Jassa Singh Ahluwalia

Jassa Singh was born on 3 May 1718 in a Kalal Sikh family in the Ahlu village near Lahore, Punjab. Originally known as Jassa Singh Kalal, he styled himself as Ahluwalia after his ancestral village. Jassa Singh is described as a member of the Kalal or wine distiller caste. During the period of Kharak Singh (r. 1870–1877) a Bhatti Rajput origin story was also created. According to this tradition, one of the Bhatti Rajputs Rana Har Rai had to leave the throne of Jaisalmer for refusing to marry his niece to the Mughal emperor Akbar. However, there is virtually no evidence of this account. According to this account, Har Rai migrated to Punjab, where his descendants married with the Jats, and gradually they became Jats. Starting with Sadhu Singh (also called Sadho or Sadda Singh), they married with Kalals, and the family came to be known as "Ahluwalia Kalal". British administrator Lepel Griffin, who wrote an account of the rulers of Punjab, dismissed this tradition as fictitious. According to the dynasty's account, Sadhu's Singh's great-grandson Badar Singh and his wife remained childless for a long time, and sought blessings from Guru Gobind Singh. As a result, Jassa Singh was born to them. == The formation of the Dal Khalsa and the Misls ==

In 1733, Zakariya Khan Bahadur attempted to negotiate peace with the Sikhs by offering them a jagir, the title Nawab to their leader, and unimpeded access to the Harmandir Sahib. After discussion at a Sarbat Khalsa, Kapur Singh was elected leader of the Sikhs and took the title of Nawab. He combined the various Sikh militias into two groups; the Taruna Dal and the Budha Dal, which would collectively be known as the Dal Khalsa. Sikh militias over 40 years of age would be part of the Budha Dal and Sikh militias under 40 years were part of the Taruna Dal. The Taruna Dal was further divided in five jathas, each with 1300 to 2000 men and a separate drum and banner. The area of operations of each Dal, or army, was Hari ke Pattan, where the Sutlej river and Beas River meet; the Taruna Dal would control the area east of Hari ke Pattan while the Budha Dal would control the area west of it. The purpose of the Budha Dal, the veteran group, was to protect Gurdwaras and train the Taruna Dal, while the Taruna Dal would act as combat troops. However, in 1735, the agreement between Zakariya Khan and Nawab Kapur Singh broke down and the Dal Khalsa retreated to the Sivalik Hills to regroup. Later the command of Dal Khalsa was taken by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia who was an able and powerful administrator, even displaced & brought Mughal’s centre of power at the time (Red Fort) under Khalsa flag. He made the foundation of Khalsa firm for future generations to lead. He killed Jaspat Rai, hindu Mughal commander who killed many sikhs. == Military campaigns ==

