Mehta Basti Ram was a
Dogra
The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himacha ...
officer and commander of the Fateh Shibji battalion under Raja
Gulab Singh
Gulab Singh Jamwal (1792–1857) was the founder of Dogra dynasty and the first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the largest princely state under the British Raj, which was created after the defeat of the Sikh Empire in ...
of
Jammu
Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...
(later Maharaja of
Jammu and Kashmir). Basti Ram later served as the governor (''thanadar'') of
Leh
Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...
in
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...
between 1847 and 1861. Basti Ram joined the service of Raja Gulab Singh in 1821 and became an officer under General
Zorawar Singh Zorawar Singh may refer to:
* Zorawar Singh (Dogra general), general of Raja Gulab Singh
* Zorawar Singh (Sikhism), third son of Guru Gobind Singh
* Kanwar Zorawar Singh, Indian Army general
{{Hndis, Singh, Zorawar ...
during his conquest of Ladakh between 1834 and 1841. After holding positions such as the governor of
Taklakot
Purang or Burang, known as Puhreng in Tibetan (, IPA: puʂeŋ), is a town which serves as the administrative center of Purang County, Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region ''(TAR)'', China. The town lies at an altitude of 3,900m (12, ...
(briefly) and thanadar of
Zanskar
Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brie ...
, he became the
second governor of Leh under Maharaja Gulab Singh.
Life
In 1821, when
Gulab Singh
Gulab Singh Jamwal (1792–1857) was the founder of Dogra dynasty and the first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the largest princely state under the British Raj, which was created after the defeat of the Sikh Empire in ...
, the Raja of Jammu under the
Sikh Empire
The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...
, conquered
Kishtwar
Kishtwar is a town, municipality and administrative headquarter of the Kishtwar District in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district was carved out of the Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division.
T ...
, Basti Ram joined his service and was soon under General
Zorawar Singh Zorawar Singh may refer to:
* Zorawar Singh (Dogra general), general of Raja Gulab Singh
* Zorawar Singh (Sikhism), third son of Guru Gobind Singh
* Kanwar Zorawar Singh, Indian Army general
{{Hndis, Singh, Zorawar ...
. At a rank of Colonel, he led Zorawar Singh's ''Jangi Fauj'', later reorganised and renamed as the Fateh Shibji force from 1834 to 1841. Fateh Shibji went on to become the 4th Battalion of the
Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment (it retains the historic name Fateh Shibji). Major General
G. D. Bakshi wrote in 2002 that Basti Ram was a "tactician par excellence" and that he "should be a role model for Indian battalion commanders".
Dogra conquest of Ladakh
Basti Ram was one of the main officers of
Zorawar
''Zorawar'' is a Punjabi-language action film directed by Vinnil Markan, cinematography by Mohana Krishna and produced by PTC Motion Pictures. The film stars Yo Yo Honey Singh as the title character, alongside actresses Gurbani Judge and Paru ...
's force and played a crucial role at multiple locations of the conquest of Ladakh which started in 1834. He led an attack that resulted in the capture of the Fort of Sod/Soth (in
Kargil
Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Jam ...
) and subsequently the ''Gyalpo''. The assault included crossing the
Indus River on inflated goatskins. During the conquest of Baltistan, which started during the end of 1840, he found a way to cross a river that had caused Zorawar's army to halt for over a month in the cold and snow. For this innovation, Zorawar Singh gifted Basti Ram Rs. 500 and a pair of gold bangles. Basti Ram was also present during the capture of
Skardu
, nickname =
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan
, pushpin_label_position ...
.
After Zorawar Singh's forces captured Western Tibet, Basti Ram was appointed the governor of
Taklakot
Purang or Burang, known as Puhreng in Tibetan (, IPA: puʂeŋ), is a town which serves as the administrative center of Purang County, Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region ''(TAR)'', China. The town lies at an altitude of 3,900m (12, ...
(
Burang). Soon afterwards, the Tibetans launched a counterattack during winter. Zorawar Singh was killed on 12 December 1941 and his army defeated. The men stationed at Taklakot fled to the British province of
Kumaon Kumaon or Kumaun may refer to:
* Kumaon division, a region in Uttarakhand, India
* Kumaon Kingdom, a former country in Uttarakhand, India
* Kumaon, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran
* , a ship of the Royal Indian Navy during WWII
See also
...
. Basti Ram escaped to
Almora
Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of th ...
where the British commissioner gave him shelter. By the autumn of 1846, Basti Ram was appointed the ''thanadar'' of
Zanskar
Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brie ...
and "one of the confidential servants of Maharaja Gulab Sing.
Basti Ram provided one of the earliest written accounts of the Dogra conquest of Ladakh and beyond, twelve years after the events. While the original version was lost,
Alexander Cunningham had re-written Basti Ram's account based on a dictation by Basti Ram himself.
August Hermann Francke notes that Basti Ram may have exaggerated the enemy numbers at certain locations.
Governor of Leh
Basti Ram was appointed the thanadar of Leh between 1847 and 1861. At the time there were four thanadars for Ladakh, in Zanskar, Kargil, Dras and Nubra. All the thanadars had military and civil authority in their districts and were accountable directly to the Maharaja.
Alexander Cunningham estimated that Basti Ram's income would have been a "respectable" Rs.18,000 annually, (roughly £1,800 a year). Lieutenant Colonel
Henry Torrens, who passed through Ladakh in 1862, noted that Basti Ram had retired to his home in Kishtawar on account of old age, and a successor had not yet been appointed by the Maharaja". Instead, Torrens met the ''Kahlon'' of Leh, the "nominal governor", who got little respect from the Sikhs
ogras
Family
Basti Ram was a
Hindu Rajput of the Mehta family from
Kishtwar
Kishtwar is a town, municipality and administrative headquarter of the Kishtwar District in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district was carved out of the Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division.
T ...
. His grandfather had been in charge of military affairs under the last Kishtwar ruler Mohammad Teg Singh. Basti Ram's son
Mehta Mangal succeeded him as Governor of Ladakh.
Basti Ram's great-granddaughter was
Krishna Mehta, who went on to become the first woman member of parliament from Jammu and Kashmir. Krishna Mehta had been married to Duni Chand Mehta who was appointed as the ''wazir-e-wazarat'' of
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad (; ur, ) is the capital and largest city of Azad Kashmir, and the 60th largest in Pakistan.
The city is located in Muzaffarabad District, near the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pak ...
. In October 1947, Duni Chand was killed by
Pashtun tribal militias, and Krishna Mehta was taken prisoner and eventually repatriated by Pakistan. Krishna Mehta's brother
Om Mehta
Om Mehta (20 February 1927 – 12 February 1995) was the Minister of State for Home, Personnel and Parliamentary Affairs (Independent Charge) in Indira Gandhi's government in 1976. He was a powerful veteran of the Indian Congress during In ...
served as a
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
for Home Affairs in
Indira Gandhi's government in 1976. Another younger brother Ved Mehta was at one time the president of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jammu.
References
Notes
CitationsBibliography
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Further reading
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* {{Cite book, last=Kaul, first=H. N., url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC, title=Rediscovery of Ladakh, publisher=Indus Publishing, year=1998, isbn=9788173870866, location=New Delhi
Governors of Ladakh
People from Kishtwar district
Dogra people
19th-century Indian people