Lehal Library

154 The Agrarian Uprising Abdali headed straight for the frontier. He gave bis allies much advice on how to deal with the Sikhs and offered them districts as jagirs. They heard the advice with respect but did not take his grants too seriously, for they knew that the districts of the Punjab were no longer the Shah's to give away. A few days after Abdali's departure the Sarbat Khalsa met for its annual Baisakhi session (IO April l 765). The experience of the last Afghan campaign had restored its confidence. The pool of the Harimandirwas cleansed and the temple rebuilt at considerable expense. Six of the twelve misls appointed representatives to look after their interests in Amritsar.◄~ Religious services and the gum ka Ian.gar were reswned on a scale larger than ever. The Sarbat Khalsa resolved to take advantage of the absence of Abdali 's governor, Kabuli Mal (who was in Jammu recniiting Dogras for his army) to retake Lahore. On 16 April 1765 the Bhangis, Gujjar Singh and Lehna Singh, forced their way into the capital. They were joined the next day by Sobha Singh Kanhaya. They heeded the words of advice of the leading citizens and forbade all plunder. 'This city is called the Gw'U's cradle,' pleaded the citizens (aJluding to the fact that Lahore was the binhplace of the fourth gurn, Ram Das). 'lfyou look after it, you wiU prosper. But if you ruin it, you too will derive no profit from it. •w The city was divided into three. Lehna Singh took over the central part, including the fort; Gujjar Singh/'' the eastern as far as the Shalamar Gardens on the road to Amritsar; and Sobha Singh, the southern extending to Niazbeg. The Sardars t.hese mischievous people given 10 thieving. Whether a woman is young or old, they call her a buriyii and ask her 10 ge:-t out. of 1.he way. The word buriya in the lndian language means 'an old lady.• There is no Lhief al alJ among thest· dogs, nor is there any house-breaker born among these miscreants. The)' do not make friends with adulterers and housebreakers, though their beha\iour 011 1.he whole is not commendable.' (Jang Niimii, pp. 156--9.) 49 H. R. Gupta, Hist-0,:--1 of th, Sikhs, r, 226. 50 H. R. Gnpta, Hisu,ry of the Sikhs, r, 228. 51 TI1e locality of his fortified city house is stiJI known as Qila Gajjar Singh. Sobba Singh turned the mawsoleum of Aurangzeb's daughter, Zebunnissa, into a fonress; the locality bears 1he name Nawak.ot (new fon) to this day.