(g)
Climate
(i) Climate Divisions and Seasons and Their
Durations
The
climate of the Firozpur District is , on the whole dry and is characterized by a very hot summer, a short rainy
season and a bracing winter. The year may be divided into four seasons. The cold
season is from November to March. This
is followed by the summer season which lasts up to about the end of June. The
period from July to the middle of September constitutes the south-westerly
monsoon season. The latter half of September and October may be termed the
post-monsoon or the transition period.
(ii) Temperature
and Humidity
Temperature—There is a meteorological
observatory in the District at Firozpur. The records of this observatory may be
taken to the representative of the meteorological conditions in the District,
in general. From about the end of March, the temperature increases rapidly till
June which is generally the hottest month, with the mean daily maximum
temperature of 41.1 C and the minimum of 26.3 C. It is intensely hot during the
summer, and the dust-laden winds, which blow especially in the sandy parts of
the District near Abohar, are very trying . On individual days, the maximum
temperature may be above 47 C. With the onset of the monsoon by about the end
of June or early in July, there is an appreciable drop in the day
temperature. However, owing to frequent
breaks in the monsoon in July and sometimes in August, the weather is
oppressive because of the increased moisture in the monsoon air. By about the
second week of September, when the monsoon withdraws from the
District, both day and night temperatures begin to fall. The drop in the
nigh temperature, even in October, is
much more than the fall in the day temperature. After October, both the day and
night temperatures decrease rapidly
till January, which is the coldest month. The mean daily maximum
temperature in January is 19.3 C and the mean daily minimum is 5.1 C. In the
cold season, the District is affected by cold waves in the wake of the passing westerly disturbances and minimum
temperature occasionally drops to about a degree or two below the
freezing-point of water.
The
highest maximum temperature recorded at Firozpur 47.2 C on 31st May
1954. The lowest minimum was 2.9 C on 29 January 1964.
Humidity—Except during the brief sought-westerly monsoon,
when the relative humidity in the air varies from 65 to 70 per cent, the
atmosphere is generally dry. The driest part of the year is the summer season
when the relative humidity in the
afternoons is about 30 per cent or less. Generally, the morning is more humid
than the afternoon.
Table
I gives the normals of temperature and relative humidity during the different
months of the year in the Firozpur District
TABLE 1
Normals of Temperature and Relative Humidity at
Ferozpur.
Month Mean
Mean Highest maximum Lowest minimum Relative
Humidity
ever recorded
ever recorded
daily daily ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ maxi. mini. Hours
temp. temp. (Indian Time)
Standard.
---------
--------
.C .C
.C Date .C Date
0830 1730
-------------------------- % %
January 19.3 5.1 27.2 23 Jan. 1952 -2.9 29 Jan. 1964 89 55
February 23.4 7.6 33.3 28 Feb. 1953 0.0 7 Feb. 1974 80 43
March 28.2 12.6 37.2 30 Mar.1955 4.2 1 Mar. 1977 71 45
April 34.8 17.4 45.4 23 Apr.1979 9.1 3 Apr.1965 55 31
May 39.5 22.4 47.2 31 May 1954 13.1 4 May 1977 48 28
June 41.1 26.3 46.7 7,10 June 1979 15.5 1 June 1958 53 31
July 36.6 26.6 45.1 8 July 1957 18.4 4,5 July 1979 73 56
August 35.3 26.1 40.5 8 Aug. 1979 16.2 21,29 Aug. 62 79 65
Sept. 34.6 23.4 40.1 1 Sept. 1979 16.2 30 Sept. 1962 73 56
Oct. 32.9 16.9 39.4 4 Oct. 1952 8.3 29 Oct. 1952 70 46
Nov. 27.5 9.7 35.0 2 Nov. 1951 2.1 30 Nov. 1962 79 50
Dec. 21.9 6.2 28.3 2 Dec. 1953 -1.7 22 Dec. 1950 89 59
Annual 31.3 16.7 72 47
(iii)
Rainfall
Record
of rainfall in the District are available for 6 stations for periods ranging
form 25 to 96 years. The details of the rainfall at these stations and for the
District, as a whole, are given in Tables 2 and 3. The average annual rainfall of the District is
340.5 mm. The rainfall in the
District, in general, increases from the sough-west towards the
north-east and varies from 268.5 mm at
Abohar to 457.7 mm. at Zira. About 70 per cent of the annual normal rainfall in
the District is received during the
monsoon months of July to September, July and August being the
rainiest months. Some rainfall occurs during the pre-monsoon months,
mostly in the form of thunder-showers. In the cold season, in association with
the passing westerly disturbances, some rainfall occurs. The variation in the
annual rainfall from year to year is large. In the 50-year period, 1901 to
1950, the highest annual rainfall, which was 249. In this 50-year period, the annual rainfall in the District
was less than 80 per cent of the normal in 16 years. Two consecutive years of
raninfall, less than 80 per cent of the
normal, occurred three times during this period. Considering the annual
rainfall at individual stations, such a low rainfall in two consecutive years
is quite common in the District, occurring at
all the stations. They have
occurred once at Fazilka, two times at Zira, three times, each at the
Firozpur City and at Abohar and 4 times, each
at Jalalabad and Gobindgarh. Three consecutive years of such low
rainfall were recorded once at Zira,.
Four consecutive years of low rainfall, less than 80 per cent of the
normal , have occurred once each at Zira
the Firozpur City , Fazilka and Gobindgarh. Such a low rainfall was
recorded for 6 consecutive years during
1934 to 1939 at Fazilka. So low rainfall as
20 per cent of the normal or less has been recorded at Jalalabad in
1947, 1949 and 1921. It will be seen from Table 2 that the annual rainfall in
the District was between 200 and 500 mm in 39 year out of 50.
On an
average, there are 19 rainy days (i.e. days with rainfall of 2.5 mm or more) in
a year in the District. This number varies from 16 at Jalalabad to 26 at Zira.
The
heaviest rainfall in 24 hours recorded ay any station in District was 301.7 mm
at Zira on 17 September 1950.
(iii)
Atmospheric
Pressure and Winds.
