MATAB SINGH or Mahtab Singh (d. 1745). eighteenth century Sikh warrior and martyr, was born the son of Hara Singh, aJatt Sikh of Bharigu clan of the village of Mirarikot, 8 km north of Amritsar. He grew up amidst the most ruthless persecution Sikhs suffered under the later Mughals, and

PRITHI CHAND DADHVAL (d.1696) was one of the hill chieftains who sided with Bhim Chand, the ruler of Kahlur, in the battle of Nadaun fought on 20 March 1691 against Alif Khan, the deputy of Mian Khan. governor of Jammu. Guru Gobind Singh helped Bhim Chand and his allies

SUBEG SINGH (d. 1745), an eighteenth century martyr of the Sikh faith, was born to Rai Bhaga of the village of Jambar in Lahore district. He learnt Arabic and Persian as a young man and later gained access to the Mughal officials as a government, contractor. When in 1733, the

VADDA GHALLUGHARA, lit. major holocaust or carnage, so called to distinguish it from another similar disaster, Chhota (minor) Ghallughara that took place in 1746, is how a one day battle between the Dal Khalsa and Ahmad Shah Durrani fought on 5 February 1762 with a heavy toll of life is

ABD USSAMAD KHAN (d. 1737), governor of Lahore from 1713 to 1726, a descendant of the Naqashbandi saint `Abdulla Ahrar, a great grandson of Khwaja Baki of Baghdad, was born at Agra when his father, Khwaja `Abd ul-Karim Ansari, had come out with his family from Samarkand on a tour

AZIM KHAN, MUHAMMAD (d. 1823), was one of the sons of Painda Khan and a brother of Fateh Khan, who appointed him governor of Kashmir in April 1813. In 1814, Maharaja Ranjit Singh made an unsuccessful attempt to conquer Kashmir. On the death of Fateh Khan in 1818, Azim

CHARHAT SINGH (d. 1770), grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was the eldest of the four sons of Sardar Naudh Singh. He took to arms while still very young and started taking part in the raids and expeditions led by his father. He also fought in the Sikhs` skirmishes with

FATEH SINGH KALIANVALA (d. 1807), military commander and jagirdar under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was the son of Jassa Singh and grandson of Jaimal Singh. Jaimal Singh was a Sandhu Jatt and the first in the line to embrace the Sikh faith. He was a resident of Kala village in

JAHANDAD KHAN, one of the many sons of Painda Khan and a half brother of Fatch Khan Wazir, was appointed governor of Attock by Shah Shuja`, the king of Afghanistan. In 1809, Fatch Khan dethroned Shah Shuja`, placed Shah Mahmud on the throne and himself became prime minister. Shah

KIRPAL CHAND KATOCH (d. 1696) of Karigra, son of Raja Udai Ram Chand (1687-90) and the younger brother of Raja Bhim Chand (1690-97) of Kangra. Kirpal Chand was ambitious and adept in diplomacy. He is said to have incited Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur to pick up a quarrel

PRITHI CHAND, BABA (1558-1618). the eldest son of Guru Ram Das (1534-81), and Mata Bhani, was born in 1558 at Goindval, in present day Amritsar district of the Punjab. He was by nature ambitious and haughty. Guru Ram Das chose his youngest son Arjan (1563-1606) as his successor to

SUCHCHANAND (d. 1710), a Khatri official in the court of Nawab Wazir Khan, faiydar of Sirhind, was instrumental in the execution of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, Guru Gobind Singh`s two younger sons aged nine and seven respectively. The Sahibzadas and their grandmother, Mata Gujari, had been