ANARKALI, the oldest Mughal tomb in Lahore, was built between 1605 and 1615 by Emperor Jahangir for his former favourite dancing girl Anarkali. The tomb was surrounded by extensive gardens enclosed within a high protective wall, and several buildings and palaces were erected in the gardens by Mughal princes and nobles. In 1799, Maharaja Ranjit Singh put up his headquarters there while besieging Lahore. Subsequently, he offered Anarkali to his eldest son, the heir apparent Kharak Singh.
BHANGlAN Dl TOP or the gun belonging to the Bhangi misl, known as Zamzama, is a massive, heavyweight gun, 80 pounder, 14 ft. 41/2 inches in length, with bore aperture 91/2 inches, cast in Lahore in copper and brass by Shah Nazir at the orders of Shah Wall Khan, the wazir of Ahmad Shah Durrani. In English literature, it has been immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as Kirn`s gun. It is perhaps the largest specimen of Indian cannon casting, and is celebrated in Sikh historical annals more as a marvel of ordnance than for its efficiency in the battlefield.
BURN, LtCoL, who commanded British detachments at Deoband, now in Uttar Pradesh, led in 1804 an expedition against the cis Sutlej Sikh chiefs, Gurdit Singh ofLadva and Karnal, Sher Singh of Buna, Rai Singh of Jagadhri, Jodh Singh of Kalsia and Mahtab Singh of Thanesar, who had fought against the British in alliance with the Marathas in 1803. Burn`s troops joined hands with those of Birch and Skinner, and defeated the Sikhs at Saharanpur on 18 December 1804. The British commanderin chief granted amnesty to all the Sikhs except Gurdit Singh. Burn arrived at Karnal, and secured from him the surrender of the town.
CHET SINGH, military commander, engineer and a kardar, i.e. a revenue officer, under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1831 he became engineer in charge for constructing a bridge over the River Sutlej for the Ropar meeting between Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Governor General William Bentinck. He constructed another bridge at Harike in 1837 to enable the British commanderin chief to cross over the Sutlej for his visit to Lahore. Earlier in 1833 he was appointed kardar of the cisSutlej estates of the Maharaja. In 1835, he was deputed to Anandpur to settle the dispute between the local Sodhi factions.
DHARA SINGH (d. 1860) succeeded his father, Mehar Singh, to the family estate situated in the Nakka tract of land upon the latter`s death in 1843. Dhara Singh joined Raja Sher Singh with his horsemen at Multan in 1848. He fought against the British in the battles of Ramnagar (22 November 1848) and Gujrat (21 February 1849). He died in 1860.
