Gurbakhsh Singh Kalsia
Gurbakhsh Singh Kalsia (d. 1785), a leading figure in the Karora Singha misl of the Sikhs, was a Sandhu Jatt, belonging to the village of Kalsia tehsil Kasur, in Lahore district of Punjab.
He received Sikh initiatory rites at the hands of the revered Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh (1670-1737) at Amritsar Sahib, in the time of Nawab Zakariya Khan of Lahore. As a mark of mutual friendliness, he exchanged turbans with Sardar Karora Singh Virk (d. 1761), of the Karora Singha misl chief, and participated in several expeditions of the Dal Khalsa At the time of the conquest of Sirhind in January 1764, he seized the parganah of Chhachhrauli, now in Jagadhari tehsil of Haryana, comprising 114 villages, and founded an independent principality called Kalsia after the name of his native village.
He captured Bambeli parganah in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. He collected immense wealth from different places in Haryana and Rajasthan. Some of his villages had been seized by Maharajah Amar Singh of Patiala Dynasty, which he later recovered. Along with several other Sikh chieftains, he attempted to form an alliance with the English against Mahadaji Scindia of Maratha Empire in 1785. Gurbakhsh Singh died in 1785. He was not famous, but his successor and son, Sardar Jodh Singh (d. 1818), was an able person, who ruled, with great power, and expanded the boundaries of their kingdom, Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave him, Jagirs, He later died at Multan, in 1818, during the capture of the City, from the Afghans. After his death the Royal Sikh family, became more powerful then before, marrying in to the Royal Sikh families of Patiala, and Jind, Nabha etc.
Royal Sikh Rulers of Kalsia State
- Sardar Gurbakhsh Singh Sandhu (d. 1785)
- Sardar Jodh Singh Sandhu (1751-1818)
- Sardar Sobha Singh Sandhu (d. 1858)
- Sardar Lahina Singh Sandhu (d. 1869)
- Sardar Bishan Singh Sandhu (1854-1883)
- Sardar Jagjit Singh Sandhu (1880-1886)
- Sardar Bahadur Ranjit Singh Sandhu (1881-1908)
- Sardar Bahadur Ravi Sher Singh Sandhu (1902-1947)
- Sardar Bahadur Ravi Karan Singh Sandhu (1933-1961)
