ZORAWAR SINGH (1786-1841) A distinguished military general, Zorawar Singh conquered Ladakh and Baltistan during the Sikh era and carried the Khalsa flag deep into Tibet. His place of birth is disputed among authorities. Major G. Carmichael Smyth, in A Reigning Family of Lahore, notes that Zorawar Singh was from Kussal, near Riasi, now in Jammu and Kashmir. Hutchison and Vogel record Kahlur (Bilaspur) state, now in Himachal Pradesh, as his native place. Narsing Das Nargis, based on information from Zorawar Singh’s great-grandson, states in his book Zorawar Singh that he was born in a Rajput family around 1786 in Ansora village, Kangra district.
At age 16, Zorawar Singh killed his cousin during a property dispute and fled to Haridvar, where he met Rana Jasvant Singh. Jasvant Singh brought him to Galihan (now Doda, near Jammu) and trained him as a soldier. Later, Zorawar joined the service of Gulab Singh Dogra, who employed him primarily in defending forts north of Jammu. By 1823, Zorawar Singh had also served as an inspector in the commissariat of supplies, achieving significant savings in provisions. When Gulab Singh, the feudatory chief of Jammu under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, became governor of Kishtwar, Zorawar Singh was appointed as the district’s administrator with the title of wazir.
Campaigns in Ladakh and Baltistan In Kishtwar, Zorawar Singh introduced fiscal and judicial reforms and renovated the fort of the former Kishtwari rulers. From here, he launched numerous military campaigns. His first expedition to Ladakh began in July 1834. Leading the Dogra forces through the Sum Valley, he engaged in decisive battles at Sanku, Langkartse, Kantse, Sot, and Pashkam, eventually reaching Leh, the Ladakhi capital. The Ladakhi king, Tsepal Namgyal, was compelled to pay a war indemnity, an annual tribute of Rs 20,000, and acknowledge Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s suzerainty.
When the Ladakhis later revolted, Zorawar Singh launched a second campaign, taking the difficult Kishtwar-Zanskar route. He suppressed the rebellion, deposed the Ladakhi king, and installed Nagorub Stanzin, the king’s prime minister and brother-in-law, as the ruler. Two additional incursions were required before Ladakh was fully annexed to the Sikh kingdom in 1840.
In the same year, Zorawar Singh turned his attention to Baltistan, a Muslim principality in the Indus Valley northwest of Kargil. He defeated the Baltis, deposed Ahmad Shah, and installed the king’s eldest son, Muhammad Shah, as the ruler of Baltistan.
Expedition into Tibet Zorawar Singh long harbored ambitions to conquer western Tibet, as chronicled by Sohan Lal Suri in Umdat-ut-Twarikh. In March 1836, Zorawar Singh suggested this plan to Maharaja Ranjit Singh during a meeting at Jandiala Sher Khan, though the Maharaja disapproved.
However, under Maharaja Sher Singh, Zorawar Singh’s opportunity arose. By April 1841, having completed the conquest of Ladakh, he marched into Tibet with a large army and quickly conquered territory northwest of the Mayyum Pass. However, in December 1841, a Tibetan army descended from Lhasa and confronted Zorawar Singh’s forces at Tirthapuri, near Lake Manasarovar. Lacking reinforcements due to heavy snowfall blocking all passes, Zorawar Singh fought fiercely but was killed in battle on 12 December 1841.
Legacy Zorawar Singh’s campaigns bore lasting significance. In September 1842, a treaty was signed by representatives of the Chinese and Lhasa governments and the Khalsa Darbar, extending the Sikh (and later Indian) frontier to its modern boundary. This ensured that Ladakh became part of Indian territory.
Treaty of 1842 The treaty affirmed peace, unity, and fixed boundaries between Ladakh and surrounding territories. It ensured the continued trade of wool, shawls, and tea and prohibited interference in Ladakh’s borders.
References:
- Suri, Sohan Lal, Umdat-ut-Twarikh, Lahore, 1885-89
- Hutchison, J., and J.Ph. Vogel, History of the Punjab Hill States, Lahore, 1933
- Charak, Sukhdev Singh, Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories, Pathankot, 1978
- Smyth, G. Carmichael, A History of the Reigning Family of Lahore, Calcutta, 1847
- Hasrat, Biramajit, Anglo-Sikh Relations, 1799-1849
