Gulab Singh Saini

Last updated

Gulab Singh Saini was an Indian freedom fighter and commander-in-chief of the army of princely state of Ballabhgarh. He led the army of Ballabhgarh state in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and was hanged on 9 January 1858 in Delhi's Chandni Chowk along with two other leaders of the mutiny.[ citation needed ]

Early life

He was the son of Jodh Singh Saini. His ancestors were close associates of Raja Nahar Singh's family for many generations and Gulab Singh's forefathers traditionally held the ranks of army chief successively in this predominantly Jat principality. Gulab Singh Saini's father, Jodh Singh, was also the 'senapati', or commander-in-chief, of Ballabhgarh's army during the time of Raja Ram Singh, who was Nahar Singh's father. Raja Nahar Singh is said to have received all of his military training from Jodh Singh, and later Jodh Singh's son, Gulab Singh, was appointed as the 'senapati' or the army chief upon the coronation of Nahar Singh as the Raja of Ballabhgarh. [1] [ dubious discuss ][ unreliable source? ]

Role in 1857 mutiny

On May 10, 1857 when English soldiers advanced from Merut and Ambala to attack Delhi, they had to fight a fierce battle with Gulab Singh Saini and his dare-devil native army. Having completely routed the English army and having made them flee for their lives, he thus played significant role in the coronation of Bahadur Shah Zafar once again as the emperor of India. [2]

According to B.P. Dheeraj, a correspondent of Punjab Kesari, Gulab Singh Saini took a stand against the English army in the village of Sihi. He led a composite army which consisted of Muslims, Jats, Sainis, Meos and a lot of other soldiers of Rajput extractions. On 10 May 1857 Gulab Singh and his native army inflicted a crushing defeat on the army of East India Company and forced them to retreat. This campaign was undertaken to prevent the English army's entry into Delhi to dethrone Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last nominal Mughal emperor of India. Due to Gulab Singh's efforts there English temporarily failed in accomplishing this and this allowed Bahadur Shah Zafar to be crowned again as the emperor of India [3] and the nominal leader of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by a congress of Indian rulers. [2]

Capture and execution

Gulab Singh Saini was hanged, along with Nahar Singh and Madho Singh, in the Chandni Chowk of New Delhi on 9 January 1858 after they had been allegedly captured by deception by English forces. Thereupon, all of his property and land was confiscated by the British colonialists and all public records pertaining to him and his companions were burnt down to erase the influence of their martyrdom on the natives. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahadur Shah Zafar</span> Emperor of India from 1837 to 1857

Bahadur Shah II (born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah Zafar, was the twentieth and last Mughal emperor and a Hindustani poet. He was the second son and the successor to his father, Akbar II, who died in 1837. He was a titular Emperor, as the Mughal Empire existed in name only and his authority was limited only to the walled city of Old Delhi. Following his involvement in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British deposed him and exiled him to Rangoon in British-controlled Burma in late 1858, after convicting him on several charges. The title of Empress of India was subsequently assumed by Queen Victoria.

The Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. Located close to the Old Delhi railway station, the Mughal-era Red Fort is located at the eastern fringes of Chandni Chowk. It was built in 1650 by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter, Jahanara. The street spanning the market was historically divided by canals, engineered to reflect moonlight. These canals have since been closed, leaving behind a transformed urban landscape. It remains one of India's largest wholesale markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farrukhsiyar</span> Mughal emperor from 1713 to 1719

Farrukhsiyar, also spelled as Farrukh Siyar, was the tenth Mughal Emperor from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after deposing his uncle Jahandar Shah. He was an emperor only in name, with all effective power in the hands of the courtier Sayyid brothers. He was born during the reign of his great-grandfather Aurangzeb, as the son of Azim-ush-Shan and Sahiba Niswan. Reportedly a handsome man who was easily swayed by his advisers, he was said to lack the ability, knowledge and character to rule independently. He was executed by Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Fort</span> Historical fort in Delhi, India

The Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila is a historic Mughal fort in Delhi, India, that served as the primary residence of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort on May 12, 1639, following his decision to relocate the Mughal capital from Agra to Delhi. Originally adorned in red and white, the fort's design is attributed to Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the architect behind the Taj Mahal. The Red Fort represents the pinnacle of Mughal architecture during Shah Jahan's reign, blending Persian palace influences with indigenous Indian architectural traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Delhi</span> Municipality in Delhi, India

Old Delhi is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city and officially named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan decided to shift the Mughal capital from Agra. The construction of the city was completed in 1648, and it remained the capital of Mughal India until its fall in 1857, when the British Empire took over as paramount power in the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakht Khan</span> Indian military officer

General Bakht Khan (1797–1859) was the commander-in-chief of the Indian rebel forces in the city of Delhi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the East India Company.

Kuchesar was a Zamindari Estate of Dalal Jats during the British Raj. It is situated off the NH 24 in what is now of Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh, India, 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Delhi.

