Ghaus Khan | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1814 |
| Allegiance |  Sukerchakia Misl  Sikh Empire |
| Service | Topkhana |
| Years of service | 1804–1814 |
| Rank | Artillery commander |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Attock (1813) Battle of Kashmir (1814) |
| Children | Sultan Mahmud Khan |
Mian Ghaus Khan (died 1814), better known as Mian Ghausa, was a Punjabi Muslim who served as an artillery officer for Sardar Maha Singh of Sukerchakia Misl and later his son Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire. [1]
Ghaus Khan belonged to a Rajput family from Batala in Gurdaspur district. His family had been associated with gunnery for generations. [2]
Ghaus Khan started his career in the army of Maha Singh. His first significant participation was during the conquest of the Rohtas Fort from Nur-ud-Din Bamezai, a Durrani general. He accompanied Maha Singh during four-month siege to Rasool Nagar, in which they were assisted by Jai Singh Kanhaiya, chief of the Kanhaiya Misl. [3]
Ghaus Khan served under the 10-year old Ranjit Singh during the siege of Sodhra. Sometime after, Maha Singh died and Ranjit Singh was crowned the chief of Sukerchakia Misl. In 1799, he accompanied Ranjit Singh and his mother-in-law, Sada Kaur in the conquest of Lahore from the Bhangi Misl. Ghaus Khan was a skilful artillery officer and known to be close to both Maha Singh and Ranjit Singh. [4] In 1801, Ranjit Singh was proclaimed the Maharaja of Punjab. Ghaus Khan became artillery commander of Khalsa Army in 1804, and was rewarded with jagirs of Van and Bharoval in Amritsar district, along with a mansion in Lahore. [2] [1] In 1807, he commanded the operation with the six-year old Prince Kharak Singh, when he was sent to capture the fort of Sheikhupura. In 1812, when Ranjit Singh reorganized the artillery wing of his army into Topkhana Khas and Topkhana Mubarak, Ghaus Khan was placed in charge of both, with the designation of Darogha-i-Topkhana. [1]
Ghaus Khan commanded the artillery during the battle of Attock in 1813, in which the Attock fort was captured. He died of Cholera during the Kashmir campaign in 1814. [1] After his death, his son Sultan Mahmud Khan (d. 1859) too served as an artillery officer in the army of Ranjit Singh. [4]
Ranjit Singh was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839.
Maha Singh, also spelt as Mahan or Mahn Singh, was the second Sardar of the Sukerchakia Misl, which as a Sikh grouping with its guerilla militia was one of twelve Sikh Misls that later became part of the Sikh Empire. He was the eldest son of Sardar Charat Singh and Sardarni Desan Kaur Warraich. He was the father of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
The Kangra Fort is a historic fort located in the Kangra district of the Himachal Pradesh state in India. The fort is also known as 'Nagarkot' and 'Kot Kangra'. This fort stands on a hillock between two rivers, among the foothills of the Dhauladhar range. The fort is the largest in the Indian Himalayas, and is under the protection of the Archeological Survey of India. The Kangra Fort is also the oldest fort in the Himalayas and, according to Indian mythology, has a legendary history spanning approximately 4,000 years.
The Sikh Khalsa Army, also known as Khalsaji or simply Sikh Army, was the military force of the Sikh Empire. With its roots in the Khalsa founded by Guru Gobind Singh, the army was later modernised on Franco-British principles by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It was divided in three wings: the Fauj-i-Khas (elites), Fauj-i-Ain and Fauj-i-Be Qawaid (irregulars). Due to the lifelong efforts of the Maharaja and his European officers, it gradually became a prominent fighting force of Asia. Ranjit Singh changed and improved the training and organisation of his army. He reorganized responsibility and set performance standards in logistical efficiency in troop deployment, manoeuvre, and marksmanship. He reformed the staffing to emphasize steady fire over cavalry and guerrilla warfare, improved the equipment and methods of war. The military system of Ranjit Singh combined the best of both old and new ideas. He strengthened the infantry and the artillery. He paid the members of the standing army from treasury, instead of the Mughal method of paying an army with local feudal levies.
