TAIMUR SHAH (1746-1793), son and successor of Ahmad Shah Durrani, was born in December 1746 at Mashhad, in Iran, where his father was in the service of Nadir Shah. Taimur was educated at home and received practical training in the art of warfare by accompanying his father on many of

YAR MUHAMMAD KHAN (d. 1829), the Barakzai ruler of Peshawar. In November 1818, Ranjit Singh seized the city from him and placed it in the charge of Jahandad Khan another of the Barakzai brothers, but no sooner did Ranjit Singh return to Lahore than Yar Muhammad Khan emerged from

AKHBARAT-I-DEORH!I-MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH BAHADUR, a Persian manuscript written in nastaliq, mixed with shikasta, preserved in the National Archives of India at New Delhi. This is a copy of the roznamacha, i.e. a day today account, of the proceedings of the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh covering the period from January

BHAG SINGH, also referred to in government records as Baj Singh, was an associate of Bhai Maharaj Singh, leader of the anti British revolt in the Punjab in 1848-49. Originally a disciple of Bhai Bir Singh of Naurangabad, he survived the attack on his dera on 7 May 1844

DAULAT KHAN LODHI, NAWAB, an Afghan noble, was, during the last quarter of the fifteenth century, governor of Jalandhar Doab with Sultanpur, a town in present day Kapurthala district, as his capital. One of his officials, Jai Ram, was married to Guru Nanak`s sister, Nanaki.Jai Ram secured young Nanak employment

GOPAL, RAJA (Raj Singh according to some sources), of Guler, mentioned in Sikh chronicles as well as in Guru Gobind Singh`s Bachitra Ndtak, was one of the hill chieftains who fought against the Guru in the battle of Bharigam in 1688. After the defeat of the rajas, Gopal seems

JHANDA SINGH (d. 1774) succeeded his father, Hari Singh, to the leadership of the Bharigi principality upon his death in 1765. Under Jhanda Singh, the power and prestige of the Bharigi misi rapidly increased. In 1766, he challenged both Shuja` Khan. Afghan governor of Multan, and Mubarak Khan, the

LAKKHU, BHAI, a pious Sikh of the time of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) was also a brave warrior. He commanded a troop in the battle of Kartarpur fought against the imperial army under Qutab Khan,faujdar of Jalandhar and a cousin of Painda Khan. Painda Khan, the Pathan who had been

NANU MALL (d. 1791), minister and army general in Patiala state, was born at Sunam, in Sarigrur district. He came of a mercantile Aggarval family and became known as a highly capable administrator and a brave general. He acquired proficiency in classical languages Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian, and served in

SANGAT RAI (d. 1696), also referred to in Sikh chronicles as Sangatia Singh, was, according to Guru Gobind Singh`s autobiographical Bachitra Natak, sent on an embassy of peace to the court of Raja Gopal of Guler. At that time a Mughal commander, Husain Khan marching upon Anandpur was extorting along

TARA SINGH GHAIBA (1717-1807), chief of the Dallevalia clan, named after the village of Dalleval to which its founder, Gulab Singh, belonged. Tara Singh was a shepherd turned out law who joined Gulab Singh Dallevalia in his plundering raids. His dexterity in lifting cattle and flocks of sheep and

ZAIN KHAN (d. 1764), an Afghan, was appointed governor of Sirhind in March 1761 by Ahmad Shah Durrani. Earlier he had acted as Faujdar of Char Mahal the four districts of Sialkot, Gujrat, Pasrur and Aurarigabad. This was from 1759 when Karim Dad Khan was appointed governor of the Punjab