Ruriala

The village of Ruriala in the Gujranwala district is stated to have been founded by Jagirdar Chaudhri Tej Singh, an ancestor of Sardar Jodh Singh. It is certain that the family had long livedn the village and had for some time held the “Chaudhriat”. About the year 1759 Bhagat Singh became a Sikh, and having married his daughter Davi to the powerful Ruler Gujar Singh Of Bhangi obtained a grant of the village of Ruriala, free of service, from him. Gujar Singh also took the young Sava Singh and Dava Singh into his service, and gave them the jagir of Naushera in the Gujrat district, which was held by, the brothers in joint possession till the death of Sava Singh, who was killed in battle; and the jagir was resumed by Sahib Singh, son of Gujar Singh, who had succeeded his father in the command of the Bhangi Misl: Two villages of the jagir were, however, left to Dava Singh, and the ancestral village of Ruriala. Jodh Singh entered the force of Sardar.

Jodh Singh Sowrianwala, who had married his cousin in the year 1813, when a boy of fifteen. He served with the Sardar’s Ghorcharas till 1825, when, on the death of Sardar Amir Singh, the jagir was resumed by the Maharaja and their regular troops placed under the command of Prince Sher Singh. In 1831 Jodh Singh accompanied the Prince in his successful campaign against Sayad Ahmad Khan. In 1834 he was placed as a trooper in Raja Hira Singh’s Dera, in which he remained till 1848, having been in 1836 promoted to the rank of commandant. The jagir of Ruriala, with Rs. 12,043, subject to the service of two sowars, had always remained in his possession, with the exception of the year 1835, when it had been temporarily resumed; and in 1848 he received an additional grant of the village Kotli in the Gujranwala district. During these years Sardar Jodh Singh had performed good service to the State. He had served under Diwan Hukam Rai, who was in charge of Mamdot and Mukatsar, and was afterwards sent to the Manjha, where he was most energetic, and speedily cleared the country of robbers. During the reign of Sher Singh he was again sent to the Manjha in command of three hundred sowars, and remained there for six months, restoring order and administering justice.After the Satlaj Campaign Jodh Singh was appointed Adalati, or judicial officer, at Amritsar on Rs. 3,000, inclusive of his jagir; and in 1849, after annexation, he was appointed Extra Assistant Commissioner at the same place, where he remained till his retirement from the Government service in December 1862. During the disturbances of 1848-49 Sardar Jodh Singh remained faithful, and did excellent service in preserving the peace of the city of Amritsar, and in furnishing supplies to the British forces.In 1857 he accompanied Mr. F. Cooper, C.B.,in pursuit of the Mian Mir mutineers, and rendered such zealous and prompt assistance that he received from Government a present of Rs. 1,000 and a valuable watch. From annexation up to the beginning of 1862 he was in charge of the Darbar Sahib, the great Sikh temple at Amritsar, chosen by the Sikharis to cracy and priests themselves. This was an important duty, requiring great tact, honesty and powers of conciliation. These qualities the Sardar possessed in an eminent degree. There have been special circumstances gravely affecting the good management of the temple of late years, but Jodh Singh’s influence there was only for good. He guided its counsels through the difficult early years of the administration and through the critical period of 1857, when his loyalty and devotion to Government were many times noticed; while as a judicial officer he secured, by his justice and unswerving honesty, the respect of the inhabitants of Amritsar, without regard to caste or creed.In recognition of Jodh Singh’s services, Government on his retirement in 1862 allowed him to draw his full pay of Rs. 4,300 for life. Ruriala and Kotli were released rent-freefor life, and the latter village, with two wells at Ruriala, was todescend to bis heirs for two generations. He also received agrant of fifty acres of land in Rakh Shakargarh. Sardar Jodh Singh died at Amritsar in August 1864. Sardar Man Singh, youngest brother of Jodh Singh, is one of the most distinguished natiye officers in the army. He entered Raja Suchet Singh’s force when about twenty-fiveyears of age, and was present at the capture of Peshawar and in the Trans-Indus Campaign. He then entered Raja Hira Singh’s brigade, where be was made an adjutant ofcavalry. He fought against the British at Mudki, Ferozeshah and Sobraon, and after the campaign was stationed at Lahore in command of a troop of fifty horse. In 1848 he was sent to Amritsar, and remained with his brother during the war, doing excellent service; and on the return of peace his troop was disbanded and he retired on a pension. But Man Singh had no love for a quiet life at home. In 1852 he entered the Police under Colonel R. Lawrence, and