Maharani Datar Kaur (born Bibi Raj Kaur Nakai; was the queen consort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire and the mother of his successor, Maharaja Kharak Singh. She was the daughter of Sardar Ran Singh Nakai, third ruler of the Nakai Misl and Sardarni Karmo Kaur.
The KanhaiyaMisl was one of the twelve misls of the Sikh Confederacy. It had been founded by Sandhu Jats.
Sardar Charat Singh, also romanised as Charhat Singh, was the founder of Sukerchakia Misl, father of Mahan Singh, and the grandfather of Ranjit Singh, the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He distinguished himself at an early age in campaigns against Ahmad Shah Abdali and along with 150 horsemen split from the Singhpuria Misl to establish the Sukerchakia Misl, a separate grouping with its distinct guerilla militia.
Rani Sada Kaur was a Sikh leader. She served as the Chief of the Kanhaiya Misl from 1789 to 1821, following the death of her husband Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya, the heir to Jai Singh Kanhaiya, the leader of the Kanhaiya Misl, and she is sometimes referred to as Sardarni Sada Kaur.
Sardar Gujjar Singh Bhangi was a Sikh warrior of the Bhangi Misl, and one of the triumvirates who ruled over Lahore prior to the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Jai Singh Kanhaiya (1712–1793) was the founder and, until his death, leader of the Kanhaiya Misl in Punjab. His daughter-in-law, Sada Kaur succeeded him as the misl leader.
The Sikh Rule in Lahore initiated from the conquest and rule of the Sikh Misls and extended till the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh which ended in 1849. The Sikhs began gaining power following the decline of the Mughal Empire in Punjab and consisted of a collection of autonomous Punjabi Misls, which were governed by Misldars, mainly in the Punjab region.
The Afghan–Sikh wars spanned from 1748 to 1837 in the Indian subcontinent, and saw multiple phases of fighting between the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Empire, mainly in and around Punjab region. The conflict's origins stemmed from the days of the Dal Khalsa, and continued after the Emirate of Kabul succeeded the Durrani Empire.
The Fauj-i-Ain was a branch of the Sikh Khalsa Army and was the regular army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab. It contained infantry, cavalry and artillery units. The Fauj-i-Ain had two divisions, the Kampu-i-mu'alla, and the Fauj-i-Khas.
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.
Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya was the eldest son and heir of Jai Singh Kanhaiya, the chief of the Kanhaiya Misl. He was the father of Maharani Mehtab Kaur and thus, the father-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire.
Rani Raj Kaur was the wife of Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl and the mother of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. She was affectionately known as Mai Malwain after her marriage. She is also referred to as Sardarni Raj Kaur and Rajkumari Bibiji Raj Kaur Sahiba before marriage. She was the daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind.
Sardar Ran Singh Nakai was the third chief of the Nakai Misl, which was one of the Sikh groupings and guerilla militia that later became part of the Sikh Empire. He was born to the Sandhu family of Jat Sikhs. He distinguished himself at an early age in campaigns with his father, Natha Singh Sandhu and uncle, the legendary Heera Singh Sandhu who was the founder of the Misl. Ran Singh was a fierce warrior and a powerful misldar; under his leadership the misl was at its highest. He was the father of Maharani Datar Kaur and the father-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. He was the grandfather of Maharaja Kharak Singh, the second king of the Sikh Empire and Sardar Kahan Singh Nakai, the last chief of the Nakai Misl.
Sardar Kahan Singh Nakai was the sixth and 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 one of the wives of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire. 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 on to become the second Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, though he ruled for barely four months. 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, one of the groupings with its distinct guerilla militia that later became part of the Sikh Empire. Karmo Kaur served as the regent of the Nakai Misl during the reign of her sons, Bhagwan Singh and Gyan Singh. She was the mother of Maharani Datar Kaur, one of the wives 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 Muslim Punjabi 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.