part of Bathinda District) was dominated by the Sidhu-Brar. Like almost all the
Jat tribes, the Sidhu are of Rajput origin and trace their ancestry to Jesal or
Jesalji, a Bhatti Rajput and founder of the state and city of
and
Khiwa, however, obtained what he
desired as heir, but his first wife, jealous of her rival, bribed the mid-wife
to substitute a girl for the boy, whom she took into the jungle and threw into
a dry water-course. Shortly afterwards, a man passing by, saw the infant, and
having no children of his own imagined that it had been sent by Heaven to
console him so he took it home and adopted it as his son. But the mid-wife was
unable to keep the secret; the Rajputni wife was compelled to confess her
guilt, and after a long search, the boy was found and restored to his father.
He was named Sidhu and from him the Sidhu tribe has derived its name. Brar,
great grandson of Sidhu was the founder of the Brar tribe.15
When the
Emperor Babur invaded
he gave the Chaudhriyat of
the waste country
to the South-west of Delhi, which office was
confirmed to him by Humayun, the son and successor of Babur, in 1554. He lived
for the most part at Neli, the
From this village, twenty two others
have been peopled known as Bais Mahrajkian; and the Jagirdars inhabiting
them, known as the Maharajkian Sikhs.
Mohan, with his eldest son Rupchand, was killed
according to the custom of his family, in fight with the Bhattis about the year
1618, and Kala, the next surviving son, succeeded to the chaudhriyat and
the guardianship of his deceased brother's son Phul and Sandhali. The three
other sons of Mohan helped to found Mehraj where decendants still live. Soon
after Mohan's death, Guru Hargobind again visited Bhidowal and Kala who had
faith in the Guru's power and blessing, told his nephew that when they should
see the saint, they were to place their hands on their stomach, as if suffering
from hunger. This they did and Guru Hargobind asking the reason was told by
Kala that the boys were starving "what" said the Guru, “matters the
hunger of one belly, when these boys shall satisfy the hunger of thousands.” He
then asked the name of the children; and on hearing that of Phul ( blossom), he
said "The name shall be a true omen and he shall bear many blossoms"17
Phul was the second son of Rupchand
by Mai Umbi, a Jitani or Jat woman. He was educated by a celebrated Faqir named Samerpuri, who
taught him the art of feigning death by stopping his breath, an accomplishment
which had for him a most tragicall result. In the year 1627, Phul left Mehraj
and founded a village five miles distant, which he called after his own name.
He received a firman or deed of
grant from the Emperor, Shah Jahan, confirming to him the office which had been
for so many years held by his family. The prophecy of Guru Hargobind was
fulfilled and Phul had seven children from whom have descended many noble
families.18
During the fight of Banda Bahadur
with Wazir Khan of Sirhind, the Sidhus–Brars of Bathinda District (Mansa
District was a part of this area) fought on the side of the forces of Banda Bahadur.
Ala Singh the son of Rama, was the founder of
17 Ibid., p
6
18 Ibid.,
pp. 6-7
Singh
succeeded in getting the help of Dal Khalsa, Jodh Singh surrendered. After
conquering Bathinda, Budhlada (now a tahsil of Mansa District) and adjoining
areas were also conquered by Ala Singh. In this way almost whole area of
present Mansa District came under the rule of Ala Singh of Phul Dynasty.
