Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...

Raja Mahan Singh Mirpuri Bali (born in Mirpur, Kashmir) was a famous general in the

Sikh Khalsa Army The Sikh Khalsa Army (), also known as Khalsaji or simply Sikh Army, was the military force of the Sikh Empire. With its roots in the Khalsa founded by Guru Gobind Singh, the army was later modernised on Franco-British principles by Maharaja Ran ...

, and was the second-in-command general to General Sardar

Hari Singh Nalwa Hari Singh Nalwa (1791–1837) was Commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshawar and Jamrud. Hari Singh Nalwa was respon ...

.The history of the Muhiyals: The militant Brahman race of India'' (English,1911) by T.P. Russell Stracey He was conferred by Maharaja Ranjit Singh the title of

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

for his conquests of Haripur, Nowshera and

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

. The town of

Mansehra Mansehra is a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Mansehra District. It is the 71st largest city of Pakistan and 7th largest city in the province. The name of the city (written in Hindko, Urdu and Gojr ...

derives its name from him.

Early life

Mahan Singh was born in Mirpur in the

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

region of India into a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

( Saraswat)

Mohyal Brahmin Mohyal Brahmins (or Potohari Brahmins) are an Indian sub-caste of Saraswat Brahmins from the Punjab region, who are sometimes referred to as 'Warrior Brahmins'. Mohyal Brahmins were the ancient and one of the first Hindu rulers of Punjab and Afg ...

family of the

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

clan (

Parāśara Parāśara (Sanskrit: पराशर; IAST: ) was a maharshi and the author of many ancient Indian texts. He is accredited as the author of the first Purana, the Vishnu Purana, before his son Vyasa wrote it in its present form. He was the gr ...

gotra). He was the son of Data Ram Bali, who was a counselor to Sultan Raja Muqqarab Khan, the muslim Gakhar Subedar of the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

i cities of Gujrat, Jhelum, and Rawalpindi. Mahan Singh Mirpuri, born a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

, took amrit and became a Khalsa Sikh.''Mohyal History'' (Urdu, 1940) Chuni Lal Dutt

Military career and later Life

While in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

in search of a job, he happened to participate in a hunting expedition of

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

, in which he caught the notice of the Maharaja by single-handedly killing a leopard with his sword. Impressed by his valor, the Maharaja had him inducted into the army under the famous General

. Mahan Singh Mirpuri played a key role in the battles of

and

, and in the 1818 siege of Multan, where he was seriously wounded two times. He went on to become second-in-command to

. In April 1837, he was the main defender of the

Jamrud Fort The Jamrud Fort is located beside Bab-e-Khyber at the entrance to the Khyber Pass from the Peshawar side in the tribal district of Khyber KPK, Pakistan. After death of Sardar General Hari Singh Nalwa Khalsa Sarkar Wazir Jawahar Singh nominated ...

, holding out against an invasion by the Afghans. In the

Battle of Jamrud The Battle of Jamrud was fought between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Sikh Empire on 30 April 1837. It was the last effort made by Emir Dost Mohammad Khan to recapture the former Afghan winter capital of Peshawar. Afghan forces confronted the ...

was killed but Mahan Singh maintained the news secret until reinforcements arrived from

. Mai Desan, the widow of

, adopted Mahan Singh as her son and solemnized his marriage into a fellow

Mohyal Brahmins Mohyal Brahmins (or Potohari Brahmins) are an Indian sub-caste of Saraswat Brahmins from the Punjab region, who are sometimes referred to as 'Warrior Brahmins'. Mohyal Brahmins were the ancient and one of the first Hindu rulers of Punjab and Afg ...

family of the Mohan clan (

Kashyapa Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, ...

gotra) from Gujranwala according to Hindu Vedic traditions. Mahan Singh had four sons, named Chhattar Singh, Himmat Singh, Sham Singh and Wadhwa Singh.

Death

Sardar Raja Mahan Singh was murdered by his own soldiers in 1844, when mutiny broke out in the

. His death at the hands of mutinying soldiers was avenged by Chhattar Singh (His Son), who was himself killed soon after.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirpuri, Mahan Singh Indian generals People from Mansehra District Punjabi people Converts to Sikhism from Hinduism Indian Sikhs 1844 deaths People of the Sikh Empire Assassinated Indian people Assassinated military personnel 1810 births

Early life

Military career and later Life

Death

See also

References