Jarral
Encyclopedia
The Jarral Rajputs are a Muslim Rajput tribe of Azad Kashmir
and Punjab
provinces of Pakistan
. They are well known for being the last longest ruling royal dynasty of Rajouri in Kashmir
which only ended in the mid 19th century with the advent of the British Raj
.
They hold the title of Raja
, which is their ancestral royal title since the times of the Mahabharata
as well as the title of Mirza
, which was conferred upon them by the Mughal
emperor of India
, Shah Jahan
.
They ruled Rajouri through various successive rulers and also played a major part in the development of the region of Rajouri, until the modern day.
The Jarrals are descendants of the ancient Pandavas through prince Arjuna
, who was the valiant and brave hero of the Mahabharata. His grandson, Maharaja Parikshit, the Emperor of Hastinapur, was assassinated by the Naga (serpent) people. Upon his death, his eldest son, Janamejaya
was made the Emperor of Hastinapur.
Emperor Janamejaya's younger brother, Prince Kakshasena established a separate independent kingdom at Indraprastha, which later rose to become a dominant force in its own right.
With the passage of time, the Bactrian and Scythian invasions of northern India, this Pandava branch established a kingdom at Kalanaur
in what is now the modern-day district of Gurdaspur
in Punjab (India)
establishing the first capital of the Jarral Dynasty.
Jarral Rajputs are known as the descendants of the Pandavas and their branch was named after their apical ancestor, Raja Jir Rao, a Rajput
descendant of the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. The Jarrals are therefore a brother tribe to the illustrious Janjua Rajputs of Punjab.
Kalanaur was later captured in the 12th century by the armies of the Ghorid Empire
after a battle with the Jarral Rajas.
Jarral Rule over Rajouri was the longest in history-almost 647 years. this is the longest any dynasty rules in united India or in its Princely states.
and captured it in the year 1194 AD. The Jarrals established the 1st Muslim rule over Rajouri, which lasted for six hundred and fifty years.
After the death of Raja Sher Afgan Khan, Noor-Ud-Din Khan became the Raja. Since the family had lost its relationship with other Rajput Rajas and Hindu Jarrals, they became weakened and decided to move to Kashmir. In 1194 AD, they under the garb of traders and hunters came to a beautiful place called Rajouri also known as Rajaur. They loved the mountains and miles and miles of flower beds in the area. They made up their mind to settle here. In the course of time, through their sources observed the administration of Raja Amna Paul of Rajaur for sometime and then carried out a night attack on the city of Rajouri. The Jarrals ruled Rajouri for over 670 years and extended their area through many expeditions against the neighboring mouzaz. The State of Rajouri had its borders up to Munawar in the South where River Chenab and River Tawi meet near Marala, Poonch on the North-West and the State of Jammu border on the East. Many battles were fought against the ruler of Jammu before the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846. The Jarrals were exiled as they kept fighting the Dogras and Maharaja was under the constant fear of losing Kashmir if other Muslim Rajput clans in Kashmir decided to join in with the fearsome Jarrals resulting in a deadly combination that would have had ripped apart the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the British came to their rescue and defeated the Jarral aspirations. Since the Jarrals kept fighting the Dogras and did not accept the dogra rule, the British decided to move the Jarrals to Rehlu in district Kangra in the Punjab. To compensate the lost Rajouri State, the Jarrals were awarded the territory of Rehlu. Emperor Jehangir had died at Rajouri and his vital organs are buried there.
During this period, the Jarral Dynasty enjoyed a revenue of Rs 300,000 per annum. They were also recorded as being fair to all their subjects irrespective of caste or creed. In fact, many Hindus were employed in senior positions of government and received rewards for their services to the Jarral rulers.
A few inter-marriages took place between Royal Jarrals and Royal Mughals during this era.This was due to both clans understanding the need to remain and share of power hence allowing both sides men to marry opposite clans women. It brought them power, respect and stability. Although many Jarrals were married to Mughal women but they were not highly ranked Moghals while Shah Jahan requested the Jarral King, Raja Tajuddin Khan for the hand of his daughter, princess Nawab Bai Begum (also known as Raj Mahal Begum) for the Mughal prince, Muhiuddin Muhammed (who later became Emperor Aurangzeb
). Nawab Bai was the only lady of Jarrals with status to marry into the Moghals. She was the second wife of Emperor Aurangzeb and bore two sons and a daughter namely Muhammad Sultan and Moazzam Shah a.k.a. Shah Alam Bahadur Shah-1. He became the Emperor of Mughal Empire after the death of Aurangzeb. The name of the daughter was Badarunnisa who died at the age of 19 years in 1673 and was a very pious princess. Prince Mohammad Sultan who was the eldest son died in 1676 in a supervised detention as he had revolted against his father Emperor Aurangzeb.
