KHUSHAL SINGH

KHUSHAL SINGH (d. 1795), son of Dan Singh, who was the younger brother of Nawab Kapur Singh, leader of the Dal Khalsa, succeeded the Nawab to the leadership of the Singhpuria misl. He added a number of places and parganahs such as Bahrampui and Nurpur to his estate. After tlie death of Adina Beg, the faujddr of Jalandhar Doab, Khushal Singh, along with Jassa Singh Ahluvalia, atacked his diwdn Bishambhar Mall in 1759, captured Jalandhar and several adjoining areas.

The Ahluvalia Sardar allowed Khushal Singh to make Jalandhar his capital. Khushal Singh captured the parganahs of Haibatpur and Paul from the Pathan chief of Kasur and placed tliesc under the charge of his son, Buddli Singh. At the time of the conquest of Sirhind by Sikhs in January 1764, he acquired Bharatgarh, Machhall, Ghanauli, Manauli and several other villages as his share of the booty. He, along with other Sikh sardars, kept making guerilla attacks upon the invading Afghan hordes of Ahmad Shall Durrani whenever he could.

Khushal Singh and Raja Amar Singh of Patiala seized from the Nawab of Raikot 23 villages around Chhal and Banur which remained under their joint control for several years. Khushal Singh built a bazar at Amritsar called Katra Singhpuriari, now known as Bazar Kascriari. Khushal Singh died in 1795. His territory annually yielded two lakhs in the Bari Doab, one lakh in the Jalandhar Doab and one and a half lakh in the Sirhind province.

References :

1. Griffin, Lepcl, and C.F. Massy, Chiefs mid Families of Note in the Punjab. Lahore, 1909
2. Khushwani Singh, A History of the Sikhs, vol.1. Prince ton, 1966
3. Gupla, IIari Rain, History of the Sikhs, vol.IV. Delhi, 1982