Cloudiness—Skies are
moderately to heavily clouded during the monsoon season and for short spells of
a day or two during the cold season in
association with the passing westerly disturbances. During the rest of the year, the skies are mostly
clear of lightly clouded.
Winds --- Winds are generally
light in the District, and are westerly to north-westerly throughout the year
But in the summer and monsoon seasons, the winds form directions between the
north-east and the south-east also blow on many days.
Special Weather Phenomena --- IN the cold
season, westerly disturbances affect the district, causing occasional dust or
thunder-storms, sometimes accompanied
with hail and squall. Thunder-storms
and more frequently dust-storms occur during the hot season. Rain during the
monsoon season is also sometimes
accompanied with thunder. Occasional fogs occur in the cold season,
particularly in the wake of the passing westerly disturbances.
Table 4 and 5
give the mean wind speed and the special weather phenomena espectively for
Firozpur.
Freuency of Annual Rainfall in the Firozpur District
(Data for 1901-1950)
Range in mm Number of Range in mm Number
of
years. years.
80-100 1 601-700 1
101-200 4 701-800 1
201-300 15 801-900 1
301-400 17 901-1000 --
401-500 7 1001-1100 --
501-600 3 1101-1200 --
Hardly
any district in the Punjabi has so little early history attached to it as
Firozupr. It is almost entirely destitute of ancient buildings and contains no
places mentioned in early records. None of the present villages or towns date
from an earlier period than the reign of Akbar, mainly because the entire
western side of the District has, within the last four centuries and a half,
been over run by the River Satluj, by which all relics of antiquity that might
have, of course, been effaced.
Along
the top of the upper bank of the Satluj, large mounds of earth and the debris
of brick or pottery, called thehs, are often found and they mark the sites of
the former villages and show that the bank of the River was inhabited in
ancient times. A few remains and show that the bank of the River was inhabited
in ancient times. A few remains are
found in the tracts below the greater bank, the only ones being at Channar and
Kabar Bachha in the Firozpur Tehsil; any others that existed must have been
swept away by the River, which has coursed over all the lower countryside
during the last tow centuries and a half. The most important of these mounds
are those of Janer in the Zira Tehsil. A large number of coins have also been
found from these thehs. A list of the coins found from some of these thehs is
given in the Appendix on page 58.
Malwa Sikhs --- The tribal amalgamation, which Bhandarkar
has observed in the historical
development of India, was most pronounced in the population of the Punjab. The Aryans
came and mixed with Austro-Dravidian people of the Punjab. They had some strong Iranian elements, which
gave rise to several tribal groupings such as the Madras. The Sikhs of the
Firozepur District are still known as Malwa Sikhs, probably because these
regions were populated by the Malavas in ancient times. About the beginning of
the Christian Era, the Malvas moved to the south and settled in the central and
south-eastern Rajputana (Rajasthan).
At
the time of the rise of Poros in the early fourth century B.C., the southern
Punjab was dominated by the Kshudrakas and Malavas. Of these, Malavas were
identified with the Madras, but they separated early from their parent
body, assuming a distinct name.The
existence of the Malwa Sikhs in Firozpur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Jind and
Malerkotla shows that they became prominent in these regions also. But the
pressure of imperialist movement seems to have pushed them southwards, and, at
the time of Poros, they occupied a part of the Doab, formed by the Chenab and the
Ravi, and extended up to the confluence of the Chenab and the Indus.
Alexander
and the Malavas had a bitter struggle and the account of the war is given in
the Greek history.. According to Greek accounts, the people were brave, warlike
and freedom-loving but they were so isolationist and self-contained that they
could not organize any effective defence before the Mecedonians had pounced on
them.
After
the retreat of Alexander, the Malavas joined the upsurge that swept off Greek
rule from the Punjab and led to the establishment of the Mauryan Empire.
After the
dismemberment of the Mauryan Empire, the Greeks of Bactria invaded and occupied
the Punjab in the second century B.C.
About 145 B.C., Menander became
the ruler of the Punjab. Hence it clearly follows that the Greeks conquered the
Malavas, and their successors, the Sikhs, also pressed them. Under their
pressure, they migrated from the southern Punjab to Rajasthan.
The
members of the Kang Tribe occupied Sogdiana and are remembered as Kankas in
Indian works. In the mahabharata, they are mentioned along with Sakas and
Thukharas. In the fourth century of the Christian Era, they produced eminent
Buddist scholars, who took an important part in the translation of Buddhist
works into Chinese. the most famous
among them was Kang Seng-hui (Kanak
Sanghabhadra), who founded a strong Buddhist school in southern China. In the
fifth century of the Christian Era, they took part in an invasion of India, led
by the Kidarite Kushanas. At present, the descendants of the these Kankas are
the Kangs, spread up to Firozpur and Ambala and found all along the bank of the
Satluj and even on the lower Indus.
(a)
Medieval Period
Immigration of Rajput Tribes --- About the
times of the first Muhammadan conquests of Indian (A.D. 1000), a colony of
Bhatti Rajputs, of whoses stock the
great tribes of Manj Rajputs, Naipals, and Dogras are the banches, came up from
Jaisalmer under a leader, called Rai Hel, and settled to the south of the present Town of Muktsar. They overcame the
local Punwar Chief and firmly established themselves.
Fifth
in desent from Rai Hel were two brothers, Dhumh and Chinn. The Dogars and
Naipals are descended from Dhumh. This branch of the tribe turned to the left
and lived for a time beyond the Beas near Pakpattan and Dipalpur. The grandson
of Chinn was Raja Manj. Mokalsi, the
son of Manj, build Faridkot, then called Mokalhar. Mokalsi’s sons divided themselves into two families, called after
the names of two of them the Jairsis and Vairsis. Both became Muhammadans about
the same time, i.e. about A.D. 1288.
the Punwars silently disappeared
from the history, an the Manj
families advanced northwards to the Beas River. In the beginning of the
sixteenth century, they built several towns or village which are still in
existence between Zira and Dharmkot, on what was then the River bank. Kot Ise Khan was built by Nawab Isa Khan of
this branch about A.D. 1700.