Many Muslim Rajputs were also conferred titles by the Delhi Sultans and the Mughal Emperors such as Malik
(Royal King), Sheikh
(elder) Nawab
(Governor), Sardar
, Khan
, Chaudhry and Mirza
i.e. Prince of the blood.
It was not uncommon for such titles to continue down the line of descent. Although the majority of Muslim Rajputs use Raja as their ancestral title, some also adopted the Persian title of Mirza
instead of Rajput to distinguish their Muslim identity from their previous Hindu one as it is a Persian word meaning prince of the blood. Although the Rajputs of the Jarral dynasty were ordained as Mirza's after they rendered their services and acts of bravery during the Moghal conquests.
s to prominence and the Jarrals' relationship with them was one of turbulence, resistance, support and eventually rebellion.
In 1813, Raja Aghar Khan, came into conflict with Maharaja Ranjit Singh
. He resisted, but was defeated, captured and later died in prison. His brother, Raja Rahimullah Khan was allowed a Jagir
(estate) of 12,000 rupees.
In 1839-40, Raja Rahim Ullah Khan, Raja of Rajaur deputed his son Mirza Yahya Khan to lead a force of 500 men from Rajauri to accompany the Khalsa Force and the British Army to Peshawar and Kabul to suppress the uprising of the Afghans. Rajauri Force under his command successfully accomplished tasks of maintaining peace in the area of Ali Masjid where it stayed for about six months.
In 1845, on the request of Lahore Darbar, Mirza Yahya Khan led Rajauri Force of 1000 men placed under Sheikh Imam-Ud-Din's brigade to assist two armies of Prime Minister Raja Lal Singh and Sardar Tej Singh poised for the battles at Moodkee and Ferozshah against the British. The battle of Moodkee was fought on December 18, 1845, between the British, 12,000 strong, with 42 guns, under Sir Hugh Gough, and the Sikhs joined by their allies 30,000 strong, with 40 guns, under Sardar Tej Singh. The British loss was 872 killed and wounded, among the former being Generals M'Caskill and Sir Robert Sale. Mirza Yahya Khan was wounded during the battle at Moodkee.
On December 20, 1845, after the battle of Moodkee, Rajauri Force was quickly moved to join Lal Singh's army near Ferozshah. The combined forces of Sikhs and their allies fought with valor and determination. British Forces were contemplating laying down their arms and victory was a step away when Raja Lal Singh, the Prime Minister of the Punjab rode away from his Sikh and Allied Forces an act abhor by the Punjabis and the historians even today.
Excerpts from the book "The Last Sunset" Battle of Ferozshah
Governor General Sir Henry Hardinge and C-in-C General Sir Hugh Gough were quite aware that army's morale was low and would not stand another attack by the Sikh army.
Assuming the worst, Governor General Sir Hardinge sent instructions to his political Secretary Robert Cust and Frederick Currie to destroy all papers of the state.
While jubilant war cries of the Sikhs 'Jaikaras' and Muslims 'Allah Ho Akbar' intermingled with the blowing of the bugles and beating of the drums rang out above the sounds of the battle indicated victory over the British.
Brig Asburnham recorded later, 'I paced up and down and thought how the very fate of the British Empire seemed hanging on a thread'
At that moment of victory on the night of 21/22 December, Lal Singh abandoned his army and left Ferozshah along with Ghorcharras. The Sikh army still fought bravely expecting Sardar Tej Singh to join the battle with his army which he never did. Both had already connived with the British that they will abort from the battle field if assured protection.
Commander-in-Chief General Sir Hugh Gough writes:
"Policy, however, precluded me publicly recording my sentiments on the splendid gallantry of our fallen foe, or to record the acts of heroism displayed not only individually, but almost collectively by the Sikh Sardars and army; I declare, were it not from a deep conviction that my country's good required the sacrifice, I would have wept to have witnessed the fearful slaughter of so devoted body of men".
Punjab would have had remained independent and out of the clutches of the British, had it not been the treacherous acts of Raja Lal Singh (Prime Minister of Punjab) and General Sardar Tej Singh commanding combined forces of Sikhs and its allies. One rode away and the former ordered retreat converting Victory into Defeat.