Ala Singh had only one wife
Fattoh, the daughter of Chaudhary Khana,
a Subhran zimindar of Kaleke, (Bathinda District). A story was told of
her
that at her birth, her mother disappointed at having a daughter when she had
earnesty desired a son, put the new born-child in an earthen vessel and buried
it in the ground. A wandering mendicant of the name of Devi Dass happened to
pass, and seeing the mother in tears, inquired the cause of her grief. She
confessed to him
what she had done,
and the mendicant told her to disinter
the child, for of her would be born a famous race, which should rule all
the neighbouring country. The child was taken out the ground unhurt and
eventually became the wife of Ala Singh, bearing him three sons viz. Sardul
Singh, Bhumian Singh and Lal Singh all of whom died in the life time of their
father. Sardul Singh, the eldest son, married as his first wife, the daughter
of Sirdar at Bhikhe in the Mansa District who became the mother of Maharaja
Amar Singh. His second wife was the widow of his cousin Jodh Singh. Sardul
Singh died in 1753.19
Ala Singh consolidated his power by
defeating the Bhattis in 1757.This victory over the Bhattis also increased
reputation of Ala Singh. In the capture of Sirhind by the Sikh confederacy in
1763, Ala Singh played a significant role and that is why Sirhind and
Raja Amar Singh was also a great
conqueror who further consolidated and extended the boundary of
was
then raised but Sukhchen Singh did not give up the fort and it was not
till four months
later that he
visited Patiala, accompanied
by Sodhi Bharpur
19 The Rajas of the
Singh,
a man whose sanctity was generally respected by the sikhs, that Sukhchen Singh
thought his company of more value than any safe conduct from the Raja. Arriving
at
indignation of
Sodhi Bharpur Singh who protested
against such treatment of
man
who had been persuaded to come to
Soon after this victory, a Mahratta General Janko Rao, marched in the direction of Patiala to the consternation of Amar Singh, who sent off all his treasure and family jewels to Bathinda, which, laying amidst sandy waste, was not likely to be atacked.21 Anyhow, Patiala was not attacked by the Mahrattas and Raja Amar Singh set out to punish some refractory zimindars in the neighborhood of Bathinda (including the area of present Mansa) District. Raja Amar Singh died at the age of thirty five.
Raja
Sahib Singh, the new chief of the
During the time of Sahib Singh, a
serious revolt broke out at Bhikhi (Bhikhe) now in Mansa District. Sardar Ala
Singh, the brother of Rani Khem Kaur, one of the Raja Amar Singh's widow,
seiged the town with the aid of zamindars of the neighborhood, expelling the
Patiala Governor, Thamon Singh from the town and the fort.
The Ranis and their relatives had,
at this time, great power in
Malerkotla,
Bhadaur and Ramgharia troops, and, accompanied by Rani Hukman, marched
against Bhikhi and invested the
village. After few days of
20 Ibid., pp. 34-36
21 Ibid., p 36
skirmishing,
Ala Singh, seeing further resistance hopeless escaped from Bhikhi by night, and
fled to his home at Talwandi, where he was pursued by the Diwan and captured.
He was imprisoned at
To add to difficulties of the
Computation,
(1840 A.V.) as terrible as any that had ever devastated the
In 1787, Raja Sahib Singh was married
to Rattan Kaur, daughter of Sirdar Ganda Singh Bhangi, who had long been dead,
but his grandson Gulab. Singh still held, though with diminished authority, the
city of
British Period
The most
important thing that happened during the rule of Raja Sahib Singh was that
The Maharajkian Sikhs had settled in 22 large villages around village Maharaj in Bathinda District to which the present area of Mansa district belongs. The Maharajkian Sikhs had formed another constant subject of
22 Ibid., pp. 52-53
23 Ibid., p 54
24
Ibid., p 58
dispute between the Phulkian chiefs,
Their customs were peculiar; each individual claimed to be absolutely independent, and neither son nor brother remained in subjugation after he was
able
to cultivate his share of the land. The soil they owned was unirrigated, yet
it nevertheless yielded abundant harvests. But although no more than simple agriculturists, the Maharajkian had given up none of their warlike habits. Each
man
carried arms, which he never laid aside, even at the plough, for the whole
community
was of so turbulent a character, that no one was safe from the
encroachment of his
neighbour. Such being the case, it may seen strange that
these men had been so long able to preserve their independence,were they not always ready to unite against any common enemy, and their strength, bravery and warlike habits, caused them to be respected. They had scarcely any sort of municipal government, and their only laws was of equal division of inheritance.
During Muhammadan days the
Maharajkian had paid tribute to
In August 1833, the result was that
Maharajkians, were brought under direct British Superintendence, and the
Phulkian chiefs were warned not to interfere in the affairs of the community,
which became peaceful and well-behaved, as soon as the rival influence of Nabha
and
This change in the character of the Maharjkians for the better was very marked, and it was apparent immediately they had come under British control. No harsh rules or unintelligible procedure were prescribed for them, but simple village courts were formed, in which the elders were to decide upon most disputed cases. The result was that in few years the blood shed and affrays which were before so frequent, became almost unknown and
25 Ibid.,
pp. 160-162
the confidence of the people in the intention of the British Government became such that they begged that a thana or police station might be placed in their midst, though they had always refused to admit any such post belonging to the neighbouring Chiefs and would have resisted such as encroachment to the death. They gave up almost entirely the practice of female infanticide, which had been before universal.26
During the first Anglo-Sikh war in 1845-46, Maharaja
Karam Singh of
Sikh war.