Meanwhile,
the Vairsis fixed their capital after
two or three changes at Raikot, now in the Ludhiana District, and ruled the
east of the pargana. The families acted as the local Governors under the Mughal
Suba of Sirhind.
Revenue Realized During Mughal Period—In the
Ain-i-akbari, Firozpur is mentioned ad the centre of a large pargana attached
to the Suba of Multan, and paying a revenue of the 1,14,79,404 dams, equivalent to Rs. 2,86,985. Another pargana,
mentioned in the same work on
Muhammadot, which is probably to be identified with the present-day Mamdot, and
would, therefore, fall within the boundary of the present District. The revenue
of this pargana, as given in the Ain-i-akbari, amounted to 34,92,454 dams,
equivalent to Rs, 87,311.
Fort
of Firozpur—The fort of Firozpur is stated to have been built in the time of Feroz
Shah Tughlaq, Sultan of Delhi, from AD 1351 to 1388. Nothing more than a mound,
surmounted by a Muhammandan tomb, marks its site. The following description is
taken from the report of Sir H. Lawrence, who was stationed at Firozpur during
the early year of the British occupation.
“Both
town and territory of Ferozepore bear every appearance of having been not only
long located, but of having been at one time rich and populous. It is true that
the fort of Ferozpore is not mentioned in the
Ain-i-Akbari, whereas that of Mamdot is mentioned. The Ain-i-Akbari
however, cannot (as is pointed out by Captain Lawrence) be considered a complete statistical return;
while the position, extent, and importance of the pargana as above described, give
strong grounds for belief that in such times., and commanding then, as now, one
of the chief passages over the Sutlej, and being on the highroad between Lahore
and Delhi, Firozpur possessed at least a fortress of some kind, and the name
and character of Feroze Shah afford
fair grounds for supposing him to have been the founder. But the fact does not
rest on any local tradition. The Manj Rajputs say the town was named after
their Chief Feroze Khan, who liver in the middle of the sixteenth century. The
principal traders were Bhabras. The place was desolated by a pestilence in
1543, and the traders withdrew to Kot Ise Khan. The fact that Ferozpur was not
attached to the Suba of Sirhind, but to that of Multan, goes to support the
inference that it was at the time of Akbar on the right bank of the Sutluj.
From its position, Ferozepore may have been a mart for the produce of the hills
and the rich country between them and Amritsar, but in the track of many of the
hordes that ravaged the North-west provinces, the town and territory seem to
have suffered even more than the rest of the country bordering on the Sulej.”
The Dogars --- During the decay of the Delhi Empire, the country, which had apparently become almost depopulated, was occupied by the Dogars , a clan of Rajput origin, who, being Muslims, migrated to Pakistan on the partition of the country in 1947. The Dogars were a wild and lawless race, owning no permanent habitations, and delighting rather in large herds of cattle than in the more laborious occupations of the soil. Originally, they were alternatively graziers and cattle lifters, but at all times bad cultivators, and holding but loosely the bounds of allegiance. They paid tribute to the rulers set over them according to the means and, when hard pressed, they had little to lose by deserting their dwellings. On such occasions, the Dogars would place their few chattles, their women and children on buffaloes, and fleeing to the tamarisk forests of what formed later on the Bahawalpur territory (now in Pakistan), or into the almost equally inaccessible desert of Abohar, they would defy their pursuers, or take their time for coming to terms. These people, who are Muhammandans and call themselves the converted descendants of the Chauhans of Delhi, migrated to the neighbourhood of Pakpattan, and from there, two centuries ago, spread over a hundred and fifty kilometres along both the banks of the River Satluj, a few kilometres above Firozpur to the borders of the former Bahawalpur State. At one time, they were undoubted principally in the khadir or the Satluj, and their occupations were pastoral and predatory. The clan is subdivided into many branches, but almost all the Firozpur Dogars trace their origin to Bahlol, a Mohammandan Dogra, who must have lived about two and half a centuries ago.
It
was gradually that the Dogars moved from about the neighbourhood of Pakpattan
and mot until about 1740, that they reached Firozpur, which appears at that
time to have formed part of a district called the Lakhi Jungle and to have been
administered by a faujdar, having civil and military authority, residing at
Kasur, and acting under the Governor of Lahore. A few villages occupied by
Bhattis were at that time scattered over the Firozpur plain, but on the coming
of the Dogars, the former moved southwards and the Dogars soon established
themselves in their room. The right of occupancy of the new possessors was
allowed by the Lahore ruler, who,
however, on their failing to give security for the payment of government dues, took their children as hostages. Their
rebellious spirit, however, soon broke out, out, and they slew the faujdar,
Ahmed Khan Lalu; but in the weak state of viceregal government, they escaped
punishment, and for a time remained independent of all authority.
Sukha
Mallu, the head of a tribe, as wild as that of the Dogars, and himself a
cattle-lifter by profession, was then appointed faujdar; and such was the
terror of his name that many of the Dogras absconded, but he enticed them back,
and for six years managed the country, after which time the Dogars assembled in rebellion near the Takia of Pir
Balawal; and the faujdar, incautiously going among them, unarmed and
unattended, was speared by one Phaima, who had long vowed to kill him. The
followers of Sikha, who were at hand, hearing of the fate of their leader, fled
and the Dogars followed them, plundered the faujdar’a dwelling and murdered his
son, Kutb. Jul Khan was now appointed faujdar. Being pressed by the Lahore
Government for arrears of revenue, he took refuge among the Dogars and was
protected by them. Although the faujdar developed intimacy with this
troublesome portion of his dependants, he had no sooner arranged his affairs
with his superior at Lahore and returned to Kasur than the Dogars commenced the
same systematic opposition to his rule that they had carried on against the
administration of his predecessors.