Nadir Shah's invasion In 1739, Nadir Shah, the Persian ruler, invaded much of Northern India, including Punjab, defeating the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal in 1739, he plundered the city of Delhi (Shahjahanabad) robbing it of treasures like the Peacock throne, the Kohinoor diamond and the Darya-i-Noor diamond. Meanwhile, all the Khalsa bands got together and passed a resolution that Nadir shah had plundered the city of Delhi and now he is taking Indian women as slaves to his country. Sikhs made a plan to free all the slaves. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was 21 years old at that time, he planned raids to free all slaves. He along with other Sikh bands attacked Nadir shah forces, freed all slaves and sent those slaves back to their families safely. Ahluwalia participated in many battles as well where he proved himself to be a natural leader. In a 1748 meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa, Nawab Kapur Singh appointed him as his successor. His followers awarded him the title Sultan-ul-Qaum (King of the Nation). The raids of Ahmed Shah Abdali Ahmad Shah Durrani, Nader Shah's senior most general, succeeded to the throne of Afghanistan when Shah was murdered in June 1747. He established his own dynasty, the Sadozai, which was the name of the Pashtun khel to which he belonged. However they were never able to subdue the Sikhs in the Punjab. The Punjab now came under Maratha rule, with Adina appointed subahdar and later Nawab of the Punjab in 1758 in return for a yearly tribute of seventy five lakh of rupees. Raghunathrao and Malhar Rao Holkar, the two commanders-in-chief of the Maratha forces, remained in Lahore for three months after which they retired to the Deccan leaving Adina in sole control. Help of Sikhs to Jats of Bharatpur Suraj Mal (1707–63) was the founder of Jat State of Bharatpur. He was killed on 25 December 1763 near Delhi by Najib ul Daulah, the Ruhilaa chief who had been appointed Mir Bakshi and Regent at Delhi by Ahmed Shah Durrani. Suraj Mal’s son Jawahar Singh sought help from Sikhs who responded with a Sikh force of 40,000 under the command of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. The Sikhs crossed the Yamuna on 20 February 1764 and attacked the surrounding areas. Najib ul Daulah rushed back to Delhi thereby relieving the pressure on Bharatpur. Najib ul Daulah suffered another defeat at hands of Sikhs under Ahluwalia after a battle that lasted 20 days in the trans-Yamuna area at Barari Ghat, 20 km north of Delhi. He retired to Red Fort on 9 January 1765 and within a month Sikhs defeated Najib ul Daulah again in Nakhas (horse market) and in Sabzi Mandi. In December 1765, the Sikhs embarked on their usual expeditions, moving from Saharanpur to Delhi and then to Rewari, causing widespread destruction along the way. During this time, Jawahar Singh was engaged in a conflict with Raja Madho Singh of Jaipur. To strengthen his position, Jawahir Singh hired 25,000 Sikh soldiers led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. In response, Madho Singh sought help from the Marathas. Fearing a Maratha attack on Bharatpur, Jawahar Singh made peace with Jaipur, paid a subsidy to the Sikhs, and allowed them to leave. After resolving matters with Jaipur, Jawahar Singh attacked Dholpur, which was controlled by his step-brother Nahar Singh. To fight this battle, Jawahar Singh employed about 7,000 Sikhs, while Nahar Singh enlisted the help of the Marathas. A fierce battle occurred on 13–14 March 1766, in which the Marathas were heavily defeated and abandoned Nahar Singh. Left without support, Nahar Singh sought refuge with Madho Singh of Jaipur, who then bribed the Sikhs to leave Jawahar Singh and return to Punjab. Issued the Coins in Lahore, November 1761 In September 1761, Khawajah Abed Khan, the governor of Lahore, launched a surprise attack on Charat Singh in Gujranwala. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia promptly led the Dal Khalsa to aid Charat Singh, forcing Abed Khan to flee hastily to Lahore while abandoning his entire baggage train. Following the Diwali festivities in November 1761, Jassa Singh directed the Dal Khalsa to launch a counterattack on Lahore. Abed Khan barricaded himself within the fort, while prominent local citizens sought an audience with Jassa Singh. These citizens proposed surrendering the city to the Sikhs in exchange for ensuring the inhabitants’ safety and security through Sikh occupation. The Sikhs accepted, secured the city, and then launched an assault on the fort. Ghulam Ali described the Sikhs’ rebellion, the killing of Abed Khan, and Jassa Singh’s proclamation as king: “They raised the standard of rebellion and disturbance, and killed his viceroy at Lahore. They raised a person named Jassa Singh from among themselves to the status of a king.” This account is supported by Siyar-u-Mutakhirin (1782), Tarikh-e-Muzaffari (1787), Khushwaqt Rae (1811), and Ahmad Yadgar (1835). Ganesh Das’s account, written after Punjab’s annexation in 1849, is considered unreliable due to contemporary evidence. His claims contradict the accounts of multiple historians who lived closer to the events. Kartar Singh Tegh Khalsa confirms that Jassa Singh struck the coins, although some were sent to Ahmad Shah Durrani to provoke him. Ahmad Shah Durrani with his Soldiers reached Malerkotla, west of Sirhind, then attacked a 20,000 Sikh army escorting 40,000 women and children, along with the elderly. In one of their worst defeats—known as Vadda Ghalughara—the Sikhs lost perhaps 5–10,000+ soldiers and had 20,000 civilians massacred. The Afghan forces of Ahmad Shah Durrani came out victorious with the night ambush on the large convoy. At Anandpur, March 1763 In March 1763, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, the renowned Sikh leader, joined forces with the Dal Khalsa at Anandpur to celebrate the festive occasion of Hola. However, the festivities were soon overshadowed by complaints from local Sikhs about the mistreatment they suffered at the hands of Gale Khan Rajput of Kathgarh and the zamindars of Shankargarh. Determined to protect his people, Jassa Singh embarked on an expedition against these oppressors, establishing Sikh military posts at Kathgarh and Balachaur to maintain order and discipline This strategic move not only secured the region but also paved the way for Jassa Singh to collect tribute from neighbouring rulers, including the rajas of Bilaspur and Nalagarh, solidifying the Dal Khalsa's authority. As he returned to Fatahabad, Jassa Singh demonstrated his unwavering resolve by seizing Kot Isha Khan from Qadir Bakhsh, further expanding the Dal Khalsa's influence Conquest of Jalandhar and Malerkotla In June 1763, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia marched towards Jalandhar, Sadat Yar-Khan, the Governor of Jalandhar so much terrified he did not stir out of his capital, Jassa Singh sacked Jalandhar, In December 1763, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia defeated and Killed Bhikhan Khan, the Nawab of Malerkotla, and plundered Morinda. Ahmad Shah Durrani Seventh Invasion In 1765, Ahmad Shah Durrani invaded India for seventh time in the winter of 1764–1765, During this campaign he constantly harassed by Sikhs, Qazi Nur Muhammad who was present in the Afghan army describes the numbers of engagements between Sikhs and Afghans, a battle was fought on the western bank of the Satluj opposite Rupar, it was morning and the Afghan army was hardly gone 3 km from the western bank of the Satluj, when they attacked by the Sikhs, The Afghans immediately stopped marching and got into regular formation of battle, Ahmad Shah Durrani was in the center with 6,000 choice soldiers, Shah Vali Khan, Jahan Khan, Shah Pasand Khan, Anzala Khan and others at the head of 12,000 troops were on the right Nasir Khan with 12,000 Baluchis was on the left, The Dal Khalsa also organised themselves in regular battle army Jassa Singh Ahluwalia fearlessly stood like a mountain in the center close by him was Jassa Singh Thokah, looking like a lion in stature, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia Joined Dal Khalsa at 10 March 1783, and on 11 March, Dal Khalsa entered in the royal palaces in the red fort. In the Diwan-e-Am Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was placed on the throne of Delhi as Badshah Singh of Delhi by Sikhs, Through Ramgarhia was in minority, yet he challenged the Ahluwalia and called upon him to get down immediately. Both sides drew out swords and were about to pounce upon each other when Jassa Singh Ahluwalia at once renounced the honour == Death and legacy ==