remained in the force till 1857. At the first outbreak of the Mutiny he was despatched to Deli to join Major Hod son with three troops of cavalry; one raised by Nawab Imamudin Khan, one by Raja Tej Singh, and the third in a great measure by Man Singh himself. This force, first known as ‘Montgomery Sahib ka Rasala,’ became the nucleus of the famous Hodson’s Horse. Man Singh served throughout the siege and capture of Dehli. He assisted in the capture of the King of Dehli and the capture and execution of the three Princes, and on that day the coolness and gallantry of Man Singh were as conspicuous as those of his dashing commander. He was then sent with Colonel Showers’ column into the Riwari district, and, returning to Debli about the end of October, was despatched to Lahore by Major Hod son to raise five hundred recruits. This he effected in about four months, using the utmost exertions and borrowing a considerable amount of the necessary funds on his personal security. He then hurried to Lucknow. He arrived just intime to take part in the capture of the city, but too late to receive the thanks of his commandant, Major Hod son, who was killed the day before his arrival.Man Singh fought throughout the hot-weather campaign of 1858, and was honourably mentioned in despatches for his gallantry at the battle of Nawabganj on the 13th June,in dashing to the rescue of Lieutenant Buller of his regiment, who was surrounded by the enemy. Man Singh was on this occasion severely wounded in two places, and his horse covered with sword-cuts. He received for his conduct in this action the Order of Merit. He served throughout the Oudh Campaign of 1858-59, and was present at most of the important actions.At Nandganj, after capturing three guns, he was very badly injured by the blowing up of the tumbrils by a desperado from the enemy’s ranks. From the injuries he received there he suffered for several months. The Government have rewarded the services of Man Singh by the grant of jagir sin Oudh and in the Panjab of the value of Rs. 600 and Rs. 400per annum respectively. Harsa Singh, second son of Jodh Singh, like his uncle Man Singh, was a Rasaldar in the 9th Bengal Cavalry. He was appointed to command one of the troops of cavalry raisedby Man Singh in November 1857. In the middle of 1858 he went with his detachment to Oudh and joined the headquarters of Hod son’s Horse, then commanded by Colonel Daly. He fought with distinction in all the chief battles of the later Oudh Campaign, including Sultanpur and Fyzabad. He died in 1860. Partab Singh in April 1861 joined the Police forceas Subedar. He is still a Deputy Inspector. Dal Singh was a Rasaldar in the 17th Bengal Cavalry. He died in 1885. Jawala Singh, son of Jai Singh, was a Subadar of the 29th Native Infantry. He has retired on a pension of Rs. 180 per annum. His share in the village of Buriala brings in about Rs. 240 per annum. His son Vir Singh is asowar in the Central India Horse. Sardar Man Singh retired from the service in 1877, and took up his abode at Amritsar, where he has ever since led an active and honourable life, devoting his whole time and most of his money towards the maintenance of the Sikh faith. He was made an Honorary Magistrate in 1879, and in the same year was appointed manager of the Darbar Sahib, an office requiring tact, patience, honesty and energy. That he has performed his duties well is proved by the fact that the local authorities have frequently refused to allow him to resign,although he is now a very old man, in need of rest and quiet for his remaining years. He is a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire, a Vice regal Darbari, and a member of the Municipal Committee of Amritsar. His income is estimated at Rs. 12,000 per annum, including a military pension of Rs. 3,594; lands in Oudh, Rs. 4,000 ; in Gujranwala, Rs. 2,500 ;in Lahore, Rs. 1,000 ; and a jagir in Kot Bara Khan, Rs. 700.One of Sardar Man Singh’s sons, Jawahir Singh, is a Zaildar and an Honorary Magistrate in Gujranwala. The other sare still young.The sons of the late Sardar Jodh Singh hold a perpetual jagir, valued at Rs. 600, in Mauza Ramgarh, Gujranwala; also a mafi valued at Rs. 75 in Ruriala in the same district. They have an additional income of Rs. 1,700 per annumn made up of rents on houses and lands in Amritsar. Mahtab Singh, the eldest son, died in 1855. Karam Singh, son of Ganda Singh, was a Deputy Inspector of Police. His land in Gujranwala yields Rs. 150 per annum Of the sons of Kahan Singh, the eldest, Hira Singh, was Subadar-Major in the 24th Panjab Infantry, and he owns land in the Lahore and Gujranwala districts yielding about Rs. 3,000 per annum. The third son, Sher Singh, is a Jamadar in a mountain battery now on service in Burmah. Sardar Hira Singh’s eldest son, Sardul Singh, was a Dafadar in the 1st Regiment, Central India Horse. The second son, Asa Singh, was a Jamadar in the 24th Panjab Infantry.