Chattha State
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Chattha Dynasty Riasat-e-Chattha (Punjabi) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1750–1797 | |||||||||
| Status | Chieftainship | ||||||||
| Capital | Rasool Nagar Ali Pur Chatta Manchar Chattha | ||||||||
| Common languages | |||||||||
| Ethnic groups | Punjabi Jat | ||||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Manchurids | ||||||||
| Chief | |||||||||
• 1750-1765 | Nur Muhammad Chattha | ||||||||
• 1765-1775 | Pir Muhammad Chattha | ||||||||
• 1765-1780 | Ahmad khan Chattha | ||||||||
• 1780-1790 | Ghulam Muhammad Chattha | ||||||||
• 1790-1797 | Jan Muhammad Chattha | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Independence from Mughal Empire | 1750 | ||||||||
• Sikh invasion of Rasulnagar | 1797 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Pakistan | ||||||||
The Chattha State was a Punjabi Muslim state based in the Rechna Doab of the Punjab region.[1] The stronghold of Chatthas was Rasulnagar located between Punjab and Afghan lands.[2]The principality was founded by Nur Muhammad Chattha and passed down to Pir Muhammad Chattha.[3]
The Chatthas had a particular rivalry with the Sukerchakia Misl that lasted for over 40 years and 3-4 generations of hereditary enmity.[2] This rivalry was immortalized in the Punjabi war ballad known as Chatthian di Vaar.[4]
Independence
[edit]Nur Muhammad Chattha emerged as a key political and military leader in Punjab amid the decline of Mughal influence. Around 1750, he asserted independence from Mir Mannu and established rule over parts of present-day Hafizabad and Gujranwala District.[5]
When he grew up his friendship was sought by Raja Ranjit Dev of Jammu and by the chiefs of Multan; for the Chatthas had now grown powerful, and Nur Muhammad Chattha was their acknowledged chief.[6]
Nur Muhammad Chattha is credited with founding the towns of Ahmadnagar, Ghudi Gul Muhammad, and Rasulnagar, which later became significant during the Sikh campaigns in Punjab.[7]
He was succeeded by his sons as he grew too old, Ahmad Khan Chattha and Pir Muhammad Chattha who continued resistance against the expanding Sikh Misls. He died in 1775.[citation needed]
Pir Muhammad Chattha
[edit]He was known to be a bitter enemy of Sukherchakia Misl.[8] ‘Chatthian di Var’ existed in oral form which was first recorded by the late Prof. Qazi Fazl-i-Maq and published. The poem makes no mention of the first Chattha chief, Nur Muhammad. It starts with Pir Muhammad Chattha and Charat Singh. Charat Singh, the rising Sikh leader, had developed some enmity with Pir Mohammad[9] about whom the poet says:[10]
اک پیر محمد نام سی دھن جمدی مائی
تے خوشی قبیلہ اپنا سبھ بھیناں بھائی
رسول نگر دا اچودھری، بھو دشمن پائی
[10] تے اس دی وچ پنجاب دے سبھ پھرے دوهائي
Translation:
"Pir Muhammad was a great man
He was a leader of Rasulnagar
His enemy feared him
His authority echoed throughout all of Punjab"[10]
According to the poet Charat Singh could afford a head-on collision with Pir Muhammad.
