TEJ SINGH, RAJA (1799-1862), son of Misr Niddha, a Gaur Brahman of Meerut district, was born in 1799. His original name was Tej Ram. He was a nephew of Jamadar Khushal Singh, a dignitary of the Sikh kingdom. He took up service at the court in 1812. In 1816, he received the rites of Khalsa and was named Tej Singh. He proved his worth as a soldier and made rapid progress in the army cadre, becoming a general in 1818. He served in all the three Kashmir expeditions of 1813, 1814 and 1819, and took a leading part in reducing Mankera, Leiah and the Derajat. He was a divisional commander in the Peshawar campaign of 1823 and fought in the battle of Ten. In 1831, he had under his command twenty-two battalions of the regular Sikh army.