LAILI or LAILA, a famous horse of superb beauty and grace, was originally owned by Yar Muhammad Khan Barakzai, the Sikh tributary governor of Peshawar. It was much coveted by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, whose love for horses was proverbial. With the romantic name given it, Laili was known throughout Central

SAMMAN BURJ, also called Musamman Burj, an octagonal tower commanding a wide range of buildings within the Lahore Fort, was built by Emperor Akbar, who made the city his capital for some time. Within the Fort was situated the royal palace which was enlarged by Jahangir and,

TWARlKHIPANJAB, by Ghulam Muhaiy ud Din Ludhianavi, popularly known as Bute Shah, is an unpublished Persian work on the history of the Punjab from ancient times to the end of Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s reign. Copies of the manuscript are preserved in the British Library, London ; India Office Library;

AMIR CHAND, son of Misr Ram Kumar of the village of Dalval, in Jehlum district, joined service in Maharaja RanjitSingh`s toshakhana or treasury in 1830, soon becoming superintendent of Bela To shakhana, i.e. the treasury for charitable purposes. In June 1832, he was appointed to collect arrears of land

BAGH SINGH VIRK (d. 1806), a feudatory chief under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. His father Lal Singh, who had migrated from Jammu, held sway in the tract between Sheikhupura and Miralivala as the Sikh sardars started acquiring territory in the Punjab in the latter half of the eighteenth century. He

BRIJ RAJ (d. 1833), a learned Pandit came to settle in Lahore in the latter half of the eighteenth century, was appointed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the position of raj purohit, or royal priest, which office he held till his death in 1833. The Maharaja and the court

CHET SINGH, military commander, engineer and a kardar, i.e. a revenue officer, under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1831 he became engineer in charge for constructing a bridge over the River Sutlej for the Ropar meeting between Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Governor General William Bentinck. He constructed another bridge at

DULEEP SINGH, MAHARAJA (1838-1893), the last Sikh sovereign of the Punjab, was born at Lahore on 6 September 1838, the youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. On 18 September 1843, at the age of five, he was, after the murder of Maharaja Sher Singh, proclaimed Maharaja of the Punjab

GHAUS KHAN (d. 1814) was an artillery officer under Mahari Singh Sukkarchakkia, and after his death, under his son, Ranjit Singh. He knew something about casting guns, was skilful in his profession, and was rewarded with jdgirs at Van and Bharoval in Amritsar district, with a large house in Lahore

GURDIAL SINGH, JATHEDAR( 1886-1958), also known as Giani Gurdial Singh or Sant Gurdial Singh Bhindranvale, was born in 1886 at Adampur, near Moga, now in Faridkot district of the Punjab. He studied up to matriculation. He enjoyed the patronage of Tikka (later Maharaja) Ripudaman Singh of Nabha, whom he

HUKMA SINGH CHIMNI, commander cumcivil administrator under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He was son of Ram Singh, of Bhera, who was the First one in the family to take the vows of Guru Gobind Singh`s amrita, and who entered the service of the Sukkarchakkia misi under Charhat Singh as a

JAVALA SINGH, son of Desa Singh of Raja Sarisi, in Amritsar district, accompanied Thakur Singh Sandharivalia to England in 1884 to call on the deposed sovereign of the Punjab, Dulccp Singh, and stayed there for nine months as the Maharaja`s guest. In February 1887,Javala Singh joined Thakur Singh in