Bikhi/Sheikhupura

The Bikhi family has held the zamindari of Bikhi for a very long time. It was during the time of Emperor Akbar, when one of its members, Rai Lala, was made chaudhary of thirty villages. This post the family retained for four generations till Rai Sahib Singh and his brother Sahai went to Amritsar where they took the pahal’ and became Sikhs. Being already possessed of wealth they had no difficulty in following the prevailing fashion of collecting a band of horsemen, and ravaging the neighbouring country.

Their most successful expedition was against Sheikhupura which they captured, and having ejected the Lobanah tribe from its holdings, made it their head quarters*. Their great rivals and enemies were the Kharrals, and in one of the fights with this tribe, Sahai Singh was slain, and no time afterwards, Shib Singh also fell, fighting with the very same Lobanahs whom he had driven from Sheikhupura and whose new settlement at Mian Mir he was endeavouring to seize.

* It is to be mentioned that Sheikhupura was earlier known as Virkgarh and was the capital of the old Virk principality and they were ousted from Sheikhupura by the Mughals.

The sons of Sakib Singh and Sakai Singh succeeded conjointly to their father’s estate, and held it in peace till 1808, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh turned his arms against them. For some time the cousins defended the fort of Shaikho- pura succesafully, and were at length induced to surrender by Mit Singh Sandhu of Padhana and Nihal Singh Attariwala who promised to procure estates for them. The Maharaja gave them jagirs worth 40,000 Rs., in the Lahore and Gogaira districts. Amir Singh was made commandant in Amar Singh Majithia’s force, and was sent to Attock where he was soon after killed near Burj Raja Hodi, in a skirmish with the mountain tribes. His jagirs were, however, distributed among the surviving members of the family. Shamir Singh and Bagh Singh received appointments in the Charyari and the Ghorcharahs respectively. During the reign of Ranjit Singh the family were continually engaged in active service, and till his death retained their jagirs intact. Bhagel Singh died a few years before the Maharaja, and Dal Singh, Hira Singh and Hari Singh shortly after, in 1839. Kishan Singh and Foujdar Singh both fought in the Sutlej campaign, while Jiun Singh and his cousin Nidhan Singh remained at Lahore, with the foree in eharge of the city. Al most all the members of the family joined the national party in 1849, and were among the troops who gave up their arms at Rawalpindi.

Their jagirs, which amounted to 8,000 Rs., were confiscated. Pensions of 200 Rs. were given to the widows of Hira Singh and Hari Singh, and to Arbel Singh a pension of 300 Rs.. Midkas Singh, who received a pension of 60 Rs., died in 1861.