'', circa early 20th century Jassa Singh Ahluwalia died on 23 October 1783 in Amritsar. {{cquote|He (Jassa Singh Ahluwalia) had the great privilege of conquering Lahore and issuing his own coin ... [and] sitting on the throne of the Mughal Emperors in the Red Fort at Delhi [after conquering it]. He fought a number of times face to face with Ahmad Shah Durrani, the greatest Asian general of his days. The invader tried to win him over in vain. The Maharajas of Patiala and Jind stood before him in all reverence and humility. The Rajas of Nalagarh, Bilaspur, Kangra Hills and Jammu touched his knees. The Nawabs of Malerkotla and Kunjpura paid him homage. And yet he remained a humble and docile disciple of Guru Gobind Singh. In the person of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, the Guru actually made a sparrow kill hawks. Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Government College (NJSA Government College) in Kapurthala, established in 1856 by Raja Randhir Singh of Kaputhala is named after him. A commemorative postage stamp on Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was issued by Government of India on 4 April 1985. == Rescue of Maratha women ==

The surviving accounts of Jassa Singh rescuing Hindu women captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani appears exclusively in 19th-century texts—Munshi Kanhaiyya Lal's Tareekh-e-Punjab and Gian Singh's Shamsher Khalsa—written more than a century after the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. This temporal gap and source limitation raises significant historiographical concerns about the narrative's reliability. ==In popular culture==

Television • In the 2010 historical TV series Maharaja Ranjit Singh telecasted on DD National, the character of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia is portrayed by Shahbaz Khan. == See also ==