Naugaja

This family goes back to one Rai Firoz, a Tomar Jat (Bhinder sept) of Dehli, who, eleven generations ago, wandered to the Panjab, and settled at Mauza Khokhowal in Amritsar. He amalgamated with the Jats of the neighbourhood. He and his connections by marriage came to own nineteen villages around Khokhowal. Firoz acquired jagir rights in three villages of Gurdaspur from the Emperor Akbar, which were continued to his offspring for eight generations.

The next remarkable man in the family was Ram Singh, surnamed Dharvi a freebooter, who joined with another freebooter Bhagel Singh in seizing ten villages in the Jalandhar, Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts, in some of which their representatives still have rights. In this manner Ram Singh, who had joined the Karora Singhia Misal in 1759. found himself possessed of lands yielding him Rs.15.000 per annum.

His son, Sardar Mahtab Singh, was a Commandant in the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, at the head of two hundred horsemen, of which seven were maintained by himself as a charge on his jagir. He took part in most of the campaigns of his day and acquired more land, which he lost in squab- bling over the produce with his brothers. He made over the patrimony to his four sons while still a young man. Sewa Singh and Dava Singh took the village of Vila, in the Ba tala Tahsil of the Gurdaspur district. Its revenue was resumed by Government on their death. Sardar Amar Singh, now at the head of the family, received over the Jalandhar villages of Naugaja, where he resides, Isapur, Mokhe and Mor. The revenue (Rs. 2,700) was released to him on life tenure, charged with a deduction of Rs. 1,670 in lieu of service. The jagirdar has further benefited to the extent of Rs. 370 under the operation of the recent settlement, in which the demand was enhanced in all four villages. Singh also owned a fourth share of six hundred ghumaos in the village of Vila, being the land held up by Mahtab Singh for his own maintenance.

Sadar Amar Singh’s nephew Narain Singh was the Lambardar of Vila Bhaju, in the Batala Tahsil of the Gurdaspur. His son Wariam Singh was a Police Inspector, for sometime employed on special duty in attendance on the Viceroy. His grandfather, Sardar Dava Singh, was for many years a Deputy Inspector of Police in Amritsar.