During the disturbances of 1857-58, no Prince in
On 1 November 1861, Maharaja
Narinder Singh was invested with the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India at
Allahabad; and about the same time, he was appointed a member of the Governor
General Council for making laws and regulations on 13 November 1862, Maharaja
Narinder Singh the most enlightened ruler of the State, passed away at the age
of thirty nine.
Mohinder Singh was only ten years
old at the time of his father’s death. In May 1870, the Maharaja was nominated
a Knight of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India. During his time,
Mohindra College of Patiala was
established which made significant
contribution to the spread of education in Malwa area which included the
area of present Mansa District.
After the death of Maharaja
Mohinder Singh of
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh was the
next Maharaja of Patiala State who gave much help to the British during the
World War-I. Many young persons were recruited from this area to be sent on the
war front. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh died in 1938 and he was succeeded by his
son Yadvindra Singh. Maharaja Yadvindra Singh gave much military aid to the
British during the Second World War.
The Struggle for Freedom
Namdhari
Movement.- Namdhari
Movement popularly known
as
Kuka
Movement was one of the most significance of such efforts to expel the
British from
village
Bhaini Sahib in the Ludhiana District. He was a simple peasant but had great
personal qualities which attracted the loyalty and allegiance of large sections
of people in the
Kuka
movement spread in the rest of
Namdhari Movement did not succeed,
but nevertheless it left a permanent impression on a large section of the
people. The insistence of Guru Ram Singh on self-reliance helped in developing
among them their system of justice and communication. This was a considerable
achievement in view of the prevailing circumstances. Even more remarkable was
the Kuka insistence on growth of indigenous agriculture and trade. In some
respects, Guru Ram Singh had anticipated the non co-operation movement of 1921
in his idea of boycott of British institutions in the country. It is only
claimed that the Kuka movement directly influenced the Ghadar and other
political movements in the
The Ghadar Movement.-The Ghadar Movement was the first purely secular movement which aimed
at to liberate
Lala
Hardial was the General Secretary of the party.29 Pandit Kanshi Ram of Rupnagar District
was the Treasurer of the Ghadar party. A weekly paper called Ghadar (The
Rebellion) was started with Lala Hardayal as Chief Editor.
27 Fauja Singh Bajwa, Kuka Movement (
28 Ibid.,
( p IX of the Foreword)
29 The Tribune, dated
Because
of the journal, the organisation came to be known as the Ghadar Party.
In the first issue of Ghadar
published on
The harassment of the passengers of the ship '
Kamagata Maru' mostly Punjabis, instigated the people of
because of the leakage of information by Kirpal Singh who had been planted by the British among the Ghadarities.
In this context, it is worthwhile to
mention here that there were many freedom
fighters belonging to Mansa
District who took an active part
in the
Ghadar
Movement. An article 'Malve De Gadri' by Sarwan Singh Bir appearing in
the ‘Punjabi Tribune’ dated 26 January 1984, gives names of persons of
Mansa District who participated in this movement as follows:-
_______________________________________________________________
Name Village Tahsil
_______________________________________________________________
1 Badan Singh Dalal Singh Wala Mansa
S/o Bhagel Singh
S/o Gobind Singh
_______________________________________________________________
The
close
contacts with the Indian National Congress, the most powerful freedom
fighting force in
the country. The
All India States' Peoples
Conference as
born
at
Sewa Singh Thikriwala, popularly known as ' Kirpan
Bahadur' was the real hero of
the Punjab Ryasti
Praja Mandal to raise the voice of the people
30 Khushwant Singh and Satindra Singh, Ghadar,
1915(New Delhi,1966) p 19
against
despotic rule in the princely states. The movement gained much momentum with
the arrest of Sewa Singh Thikriwala in 1923, when the Gurdwara Reform
Movement was at
its hights. Akalis
were actively associated with
this movement. They started their campaign with a long tour of
Kharak Singh
paid a visit to
Rajas and Nawabs are worse than
animals because they oppose freedom. We shall set them right. Maharaja Ranjit
Singh was punished by the Sangal because he had relation with a prostitute.