, under the terms of "The Treaty of Amritsar", Maharaja Gulab Singh bought the whole of Kashmir from the British
, which included the Rajouri Kingdom.Two Muslims rulers (Jarrals from Rajouri and Chibbs from Bimber) fought with the Dogra Rulers and were defeated. Other Muslim rulers of other estates neither aided other independent rulers nor rebelled against the Dogras. This defeat resulted in Jarral Royal family being relocated to punjab away from Rajouri.
The outgoing Royal Jarrals negotiated special concession with the Dogras and British Raj in which all Jarrals would remain in Rajouri except immediate ruling family who would move to new land provided in Punjab. The Jarrals who stayed in Rajouri would carried on their normal ranks in administration (Zaildari Nazam)under this agreement.
5000 the same year. Musaman Burj is located on the northern end of the city of Wazirabad
. It consisted of approximately 15 acres (60,702.9 m²). There were 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of gardens in the center with walkways to reach the residence. On the northern end of Musaman Burj, a tributary of the Chenab known as the Pulkhu flowed. As per history, Musaman Burj was built before the time of the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir. Raja Faqirullah further constructed a rest house for his stay while travelling to Kashmir with his wife, Queen Noorjehan. Sir Lepel H. Griffin said he owned 432 acres (1.7 km²) acres in the Mitranwali and Nika Khel villages, Tahsil Daska, Sialkot
, and about 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Radal, Tahsil Wazirabad, Gujranwala
.
He was also an Honorary Magistrate at Wazirabad and a Provincial Darbari of Gujranwala. In 1877, he was conferred with the title of Khan Bahadur
. He died in 1889.
It was said of Raja Faqirullah Khan:
and in the year 1885, became the British envoy (Ambassador
) to Afghanistan
. He was also conferred the title of Sardar Bahadur by the British.
He was the first Muslim ever to be designated as a British
Ambassador
. He married the daughter of the Nawab of Farakhabad and sister of Nawab Muhammad Nyaz Khan Bangash located in UP,India. Nawab Mohammad Nyaz Khan Bangash was exiled to Makkah for strongly supporting his people against the Britishers in 1857. Sardar Bahadur Raja Ataullah Khan encouraged his clansmen to join the Civil Service and the Armed Forces. He played a major part in bringing the Jarrals together was able to unite many of the family members who had chosen to live in Rehlu, during the period of their exile. He died in 1903, a highly decorated officer of his time.
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
and Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
provinces of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. They are well known for being the last longest ruling royal dynasty of Rajouri in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
which only ended in the mid 19th century with the advent of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
.
They hold the title of Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
, which is their ancestral royal title since the times of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
as well as the title of Mirza
Mirza
Mirza , is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince. It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood...
, which was conferred upon them by the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
.
They ruled Rajouri through various successive rulers and also played a major part in the development of the region of Rajouri, until the modern day.
The Jarrals are descendants of the ancient Pandavas through prince Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
, who was the valiant and brave hero of the Mahabharata. His grandson, Maharaja Parikshit, the Emperor of Hastinapur, was assassinated by the Naga (serpent) people. Upon his death, his eldest son, Janamejaya
Janamejaya
Janamejaya was a Kuru king. He was the son of Parikshit and Madravati. He was the grandson of Abhimanyu and the great-grandson of Arjuna, the valiant warrior hero of the Mahābhārata. He was ascended to the Kuru throne following the death of his father. His significance comes as the listener of the...
was made the Emperor of Hastinapur.
Emperor Janamejaya's younger brother, Prince Kakshasena established a separate independent kingdom at Indraprastha, which later rose to become a dominant force in its own right.
With the passage of time, the Bactrian and Scythian invasions of northern India, this Pandava branch established a kingdom at Kalanaur
Kalanaur
Kalanaur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab.-Demographics:As per the 2001 census of India, Kalanaur has a population of 12,915. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Those under 6 years of age constitute 13% of the population. The...
in what is now the modern-day district of Gurdaspur
Gurdaspur District
Gurdaspur district is a district in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of the Republic of India. Gurdaspur is the district headquarters. It internationally borders Narowal District of the Pakistani Punjab, Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab districts of Amritsar and...
in Punjab (India)
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
establishing the first capital of the Jarral Dynasty.
