The Punjab Chiefs- The Lost Glory of the Punjab Aristocracy in India and Pakistan

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About the Book THE PUNJAB CHIEFS is an extensive insight Into the aristocratic and noble Muslim, Hindu and Sikh courtiers that had served the opulent Court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century. In this state of the art book, the first portion delves into the lineage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's own family which is integral to the book's Inception and later focuses on his descendants and powerful courtiers.

The voluptuous work explores the history of these numerous personalities from the landed gentry today, whose ancestors had served proudly the Sikh and British Empires in graphic details which had been completely unknown. Post the Partition of 1947, many elite families migrated to India abandoning their vast ancestral estates and so this volume covers the regions of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttrakhand, New Delhi and Lahore, Pakistan. It brings alive the familles of Majithia, Attariwala, Nakai, Jaijee, Mokal, Bhadaur, Kalsia and even Rai Bahadur Narain Singh who had transformed Delhi in the 1930's.

The Punjab Chiefs, is a unique fully-coloured book that includes unpublished and unseen pictures that will not only be informative and inspirational, it will attract the general reader not just academically as a reference book, but as a treasure trove for all history enthus iasts wishing to indulge in capturing the lost glory of the Punjab aristocracy in India and Pakistan.

About the Author BOBBY SINGH BANSAL is a British born award- winning writer, historian and documentary film- maker. He is the author of The Lion's Firanghis Europeans at the Court of Lahore (2010), which charts the lives and careers of European mercenaries who served at the opulent court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early nineteenth century and Remnants of the Sikh Empire Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan (2015).

His documentary films include, the poignant The Sikhs of Kabul - A Forgotten Community' (2012), which won an award at the Guanajuato Film Festival, Mexico, 2013. This was followed by "The Road to Mandalay - The Burmese Sikhs' (2014) and Legacy of the Sikh Empire (2016). His other works include being part of the film. "The Black Prince' (2017). based on the tragic life of the last king of Punjab - Maharaja Duleep Singh. His notable works in the restoration of Hindu & Sikh structures in Pakistan have been officially recognised by institutions and government agencies in Pakistan and India, this includes one of his biggest achievments by installing a life-size statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Lahore Fort that commemorated his 180th death anniversary.

Introduction Ne first edition of The Punjab Chiefs by Sir Lepel Griffin was published in T 1865 and was commissioned by Sir Robert Montgomery, Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab Ahhough much bead been written about the leading Princes and Chels of India, very little was known about the Punjab aristocracy and so the intention of the work was to provide a broad insight into the powerful courtiers of undivided Punjab. The book included the powerful Hinder, Maslim and Sikh nobles who had enjoyed limited sovereignty under their patron Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the opulent Court of Lahore between 1801 and 1849. These dignified men, from all classes. represented honour and power within the social elite and their rise to power at the Sikh court was accelerated to such an extent that they became part of Sikh royalty.

The conclusion of the Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849) led to the annexation of Punjab. It marked the catastrophic end of the Sikh monarchy and the outset of British colonialism in the Punjab. Numerous ruling chiels who suddenly switched their allegiance to supporting the British in the Sikh Wars were later handsomely rewarded with pensions, titles retaiming their status and wealth. But those who fought against the British were deprived of their pride, wealth and ancestral estates. Irrespective of their former roles they became simple peasants and faded into oblivion. Furthermore, the Partition of India in 1947, dealt a severe blow to the landed gentry in western Punjab, compelling wealthy Sikh and Hindu landowners to abruptly abandon their vast ancestral estates, their relics and personal possessions. They were forced to migrate east to India virtually empty-handed, becoming mere refugees without any status.

Griffin's book was followed by an updated version by Charles Francis Massy in 1890, and again by H.D Craik in 1909. This now included leading Nawabs and Chiefs from Multan, the North West Frontier, Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) and the Districts of Kangra, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Karnal, Ferozepur, Ambala and Delhi, now located largely in India. Although Griffin's edition was the inspiration behind this updated version, several families of note were vociferously cynical, if not sceptical, by Griffin's distortion of their ancestors' biographies.

**Contents and Sample Pages**