SHAMIR SINGH THETHAR

SHAMIR SINGH THETHAR (d. 1824), soldier and a minor commander in the Sikh times. He was the son of Prem Singh, of the village of Thethar, near Lahore, and brother of Lakkha Singh along with whom he entered the service of Sukkarchakkias. Shamir Singh fought in the battle of Rasulnagar in 1778-79 under Mahan Singh, who had joined hands with Jai Singh, of the Kanhaiya misi, against Pir Muhammad Khan Chattha.

To recover the famous cannon Zamzama, which the Bhangi chief Jhanda Singh had left with Pir Muhammad Khan, the Sikh chiefs attacked Rasulnagar. It is claimed that Shamir Singh killed the Chattha chief with a musketshot during the siege. Shamir Singh built the Fort of Gobindgarh at Amritsar at Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s order and became its first qiladar (commandant). He served in the expedition of`Kasur (1807). In 1819, the Maharaja appointed him the thanedar of Nurpur. He held ajagirin Gujranwala. He died in 1824.

References :

1. Suri, Sohan Lal, `Umdat ut-Twarikh. Lahore, 1885-89
2. Griffin, Lepel, and C.F. Massy, Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. Lahore, 1909