Charhat Singh asked Pir Muhammad Chattha to pay tribute to him and accept his suzerainty but according to ‘Chatthian di Var’ Pir Muhammad refused to do so:
"Pir Muhammad was asked by Charat Singh to pay tribute but the Singh could not get that until he died".[10]
In 1765 when Lahore was taken by the Sikhs, the Zamzama gun fell to the share of Charat Singh Sukerchakia who carried it to Gujranwala. In the Sardar's absence the gun was captured by Ahmad Khan Chatha, who placed it in his fort of Ahmadnagar. Pir Muhammad quarrelled with his brother for the possession of it and in the fight a son of Pir Muhammad and two sons of Ahmad Khan lost their lives.[7][11]
Pir Muhammad Chattha built many forts after his name including Kot Mian Khan, Alipur, Naiwala, Kot Salim, Kot Ali Muhammad and Fatehpur.[6]
Ghulam Muhammad Chattha
[edit]Ghulam Muhammad, who succeeded to the estate also succeeded the hatred of the Sukarchakias. Both Sardar Mahan Singh, son of Charat Singh, and Ghulam Muhammad were able and brave men, and it was clear that peace could only result from the death of one or the other. For a long time the advantage lay with the Chatthas, and Mahan Singh was defeated on several occasions.[6][12][10]
At once it looked like the Sikh arms have been arrested and their dominion in the doab annihilated. Mahan singh in this crisis strengthened himself by an alliance with his rival Sahib Singh, the son of Gujar Singh Bhangi whom he gave his sister Raj Kaur in marriage. This alliance began to prove strong for the brave and heavily outnumbered Chattha chief.[12]
Once he besieged Jokian, held by Mian Khan, uncle of Ghulam Muhammad, who came down in haste to relieve it. After some hard fighting, peace was agreed upon; but in an unguarded moment the treacherous Sikh seized Mian Khan, carried him off prisoner, and blew him from a gun.[6][12][10]
At length, in 1790, Mahan Singh, having become very powerful, assembled his forces and besieged Manchar. The siege lasted for more than six months, and the Sikhs lost a large number of men.[5] The young Ranjit Singh himself was in great danger; for Hashmat Khan, uncle of Ghulam Muhammad, charged his escort with a few sowars, and, climbing upon his elephant, was about to kill the child when he was struck down by the attendants.[6][12][13][10][11]
Ghulam Muhammad, seeing that he could no longer hold the fort, offered to surrender if he were allowed to leave for Mecca in safety.[11] Mahan Singh promised; but he had hardly sworn his truth, than one of his men, by his orders or with his connivance, shot the brave Chattha chief through the head. Mahan Singh then gave up Manchar to plunder, and seized the greater part of the Chattha country.[6][12][10]
Jan Muhammad Chattha
[edit]Jan Muhammad Chattha, the son of Ghulam Muhammad Chattha escaped to Kabul after the fall of Manchar. He then returned with Afghan aid and recovered great parts of Chattha country but this success was short lived as Ranjit Singh again besieged Rasulnagar and Jan Muhammad Chattha was killed thus ending the generational enmity between the two groups.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume I A-D.
- ^ a b Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-754831-8.
- ^ Kapūra, Prithīpāla Siṅgha; Singh, Dharam (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Commemoration Volume on the Bicentenary of His Coronation, 1801-2001. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. ISBN 978-81-7380-728-2.
- ^ Mirzā, Shafqat Tanvir (1992). Resistance Themes in Punjabi Literature. Sang-e-Meel Publications. pp. 56–62. ISBN 978-969-35-0101-8.
- ^ a b www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume I A-D.
- ^ a b c d e f Griffin Lepel H. (1890). The Panjab Chiefs Vol-ii.
- ^ a b Gupta, Hari Ram (1944). History of the Sikhs vol.3.
- ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Sikh Empire And Maharaja Ranjeet Singh.
- ^ Yasmin, Robina (2022-01-13). Muslims under Sikh Rule in the Nineteenth Century: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Religious Tolerance. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7556-4034-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Shafqat Tanveer Mirza (1991). Resistance Themes In Punjabi Literature.
- ^ a b c d www.DiscoverSikhism.com. History Of The Sikhs Vol. IV The Sikh Commonwealth Or Rise And Fall Of Sikh Misls.
- ^ a b c d e Gazetteers Of The Gujranwala District 1893-94. 1895.
- ^ Sohan Singh Seetal. The Sikh Empire And Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Sohan Singh Seetal.