Ram Rai Pur

Ram Rai Pur is a village in the eastern part of Punjab, India which is located at 31.8• N and 76.7• E. It is situated on the right bank of the Sutlej which is one of the 5 main rivers in Punjab. It is also one of the oldest villages in Punjab with a history dating back to 1632 AD.

The village consists of 3 large Sikh family clans, represented by the Dhindsa (Dheandsa), Dhariwal & Jhaj clans. Some of these family members have since emigrated to places such as the U.K, Canada, U.S.A, France, Austria, Greece, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

History

1634 AD The battle of Kartarpur was fought between Mughal troops and Guru Hargobind. The imperial troops were routed and both Painda Khan and Kala Khan were killed whilst hiding on the outskirts of Ram Rai Pur. During the rest of the 17th Century, Jalandhar remained firmly attacked? to the Delhi Empire. With the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate.

1710 AD Katar Singh Dhariwal of Ram Rai Pur and his army received appeals from the peasants of the Jalandhar Doaba to help them against the Mughal Faujdar, Shams Khan of Jalandhar. The news of Katar return was enough to put heart into the Sikhs and they rose to fight back against the Mughals. Shams Khan was defeated in Rahon.

1716 AD The capture and execution of Katar Singh Dhariwal and his followers in the year 1716, and the persecution of the Sikhs that followed, completely crushed them. But the Sikhs were temporarily subdued.

1807 AD Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjab) crossed the Sutlej and attacked the Rajput fort of Nariangarh in the Ambala District. Katar Singh Dhariwal grandson Mohan Singh Dhariwal & Tara Singh Gheba, accompanied him. however Tara became ill and died on his way home during the siege. His death was kept secret while the body was sent in all hast to Rahon to which he belonged. According to J.D. Cunningham, Tara Singh Gheba's widow, Rani Rattan Kaur " equaled the sister of the Raja of Patiala in spirit and she is described to have girded up her garment and to have fought, sword in hand, on the Jalandhar Doaba had been absorbed into the dominion of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and made over to Dewan Mohkam Chand.

1846 AD John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence was appointed commission of the Jalandhar Doaba on its annexation in 1846. He put a curfew around Ram Rai Pur the heart of the Sikh up roar known for organizing terror attacks against the British Raj and the surrounding villages, killing any one who did not adhere to his rules, In 1847 9 members of the Dhindsa family where shot and hanged in an action to scare other villages around Ram Rai Pur.

1918 AD Mahatama Gandhi visited Ram Rai Pur He organized a detailed study and survey of the villages, accounting for the atrocities and terrible episodes of suffering, including the general state of degenerate living. Building on the confidence of villagers, he began leading the clean-up of villages, which lead to the building of schools and hospitals and also encouraging the village leadership to undo and condemn many social evils, as accounted above.

1947 AD The partition of India resulted in the process that led to the creation on 14 August 1947 and 15 August 1947, respectively, of the sovereign states of Dominion of Pakistan (later Islamic Republic of Pakistan) and Union of India (later Republic of India) upon the granting of independence from the British Empire, marking the end of the British rule of India. Over 60 people men, women & children where killed leaving Ram Rai Pur going to the new Pakistan. Many more would have been killed had it not been for the help of the local village people of Ram Rai Pur.

2007 Sardar Lahmber Singh Dheandsa of Ram Rai Pur resided in the UK passed away peacefully on 26/12/07 at a grand age of 87. He leaves behind wife Sardarni Charan Kaur, 3 sons Amrik, Harmesh, and Amarjit and 2 Grandsons - Sukhvinder and Satvinder.

External links

*(coord|31.0870092|76.1713243|region:IN_type:city_scale:25000|display=title,inline [http://wikimapia.org/#lat=31.0870092&lon=76.1713243&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2] )Geo-links for subst:PAGANAME

An Aerial view of the village can be seen here