Hari Singh Nalwa - Lion of Gujranwala

Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa

I knew that my cousin is married to the direct descendant of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa but I admit that I did not know much about this great Sikh general. My research found interesting articles in India, Pakistan, and Britain.about Hari Singh Nalwa. I am sharing all those as collage of topics referenced from previous publications.

Background

Hari Singh was born into an Uppal Khatri family, in Gujranwala, Punjab to Gurdas Singh and Dharam Kaur. Hari Singh's ancestors were early adopters of Sikhism and took part in the Sikh struggles against Mughals and Afghans. His grandfather, Hardas Singh was martyred in the "Wadda Ghallughara" in 1762, defending the Sikh families from genocidal goons of Ahmad Shah Abdali at Jandiala, 11 miles east of Amritsar. His father, Gurdas Singh joined Sukarchakia Misl and fought alongside Maharaja Ranjit Singh's grandfather Charat Singh and father Maha Singh. He was the the Jagirdar of Balloki, a village in Kasur District of West Punjab. After his father died in 1798, Hari Singh was raised by his mother and took Amrit in 1801 at age ten.

In 1804, Maharaja Ranjit Singh was impressed by Hari Singh in a recruitment test for service in the Sikh army and appointed him as his personal bodyguard. Soon in 1805, he took the command of 800 horses and was given the title of 'Sardar' (Chief). Hari Singh went on to participate in many glorious military campaigns for the Sikh Army and became the Commander-in-Chief for the North Western Frontier region.

Hari Singh Nalwa

Military Career

Hari Singh Nalwa (1791–1837) was the Commander-in-chief of 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.

Hari Singh Nalwa Returning after Liberation of Kashmir

Hari Singh Nalwa has topped the list of Top Ten conquerors of the History that has compiled by Billionaires Australia. The main reason of why has topped the list that he achieved so much with so little. Besides that he became the only man in history to take the Khyber Pass – the mountain path that was used for thousands of years to invade India. There is not a military leader in the world that has not heard about and studied the exploits of Hari Singh Nalwa. He took part in about 20 battles and won each one of them convincingly:

Kasur (1807) Hari Singh assisted Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Jodh Singh Ramgarhia in defeating Qutubuddin Khan, the Afghan ruler of Kasur.
Sialkot (1808) Hari Sigh's first battle victory as an independent command over Jiwan Singh of Bhangi Misl.
Fort of Attock (1813) Sikh confederate army led by Dewan Mokham Chand defeated Afghan Wazir Fatteh Khan and his brother Dost Mohammad Khan. Besides Hari Singh Nalwa, Hukam Singh Attariwala, Shyamu Singh, Fateh Singh Ahluwalia and Behmam Singh Malliawala actively participated in this battle.
South Punjab (1816) Misr Diwan Chand, Illahi Bakhsh, Fateh Singh Ahluwalia, Nihal Singh Attariwala and Hari Singh Nalwa captured the forts of Mahmudkot, Khangarh and Muzzaffargarh.
Multan (1818) was conquered under the nominal command of Kharak Singh and the actual command of Misr Diwan Chand. Nawab Muzzaffar Khan and his sons could not withstand the onslaught of the Sikhs. Hari Singh Nalwa was "chiefly instrumental" in the capture of the citadel.
Mitha Tiwana (1818) Misr Diwan Chand and Hari Singh crossed the river Chenab to set up Sikh camp in Pindi Bhattian near Chiniot. Hari Singh was bestowed all region of the Tiwana chiefs in jagir.
Peshawar (1818) became a tributary when Sikhs took advantage of the infighting between Afghans clans and entered Peshawar, the summer capital of Afghanistan. Hari Singh Nalwa was appointed in charge of Peshawar.
Kashmir (1819) Sikh army led by Prince Kharak Singh marched to Kashmir.to the sound of bugles. Misr Diwan Chand led the vanguard, while Hari Singh Nalwa brought up the rear. The third division, under the command of Sardar Mihan Singh Bhandari expedited supplies. Thus came to an end the five centuries of Muslim rule in Kashmir and Mihan Singh was appointed as the Governor of Kashmir.
Pakhli (1819) On his return from Kashmir, Hari Singh followed the traditional route through Pakhli, defeating the Gakhar chiefs and collecting tribute.
Mangal (1821) Hari Singh's most spectacular success cames in the region of Hazara. After successful conquest of Kashmir, Hari Singh and his 7,000 Sikh soldiers found the passage blocked by Jaduns Afghan tribesmen, When parleying produced no result, a battle began. Hari Singh won and collected a fine from every house and built a fort in this vicinity.
Mankera (1821) Tiwanas, Muslim Jatt clan from Mitha Tiwana joined Hari Singh Nalwa in laying a siege of Mankera, The Nawab were allowed to retreat to Dera Ismail Khan as tributary Jagir to Sikhs.
Naushehra (1823) Azim Kham marched down from Kabul to vindicate the honor of the Afghans. Hari Singh Nalwa was the first to cross the Indus at Attock to face them. Maharaja Ranjit Singh crossed the Landai River at a ford below Akora. Akali Phula Singh and Gurkha Bal Bahadur accompanied the Maharaja. Eventually, the inheritors of Ahmed Shah Abdali's legacy withdrew from the area, toward the direction of Jalalabad.
Sirikot (1824) was a haven for the rebellious Mashwani tribes. Hari Singh Nalwa took Sirikot but was overwhelmingly outnumbered – one Sikh to ten Afghans. The Sardar almost lost his life in the battle but Maharaja Ranjit Singh marched to Sirikot. With news of the approach of the Sikh army, the Afghans fled.
Saidu (1827) The redeemer of the Yusafzais came in the form of one Sayyed Ahmad Barelvi, a Muslim cleric from Bareli, UP, who raised the flag of Jehad against the Sikhs. Budh Singh Sandhanwalia, Barakzais in Peshawar joined this call and marched from Peshawar in the direction of Nowshera. Hari Singh Nalwa stood guard at the fort of Attock until Sikh reinforcements arrive from Lahore. The battle between the Jehadis and Sikhs was fought on 23 February 1827. The Sikhs charged at their opponents, routed them, and continued a victorious pursuit for six miles, taking all their guns, swivels and camp equipment.
Peshawar (1835) Dost Mohammed declared himself Padshah (king) of Afghanistan, gave a call for Jehad, and set off from Kabul to wrest Peshawar from the Sikhs. Hari Singh Nalwa requested permission to engage with Afghans. On 10 May 1835, Sardar Hari Singh, Raja Gulab Singh, Misr Sukh Raj, Sardar Attar Singh Sandhanwalia, Jamadar Khushal Singh, the Raja Dhian Singh, Monsieur Court, Signor Avitabile, Sardar Tej Singh, Dhaunkal Singh, Illahi Bakhsh, Sardar Jawala Singh and Sardar Lehna Singh Majithia formed attacking formation threatening the Afghan King's camp. Dost Mohammed Khan decided to flee to safety past the Khyber Pass at midnight with the whole of his army, armament and equipage.
Jamrud - Khyber Pass (1836) Hari Singh made a surprise attack on Jamrud, at the mouth of the Khyber Pass. Misha Khel Khyberi tribe were defeated and Hari Singh began fortifying the fort without delay. With the conquest of Jamrud, at the very mouth of the Khyber, the frontier of the Sikh Empire now bordered the foothills of the Hindu Kush Mountains.
Panjtaar (1836) Hari Singh Nalwa accompanied by Kanwar Sher Singh proceeded towards the Yusafzai strongholds and their chief, Fateh Khan of Panjtar was forced to sign an agreement to pay tribute on which condition Panjtar was released.
Last Stand at Jamrud (1837) Maharaja's grandson, Nau Nihal Singh was getting married in March. Troops were withdrawn from all over to put up a show of strength for the British Commander-in-chief and Dost Mohammed Khan who were invited to the great celebration. Hari Singh's lieutenant, Mahan Singh was surrounded in the fortress of Jamrud with 600 men and limited supplies. Hari Singh left to rescue his men. Though the Sikhs were totally outnumbered, arrival of Hari Singh Nalwa put Afghan army into panic. In the melee, Hari Singh Nalwa was grievously wounded. While the Afghans knew of his injury, they hesitated to advance till the news of his death was confirmed. On Hari Singh's instruction, he was displayed standing from the top of the fort. The Afghans withdrew after seeing Nalwa alive but he had died by this time.