Sheikh Shamir, of Ulaki (then called Chanhi), was a violent man, and stirred up his brethren, the Dogars, against Jul Khan. The latter after some opposition, seized 22 of their leaders, but in a short time, after levying a heavy fine on them, he released all except three, Muma, Muhammad and Akbar. Pir Khan, the head of the Village of Dulchi, where the faujdar had been received during his temporary disgrace, went several times to Jui Khan and begged of him to release the prisoners. On his refusal to do so, Pir Khan concerted with Sheikh Shamir to seize or slay the faujdar. He again went to Kasur, and enticed their victim to an interview with the rebels on the bank of the Satluj, promising to use influence to effect improved arrangements, and to bring to submission the contumacious Dogars. In the midst of the interview, Sheikh Shamir slew the faujdar, and in the scuffled that ensued, he himself was killed by a change blow from his own brother, Misri. Yusaf Khan, the Naib of Jul Khan, avenged the murder of his master, put the hostages to death by sawing their bodies and hacking them to pieces. The manuscripts do not show who succeeded Jul Khan as faujdar, and considering the then disturbed state of the Empire, it is probable the Dogars were left for a time to themselves, for they seem on a failure of having a common enemy, to be up in arms against one another. One party called in a band of Pathans and the other of a band of Mughals to aid them. These auxiliaries formed posts in different villages, received a share of the Hakimi dues, and were neglected or respected according to their strength and character. One of the allies, so called, was Mahmud Khan, son of the late faujdar Jul Khan.
(c) Ascendancy of the Sikhs
The
ascendancy of the Sikhs dates from 1758, when they defeated Adina Beg, the
Mughal Governor of Lahore. Three years later in 1763, the Sikhs, under Hari
Singh Bhangi, sacked Kasur and Kasur came over to Firozpur and established the
present town. At that time, Tara Singh Gheba, of the Dallewalia Confederacy, a
freebooter, who had become one of the Sikh chiefs, began to make incursions
into the north of this District from the opposite side of the Satluj. He got
the possession of Fatehgarh, and his further progress would be related in the
account of that ilaqa. Tara Singh’s conquest extended as far as Ramunwala and
Mari (in the Moga Tehsil of the Faridkot District), at both of which places he
built forts. Meanwhile, Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia took possession of the
Naipal country, and extended his authority to within a few kilometres of
Firozpur. the Nawab of Kot Ise Khan placed himself under the protection of the
Ahluwalias.
When Hari Singh, the Chief of the Banagi Misl, seized and plundered Kasur and its neighbourhood in 1763, among the Sardars in his train was Gurja (Gujar) Singh, (whose son Sahib Singh afterwards married the sister of Maha Singh, the father of Ranjit Singh), who taking his brother Nushaha Singh and his two nephews, Gurbaksh Singh and Mastan Singh, crossed the Satluj opposite Kasur, and took possession of Firozpur, the fort of which was in ruins; while Jai Singh Gharia, with another hand from the same quarters, seized Khai, Wan, and Bazidpur in the neighbourhood of Firozpur, and made them over to their subordinate, as Gurja (Gujar) Singh gave Firozpur to his nephew, Gurbakhsh Singh, son of Nushaha Singh. The Firozpur territory then contained 37 village, the proceeds of which Sardar Gurbakhsh Singh enjoyed in concert with Burhan Dogar and Muhammad Khan, son of Gul Khan. However, the two latter soon leagued and expelled Gurbakhsh Singh’s garrison from the newly repaired fort of Firozpur. The latter then established himself in Sultan Khanwala, where there was a mud fort, and from there still managed to get the third portion of the government share of the Firozpur villages, Muhammad Khan receiving the remainder. In 1771, Muhammad Khan started from Amritsar with some horses for sale. On his first encamping ground, Gurbakhsh Singh attacked and took him prisoner, and then recovered the Fort of Firozpur. Between 1763 and 1771, Gurbakhsh Singh acquired a considerable territory on the right bank of the Satluj; but in 1771, the same year that he recovered Firozpur, a change in the course of the Satluj left the Sukkar Nala dry, and carried away or rendered waste all the Firozpur villages, but seven. On regaining Firozpur, Gurbakhsh Singh rebuilt the fort; and leaving his uncle, Raja Singh, as Governor, recrossed the Satluj and employed himself in increasing and securing his possession in the trans-Satluj Punjab and in co-operating with his kinsman and patron, Gurja (Gujar) Singh, in a dispute with whom however, for a partition of their acquisitions, Mastan Singh, the brother of Gurbakhsh Singh, was soon after killed.
Gurbakhsh
Singh, who was a native of Asil, near Khem Karan, where his father was
originally a Zamindar, had four sons and three daughters. The sons became
troublesome to their father; Jai Singh, the youngest even commenced operations
on his own account and, when forbidden to do so, arrayed himself against his
father. Most probably induced by such conduct, Gurbakhsh Singh resolved to
divide his estates during his lifetime. The authorities differ as to the dates,
but is was about 1972 that the old Sardar divided his possessions among his
sons, reserving Singhpura for himself. To his eldest son, Duna Singh, he gave
Sattaragarh, Bhedian and Muhalim, north of the Satluj; to the second, Dhanana
Singh, the Fort and the territory of Firozpur; to the third, Gurmukh Singh,
Sahjara, north of the Satluj: But all
seem to have kept up friendly communication with one another; and Dhanna Singh
especially appears to have been much at Firozpur and, along with his father, to
have afterwards found a refuge there when dispossessed of their respective
territories by Nihal Singh Atariwala.
Sardar
Dhanna Singh appears to have been unable to match his grasping neigbours, or to
restrain his unruly subjects, the Dogars, who almost immediately on his
accession invited the inroads of Niazm-ud-Din Kahn, the Pathan Chief of Kasur,
who accordingly sent troops to Dulchi. Dhanna Singh, being unable to resist
them, entered into a compromise, and yielded to the Pathan half of the Dogar
villages that had been spared by the last irruption of the Satluj. The
arrangement by no means pleased the Dogars, who immediately called in the Rai
of Raikot to their assistance. The Rai’s force lay for some weeks, if not for
months, under the walls of the Fort and in 1839, Sir H. Lawrence picked out one
iron six-pound shot and several wooden plugs that appear to have been driven
into the southern wall with a view to effecting a breach. But for those days,
the Fort was strong and was relieved in time by Sardar Rai Singh’s, of Buria,
the father-in-law of Sardar Dhanna Singh. He also expelled the Kasur Pathans
from their portion of the seven villages but on Rai Singh’s retirement
Nizam-ud-Din returned and regained his footing. In 1807, Maharaja Ranjit Singh,
having acquired Kasur, made it over in Jagir to his favourite and co-adjutor,
Sardar Nihal Singh Atariwala, who soon dispossessed Gurbakhsh Singh and his
three sons of their trans-Satluj possessions in the neighbourhood of Kasur. The
Dogars, who were looking for a change, invited Nihal Singh’s approach to
Firozpur. He gladly acquiesced, and, crossing the River, dislodged Dhanna
Singh’s garrison from the Village and Kot of Dulchi.
