JALLA. PANDIT

JALLA. PANDIT (d. 1844), a Brahman priest of Jammu, who, assigned tutor to Hira Singh Dogra when he was a small boy, remained his lifelong companion and became his adviser and deputy as he assumed the office of prime minister of the Sikh kingdom in September 1843. Jalla completely dominated over the young minister and the power he enjoyed made him very arrogant. He began to treat the Sikh nobility in an overbearing manner. A man of peevish disposition, the upstart Jalla soon came to be disliked by everyone.

To quote in English translation a doggerel which became current, “There is God above and Jalla below; and may He smack Jalla on the head with a shoe.” Matters came to a crisis when Jalla began confiscating the jdgirs of the Sikh sarddrs and criticizing openly Maharani Jind Kaur. Jalla was killed by the excited Sikh soldiery led by Jawahar Singh, the Maharani`s brother, on 21 December 1844. while attempting to flee Lahore along with his patron Raja HTra Singh.

References :

1. Sui-i, Sohan Lal, `Umddt ut-Twarikh. Lahore, 1885-89
2. Cunningham, J.D., A History of the Sikhs. London, 1849
3. Smyth, G. Cai-michael, A History of the Reigning Family of Lahore. Patiala, 1970
4. Chopra, B.R., Kingdom of the Punjab. Hoshiarpur, 1968
5. Hasrat, B.J., Anglo-Sikh Relations. Hoshiarpur, 1968