MANGAL SINGH

MANGAL SINGH (d. 1864), manager of Prince Kharak Singh`s estates in Sikh times, came of a Sandhu family of the village of Sirarivali, in Sialkot district, which traced its ancestry to one Husain who founded, at the beginning of sixteenth century, Hasanvala, a village in Gujrariwala district. Mangal Singh`s grandfather Dargah, who was the first in the family to adopt the Sikh faith, migrated from Sirarivali to Gurdaspur owing to straitened circumstances to which he had been reduced, and joined Jaimal Singh Kanhaiya as a horseman His son Lal Singh, the father of Mangal Singh, succeeded him and was promoted to command 100 horse.

Mangal Singh`s sister Ishar Kaur was married to Prince Kharak Singh in 1815 at Amritsar. This brought the brother favours from the court. A jagir of the value of Rs 5,000 was conferred upon Mangal Singh and he was given charge of the ChunTari tract in Lahore district. Kharak Singh was so pleased with his management that he entrusted him in 1820 with the charge of all his affairs, civil and military, and gave him an enhanced jagzr of Rs 19,000 with the title of Sardar.

Mangal Singh also secured the possession of his old family village of Sirarivali, which was then held by Sham Singh Atarivala. He retained the favour of his master, though the mangcmcnt of princely estates was in 1834 transferred to Chet Singh Bajva. Maharaja Sher Singh resumed most of Mangal Singh`s original estates but granted him new ones of the value of over a lakh of rupees which he retained until 1846, when Raja Lal Singh seized them leaving him a much reduced jagir. Marigal Singh was appointed Adalati or judicial officer of the Rachna Doab by the British Resident, Major Lawrence. Marigal Singh died in June 1864.

References :

1. Sun, Sohan Lal, `Ihnddt-ut-Twankh. Lahore, 1885-89
2. Griffin, Lepcl, and C.F.Massy, Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. Lahore, 1909