About
the same time, another branch of the Dogar Clan, the Ullakis, settled at
Bareki. Having applied for aid against their Chief to Moran, a celebrated
courtesan at the Court of Lahore, she asked the Maharaja for a grant of
Firozpur, and without a shadow of right in the matter, he granted her request.
Backed by the power of Ranjit Singh, Moran sent troops to enforce her claim,
and seized the Village of Bareki. Dhanna Singh, being thus pressed, was offered
assistance by his enemy Nihal Singh, and in his extremity accepted it. Uniting
their troops, they expelled Moran’s garrison from Bareki, but had no sooner
done so than Nihal Singh made an attempt on the Fort of Firozpur, the garrison
o which, however, resisted him.
In
1808, Sardar Nihal Singh again crossed the Satluj in the train of Ranjit Singh,
who notwithstanding the remonstrances of Mr.Metcalfe, the British Agent,
insisted on endeavouring to extend his dominions to the east of the Satluj, and
by stratagem, he effected the lodgment of a garrison in the Fort of Khai, a
stronghold for the time, nearly 10 km south-west of Firozpur, and then
belonging to Nizam-ud-Din Khan. Thus occupying Dulchi on the north, Bareki on
the west, and Khai on the south-west he hemmed in the Firozpurias and shared
the produce of their land equally with Sardar Dhanna Singh,, who, from the
weakness of his character, was quite
unable to cope with such a stirring leader. Dhanna Singh was, therefore, delighted to hear at this time that
the British Government had taken on itself the protection of all the country
sought of the Satluj, on which point he was no sooner informed than he
addressed Sir D. Ochterlony, the Agent for Sikh Affairs, and, in a letter,
dated 28 March 1809, begged to be admitted under the Company’s protection in
the same manner as was his relative Bhagwan Singh of Buria and Jagadhri. A
favourable answer was returned, and, by
order of the Government, a copy of the proclamation of Seven Articles was sent
to him, showing that the British Government guaranteed the status of 1808 as it
obtained previously to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s
irruption. In 1811, the Lahore Government deputed an agent to wait on
Sir D. Ochterlony, one of the objects of the mission being to obtain sanction
for seizing Dhanna Singh’s land south of the Satluj. Sir D. Ochterlony,
however, disclaimed the right, stating that Firozpur had neither been
originally given to Ranjit Singh nor had been
conquered by him, and that whatever portion of his territory Dhanna
Singh still retained on the adoption of Mr. Metcalfe’s treaty, to that he was
fully entitled by the British guarantee. The government concurred with Sir D.
Ochterlony, and from that time until the late Sardar’s death, no claim on the
territory was made by the Lahore Ruler.
In 1819, Sardar Dhanna Singh died,
leaving his widow Lachhman Kaur, the daughter of Rai Singh, of Buria and
Lagadhri, heiress of his possessions. In 1820, the Sardarni having placed her
father-in-law, the old Sardar Gurbakhsh Singh, in charge of the territory,
proceeded on a pilgrimage to the shrines of Haridwar, Gaya and Jagannath, but
during her absence, her husband’s nephew, Bhagel Singh, son of Duna Singh,
gained admittance to the fort under pretence of visiting his grandfather,
Gurbakhsh Singh, and, being supported in the usurpation by Sardar Nihal Singh,
they too administered and shared the profits of the territory, in concert.
Bhagel Singh was in the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and, “in all
probability, had made the raid with his consent, if not assistance”.
In 1823, Sardarni Lachhman Kaur returned from her pilgrimage, and
appealed to the British authorities against the usurpation by Bhagel Singh.
Captain Ross, the Deputy Superintendent of Sikh Affairs, represented her case
to the Lahor Agent and the Maharaja immediately recalled his vassal, Bhagel
Singh and allowed that Firozpur belonged rightfully to the Sardarni as the
separated share of her husband given to him during the life of Gurbakhsh Singh.
The
old Gurbakhsh Singh, died at a very advanced age in Firozpur in 1823 and Bhagel
Singh died in the Punjab in 1826. Sardarni, Lachhman Kaur died in December
1835, still in possession of Firozpur although both Ranjit Singh and the
British Government, knowing its value as military position, had tried to effect
an exchange with the widow for other territory elsewhere. As Lachhman Kaur left
no children, the estate lapsed to the British Government. However, in July
1838, Chanda Singh and Jhanda Singh, the two brothers of Bhagel Singh,
preferred their claim to inherit the state to Sir George Russel Clerk at the
Ambala Agency. The question was referred for determination to the Supreme
Government, but was decided against the claimants.
(d) British Rule
First Introduction of British Rule -- The importance of position of Firozpur had
been pointed out to his Government by Captains Ross and Murray; and, during the
life of Sardarni Lachhman Kaur, her often-expressed wish to exchange her
turbulent territory for a more peaceful one in neighbourhood of her kinsman of
Buria had been explained to the British authorities as offering a good
opportunity for taking up a commanding position opposite to, and within (4 km
of Lahore. But an aversion to enlarge the British boundary, or to alarm the
Lahore Darbar, deterred the Government from accepting the Sardarni’s offer,
though it was at the same time notified to the local officers that on no
pretext Maharaja Ranjit Singh was to be permitted to obtain possession of
Firzopur.
