MULRAJ, DIWAN (1814-1851), son of Diwan Savan Mall, the governor of Multan, served as the kardar of Shuja`abad and Jharig during the lifetime of his father. He succeeded his father to the governorship of Multan after the latter`s death on 29 September 1844. The subah of Multan then included the

AKIL DAS, an eighteenth century head of the Handali sect of Jandiala in Amritsar district of the Punjab, also known as Haribhagat Niranjania, was an inveterate enemy of the Sikhs. Giani Gian Singh, Shamsher Khalsa, describes him as "Akul Das who basked in the name of Haribhagat." He was

BALLU, son of Mula, was the grandfather of Bhai Mani Ram of "Alipur, in Multan district, whose five sons were distinguished warriors in the retinue of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708). According to Bhatt Vahi Multani Sindhi, Ballu himself was a retainer of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644). He died fighting for

CHANDU SHAH, a wealthy banker and revenue official at the Mughal court at Lahore. He earned the annoyance of Sikhs by uttering disparaging words when his family priest proposed Guru Arjan`s son, Hargobind, for his daughter who was of marriageable age. Chandu Shah accepted the suggestion but with reluctance

DIVAN CHAND. MISR (d. 1825), a general in Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s army, was the son of a Brahman shopkeeper of the village of Gondlanvala, in Gujranwala district, now in Pakistan. He had come to the notice of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1812 during one of his tours and was

GURBAKHSH, BHAI, Guru`s masand or sangat leader at Delhi, served Guru Har Krishan (1656-64) with devotion when the latter was in the city in March 1664 at the summons of Emperor Aurarigzib. The Guru had a sudden attack of smallpox and lay critically ill. Bhai Gurbakhsh, seeing the end

KAHN CHAND, son of Amir Chand, served under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his successors in various capacities. His family originally belonged to Multan. His father had served as a revenue officer under Misr Divan Chand at the Lahore court and afterwards as a commander under Hari Singh Nalva. Kahn

KIRPAL CHAND KATOCH (d. 1696) of Karigra, son of Raja Udai Ram Chand (1687-90) and the younger brother of Raja Bhim Chand (1690-97) of Kangra. Kirpal Chand was ambitious and adept in diplomacy. He is said to have incited Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur to pick up a quarrel

MEDINI PRAKASH, ruler from 1684 to 1704 of Sirmur, a state situated along the river Yamuna in the Kayarda Dun valley of the Sivalik hills, was one among the hill chiefs who did not support Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur in his designs against Guru Gobind Singh. In April 1685,

PARMANAND, a Maharashtrian saintpoet, one of whose hymns is included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Born probably in 1483, he is believed to have resided at Barsi, situated to the north of Pandharpur, in present day Sholapur district of Maharashtra. Parmanand was a devotee of Visnu and used in his

RAVIDAS, poet and mystic, was born to Raghu and Ghurbinia, who lived near the city of Varanasi. Not much biographical information about him is available, but, from what can be made out of his own compositions, he belonged to a lowcaste (Chamdr) family. He followed the family profession of

SIDDHSEN, RAJA, chief of Mandi state in Himachal Pradesh from 1686 to 1729, became a devotee of Guru Gobind Singh. At his request the Guru went to Mandi and stayed with him for some time. The Raja later had the chance of playing host to Banda Singh Bahadur as