Maharaja Ala Singh

Biography

Ala Singh was born on 5 October 1691 in the village of Phool (district of Bathinda) to Sardar Ram Singh. His grandfather Chaudhary Phool Singh was the founder of the Phulkian Misl. Ala Singh's mother's name was Sulakhan Kaur. Sulakhan Kaur was the daughter of Wazir Alam Chand of Lahore. Ala Singh's family belonged to the Sidhu Jatt caste. His grandfather Phool Singh was blessed by Guru Har Rai, the seventh Guru of the Sikhs. As a result, Phool Singh had become a major feudal lord of the Malwa. He served in the court of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb till 1691 AD. Fed up with Aurangzeb's tyranny, Phool Singh quit his job. Due to which Phool Singh was martyred in 1691 AD. After Phool Singh, his only son Ram Singh became Sardar. He received Amrit from Guru Gobind Singh. Ala Singh was the only son of his parents. As a result, he was raised with great care. When Ala Singh was five years old, his grandfather Alam Chand took him to Lahore. There he received a higher education. Through the efforts of Alam Chand, Ala Singh acquired knowledge of many languages ​​of the Mughal Empire. When he was ten years old, he was trained in martial arts. It is said that Ala Singh had become such a good warrior in his childhood that he once killed a lion. He was only twelve at the time. In 1707 AD, Guru Gobind Singh went south. He was accompanied by Ala Singh's father, Ram Singh. He handed over his throne to Ala Singh before leaving. Ram Singh predicted that one day my son Ala Singh would become the Maharaja of a very large kingdom. Ala Singh's reign of Tilak took place on 17 October 1707 AD. When he became the chief of the Phulkian Misl, his rule was only over the village. Due to his bravery and ability he established the Patiala Empire.

Personal Life

When Ala Singh was 17 years old, relationships began to form for his marriage. At the request of Nanu Singh Saini, a Brahmin of Sunam, Ala Singh was married to Fateh Kaur, daughter of Chaudhary Charan Singh of Barnala village. A few months later, Sardul Singh was born. He was the only son of Ala Singh. He later contributed greatly to the expansion of the Patiala Empire.

Rise of Power

Bathinda Victory
After the martyrdom of Banda Singh Bahadur, Ala Singh began to conquer the Mughal territories. He first won the state of Bathinda. This state was very important. Apart from this, the fort built here was built by Ala Singh's ancestor. In 1716 AD, Ala Singh invaded Bathinda. From here Chaudhary reached Mohat Khan Lahore. Thus, without any action, Ala Singh captured the fort.

Barnala Victory
Chaudhary Mohat Khan of Bathinda sought the help of Abd al-Samad Khan, Governor of Punjab. The governor sent an army of 10,000 to help Mohat Khan. That is, they defeated Ala Singh's father-in-law Charan Singh and captured Barnala. When Ala Singh was not found out, 7,000 horsemen were sent to Barnala under the leadership of Nanu Singh Saini. Nanu Singh Saini defeated the Mughal army and drove them to Lahore. Pleased with his action, Ala Singh made him his prime minister. Barnala was made the capital of the Phulkian Misl.

Treaty With Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah
After the death of Aurangzeb, incompetent rulers like Bahadur Shah I, Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi ud-Darajat and Shah Jahan II ruled. In 1719 AD, Muhammad Shah became the Mughal Emperor. He made several attempts to prevent the downfall of the Mughal Empire. In 1721, he made a treaty with Ala Singh. This is called the Treaty of Flowers. According to which Ala Singh promised to protect the Mughals from foreign attacks in return for an annual compensation of Rs 50 lakh. Despite the treaty, Ala Singh did not waver from Sikhism. He established his headquarters at Barnala in 1722 AD. In which the workers robbed the Mughals.

The effects of the treaty
In 1739, Nader Shah, the ruler of Iran, invaded India. He defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal. While Nader Shah was crossing the Sutlej, Ala Singh attacked him. Nader Shah's caravan was 240 miles long. As a result, he did not have a chance to recover. Ala Singh continued to plunder Nader Shah for many days. Ala Singh gave Rs 50 lakh of the looted money to the Mughals.