Early
in 1836, Lieutenant Mackeson was deputed by Captain Wide to Firozpur and Lahore
to ascertain the limits of the late Sardarni’s territory and to adjust new
British relations with Maharaja.Lieutenant Mackeson soon ascertained that the
only undisputed portion of the property was the City and its suburbs, with the
town-land, stretching scarcely a kilometre and a half in any direction. The
cultivators of land lived under the walls of the Fort , and did not ever enjoy
the fruits of their scanty land without the cover of mud or brick towers, one
more of which protected every well, serving as watch-towers against invaders and
a places of refuge against small predatory bands. Giving up the right of co-partnership in the remote villages, and
retaining the entire possession of those within a well-defined limit,
Lieutenant Mackeson, in communication with the Lahore authorities, settled the
boundary of the territory, leaving to it an undisputed area of 222.74 sq
km. divided among 40 villages. So
admirably was this delicate task executed
that no complaint against that officer or any of his measures was heard
of. The local duties were then placed under a confidential agent of Captain
Wade, named Sher Ali Khan, who endeavoured to reclaim the people from their lawless habits, and made
tow or three new locations. Sher Ali Khan died in 1837, and was succeeded by
Pir Ibrahim Khan, a man of good family and of considerable reputation in the
country, as having been long the Price
Minister of the Khan of Mamdot. Under Pir Ibrahim, some few other locations
where made and old wells were repaired. A commencement was also made of
clearing away the ruins of the ancient town and lying out new and broader
streets. Pir Ibrahim Khan was relieved by W.M.
Edgeworth in December 1838, when, owing to the increased importance of
the place, it was resolved to make Firozpur the station of an Assistant Political
Agent. Edge-worth’s whole time was occupied by the many duties entailed on him
by the presence of the Army of the Indus, until in January 1839, he was
relieved by Sir H. Lawrence.
Considerable
progress had been already made in the pacification of the newly acquired
territory when the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out in December 1845. Of that
was, this District was the battlefield. The Sikhs crossed the Satluj opposite
Firozpur on 12 and 13 December 1845. The battles of Mudki (18 December 1845),
Ferozeshah (21 December 1845), Aliwala (28 January, 1846) and Sobran Obelisk
(10 February 1946) followed, and the Sikhs against withdrew beyond the River,
pursued by the British force, which soon afterwards dictated peace under the
walls of Lahore.
By
the result of the war, the British Government acquired Kahi Mudki and all the
remaining Lahore territory on the east of the Satluj. The Ahluwalia Chief was
for the disaffection deprived of all dominions south of the River. Kot Kaupra
was given to the Faridkot Chief partly as a reward for assistance rendered to
the British Army and partly in exchange for the pargana Sultan Khanwala a piece
of his territory which lay inconveniently across the British line of communications.
History of Ilaqas Subsequently Added to the
District --- A short account is here subjoined of each of the ilaqas which was
subsequently added to the Firozpur territory.
Khai
Kahi
(Tehsil Firozpur) formed part of the Dogar territory. It was, no doubt
originally included in the old pargana of Firozpur but was entirely a waste
land when the Dogars took possession of it. The origin of the name is not
known. It was the designation of a theh or deserted site near which one of the
Dogar chiefs located the present village of Khai. From this theh, a sufficient
number of bricks were subsequently dug up to metal ten miles of road. From so
much building material, some idea of the extent of these remains may be formed
. When Gurja (Gujar) Singh acquired
Firozpur, Jai Singh, another Sikh chief, took possession of Kahi, but was
compelled to give way to Nizam-ud-Din, the Pathan Chief of Kasur, whose rise to
power will be described in the account of Mamdot. In 1804 , Ranjit Singh
disposed Nazam-ud-Din and gave the ilaqa in jagir to his favourite, Sardar
Nihal Singh, Atariwala. It was afterwards transferred to Sardar Dharm Singh on
condition of his funishing a contingent of fifty horsemen. In 1843, in was
incorporated into the Lahore Demesne.
The
ilaqa of Mallanwala (Tehsil Zira) was also part of the Dogar territory. The
village of Mallanwala Khas was located by a Dogar chief, named Malla. On the
irruption of the Sikhs, about 1760, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia took possession of
it, together with the surrounding villages, which since that time had been
known as a separate ilaqa. The Ahluwalia family retained possession of this
ilaqa with the exception of a few villages which were taken from them by Ranjit Singh, until the Satluj Campaign
(1845-46), when in consequence of the hostile part taken by them, their estates
were confiscated by the British.
The
ilaqa of Baghuwala (Tehsil Firozpur), with the exception of a few villages in
the bed of the Satluj River, was originally included in Mallanwala, but was
occupied by Desa Singh Majithia, who first seized upon the village of Baghuwala, where he built a small fort.
Assisted by Ranjit Singh, he afterwards took possession of several of the
adjoining village subject to the
Ahluwalia Chief, and thus formed the present ilaqa. Desa Singh was succeeded by
his on, Lehna Singh, who kept possession of the ilaqa till it was confiscated
after the Satluj Campaign of 1845-46.
Makhu
The
ilaqa of Makhu (Tehsil Zira) was occupied about 150 year ago by the Naipals, a
Mussalman tribe resembling the Dogar, who came originally from Sirsa (Haryana).
There is no trace of any former inhabitants, and it was probably an entire
waste. The naipals were originally subjects of the Empire; then became
virtually independence till Jass Singh, the Ahluwalia Chief, took possession,
and by establishing a thana at Makhu, created the ilaqa known by that
name. His successor held it in jagir
till the Satluj Campaign of 1945-46, when it was confiscated.
The
neighbourhood of Zira (the headquarters of the tehsil of the same name), in
which there are many deserted sites, had been for many years a waste, when in
1808 Sayad Ahmad Shah came from Gugera and founded Zira Khas. He was driven out
by the Sikh Chief Mohar Singh, Niashanwalia, during whose rule nearly all the
villages of this ilawa were located. Mohar Singh was, in turn driven out by
Diwan Mohkam Chand, Ranjit Singh’s General, and the ilaqa was added to the
Lahore Demense. It was afterwards divided into two portions, of which the
eastern portion, which preserved the name, Zira, was made over to Sarbuland
Khan, a servant of the Lahore Government, and the western portion, to which the
name, ilaqa Ambarhar, was given was made an appenage of Kanwar Sher Singh, son
of the Punjab sovereign. At a later date, Sher Singh obtained the possession of
the whole ilaqa and abolished the subdivision of Ambarhar.