Jarral Rajputs are known as the descendants of the Pandavas and their branch was named after their apical ancestor, Raja Jir Rao, a Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
descendant of the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. The Jarrals are therefore a brother tribe to the illustrious Janjua Rajputs of Punjab.
Kalanaur was later captured in the 12th century by the armies of the Ghorid Empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
after a battle with the Jarral Rajas.
Jarral Rule over Rajouri was the longest in history-almost 647 years. this is the longest any dynasty rules in united India or in its Princely states.
The Conquest of Rajouri
Raja Nooruddin Khan attacked the kingdom of Rajouri in KashmirKashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
and captured it in the year 1194 AD. The Jarrals established the 1st Muslim rule over Rajouri, which lasted for six hundred and fifty years.
After the death of Raja Sher Afgan Khan, Noor-Ud-Din Khan became the Raja. Since the family had lost its relationship with other Rajput Rajas and Hindu Jarrals, they became weakened and decided to move to Kashmir. In 1194 AD, they under the garb of traders and hunters came to a beautiful place called Rajouri also known as Rajaur. They loved the mountains and miles and miles of flower beds in the area. They made up their mind to settle here. In the course of time, through their sources observed the administration of Raja Amna Paul of Rajaur for sometime and then carried out a night attack on the city of Rajouri. The Jarrals ruled Rajouri for over 670 years and extended their area through many expeditions against the neighboring mouzaz. The State of Rajouri had its borders up to Munawar in the South where River Chenab and River Tawi meet near Marala, Poonch on the North-West and the State of Jammu border on the East. Many battles were fought against the ruler of Jammu before the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846. The Jarrals were exiled as they kept fighting the Dogras and Maharaja was under the constant fear of losing Kashmir if other Muslim Rajput clans in Kashmir decided to join in with the fearsome Jarrals resulting in a deadly combination that would have had ripped apart the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the British came to their rescue and defeated the Jarral aspirations. Since the Jarrals kept fighting the Dogras and did not accept the dogra rule, the British decided to move the Jarrals to Rehlu in district Kangra in the Punjab. To compensate the lost Rajouri State, the Jarrals were awarded the territory of Rehlu. Emperor Jehangir had died at Rajouri and his vital organs are buried there.
During this period, the Jarral Dynasty enjoyed a revenue of Rs 300,000 per annum. They were also recorded as being fair to all their subjects irrespective of caste or creed. In fact, many Hindus were employed in senior positions of government and received rewards for their services to the Jarral rulers.
Jarrals and Rulers of Kashmir 1349 to 1820 AD
In 1349, Shah Mir became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir and inaugurated the Salatin-i-Kashmir or Swati dynasty. For the next five centuries, Muslim monarchs ruled Kashmir, including the Mughals, who ruled from 1526 until 1751, then the Afghan Durrani Empire that ruled from 1747 until 1820. Jarral Dynasty in Rajouri was never challeneged by any outside force or different rulers up to 1820. No taxation/ changes were imposed on Jarral rule by any Hindu or Muslim ruler over Kashmir. Jarrals lived in harmony with other castes and religions. That year, the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh, annexed Kashmir and the struggle between the Sikhs and Jarrals began.Jarrals and the Mughals 1526 to 1750 AD
The Jarral Rajas of Rajouri accepted Mughal rule and even helped the Mughals in their conquests of the country.During this time the title 'Mirza' was conferred to Jarrals for bravery and assistace in the Mughal's conquests. Raja Mast Khan, a Jarral ruler received lands yielding revenues of Rs. 50,000 from the Mughal Emperor Akbar for his services rendered in conquests and campaigns.A few inter-marriages took place between Royal Jarrals and Royal Mughals during this era.This was due to both clans understanding the need to remain and share of power hence allowing both sides men to marry opposite clans women. It brought them power, respect and stability. Although many Jarrals were married to Mughal women but they were not highly ranked Moghals while Shah Jahan requested the Jarral King, Raja Tajuddin Khan for the hand of his daughter, princess Nawab Bai Begum (also known as Raj Mahal Begum) for the Mughal prince, Muhiuddin Muhammed (who later became Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
). Nawab Bai was the only lady of Jarrals with status to marry into the Moghals. She was the second wife of Emperor Aurangzeb and bore two sons and a daughter namely Muhammad Sultan and Moazzam Shah a.k.a. Shah Alam Bahadur Shah-1. He became the Emperor of Mughal Empire after the death of Aurangzeb. The name of the daughter was Badarunnisa who died at the age of 19 years in 1673 and was a very pious princess. Prince Mohammad Sultan who was the eldest son died in 1676 in a supervised detention as he had revolted against his father Emperor Aurangzeb.