Charkhi Dadri is a city and the headquarters of Charkhi Dadri district in the Indian state of Haryana, about 90 km from the national capital Delhi. The town was made by joining the villages of Charkhi and Dadri after urban development. Charkhi Dadri is on NH 148B between Narnaul to Bathinda and NH 348B between Meerut to Pilani segment passing through the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib</span> Sikh place of worship in Delhi, India

Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. It was first constructed in 1783 as a small shrine by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur and was probably expanded after Indian Rebellion of 1857 or after Partition of India. Before its construction the Mughal Kotwali was situated here. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the Mughal Kotwali was demolished by the British and the land was given to the Sikhs as the maharaja of Patiala and other Sikh soldiers helped the British to defeat the Mughal soldiers by providing large numbers of ammunition and soldiers. Its current building was made by Rai Bahadur Narain Singh a contractor who build most of roads in Lutyens New Delhi construction under British Rule. Situated in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, it marks the site where the ninth Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on 11 November 1675. The Sikh regiment of the Indian army salute the Sis Ganj Gurudwara before saluting the president of India since 1979, the only instance of saluting twice in the Republic Day parade by a regiment of Indian army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nahar Singh</span> Raja of Ballabhgarh

Raja Nahar Singh was the Raja of the princely state of Ballabhgarh in Faridabad District of Haryana, India. He fought against The East India Company in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The small kingdom of Ballabhgarh is only 20 miles from Delhi. Nahar Singh Stadium in Faridabad is named after him. The Raja Nahar Singh metro station in Violet line is also named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballabhgarh</span> Village in Haryana, India

Ballabgarh, officially Balramgarh, is a large town, nearby Faridabad city and a tehsil (subdistrict) in Faridabad district of Haryana, India, and is part of the Delhi National Capital Region or Delhi NCR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khooni Darwaza</span> Gate in Delhi, India

Khooni Darwaza, also referred to as Lal Darwaza was initially called as Kabuli Darwaza, The gate is located near Delhi Gate, on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi, India. It is one of the 13 surviving gates in Delhi. It is just south of the fortified Old Delhi and was constructed by Sher Shah Suri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalsia</span> Sikh state

Kalsia was a princely state in Punjab, British India, one of the former Cis-Sutlej states. It was founded by Gurbaksh Singh Kalsia in 1760. After India's independence, it was included in PEPSU and later in the Indian East Punjab after the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. The area of Kalsia is now located in the modern day Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. In 1940 the population of Kalsia was 67,393. Kalsia was ruled by Jat Sikhs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dogra dynasty</span> Hindu dynasty of Jammu and Kashmir (1846–1952)

The Dogra dynasty of Dogra Rajputs from the Shivalik hills created Jammu and Kashmir through the treaties with the East India Company following the First Anglo-Sikh war. Events led the Sikh Empire to recognise Jammu as a vassal state in 1820, and later the British added Kashmir to Jammu with the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846. The founder of the dynasty, Gulab Singh, was an influential noble in the court of the Sikh emperor Maharaja Ranjit Singh, while his brother Dhian Singh served as the prime minister of the Sikh Empire. Appointed by Ranjit Singh as the hereditary Raja of the Jammu principality, Gulab Singh established his supremacy over all the hill states surrounding the Kashmir Valley. After the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846, under the terms of the Treaty of Lahore, 1846, the British East India Company acquired Kashmir from the Sikh Empire and transferred it to Gulab Singh, recognising him as an independent Maharaja. Thus, Jammu and Kashmir was established as one of the largest princely states in India, receiving a 21-gun salute for its Maharaja in 1921. It was ruled by Gulab Singh and his descendants until 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phool Walon Ki Sair</span> Annual celebration of florists in Delhi, India

Phool Waalon Ki Sair meaning "procession of the florists" is an annual celebration by the flower sellers of Delhi. It is a three-day festival, generally held in the month of September, just after the rainy season in the region of Mehrauli. It is seen as an example of the composite culture of Delhi, which has bolstered an environment of communal harmony in the city, and even today the festival is celebrated by both Hindus and Muslims alike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirza Shah Abbas</span> Mughal prince (1845–1910)

Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur was son of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. He was a younger brother of Prince Mirza Mughal and former Crown Princes Mirza Dara Bakht, Mirza Jawan Bakht, and Mirza Fath-ul-Mulk Bahadur. Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramgarhia Misl</span> State in the Sikh confederacy (1707–1799)

Ramgarhia Misl was a sovereign state (misl) in the Sikh Confederacy of Punjab region in present-day India and Pakistan. The misl's name is derived from Qila Ramgarh, a place located in Ramsar, near Amritsar, which was fortified and redesigned by Ramgarhia Misl chief Jassa Singh Ramgarhia. The Ramgarhia Misl was one of the twelve major Sikh misls, and held land near Amritsar.

Bhura Singh Valmiki was an Indian freedom fighter and commander-in-chief of the army of princely state of Ballabhgarh. He led the army of Ballabhgarh state in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and was hanged on 9 January 1858 in Delhi's Chandni Chowk along with two other leaders of the mutiny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballabgarh (jagir)</span> Hindu Jat Kingdom in Haryana

Ballabhgarh estate, historically known as Ballabgarh estate was originally a state and later a jagir (estate) in Haryana, India, ruled by Jats of Tewatia clan. It was founded by Jat king Raja Gopal Tewatia on 1705.

References

  1. Raja Nahar Singh Ka Balidan, Dr. Ranjit Singh Saini (MA, LLB, Ph.D),pp 10, New Bhartiya Book Corporation, 2000 Edition, Printers- Amar Jain Printing Press, New Delhi.
  2. 1 2 Shaheed Gulab Singh Saini, by B.P. Dheeraj (Correspondent), Punjab Kesari, 12 March 1997 Edition
  3. 1857 The First Challenge, Thursday, 10 May 2007, Prof V.N. Datta, The Tribune, Chandigarh, India
  4. Post-Pāinian Systems of Sanskrit Grammar,Dedication page, Ranjit Singh Saini , Published by Parimal Publications, 1999