The
territory included in the ilaqas of Kot Isa Khan, Dharmkot and Fateharth
(Tehsil Zira) is said to have formerly belonged to the Rajputs of Punwar Tribe.
Their ruler resided at Janer, which is said to have been founded by one Raja
Jan. The present village of Janer stands at the foot of a mounds, composed of
bricks and earth, the remains of an ancient city, which cover about 60 acres (24.28)
hectares). This place used to be the most extensive deserted site in the
District. It is worth mentioning that the affixer or ‘mer’ occurs in the name
of almost no other village in the District. In the language of Rajputana it
signifies a hill or mound, and occurs, frequently, as, for instance, in Ajmer,
Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Amber. The Punwars were supplanted by the Manj Rajputs.
Net
Ahmad Khan, son of Shadi Khan, of that family, who proceeded to the Court of Akbar,
gained there great favour by a feat of strength, stringing a bow sent by the
king of Persia, which had defeated the
efforts of all others at the Court. The Emperor conferred on his the title of Nawab, and, in due course, he
succeeded to the possession of the tappa
Shadiwal, which had been conferred upon his father, the limits of which
seem to have been the same as the ilaqa
of Kot Isa Khan. About 1740, one his descendants, Nawab Isa Khan, after whom
the ilaqa as named, resisted the imperial authority, which sent a force to
subdue hi. He displayed prodigies of valour, but the force subdued and killed
him. Notwithstanding his rebellion, his on, Muse Khan, was permitted to succeed
him. His son, Kadir Bakhsh Khan, was despoiled by the Ahluwalia Family, which
took possession of the ilaqa.
Tara
Singh Dallewalia invaded and conquered this ilaqa in 1760 and, after building a
fort at Kutbpur, changed its name to Dharmkot (Tehsil Zira). His son, Jhanda
Singh was compelled to yield to Diwan Mohkam Chand, and the ilaqa was added to the royal demesne.
This
tract (in Tehsil Firozpur was also included in the possessions of Tara Singh,
who made over the greater portion of it to his cousin, Kaur Singh. It was
added, under Diwan Mohkam Chand, to the Lahore Demesne.
The
sultan Khanwala ilaqa (Tehsil Firozpur) was so called from the principal
village in it, which was founded by Sultan Khan, a native—of Mallanwala. It was
a dismal waste when, Pahar Singh, the ruler of Faridkot, took possession of it.
It was transferred to the Firozpur District from Faridkot in 1847 in exchange
for a portion of Kot Kapura.
This place was waste tract between the territories
occupied by the Barars and Dogars, who were constantly quarrelling over its
possession. About two centuries ago, one Jiwan Mal came and pitched his tent
upon this waste. He was a Sodhi, seventh in descent from the celebrated Guru Ram Das. He had been driven
from his home at Mohammadpur, near Chunian, in the Lahore District (now in Pakistan), by the Kardar who
represented Ahmad Shah’s Government. No doubt he had made himself obnoxious by
showing fanaticism towards the religion. The Dogar Chief, Sultan, gave him
protection and encouragement to remain
in the place, believing that his presence
would in a measure stop the incursions of the Barars, and put an end to
the disputes between the tribes. The Barars also favoured him, knowing him to
be a priest of their own religion. He was, therefore, permitted to establish a
number of villages in the plain, and he fixed hi boundaries by marking down the
tracks of his horse’s hooves as he made a long circuit one morning along the
boundary of the land he fancied. He named ilaqa Guru Har Sahai after his eldest
son, who eventually took his father’s place as the head of the family. Jiwan
Mal appears to have made friends later on with Ahmad Shah, because he was
allowed to hold his land free of revenue, and the grant was renewed by Rajit
Singh when the Muhammadans authority disappeared from this part of the Punjab.
The religious of
the family was very great throughout the region of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and
many of the Sodhis of Guru Har Sahai were employed at the court of Lahore, and
they accompanied the army on expeditions along the frontier, when it was
necessary to keep up the enthusiasm of the men at a high pitch. In making these
journeys, they seized the opportunity of brining the followers under their own
religious banner from among the scattered Hindu family of the western Punjab,
and up to the historic Partition of the country in 1947, continued to be
revered by a large numbers of the Sikhs, not only in their immediate
neighbourhood but also in Rawalpindi, Peshwar, Kohat and the Derajat. On the
death of Guru Gulab Singh in 1869, only two-thirds of the jagir was continued
to his successior, Fateh Singh, on a life-tenure. It was unfortunate that he
became involved in quarrels with his
own son, and in his time much of the old influence of the family melted away.
He was, moreover, on bad terms with Bishan Singh, his eldest son, and to
despise him, made a gift of his property and Guruship to his younger son, and to despise him, made a gift of his
property and Guruship to his younger son, Kabul Singh. A law-suit followed, and
that Guru Bishan Sing was successful, but the expenses of litigation seriously
crippled the property. On the death of Fateh Singh, in
1879,
the jagir was temporarily resumed, and if was re-granted to Guru Bishan Singh
in 1885 under a sanad from the supreme Government.
Both Guru Gulab
Singh and Guru Fateh Singh exercised magisterial powers within the limits of
their jagirs but these privileges were not continued to Guru Bishan Singh, who
in 1896 was declared, at his own request, unfit to manage his estates, which
were placed under the Court of Wards. The expenses incurred by the Guru in his
case against his brother, Kabul Singh, amounted to about one lakh of rupees,
and these and other debts were later cleared off and many improvements were
effected, so that in 1909, the income from the estate was over Rs. 50,000 a
year. The family then owned nearly 25,000 acres in nine villages in the Muktsar
Tehsil. The Guru was a Provincial Darbari. He died in 1910 and was succeeded by
his eldest son, Jaswant Singh. He had given away to his brother Autar Singh
half of the property, except the abadi land, for his lifetime and the two
brothers jointly gifted a village to Hira Singh, the son of their sister in
perpetuity.
