Waniaki

The jagirdars Wasiani are also known by the name of Roranwala. Roranwala estate was founded by Gurbaksh Singh , who was one of the best fighters under Sardar Hari Singh of Bhangi Misl. He owned about forty villages, and used to scour the country with a band of horsemen and collect plunder from far and near. No son was born to him, his only biological child was his daughter whom he married to Natha Singh (see Rangarh), he later adopted Lehna Singh.

Lehna Singh’s was a Kahilon Jat, his grandfather was a zamindar who in a time of scarcity left his native village of Sadawala in the Amritsar district for Mastapur near Kartarpur in the Jullundur Doab and here his son, Dargaha, was born. Lehna Singh, son of Dargaha, was a high spirited boy; and having been on one occasion beaten by his father for allowing cattle to stray into his field ran away from home, and after wandering & about for some time at length reached the village of Roranwala, one mile from Atari, where Gurbakhah Singh lived. He took He took a fancy to young Lehna Singh and put him into his troop, and later, having no son of his own, adopted him. Gurbakhsh Singh died in 1763; and dissensions straightaway arose between Lehna Singh, the adopted son, and Gujar Singh, the son of Gurbakhsh Singh’s daughter, each claiming the property. Jhanda Singh and Ganda Singh Bhangi came to Wanili to try and settle the dispute; but Gujar Singh would not listen to terms, and set out with his followers for Roranwala. Lehna Singh pursued and came up with him, and a fight was the result, in which a few men were killed on either side. At length an arrangement was made, by which Lehna Singh and Gujar Singh divided the estate. The former kept Roranwala, and the latter founded a new village between Behrwal and Rani, which he called Rangarh, in remembrance of his fight with Lehna Singh, of whom he now became the fast friend.

The two Sardars then planned the capture of Lahore, which Kabuli Mal held in the interest of Ahmad Shah. The governor was a timid and, at the same time, a tyrannical man; and as the Sikh horse, becoming every day more bold, plundered the country up to the very walls of the city, he grew alarmed for his safety, and when he obtained secret intelligence of the Bhangi plot he fled from Lahore leaving it in charge of his nephew, Amir Singh. One dark night Lehna Singh and Gujar Singh with two hundred men determined to surprise Lahore. They found all the gates closed; but one Dayal Singh showed them u drain by which it was possible to enter with one squeezing. Gujar Singh led the way, Lehna Singh followed and the other Sikhs. The fort was taken by surprise; Amir Singh, the deputy governor, was captured at a naucth and put in irons, and before morning the whole city was in possession of the confederates, Early the next day Sobha Singh Kanaiya, nephew of Jai Singh, arrived. He had, since the last Afghan invasion, been in hiding at his native village of Kanah. He was one of the confederates and, although too late to aid in the capture, was allowed a share of the prise. Then came the other Bhangi and Kanaiya Sardars; and lastly Charat Singh Sukerchakia(see Lahore) , who was very hard to please, and would not go away till the Bhangis had given him the Zam-Zam gun, which he carried to Gujranwala. The three Sardars then divided Lahore amcng them; Lehna Singh taking the citadel, with the Maati, Khiari,Kashmiri and Roshnai gates. Gujar Singh built for himself fort without walls, which he called Qila Gujar Singh, and in 1765 marched northwards to conquer new territory. Lehna Singh and Sobha Singh remained in Lahore in peace till Ahmad Shah made his final descent upon the Punjab in 1767, when they retired to Panjwar. But the great Durrani leader felt age and infirmity creeping upon him; and having no man of genius like Adina Beg Khan to leave in charge of the province, he resolved to conciliate the Sikh chiefs. To Lehna Singh he sent a present of fruit; but he returned it, saying that grain was the food for peasants like him, not fruit, which was a Iuxury for kings. Pleased with this humble reply, Ahmad Shah confirmed Lehna Singh in his possession of Lahore and returned to Kabul, where he died in 1773. For twenty years after this the Lahore Sardars ruled in tolerable quite till 1797, when Shah Zaman, who had succeeded to the throne of Kabul, invaded the Punjab; and Lehna Singh again retired from Lahore, and returned after the departure of the Shah, but died the same year. Chet Singh succeeded Lehna Singh.

Shah Zaman again appeared in 1798, but only remained a few months in Lahore, as news from Persia rendered his return necessary, Sardar Ranjit Singh Sukerchakia(see Lahore) obtained from the Shah a grant of the city in return for services which he rendered, the principal of which was the raising and forwarding to the Shah eight guns which had sunk in the river Ravi. But the gift was only nominal, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh was left to gain possession for himself. This was not difficult. The only man of any energy among the joint rulers of Lahore was Sahib Singh, son of Gujar Singh(see Rangarh), and he was absent at Gujrat. Chet Singh was an imbecile, and Mohar Singh(son of Sobha Singh Kanaiya) possessed neither character nor influence. Their rule was hated by the people, and their own adherents, Bhai Gurbaksh Singh, Hakim Rai and Mian Ashiq Muhammad, were in favour of Ranjit Singh, and wrote him word that he could easily make himself master of the place. Ranjit Singh with a large force entered Anarkali, and Chet Singh, who thought of marching to oppose him, was dissuaded from so doing by his agent, Mohkam Din, chaudhri of Kotnao, who was in charge of the Lahori gate, which he opened to the enemy. Ranjit Singh took possession without difficulty, and Chet Singh and Mohar Singh fed.

Some time later Ranjit Singh granted to Chet Singh a jagir of Rs. 60,000 in Waniaki, which he held till his death in 1816. He left no son by any of his eight wives; but four months after his death Bibi Hukam Kaur gave birth to a son named Atar Singh, in favour of whom Ranjit Singh released an estate of Re. 6,000 at Waniaki. This was afterwards much reduced and exchanged for Ladi, which again, in 1819 was exchanged for Chak Didu, part of Lehna Singh’s old estate. O annexation this village was released to Atar Singh and his mother for their lives.

References :-

• Sir L.H Griffin, Chief and Families of Note in Punjab
• Sir L.H Griffin, The Punjab Chiefs