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

RAM SINGH (1744-1839), son of a Khatri belonging to Hasanvala in Gujrariwala district, was taken into the household of Charhat Singh Sukkarchakkia at a very young age. When he grew up, he rode in the chief`s troops. He considered Mahan Singh, son of Charhat Singh, his putreld

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,

AMAR NATH, DIWAN (1822-1867), bakhshi or paymaster of the irregular forces of the Sikh army who distinguished himself also as a historian, was born in 1822 the son of Raja Dina Nath, finance minister of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. During the prime ministership of Hira Singh, Amar Nath was assigned

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

CHARHAT SINGH, son of Jai Singh, a Sandhu Jatt of Kot Sayyid Mahmud, a small village near Amritsar, held a service jagir under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. His father had served as a trooper under Gulab Singh Bhangi. Charhat Singh`s sister Rup Kaur married Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1809. Charhat Singh

ENGAL SECRET AND POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS (1800-1834), a manuscript series of Indian records at the India Office Library, London. This series contains, in full, correspondence and despatches on the early British relations with the Sikhs.

GULAB KAUR, RANI (d. 1838), daughter of a landlord of Jagdeo in Amritsar district, was married to Maharaja Ranjit Singh by the rite of chddar anddzi, marriage by permanently knotting lady`s scarf. Ram Gulab Kaur died in 1838.

IMAM SHAH (d. 1846), who rose to be a colonel in Ranjit Singh`s army entered the service of Jodh Singh of Wazirabad in 1809 as an artillery Jamadar. He was of Persian descent and a grandson of Qamar udDin, an officer in the army of Nadir Shah. In 1810,

KHUSHAL SINGH, JAMADAR (1790-1844), son of Hargobind, a Brahman shopkeeper of Ikri in Mccrut district of Uttar Pradesh, was born in 1790. At a very young age, he arrived in Lahore in search of employment, and joined the Sikh army as a trooper in Dhaunkal Singh`s regiment in 1807.

METCALFE, SIR CHARLES THEOPHILUS (1785-1846), diplomat and provisional Governor General of India, son of Thomas Theophilus Matcalfc, a director of the East India Company, was born in Calcutta, on 30 January 1785. He started his career as a writer in the service of the East India Company. He was appointed

OCHTERLONY, SIR DAVID (1758-1825), soldier and diplomat, son of David Ochterlony, was born at Boston, Massachusetts, on 12 February 1758. In 1777, he joined the service of the East India Company as a cadet. He served under Lord Lake in the battle of Delhi and was appointed British resident in