Hari Singh Nalwa - Painting by Artist Singh

Nalwa - The Legend

Russian general Nikolai Ogarkov advised Leonid Brezhnev not to invade Afghanistan, saying that the country was unconquerable. Today US President wants to get the hell out of the place. Not all the armies that invaded Afghanistan were defeated. Around 180 years ago Sikhs conquered the Afghans and the tribes of the Khyber Pass area, in the process securing India’s northwest border.

So how did Ranjit Singh manage to conquer the fierce Afghans? Mainly by using a blend of sustained aggression smoothed by Indian magnanimity. His biggest weapon was the scourge of the Afghans – Hari Singh Nalwa, who in one battle defeated 20,000 Afghans on their treacherous home terrain with only 7,000 men was the stuff of legend.

He realized that to dominate the warlike tribes, the Sikhs had to give them the same treatment the Afghans had given the Indians in the past. Because the Yusafzais were the most violent tribe, he levied a cess on every Yusafzai household. This cess was to be collected in cash or in kind. For its realization, personal household property could be appropriated. There was scarcely a village that was not burnt. Part of the city of Peshawar was burnt and the residence of the governor near Kabul was razed to the ground. In such awe were his visitations held that Nalwa’s name was used by Afghan mothers as a term of fright to hush their unruly children.

Samadh Hari Singh Nalwa - Jamrud

The most enduring landmark of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa's legacy is the North western frontier that borders with Afghanistan. Local history sources has wealth of information on Hari Singh Nalwa's fifteen-year tenure as Governor of Hazara. The chronicles of Tawarikh-e-Hazara was penned in Persian in 1846 by Lala Mehtab Singh, who hailed from Musanagar and joined Nalwa's service in Hazara in 1824.

Hazara Tribesman

Jahandad Khan a 26-year-old Researcher from Hazara shares the legend and his family's connection with Hari Singh Nalwa. He said, “My parents used to tell us that our home was built by a Sikh who was the commander of a great Sikh army." Jahandad Khan’s ancestor had to offer his son to the Sikhs as a hostage in return for their help against Sayyed Ahmed Barelvi. The young Jahandad Khan (grandfather of Jahandad Khan) was raised by Nalwa for a few years as a result of this settlement.

In 1821, the Swati Afghan tribe destroyed the Sikh garrison at Shinkiari and carried away around 300 Hindu and Sikh women residing therein. As retaliation, Nalwa conducted a lightening raid on tribe in the Konsh, Agror and Nindhar glens in northern Hazara and captured around 1,000 Muslim women and children. All of the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim women were returned after negotiations between Nalwa and the Khan of Garhi Habibullah.

A large number of Punjabi Muslims served with Nalwa in the Sikh army against the marauding Afghans. Nalwa was supported by the Shia Hazara tribesmen against the "Jehad" call by Sayyed Ahmed Barelvi, a religious fanatic from Bareli UP. However, the ban on beef eating and Azan (call to prayer) were not a popular move with the locals

Once, when Hari Singh Nalwa had set up camp with his army in Jamrud in Afghanistan, a local Muslim woman called Bano desired to meet him in private. She said, "I have heard of your bravery. I am not married and have no children, but I desire to marry you and have have a son just like you."

