History
Sirdars Sahib Singh and Gurdit Singh of Ladwa were members of the Krora Singhia confederacy. They were Bhatti Jats of the village of Bain Poin, ten miles south of Amritsar, and joined the troop of Mit Singh Rohela, about 1758. After the defeat of Zin Khan, Governor of Sirhind, in 1763, they seized Bahein, Shamghar and Ladwa. The last fell to the share of Gurdit Singh. In a skirmish with Agha Shafih, near Karnal, Sahib Singh was killed, and Gurdit Singh took the whole estate, with the exception of Shamghar, given to the brother of Sahib Singh’s widow, and twelve villages given to Bhagwan Singh the adopted son of the deceased. Gurdit Singh was granted the district of Badowal by Ranjit Singh. He was succeeded by his son Ajit Singh, who built a bridge over the Sirsuti or Saraswati at Thanesar, and obtained the title of Raja.
Raja Ajit Singh became the victim of the British campaign of confiscation of territories. He was charged with corruption and mis-management and his removal was suggested. In fact, his enemity towards the British was well known. By 1845, he became intolerable to the British Government. Accordingly he was pronounced a ‘rebel’ and put under surveillance at Saharanpur. During the First Anglo-Sikh war, Ajit Singh fled away from the Jail, joined the Sikh army and helped Ranjodh Singh Majithia. At Ludhiana, Ajit Singh and Ranjodh Singh burnt a portion of the cantonment. Sir Harry Smith, who had taken part in the battle of Waterloo and was sent to help the British army against the Sikhs suffered a heavy loss of bag gage-hospital stores at the hands of the Sikhs. After the battle the state of Ladwa was confiscated.
Genealogy
- Raja Gurdit Singh, Raja Of Ladwa, started in 1758, when he joined the forces of Mit Singh Rohela, he was migrate from Bain Poin village, 10 miles south of Amritsar. He was affiliated to the Krora Singhia Misl confederacy” was married had issue with one son :-
- Rajkumar Ajit Singh
- Raja Ajit Singh, 2nd Raja Of Ladwa, when he was young he expanded his Independent State and his manor consisted of Ladwa (94 villages); Baddowal (26); Jagraon (6); Paddhi (18); Shekpoora (9); Singhor (20); Indri (town and 11 villages); and Sikandrah (9 villages). His army consisted of 1,530 cavalry; 400 infantry men; six small guns and two big guns, The land revenue from villages collected from his state was of 205,350 silver rupees in 1808. He had three important forts in his possession at Ladwa, Indri and Karnal. His fort of Karnal was captured by the English in 1805 when they planned to set up a cantonment in Karnal around 1805-06.During the First Sikh war in 1845, he fought on the side of the Lahore Empire army against the British. He was defeated and his state of Ladwa was confiscated in 1846.
