Giani Kartar Singh famous for having selected Sikh history as his subject matter for presenting in narrative poetry, was born in the village Kalaswalia, district Sialkot (now in Pakistan). He was popularly known as Kalaswalia, after the name of his native place. His father, Jagat Singh, who was a

VIJAI VINOD, also called Bijay Binod, is an account of the events at Lahore Darbar after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This work was composed in 1844 by Gval, the court poet at Lahore Darbar, at the orders of Pandit Jalla, the mentor and most influential adviser of

TOSHAKHANA, from Persian toshakhanah (toshah = food or provisions for journey or food articles in general+ khana = house, store) or tosha khana (toshak = bedding, clothing + khana) means in Punjabi a treasury or secured storehouse for valuables. It is now generally used for the

TARN TARAN (31°27`N, 74°56`E), important centre of Sikh pilgrimage 24 km south of Amritsar, was founded by Guru Arjan in 1596. Six years earlier, on 13 April 1590, he had inaugurated the conversion of a natural pond lying along the DelhiLahore highway into a quadrangular tank. Digging operations on

SOBHA SINGH, a grandson of Divan Singh who had built the village of Qila Divan Singh in Gurdaspur district during the early days of Sikh power. Divan Singh was a follower of Chatthas of Rasulnagar. Sobha Singh`s father, Hukam Singh had served under Mahan Singh Sukkarchakkia and afterwards under

SHAHPUR KALAN, a village 13 km west of Sunam (30"7`N, 75"48`E) in Sangrur district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Tegh Bahadur who, during one of his journeys through the Malva country, came and stayed here near the pond north of the village. Gurdwara Mahji Sahib Patshahi IX, which

SHAH DIN, FAQIR (d. 1842), son of Faqir `Aziz udDin, minister to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was the Sikh court`s envoy with the British political agent at Ludhiana and later at Firozpur. He is described in contemporary chronicles as an able diplomat who often accompanied foreign dignitaries visiting Lahore and acted

SANT SINGH GIANI, BHAI (1768-1832), renowned man of letters and custodian of Sri Darbar Sahib at Amritsar in Sikh times, came of a devout family of Chiniot, in present day Jhang district of Pakistan. His grandfather, Bhai Ram Singh had spent his life preaching Sikhism in those parts. His

RICHMOND. COLONEL A.F., agent to the Governor General, North-West Frontier Agency (June 1843November 1844), who came to the Sutlej frontier when the political situation at Lahore had become unstable. It is believed that the Italian General Ventura, who had gained influence with the new Wazir, Hira Singh, feeling insecure at

RANJODH SINGH MAJITHIA (d. 1872). military commander and jagirdar of the Sikh Darbar was the son of Desa Singh Majithia and foster brother of Lahina Singh Majithia. Details of his early career under Maharaja Ranjit Singh are scarce. British records, however, locate him as the governor of Hazara and

RAM DIAL, RAI (d. 1863), news writer and vakil of the Sikh kingdom at FIrozpur, was the son of Rai Anand Singh, after whose death he was sent to Ludhiana as vakil in 1827. Shortly thereafter he was recalled to Lahore and, in 1832, was sent to Anandpur Sahib to

PARDUMAN SINGH GIANI, BHAI (d. 1877), principal granthi or priest and manager of Sri Darbar Sahib at Amritsar, was the eldest of the four sons of Bhai Gurmukh Singh Giani (d. 1843), a man of learning and an influential courtier in Sikh times. He was the grandson of the