BUDDHA SINGH

BUDDHA SINGH (d. 1718), great great grand father of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was the founder of the Sukkarchakkia family. One of his ancestors, Bhara Mall, who lived in the village of Sukkarchakk, in Gujranwala district, now in Pakistan, had been initiated into the Sikh faith by the Seventh Guru, Guru Har Rai. Buddha Singh received the rites of amrit at the hands of Guru Gobind Singh himself and fought in battles under him and under Banda Singh Bahadur.

He constructed a big house at Sukkarchakk and acquired considerable influence in those turbulent times. He was elected the village chaudhari or chief. He was a daring horseman, and there were many legends current about his adventures on his favourite piebald mare called Desi. It is said that on the back of Desi, he swam across the Ravi, Chenab and Jehlum rivers as many as fifty times. The dauntless warrior had on his body scars of scores of wounds by sword, spear and gun. He died in 1718.

References :

1. Suri, Sohan Lal, `Umdat-ut-TwanJkh. Lahore, 1885-89
2. Griffin, Lepel, Ranjit Singh. Delhi, 1957
3. Harbans Singh, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Delhi, 1980