Diwan Sawan Mal Chopra

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Diwan

Sawan Mal
Diwan Sawan Mal. Watercolour by a Company artist, Punjab, ca.1865.jpg
Diwan Sawan Mal seated holding a lotus. Watercolour by a Company artist, Punjab, ca.1865
Born
Died29 September 1844
Cause of deathSeriously wounded by an under-trial prisoner
Known forSikh statesman
TitleGovernor of Multan province (subah) of the Sikh Empire
Term1821–1844
Successor Diwan Mulraj Chopra
ParentHoshnak Rai Chopra (father)

Diwan Sawan Mal (died 29 September 1844) was a military officer and Governor (Diwan) of Lahore and Multan during the Sikh Empire.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Sawan Mal was born into a Hindu Khatri family of the Chopra gotra originally from Gujranwala, [1] [2] the region where Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Misl, the Sukerchakias held sway. He was a 'Munshi' to Malik Mohan Lal, Subahdar of Multan under the Durranis.

Career

Along with Hari Singh Nalwa, he was a top commander in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army. As a general under Ranjit Singh, he assisted in wresting the 'subah' (province) of Multan from the Durrani Afghans in 1823, after which he was made Diwan of the region. He instituted improvements in agricultural production through irrigation schemes.

In 1834, he signed an agreement on behalf of the Maharaja with Sardar Karam Khan, a Mazari warrior respected highly in his tribe as well as in the Sikh Army. Sardar Karam Khan was the younger brother of Mir Bahram Khan, Chief of the Baloch Mazari tribe, thereby ending the long war between the Sikhs and the Mazaris of Rojhan. He was succeeded to the governorship of Multan by his son, Diwan Mulraj Chopra, who was the last ethnic Punjabi to administer Multan. [3]

Death

He died on 29 September 1844 due to wounds inflicted upon him by an under-trial prisoner. [1]

Related Research Articles

Mazari is a Baloch tribe in Pakistan. Mazari is derived from the Balochi word mazar, which means "Tiger" in the Balochi language. Rojhan-Mazari, a town in the Rajanpur District of the Punjab near the inter-provincial borders of Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab, is the stronghold of the Mazari tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hari Singh Nalwa</span> General of the Sikh Empire (1791–1837)

Hari Singh Nalwa was Commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshawar and Jamrud. Hari Singh Nalwa was responsible for expanding the frontier of Sikh Empire to beyond the Indus River right up to the mouth of the Khyber Pass. At the time of his death, the western boundary of the empire was Jamrud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulab Singh</span> First Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir from 1846–1856

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Jamrud</span> 1837 battle of the Afghan–Sikh Wars

The Battle of Jamrud was fought between the Emirate of Afghanistan under Emir Dost Mohammad Khan and the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh on 30 April 1837. Afghan forces confronted the Sikh forces at Jamrud. The garrisoned army was able to hold off the Afghans till Sikh reinforcements arrived to relieve them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diwan Mulraj Chopra</span>

Mulraj Chopra was the Diwan (governor) of Multan and leader of a Sikh rebellion against the British which led to the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewan Mokham Chand</span>

Diwan Mokham Chand was one of the chief commanders of the Sikh Empire. He conquered Attock from the Durrani Afghans in 1813 and subdued the Rajputs in the Hills of Himachal and in Jammu at Jasrota, Chamba, and Basroli. He also commanded one of the early Sikh expeditions to conquer Kashmir that ended in failure due to bad weather blocking the passes to the valley. Mokham Chand was born in a Hindu Khatri family origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Nowshera</span> 1823 Sikh–Afghan battle

The Battle of Nowshera was fought in Nowshera in March 1823 between the Yusufzai Afghans, supported by the Peshawar sardars, alongside Azim Khan Barakzai, the Afghan governor of Peshawar, where they would face the Sikh armies led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Azim Khan was a half-brother of Dost Mohammad Khan, future ruler of Kabul, and later Afghanistan. The battle was a victory for the Sikhs, successfully defeating Azim Khan's armies. This victory allowed them to begin to their occupation of the Peshawar Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kharak Singh</span> Second Maharaja of the Sikh Empire from 1839–1839

Kharak Singh was the second Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was the eldest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire and his consort, Maharani Datar Kaur. He succeeded his father on 27 June 1839 and reigned until his dethronement and imprisonment on 8 October 1839. He was succeeded by his only son Nau Nihal Singh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Attock (1813)</span> 1813 battle during the Afghan-Sikh Wars

The Battle of Attock took place on 13 July 1813 between the Sikh Empire and the Durrani Empire. The battle was the first significant Sikh victory over the Durranis.

The siege of Multan began in March 1818 and lasted until 2 June 1818 as part of the Afghan–Sikh Wars, and saw the Sikh Empire capture the city of Multan from the Durrani Empire.

The Battle of Shopian took place on 3 July 1819 between an expeditionary force from the Sikh Empire and Jabbar Khan, the governor of the Kashmir Valley province of the Durrani Empire. It was the decisive battle during the Sikh expedition into Kashmir in 1819.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh period in Lahore</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan–Sikh wars</span> 1748–1837 wars between the Afghan and Sikh empires

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nawab Muzaffar Khan</span> Governor of Multan (1757 – 1818)

Nawab Muzaffar Khan was the last Afghan governor of Multan.

Sardar Kahan Singh Nakai was the sixth and the last chief of the Nakai Misl. He was the grandson of the famous Sikh chief, Ran Singh Nakai and Sardarni Karmo Kaur. His aunt, Maharani Datar Kaur was the wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire; thus making him the nephew of the Sher-e-Punjab. From an early age he assisted his father in campaigns and even commanded campaigns assigned to him by his uncle, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. His cousin, Kharak Singh went to become the second Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was the uncle of the third Maharaja, Nau Nihal Singh.

Sardarni Karam Kaur popularly known as Karmo Kaur was the wife of Ran Singh Nakai,the third ruler of the Nakai Misl. She served as the regent of the Nakai Misl during the reign of her sons, Bhagwan Singh and Gyan Singh. Being the mother of Maharani Datar Kaur, she was the mother-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. She was the grandmother of Maharaja Kharak Singh, the second king of the Sikh Empire and Sardar Kahan Singh Nakai, the last chief of the Nakai Misl.

Sultan Mahmud Khan was a commander of the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of Sarkar e Khalsa. His derah of artillery was designated as Topkhana Sultan Mahmud. He is regarded as one of the best commanding officers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

References

  1. 1 2 The encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 4. Harbans Singh. Patiala: Punjabi University. 1992–1998. p. 82. ISBN   0-8364-2883-8. OCLC   29703420.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Yasmin, Robina (2022). Muslims Under Sikh Rule in the Nineteenth Century: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Religious Tolerance. Library of Islamic South Asia. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 92. ISBN   9780755640348.
  3. http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/postgurus/herosvillains/heroes%20villains.htm