Dewan Mokham Chand
Diwan Mokham Chand | |
---|---|
Born | 1750 |
Died | 16 or 19 October 1814 Phillaur, Sikh Empire |
Rank | Military officer |
Children | Diwan Moti Ram |
Early life
Mokham Chand was born in a
Before taking up work under Ranjit Singh, he had worked under Dal Singh Gill of Akalgarh as a munshi (accountant) until 1804 when Dal Singh would die.[5] After Dal Singh Gill's passing, his widow, Sehju, did not get along with Mokham Chand and therefore the latter sought employment elsewhere.[5]
His next stint was with Sahib Singh Bhangi of Gujrat between 1804–1806, where he was appointed to the position of diwan.[5] He eventually fell out of favour and was even imprisoned awaiting execution but the wife of Sahib Singh, Chand Kaur, spared his life by assisting his escape.[5]
He would find work under Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1806 after his escape from the Bhangis.[5]
Military career
Mokham Chand was one of the most distinguished general of Ranjit Singh.[7] He helped with many conquests between the years 1806–1814.[5]
Ranjit Singh had seen him in action at Akalgarh three years earlier and again in the fight against the Bhangi Sardar of Gujrat. Mokham Chand had fallen out with the Bhangi and came to Ranjit Singh upon his request. Ranjit welcomed him with handsome gifts of an elephant and horses and granted him the Dallewalia possessions as a Jagir. He was made commander of a cavalry unit with the power to recruit 1500 foot soldiers as well.[6]
In the beginning of 1808 various places in the Upper Punjab were taken from their independent Sikh proprietors, and brought under the direct management of the new kingdom of Lahore, and Mokham Chand was at the same time employed in effecting a settlement of the territories which had been seized on the left bank of the Sutlej. But Ranjit Singh’s systematic aggression had begun to excite fear in the minds of the Sikhs of Sirhind[8]
In September 1808, he was responsible for receiving the British East India Company envoy Charles Metcalf at Kasur alongside Fateh Singh Ahluwalia, for the former's visit to Lahore.[5] Remarks about the martial prowess of the British and Sikhs were exchanged between the two.[5]
Historians report an interesting conversation between Charles Metcalf and Mohkam Chand: the latter commented that the British had not seen Sikh bravery on the battlefield, to which Metcalf readily responded that the Sikh had not yet seen British courage.
— Robina Yasmin, Muslims Under Sikh Rule in the Nineteenth Century: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Religious Tolerance, page 93
In the year 1812, he was awarded with the titles of diwan and fateh nasib.[5]
He was the commander in chief of armies in
Death and successors
Diwan Mokhham Chand Nayyar died at Phillaur on 29 October 1814, on a Saturday. His son Diwan Moti Ram and grandsons Diwan Kirpa Ram and Diwan Ram Dayal succeeded him as Governors of Attock.[12]
He was one of the architects of the Sikh empire who rose by dint of merit to the post of Diwan and virtually the commander-in-chief of the Sikh forces. N. K. Sinha observes. "As a general, he was uniformly successful and from 1806 to 1814 the annexation of Ranjit Singh was due not only to his irresistible cunning but also to Mohkam Chand's military talents." Ranjit Singh always held him in high esteem. He had a sound knowledge of military tactics and strategy. He did not suffer a defeat; he was an ever victorious General.
See also
- Battle of Attock
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Generals
Notes
- ^ Alternatively spelt as 'Baisakhi Mal'.
References
- ^ Chhabra, G. S. (1972). Advanced History of the Punjab: Ranjit Singh & post Ranjit Singh period. Advanced History of the Punjab. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). New Academic Publishing Company. p. 200.
- ISBN 978-81-85477-01-5.
- ISBN 9781786730954.
- ISBN 978-81-250-1595-6.
- ^ ISBN 9780755640348.
- ^ a b Khushwant Singh. A history of the Sikhs. Volume 1 page 217.
- ^ The Punjab Chiefs WL Conran and HD Crank published by Sangameel Publications Pakistan page 156. Quote: "The most distinguished of the generals, by whose skill and courage Ranjit Singh rose from a subordinate chiefship to the Empire of the Punjab, was Diwan Mokham Chand. The sagacity with which the Maharaja selected his officers was reason of his uniform success ..."
- ^ History of the Sikhs from the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej by Joseph Davey Cunningham, H.L.O. Garrett Page 136
- ^ Hari Ram Gupta, History of the Sikhs, Vol. V, pp. 110-11 452 Murray, History of the Sikhs, Vol. II, p. 13; Cunningham History of the Sikhs, p. 138. Agrees with this date; Hari Ram Gupta, History of the Sikhs, Vol. V, p. 101, mention Ranjit Singh got the news of this battle on 12 July 1813, from a letter sent from Pind Dadan Khan by Sukh Dayal, an agent of Rama Nand Sahu, stating that the battle was fought on 9 July 1813. According to N. K. Sinha, Ranjit Singh, p. 50. This battle took place on 26 June 1813. 453 Murray, History of the Punjab, Vol. II, p. 13.
- ISBN 9788176021807. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ISBN 9788120619180. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ISBN 81-7387-152-3. Retrieved 3 April 2018.