But it is shamful that Bhupinder Singh is procuring the daughters and sisters
of his subjects for immoral purposes and people are not raising even a voice of
protest. He squanders away the hard-earned money of his people in
The
Kapurthala Maharaja lives in his state only for four months in a year. Such
Rajas should not get even a pension.32
Jaswant Singh
Danewalia, working President
of the Punjab
Ryasti
31 Ramesh Walia, Praja Mandal Movement in East Punjab States(
Praja
Mandal, demanded replacement of autocracy by democracy, he termed
the
Chamber of Princes as a “Dacoits' Chamber" whose ring leader was Bhupinder
Singh.
The conference of Mansa provided the
guidelines for the new movement. The main objectives of the movement
synchronized with the aim
of
the all India States people's conference. A strong personal touch was
provided by attacking
the misdeeds of
the Maharaja of
Patiala who had imprisoned Sewa Singh Thikriwala.33
In August 1929, due to various pressures, Maharaja
Bhupinder Singh of
speech. He just thanked his audience with Wahiguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahiguru Ji ki Fateh, and sat down, but his silence was more vocal than a speech.34
Sewa Singh Thikriwala visited
villages Ubha (now in the Mansa District) and many other village of
On their return from
Budhlada was another important centre of Praja Mandal Movement in the Mansa District. Public meeting were held quite frequently.. As in those
34 Ibid., p 77
days, Budhlada was part of the British territory (Hisar District) it was convenient for the Praja Mandalists to hold meeting and conferences there. The death of Sewa Singh Thikriwala in 1934 gave a serious set back to this movement.
In a
public meetings held at Budhlada (on 25-26 Assauj 1991) resolution were adopted
condemning enhancement of land revenue and abiana
and
demanding relief in taxes. A demand was raised that peasants should be
permitted to sell
their produce in the mandis (market towns) of the
Akali religious-cum-political
conferences were also held at Mansa and Talwandi Sabo in 1940. Most of the
Praja Mandal leader being behind the bars and Akali Dal pursuing a totally anti
congress policy, the East Punjab States did not witness any resistance in
1942-43. The people of the area of the present Mansa District
took an active part
in overall freedom
movement of the country.
At the
time of
Under the Independence Act of 1947,
India was declared a free nation with dominion status with effect from 15
August 1947. As a result of this epoch making change, Punjab was partitioned.
Apart from the administration divisions of personal and assests, the most
disturbing factor in the process, which had not been clearly foreseen or
provided for was the mass migration of the members of the different communities
from the West Punjab to the East Punjab and Vice Versa. There was a lot of
bloodshed during the partition period.
Even though the
wholesale transfer of
communities had not
been
envisaged in
the constitutional provisions,
the force of
circumstances
35 Ibid., pp. 129-130
compelled
the people to be uprooted enmasse and leave their hearths and homes to seek
security across the borders.
India’s Independence in August 1947
brought about a little change in the attitude of the Princes, atleast in the
East Punjab. The much awaited reforms were to wait for about a year more. The
Praja Mandal and Akalis continued with their demands and remained quarrelling
over the details of future set up. But after a very short interval, they
patched up their differences, forged
a united front and
started demanding a responsible
government. The Akalis issued an ultimatum to the East Punjab States to
introduce responsible government or face a morcha. The Praja Mandal had
already been threatening a struggle. So the reforms could no longer be
postponed. It was no longer possible the states to continue in their old ways.
The Praja Mandal was on the warpath. Administration was crisis-ridden and the
Central Government at Delhi was not too sympathetic. In such situation, the
movement for merger of these states gained ground.
Formation of PEPSU and its merger with
The Patiala and the East Punjab States Union, or the
PEPSU as it was popularly called, had come into existence on 20 August 1948,
with the integration of the Princely States of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Faridkot,
Kapurthala, Nalagarh, Kalsia and Malerkotla. This union came into being under
the active guidance of Sardar Valabh Bhai Patel, who was then the Home Minister
and in
charge
Indian States Department. Maharaja Yadvindra Singh of
The State
Reorganization Commission, which had been appointed by the Government of India
on