Lehna Singh Bhangi

Not to be confused with Lehna Singh Majithia.
Detail of Lehna Singh Kahlon (grey beard) of the Bhangi Misl from a painting of three seated Sikh sardars, circa late 18th century

Lehna Singh Bhangi (died September 1797, his first name is alternatively spelt as Lahina or Lahna)[1] was one of the triumvirate rulers of Lahore during the late 18th century.[2][3]

Biography

He was born into a Kahlon Jat family to a father named Dargaha.[4] After a conflict with his biological father, he ran away from home and came across Gurbakhsh Singh of the Bhangi Misl at the village of Roranwala. Gurbakhsh Singh, who was without a male issue, adopted Lehna Singh. Later on 16 April 1765,[5] alongside Gujjar Singh Bhangi of the Bhangi Misl and Sobha Singh of the Kahnhaiya Misl,[5] they jointly attacked and conquered Lahore from the Afghan nominees Kabuli Mall and Amir Singh.[4][1][6] They did not plunder the city after conquering it as it was the birthplace of Guru Ram Das, the fourth guru of the Sikhs.[5] In December 1766, Ahmad Shah Durrani invaded the area and offered Lehna Singh governorship of the Punjab, which he declined.[7] He and the two other sardars reoccupied the city of Lahore after Ahmad Shah left for Afghanistan.[8] He lived in the citadel at Lahore Fort, and is also recorded as having a house and military cantonment in the area known as Shadman and Shah Jamal, but his house was subsequently knocked down to build the Lahore Central Jail. He ruled the city for 32 years until his death in September 1797, then the city was ruled by his son Chet from whom Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was a distant relation, took the city in 1799.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c The encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 2. Harbans Singh. Patiala: Punjabi University. 1992–1998. pp. 541–542. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ Sheikh, Majid (2021-01-10). "Harking Back: Forgotten 30-year Sikh rule before Ranjit Singh". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  3. ^ Sheikh, Majid (2015-06-28). "HARKING BACK: Amazing genius of Gujjar Singh and his Lahore 'qila'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  4. ^ a b Singh, Bhagat (1993). A History of the Sikh Misals. Publication Bureau, Patiala Punjabi University. p. 67.
  5. ^ a b c Chowdhry, Mohindra S. (2018). Defence of Europe by Sikh soldiers in the World Wars. Kibworth Beauchamp. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-78901-098-5. OCLC 1032183994.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Sikka, Ajit Singh (2003). The complete poetical works of Ajit Singh Sikka. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 1137. ISBN 81-269-0256-6. OCLC 588497615.
  7. ^ Alikuzai, Hamid Wahed (2013). Concise History Of Afghanistan In 25 Volumes : Volume 14. Trafford Publishing. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-4907-1442-4. OCLC 1152292936.
  8. ^ Singh, Rishi (2015). State Formation and the Establishment of Non-Muslim Hegemony : Post-Mughal 19th-century Punjab. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-93-5150-504-4. OCLC 1101028781. Abdali then wrote a letter to Lehna Singh with an offer of governorship of Lahore, which was refused. As soon as Abdali left Lahore, Lehna Singh, Gujar Singh and Sobha Singh returned to take over the administration of Lahore.
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