Hari Singh replied, "O sister! I am already married. I am sorry I cannot marry you or give you what you want." Bano's eyes welled up with tears of disappointment. About to leave, she said, "I had heard that no one leaves empty handed from Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Durbar."

Hari Singh replied, " I cannot marry you, but if you desire a son who is like me, then from now, I will be your son." Bano was overwhelmed by Hari Singh Nalwa's sincerity, decency, and high moral character.

Haripur

Hari Singh Nalwa built Haripur, a town named after him, which has now become a big city. The entire irrigation system was set up by Nalwa and he standardized the weight system for trade. He did not just rule the area but also wanted to make sure that the local population thrived economically.

Haripur, NW Frontiers

Dr. Bhai Harbans Lal nostalgically recalls the prosperous town of Haripur where Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus lives in peace before partition. Nalwa was a good practicing Sikh who loved every one and administered justice to all as an administrator. He respected all faiths and as such there was no restriction on building mosque, Mandir (Hindu temple), and Gurdwara (Sikh temple) in the town.

Haweli of Hari Singh Nalwa

Hari Singh Nalwa was not only a good military commander, able administrator, but also a purveyor of the local architecture. He built the Punja Sahib Gurdwara in Hasan Abdal where Guru Nanak gave his message of sharing natural resources to Wali Qandhari. He also renovated the Katasraj Hindu Temple in Chakwal.

His haweli in Gujranwala city of West Punjab as an excellent example of period Punjabi architecture. Unfortunately, the building is in bad shape of neglect as his descendants moved to India after the partition of Punjab. I would like to appeal to the Punjab state government in Pakistan to preserve this heritage site for the man who was a true son of the soil and protected Punjab from the Afghan marauders by plugging the Khyber Pass.

Sword of Hari Singh Nalwa

Sikh Regimental Center at Ramgarh, a small town near the Capital of Jharkhand, has preserved some of the most important historical artifacts, including the sword of Hari Singh Nalwa, Commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army, had brought the Afghans to their knees.

Sword of Hari Singh Nalwa

Sarpech of Hari Singh Nalwa

The Sarpech, or the Turban ornament of Hari Singh Nalwa was recently auctioned by the world famous auctioneers Southebys in London. It was sold for about $500,000 but looks like another piece of Sikh and Punjabi heritage was lost that day.

Sarpech of Hari Singh Nalwa

His Last Wish

My favorite military genius , Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa had an interesting wish that was fulfilled after his death. According to, Majid Sheikh, a columnist in Dawn newspaper from Lahore, his most beautiful gesture was to express his dying wish for the place where his story really started, to the wrestling pit outside the Lahore Fort.

Himself an accomplished wrestler, Hari Singh Nalwa wished his ashes to be mixed in the soil of the wrestling pit in Lahore. The gesture demonstrated his love for the land of his origin, of the place where his legendary story really started.

Ancient Wrestling Akhara, Lahore

References

The Real Story of Heer Ranjha

We all are familiar with Waris Shah (Urdu: السيد وارث علي شاه النقوي الرضوي البهكري البدراني‎) , ਵਾਰਿਸ ਸ਼ਾਹ (Gurmukhi); 1722–1798) who was a Punjabi Sufi poet of Chishti order, renowned for his contribution to Punjabi literature by immortalizing the love story of Heer Ranjha . His poetic verse is a treasure-trove of Punjabi phrases, idioms and sayings. His minute and realistic depiction of the details of Punjabi life and political situation in the 18th century, remains unique and the entire poem is an album of colorful and enchanting pictures of life in the Punjab, deeply absorbing. Abdur Rehman Chugtai painting of Heer and Ranjha Waris Shah was deeply learned in Sufi and domestic cultural lore. His depiction of story of romantic love is a poetic expression of the mystical love of the human soul towards God – the quintessential subject in Sufism and a recurring theme in both Sufi and Sikh mysticism. The Legend Heer is an extremely beautiful woman, born into a wealthy fam...

My Malice and Bias

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