Who was Ram Singh Pathania?
Ram Singh Pathania was born on 10th April 1824 in Nurpur. Nurpur was a princely state in Himachal Pradesh. His father was Shyam Singh, the wazir of Raja Veer Singh the ruler of Nurpur. Ram Singh grew up learning martial arts, archery and horse riding. He also had keen interest in politics and religion. However very little is known about the early life of Ram Singh Pathania. His known and documented history really starts with the end of the first Anglo-Sikh war which was fought between 1845-1846.
Why did he rebel against the British?
In the year 1846 after the first Anglo-Sikh war, the British annexed most of the territories of Himachal Pradesh including Nurpur. They deposed the minor king of Nurpur, Raja Jaswant Singh, the son and successor of King Raja Veer Singh who was killed by British. They offered him a pension of 5000 rupees and thus annexed Nurpur very cunningly. Ram Singh was outraged by this injustice and decided to resist the British occupation. He proclaimed himself as the Wazir of Nurpur and gathered a loyal band of loyal Rajput warriors
How did he fight against the British?
He then launched a series of Guerrilla attacks on the British forces and their allies. He captured several forts and villages and liberated them from British tyrannical rule. He also forged an alliance with Sikhs who were also fighting against British in Punjab. Ram Singh Pathania became a popular leader among the people of Himachal Pradesh and was hailed a hero.
Some of the battles that Ram Singh Pathania fought against the British are:
- Battle of Bharmour (1846): Attacked the British garrison and killed many soldiers. He also freed the local people from the British taxes and oppression.
- Battle of Chamba (1847): He surrounded the fort of Chamba and forcedthe british to surrender. He then proceeded to capture large amount of arms and ammunitions to break the back of their firepower.
- Battle of Shahpur Kandi (1848): He attacked the strategic fort of Shahpur Kandi, which was situated on the banks of river Ravi, with his small Rajput army. This was nothing short of a surgical strike with the British army caught completely off guard and shell shocked with the ferocity of the attack. Ram Singh Pathania along with his brave warriors fought valiantly and slayed several British officers including Major Abbot who was the British commander of the fort. Pathania then went on to hoist the Nurpur state flag declaring the Young Prince Jaswant Singh as the new King of Nurpur and he himself as the Wazir. This victory over British gave the local populace independence from foreign oppression. This battle is considered as one of the greatest victories of Ram Singh Pathania over the British
Betrayal and Death In 1848 however he was backstabbed by one of his own associates by the name Pahar Chand who passed on information about his whereabouts to British. The British surrounded the hill near Nurpur and trapped Pathania on the hill while he was performing a religious ritual (Puja) completely unarmed. He was arrested and taken to Lahore jail and sentenced to life imprisonment and deported to Rangoon by a military court. There, he suffered from harsh conditions and constant physical and mental torture. He died on 11 November 1849 at the age of 24. His death marked the end of his heroic struggle against the British tyranny.