As head of the family, Guru Jaswant Singh continued to be the guardian of the sacred book and of the rosary which originally belonged to Guru Nanak Dev. These objects, which are said to have been lost recently, were held in high reverence by the people who travelled long distances for the privilege of seeing them.
MAMDOT
Muhammadot, which
is undoubtedly the present Mamdot (Tehsil Firozpur), is mentioned in the
Ain-i-Akbari as one of the six parganas subordinate to the Suba of Multan. Its
revenue was estimated at 3,94,452 dams, equivalent to Rs. 87,311. This Iraq formed
the south-west portion of the Firozpur District, and extended for about 64 km
along the left bank of the Satluj, having an average breadth of not more than
13 or 14 km. Its area, according to the survey made by Captain Stephen in 1850,
was 960.89 sq. km (371 sq. miles). In
this ilaqa, as in the other Iraqis included in the Firozpur District, there are
evident traces that it was at one time much better peopled and cultivated than
at present. The country had, however, become an entire waste when the Dogars,
with the consent of the imperial authorities, took possession of its, about
1750. During the decline of the empire, the Dogars here, as at Firozpur, made
themselves independent on the flight of the Lahore Governor, Kabuli Mal, in
1764. They were for a time subjected by Sardar Sobha Singh, a Sikh chief, who
then rose to temporary power. The Dogars, however called in the assistance of
the Rai of Raikot, who sent a body of troops, and, after dispersing the
followers of Sobha Singh, himself assumed the government. But the Dogars were
no better contented with the rule of the Rai than with that of the Sikh chief,
and soon after, with the assistance of his two brothers, Nizam-ud-Din and
Kut-ud-Din, who had made themselves supreme at Kasur (now in Pakistan), expelled the Rai and
would probably soon after have expelled their new rulers, had not the
establishment of the British power over the cis-Satluj States confirmed the
incumbents and prevented the recurrence of the violent expulsions of former
times.
The brothers, Nizam-ud-Din and Kutb-ud-Din, were Hassanzia
Pathans, and are said to have been formerly in the service of the Emperor of
Delhi. They after wards settled at Kasur, and, followed by a band of their
fellow-countrymen, took to plundering the country, until, in course of time,
they were able to establish their supremacy in the whole of the Kasur territory
and beyond the Satluj in Mamdot. They then divided the land, Nizam-ud-Din
fixing his residence at Kasur, and Kutb-und-Din at Khodian. Nizam-ud-Din was
murdered shortly afterwards, and Kutb-ud-Din established his undivided
authority over the whole state. He was soon, however compelled to give way to
the growing power of Ranjit Singh, who took Kasur from him, but gave him in
lieu of it the jagir of Maruf in the Gugera District, and allowed him to retain
Mamdot on the condition that he would provide 100 horsemen for service. The
Maruf contingent was also fixed at 100 horsemen.. Nizam-ud-Din left a son,
named Fateh Din, a minor, at the time of his murder. On coming of age, Fateh
Din appealed to the Maharaja against
the usurpation, of his estate by his uncle. The Maharaja put him in possession
of Maruf, and ordered Kutb-ud-Din to retire across the Satluj and fix his residence
at Mamdot. Shortly afterwards, Fateh Din, secretly encouraged, it is said, by
the Maharaja, crossed the Satluj to
attack his uncle, and with the assistance of the Dogars, who were as usual,
ever ready for a change, drove out Kutb-ud-Din and took possession of Mamdot.
Kutb-ud-Din died soon after wards from the wounds received in the conflict with
his nephew. His son Jamal-ud-Din, however, appealed to the Maharaja, who
recalled Fateh Din and installed Jamal-ud-Din at Mamdot. A few years later,
Fateh Din made another attempt on Mamdot, but the Agent of the British
Government interfered, and he was, in consequence, a second time recalled by
the Maharaja Fateh Din continued, however, to press his claim, and the title to
Mamdot was not formally decided till
the Satluj Campaign of 1845-46, when Shah Nawaz Khan, son of Fateh-ud-Din, was
killed at Ferozeshah, fighting on the side of the Sikhs. Jamal-ud-Din, on the
other hand, allied himself with the British and did good service, in reward for
which he received the title of Nawab,
and was allowed to retain sovereign powers in the State, his contingent being
at the same time reduced from 100 to 50 horsemen. The Nawab always entertained
the greatest animosity towards the Gogars on account of their former opposition
to his father and himself and gradually dispossessed most of the powerful
familities of their lands and drove them out of the country, The Dogars, unable
any longer to call in some foreign chief to their assistance, petitioned the
Commissioner of Ambala and an enquiry was instituted, in the course of which a
series of most atrocious acts were brought to light against the Nawab and his
two sons. Some cases of actual murder were also, it is believed, proved against the family. After a
prolonged and careful inquiry, Nawab Jamal-ud-Din was deposed and his
estates were attached to the Firozpur
District. Two-thirds of the revenue was granted for the support of the family
and one-third was appropriated to the State, Jamal-ud-Din died in 1863. His
brother, Jalal-ud-Din, who succeeded
him, died in 1875, and was succeeded by his son, Nizam-ud-Din Khan, who
attained his majority in 1883. He died in 1891 and was succeeded by his infant
son, Ghulm Kutb-ud-Din (born in 1889). During the young Nawab’s minority, the estate came for the second
time under the Court of Wards; and remained so until August 1934. The Nawab was
mentally infirm and could not manage affairs. He died issuless in March 1928,
and the jagir was as well as other
properties passed to Shah Nawaz Khan, the eldest grandson of Nawab Jamal-ud-Din
Khan, with the hereditary title of Nawab, the law of primogenture being
established.
Nawab Sir Shah Nawaz Khan was one of the biggest jagirdars and land-owners in the then Punjab Province and held a seat in the Darbar from the Firozpur District. He was knighted in 1939. On the partition of the country in 1947, he migrated to Pakistan.