Rosah

There is a tradition that Rosa or Rusah, a Sidhu Jat, and ancestor of this family, emigrated from Deli some hundred years ago, and founded, near Chunian in the Lahore district,a village, to which he gave his own name. Thakar Singh was a Rasaldar and Jagirdar in the service of the famous Dina Beg Khan,Governor, first of the Jalandhar Doab, and then of the Panjab. On the death of his master in 1758 he set up for himself, andcontrived to possess himself of a large tract of country in the Gogaira and Gujaranwala districts. In 1765 he joined Hari Singh Bhangi and Jai Singh Kanhya in their expedition against Kasur, where he was killed by a musket-shot. His eldest son Lakhmi Singh only survived him a year, and Jodh Singh succeeded to the entire estate. Some time after this, Jodh Singh quarrelled with Sardar Sobha Singh of Lahore and, to avoid his enmity, went to Gujranwala, where Sardar Charat Singh made him Thanedar. He rebuilt the old village of Rosa in the Chunian Pargana, and founded a second in Sheikhupura, both of which are still held in proprietary right by the family. On the death of Charat Singh, Sardar Sobha Singh, who had claimed to be the heir of Thakar Singh, seized half the Rosa estates, without any resistance on the part of Jodh Singh, who retained his appointment at Gujranwala under Mahan Singh and Maharaja Ranjit Singh; and in 1799 he had the gratification of accompanying the latter to Lahore, when the city was taken and the son of his old enemy made prisoner. Jodh Singh served under Ranjit Singh in the Kasur,Pindi Bhatian and Jhang Campaigns; in the last of which he obtained for his bravery the jagir of Mohal and Draj in the Jhang district. He was shortly afterwards severely wounded at the siege of Chandiot. In the second Kashmir expedition,at Rajaori, he was killed in a skirmish. His three sons, Bhagwan Singh, Megh Singh and Tegh Singh, had some time before this entered the Maharaja’s service, but the Kashmir Campaign was the first in which Daya Singh had been engaged. He was confirmed in his father’s estates; but after the Maharaja’s return to Lahore these were all resumed, and others were granted worth about Rs. 10,000, subject to the service of thirty horse; Bhagwan Singh receiving a separate jagir. Megh Singh was killed at Mangli in 1821 when serving under Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa. In 1832 Atar Singh was made Adjutant in the Dhonkal Singh Brigade, and afterwards in the Sher Singhwala, on its return from Kashmir.In 1834 the jagir of Daya Singh was resumed with that of his Chief, Sardar Atar Singh Kalianwala, who had incurred the Maharaja’s displeasure by his refusal to proceed to Bannu. He was, however, left four villages worth Rs. 3,000 ; but the family never recovered its former position. Atar Singh accompanied Sardar Ajit Singh Sandhawalia Of Raja Sansito Kulu, in the Dasowala Dera, under Bahadar Singh, and remained there through all the Lahore revolutions, in which his General, Ajit Singh, perished. The Satlaj Campaign was fatal to the family of Rosa; for in one day, at Firozshahar, Daya Singh, Diwan Singh and Mardan Singh were killed.Atar Singh was placed under the orders of Raja ChatarSingh Atariwala when that Chief was sent as Governor to Hazara; and he joined him in rebellion in 1848. On crossing the Indus on his march from Peshawar, Sardar Chatar Singh made over Major G. Lawrence and family, whom he had taken prisoners, to Atar Singh for safe custody,with directions to convey them to Pothiar. Thither they were escorted by Atar Singh, and subsequently to Mamhiala and Rawalpindi, where, after the battle of Gujrat, they were givenup to the British authorities. Atar Singh treated the prisoners with all kindness and consideration, and on the annexation of the Panjab received a pension of Rs. 600 per annum. He died in 1870. His son Lahna Singh is now at the head of the family.The village of Rosa in the Sharakpur Tahsil is held by the members, according to the ancestral shares.The present holders are Jawahir Singh, Kesar Singh and Sher Singh, and the three sons of Atar Singh.