Raja Or Mirza Title
Majority of Muslim Rajputs use their ancient hereditary title of Raja. Although some tribes such as the Varya Rajputs (also known as Rana Rajputs) use the title Rana; other tribes also use Kunwar and Rai. These titles all originated from the ancient word Rajanya.Many Muslim Rajputs were also conferred titles by the Delhi Sultans and the Mughal Emperors such as Malik
Malik
Malik is an Arabic word meaning "king, chieftain".It has been adopted in various other, mainly Islamized or Arabized, Asian languages for their ruling princes and to render kings elsewhere. It is also sometimes used in derived meanings...
(Royal King), Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
(elder) Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
(Governor), Sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
, Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
, Chaudhry and Mirza
Mirza
Mirza , is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince. It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood...
i.e. Prince of the blood.
It was not uncommon for such titles to continue down the line of descent. Although the majority of Muslim Rajputs use Raja as their ancestral title, some also adopted the Persian title of Mirza
Mirza
Mirza , is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince. It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood...
instead of Rajput to distinguish their Muslim identity from their previous Hindu one as it is a Persian word meaning prince of the blood. Although the Rajputs of the Jarral dynasty were ordained as Mirza's after they rendered their services and acts of bravery during the Moghal conquests.
Jarrals and the Sikh Rule 1813 to 1846 AD
The period of the rise of the SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s to prominence and the Jarrals' relationship with them was one of turbulence, resistance, support and eventually rebellion.
In 1813, Raja Aghar Khan, came into conflict with Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
. He resisted, but was defeated, captured and later died in prison. His brother, Raja Rahimullah Khan was allowed a Jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
(estate) of 12,000 rupees.
In 1839-40, Raja Rahim Ullah Khan, Raja of Rajaur deputed his son Mirza Yahya Khan to lead a force of 500 men from Rajauri to accompany the Khalsa Force and the British Army to Peshawar and Kabul to suppress the uprising of the Afghans. Rajauri Force under his command successfully accomplished tasks of maintaining peace in the area of Ali Masjid where it stayed for about six months.
In 1845, on the request of Lahore Darbar, Mirza Yahya Khan led Rajauri Force of 1000 men placed under Sheikh Imam-Ud-Din's brigade to assist two armies of Prime Minister Raja Lal Singh and Sardar Tej Singh poised for the battles at Moodkee and Ferozshah against the British. The battle of Moodkee was fought on December 18, 1845, between the British, 12,000 strong, with 42 guns, under Sir Hugh Gough, and the Sikhs joined by their allies 30,000 strong, with 40 guns, under Sardar Tej Singh. The British loss was 872 killed and wounded, among the former being Generals M'Caskill and Sir Robert Sale. Mirza Yahya Khan was wounded during the battle at Moodkee.
On December 20, 1845, after the battle of Moodkee, Rajauri Force was quickly moved to join Lal Singh's army near Ferozshah. The combined forces of Sikhs and their allies fought with valor and determination. British Forces were contemplating laying down their arms and victory was a step away when Raja Lal Singh, the Prime Minister of the Punjab rode away from his Sikh and Allied Forces an act abhor by the Punjabis and the historians even today.
Excerpts from the book "The Last Sunset" Battle of Ferozshah
Governor General Sir Henry Hardinge and C-in-C General Sir Hugh Gough were quite aware that army's morale was low and would not stand another attack by the Sikh army.
Assuming the worst, Governor General Sir Hardinge sent instructions to his political Secretary Robert Cust and Frederick Currie to destroy all papers of the state.
While jubilant war cries of the Sikhs 'Jaikaras' and Muslims 'Allah Ho Akbar' intermingled with the blowing of the bugles and beating of the drums rang out above the sounds of the battle indicated victory over the British.
Brig Asburnham recorded later, 'I paced up and down and thought how the very fate of the British Empire seemed hanging on a thread'
At that moment of victory on the night of 21/22 December, Lal Singh abandoned his army and left Ferozshah along with Ghorcharras. The Sikh army still fought bravely expecting Sardar Tej Singh to join the battle with his army which he never did. Both had already connived with the British that they will abort from the battle field if assured protection.
