- Hari Singh Dhillon
Maharaja Hari Singh Dhillon (died 1764), was one of the most powerful, admired and famous of all the royalSikh warriors of the 18th century.He was Maharaja of
Amritsar ,Lahore and large areas of central and western Panjab. He was the nephew ofBhuma Singh Dhillon , a famous Sikh soldier. They were a family ofJats of theDhillon clan. His military exploits were legendary and his defence ofAmritsar , with his army, from Afghan attacks is still remembered with much affection by the Sikh community today. His army became the most popular to join due to his tireless defence of Amritsar.Such was the respect and admiration of the Sikh community for Hari Singh, that at the formation of the Dal Khalsa in 1748, he was democratically elected leader of the Taruna Dal at Amritsar which is considered to be one of the greatest honours given, in the 18th century, to any Sikh.
He fought against the Afghans with the help of his friends Charhat Singh Sukerchakia (the grandfather of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh ) and BaronJassa Singh Ahluwalia , duringAhmed Shah Abdali 's sixth invasion of Punjab. He was an intelligent leader, a progressive soldier and a wisestatesman . The author of "Tarikh-e-Punjab" writes that "Hari Singh was clever, powerful and a man of shining abilities."His two sons were
Jhanda Singh Dhillon andGanda Singh Dhillon . He based his HQ around Amritsar.After the death of Hari Singh Dhillon, The Dhillon sirdars went on to become the most powerful family in Panjab. They ruled over most of the major cities of Punjab, including
Amritsar ,Lahore ,Multan ,Chiniot ,Jhang ,Bhera ,Rawalpindi ,Hasan Abdal ,Sialkot andGujrat and large areas of central and western Panjab. They were the first Sikh family to conquerMultan , although they were unable to hold onto it. The Dhillon family's power brought them, some 30 years later after Hari Singh Dhillon, into conflict with their neighbours. They were eventually defeated by an alliance of rival Sikh misls, led by Ranjit Singh.See also
*
Sikh Confederacy
*Misl References
*"The Sikh Commonwealth or Rise and Fall of Sikh Misls. Edition:2001."
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