Chicha

Chicha estate was founded by Chicha a Sindhu Jat. Ladhaa descendant of Chicha was chaudhary of the village of Chicha, in the late 17th century. Sewa, son of Ladha, about the year 1720, adopted the Sikh faith. It was a time trying to the zeal of new converts. Banda, the blood-thirsty follower of Guru Gdvind, had been recently executed at Dehli, and a bitter persecution was raging against the Sikhs, who were put to death wherever they were found. Sewa Singh fled with some companions to the wild region of the Upper Ravi, and it was not for many years afterwards that he was able to return to Ms native village. He turned a robber, like most of the Sikhs at that time, and fell at length in a foray in the direction of Lahore. His brother Hodh Singh joined the force of Sardar Gnjar Singh Bhangi, and managed in the year 1767 to take and hold six villages in the Daska pargana, two named Balkawala, JaJal, Sahibran, Gilwala and Kalarwala. After Gnjar Singh obtained possession of Gujrat, Hodh Singh received six other villages in the neighbourhood of that city , but was killed shortly aftei^ards in a skirmish with Sultan Mubarak, an officer of Ahmad Shah Durani. Ria son Akbar Singh -succeeded to the estate, but “was killed in the year 1780 in attempting to recover some treasure which Ghulam Mahomed, the inveterate foe of the Bhangi Misl, had carried off, Akha Singh left no son, and his brother Bhag Singh, who was a brave soldier, very largely increased the family possessions. He became a Sardar, and held under Gujar Singh a jagir worth Rs. 40,000. After his death, without issue, his nephew Jhanda Singh remained in the service of Sahib Singh, son of Gujar Singh, till, Ranjit Singh having taken possession of Amritsar, and the power of the Bhangi Misal being on the decline, he joined the young Chief and obtained from him a grant of eleven villages in the Amritsar district, though he lost all the old jagirs in Gujrat and Sialkot. Jhanda Singh fought in many of Ranjit Singh’s campaigns, including those of Kashmir and Kangra. In 1833 he was killed in a private quarrel with one Jit Singh, commandant, who also died of the wounds he received. Jhanda Singh appears to have been the aggressor in this affair ; for on Jit Singh’s family complaining to the Maharaja all the jagirs of Jhanda Singh were resumed, with the exception of Ohicha. Jawala Singh, his son, was two years afterwards taken into favour and received back a portion of the jagir, subject to the service of ten horsemen. He served for some time on the frontier at Bannu and Kohat. Jawala Singh had married the daughter of Sardar Atar Singh Sindhanwalia, and this alliance brought great trouble upon him, for all his jagirs were confiscated by Maharaja Sher Singh when he ascended the throne. When the Sandhanwalias came into favour the jagirs were released, but were again resumed by Raja Hira Singh, whose father the Sandhanwalias had assassinated. Jawala Singh died in 1844. His son Karpal Singh was then only seven years old, and Maharaja Dalip Singh confirmed to jagir of Hara, worth Rs. 425, a share in Mouza Bura Gil, worth Rs. 137, both in Tahsil Ajnala on him.