Recollections of Mohar Singh: Conflict with Niranjanis & Ranghars

Karam Singh Historian's interview of Mohar Singh about the Niranjanis, Ranghars and aftermath of misl and Maharaja Ranjit Singh's rule.

Age: 100 years old at the time of the interview (early 20th century) 

From Sarhali Kalan in Patti, Tarn Taran District

Foreword

This village is known for its killing and violence. During the rise of the Khalsa, many from here became Singhs. They would often cross the river and raid Batala. Today, the people of Batala do not let anyone from this village stay the night. Due to having the reputation of killers, the administrator of Patti would never come here and many of the surrounding villages had ongoing conflict with Sarhali Kalan. During the time of the Singhs, this village is known for two battles:

The Niranjani raid

The first battle details a raid by the Niranjanis. This sect traces itself back to Baba Hindal, a Sikh of Guru Amar Das. His followers developed their own lineage of Gurus and broke away from the Panth with their seat being at Jandiala. The Niranjanis had a long ongoing conflict with the Khalsa Panth and were staunch allies of the Mughals and Afghans. They were stripped of their land holdings as the Khalsa solidified its rule in Punjab and faded into obscurity.

1. One time, people from our village raided Jandiala. In return, a group of Niranjanis along with men from Napal (village nearby) came upon our village and attacked it. They positioned themselves near the lower side of the village and fired at it with their cannons. The villagers kept defending themselves until one Singh got up on the roof of a house and fired his gun. The bullet hit one of the Niranjanis in the forehead and he fell off his horse. A samadh is built in his memory near the village well. 

Despite this, the Niranjanis did not stop in seeking revenge. A couple of cut-hair men (monay) from our village joined them and plotted to hand over the Singhs. The fight raged all night until everyone decided to leave the village. In the morning, the Niranjanis looted the village and took everything. Back then, men used to be very strong and could lift 18 maunds worth of weight.

Sikh horsemen on a raid

Battles with the Ranghars

The second battle describes conflict between villages. The residents of Napal (unclear what it is known as today as it can’t be located with the name given in the interview) were Ranghars who attacked Sarhali Kalan.

2. The Napalis had an age-old hatred against us. One day they came upon us. At the time, the warriors of our village had gone to loot Batala. There they were told that Sarhali is being attacked by the Napalis. Some of the men stayed behind for loot while the rest advanced upon Napal. They were led by Raju Singh Mural. Riding on his horse, he cut down 14 or 15 of the Napalis. The head of the Napalis, a Ranghar, was worried none of them would return home alive. So he paid a fisherman and told him to kill Raju Singh. The fisherman hid in a tree and fired on Raju, where he died. His horse turned around and brought his body back to the village where a samadh was built and he is remembered as a martyr. The rest of the Napalis were hidden by the Gill Jatts of Dhatla, which is how they survived.

Living under the Misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh

During the time of the Misls, our village first came under the Singhpurias. They made a mud fort in which they sank a well. The headman of the village then shifted his loyalty to the Bhangis. He brought several Bhangi soldiers from Amritsar and told them to remain hidden until he snuck into the fort. It was the month of June during the evening that he snuck in, threw all the weapons of the Singhpurias down the well, and gave the signal to the Bhangis to enter. They then entered the fort and took it over. The soldiers of the Singhpurias were allowed to peacefully depart. 

Most of these events happened before my time however I was alive to witness the later days of the Bhangis. I used to work at the well in the Singhpuria fort, for which I got food in return. 

Maho was a maid of Gulab Singh Bhangi and the village was under her control during my time. She had one daughter and no sons. A well under her name exists in the village. The Bhangis sank other wells too and built several mud forts to defend against the Napalis and Dogras. Today the fort of Singhpurias is no more but several towers erected by the Bhangis still stand. 

After Gulab Singh Bhangi, our village came under the Ahluwalias. This is because the servants of the village all were loyal to Fateh Singh Ahluwalia. One day, Raja Singh brought people from the village Ahlu and took over. First the Ahluwalias constructed a mud fort but they later made a strong one out of brick. 

In the end, Ranjit Singh took over and handed the area over to Desa Singh Majithia.

When the Bhangis ruled, a marriage party from our village was in Malwa. When they were coming back, they were surrounded by a man named Mauja from Talwindi. Most of the marriage party escaped but several of the low-caste members remained besieged. A printer by the name of Shyam very shrewdly kept asking for the Sardar of the attacking group. He was able to find Mauja, who was reading namaz under a tree and had his sword kept away. Shyam struck his sword at the head of Mauja but the tree came in the way and he missed several times. He was caught by the men of Mauja and killed despite Mauja’s pleas to not kill the brave man. Shyam’s body was taken by the marriage procession and a samadh was made in his memory where he is remembered as a martyr. 

During the time of oppression (of the Khalsa), the Singhs used to hide in the trees outside the village. 

The Manauli fort, once served as an important fort under the Singhpuria Misl