Commander-in-Chief General Sir Hugh Gough writes:
"Policy, however, precluded me publicly recording my sentiments on the splendid gallantry of our fallen foe, or to record the acts of heroism displayed not only individually, but almost collectively by the Sikh Sardars and army; I declare, were it not from a deep conviction that my country's good required the sacrifice, I would have wept to have witnessed the fearful slaughter of so devoted body of men".
Punjab would have had remained independent and out of the clutches of the British, had it not been the treacherous acts of Raja Lal Singh (Prime Minister of Punjab) and General Sardar Tej Singh commanding combined forces of Sikhs and its allies. One rode away and the former ordered retreat converting Victory into Defeat.
Dogra Rule 1846 to 1947
In March 1846 AD, after the defeat of the Sikhs in the First Anglo-Sikh WarFirst Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom.-Background and causes of the war:...
, under the terms of "The Treaty of Amritsar", Maharaja Gulab Singh bought the whole of Kashmir from the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, which included the Rajouri Kingdom.Two Muslims rulers (Jarrals from Rajouri and Chibbs from Bimber) fought with the Dogra Rulers and were defeated. Other Muslim rulers of other estates neither aided other independent rulers nor rebelled against the Dogras. This defeat resulted in Jarral Royal family being relocated to punjab away from Rajouri.
The outgoing Royal Jarrals negotiated special concession with the Dogras and British Raj in which all Jarrals would remain in Rajouri except immediate ruling family who would move to new land provided in Punjab. The Jarrals who stayed in Rajouri would carried on their normal ranks in administration (Zaildari Nazam)under this agreement.
Famous Jarral Rajas
Raja Faqirullah bought Musaman Burj from the British Government at a price of RsRS
RS may refer to:- Genetics :A unique submitted SNP record receive a reference SNP ID number . Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DbSNP- Computer-related :* RuneScape, a multiplayer online role playing game...
5000 the same year. Musaman Burj is located on the northern end of the city of Wazirabad
Wazirabad
AYAZ KHANWazirabad is an industrial city located in Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan. Wazirabad is situated on the banks of the Chenab River nearly 100 kilometres north of Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. It is 45 kilometres from Sialkot, 30 kilometres from the district capital - Gujranwala...
. It consisted of approximately 15 acres (60,702.9 m²). There were 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of gardens in the center with walkways to reach the residence. On the northern end of Musaman Burj, a tributary of the Chenab known as the Pulkhu flowed. As per history, Musaman Burj was built before the time of the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir. Raja Faqirullah further constructed a rest house for his stay while travelling to Kashmir with his wife, Queen Noorjehan. Sir Lepel H. Griffin said he owned 432 acres (1.7 km²) acres in the Mitranwali and Nika Khel villages, Tahsil Daska, Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
, and about 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Radal, Tahsil Wazirabad, Gujranwala
Gujranwala
Gujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
.
He was also an Honorary Magistrate at Wazirabad and a Provincial Darbari of Gujranwala. In 1877, he was conferred with the title of Khan Bahadur
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
. He died in 1889.
It was said of Raja Faqirullah Khan:
Raja Ataullah Khan
His full rank of distinction was H.E. Sardar Bahadur Lieutenant Colonel Raja Ataullah Khan. He was the elder son of Raja Faqirullah Khan and was born in 1836 in the city of Rajouri. An excellent horseman with a strong personality, he had joined the British Army with his Jarral Horsemen and became part of the Hodson's Horse. He was a tall, brave and a handsome man. He served in the Hodson's Horse and 9/10 Bengal Lancers. Wounded many a times, he was a much decorated soldier of his time. His awards included Order of British India (OBI) and Order of Merit (OM) for valour and bravery. After his death in 1903 when East India Company was Chartered by the Queen and India became part of the British Empire, Order of Merit was converted into Victoria Cross. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and in the year 1885, became the British envoy (Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
) to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. He was also conferred the title of Sardar Bahadur by the British.
He was the first Muslim ever to be designated as a British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
. He married the daughter of the Nawab of Farakhabad and sister of Nawab Muhammad Nyaz Khan Bangash located in UP,India. Nawab Mohammad Nyaz Khan Bangash was exiled to Makkah for strongly supporting his people against the Britishers in 1857. Sardar Bahadur Raja Ataullah Khan encouraged his clansmen to join the Civil Service and the Armed Forces. He played a major part in bringing the Jarrals together was able to unite many of the family members who had chosen to live in Rehlu, during the period of their exile. He died in 1903, a highly decorated officer of his time.