Wazir Zorawar

With his confidant, Dewan Amir Chand, Gulab Singh planned the expedition. He discussed every detail for nothing must escape his vigilant attention. The management of the commissariat interested him very much. True to Rajput traditions, he fed and clothed his army well.

The usher bowed himself in a announced a soldier who had with sealed letters from Reasi. Gulab Singh looked at the soldier, a tall, stalwart, handsome Dogra Rajput. He had noticed him before. He liked him and his smart bearing. The Dewan opened and read out the letters to the Dogra chief. One of the letters referred to the problems of the commissariat which were growing knotty at the time.

"What shall we do with the organisation of the commissariat?" said Gulab Singh. "There is so much waste".

The soldier, who awaited orders, a yard or so away, boldly intervened, "Sire, allow me to say a word about the commissariat. For years I have watched the great waste. I have a scheme to tackle the complex problem successfully. Shall I speak about it?"

"Yes, yes," allowed the Rajput chief, "take your seat on the carpet and let us have your ideas".

In the most lucid manner, the soldier first outlined and then described his scheme of the better organisation of the commissariat. Gulab Singh was impressed.

"What is your name and wherefrom do you come?" he asked.

"My name is Zorawar Singh. I am a native of Kassel, near Reasi. So far I have served as a private".

The name, Zorawar, a manly name befitting the broad-shouldered Dogra soldier,was familiar to Gulab Singh. His grandfather whom he had settled on his estate of Ramghar bore the name. He thought over the scheme and considered it worth a trial

After consulting the wise and devoted Dewan, he gave Zorawar a letter, in which he empowered the commandant of Reasi to try the scheme with his infantry. The scheme was tried and found eminently successful. Gulab Singh, who was the only chief of Jammu whom Maharaja Ranjit Singh had allowed to maintain his own army, gave several promotions to Zorawar Singh.

In the battles of the Sikhs against the Pathans, Gulab Singh greatly distinguished himself and received more Jagirs from the Sikh Maharaja. In 1815 A.D., Reasi, so far administered by Gulab Singh, was given to Mian Dewan Singh as Jagir by the Maharaja. Gulab Singh, who was ambitious to consolidate the divided principalities of Jammu under his own suzerainty, could ill brook this award. Benefitting from the absence of Dewan Singh, he sent his forces, under Zorawar Singly to occupy Resai. The neighbouring chiefs, who were jealous, of Gulab Singh's meteoric rise at the Sikh Durbar, did not help him.

Dewan Singh besieged the fort of Reasi. Zorawar Signh was in a precarious position for sometime, but-the born soldier that he was- he did not lose heart at all. His system of commissariat helped him a great deal in keeping up the morale of the garrison. Dewan Amir Chand sent him reinforcements from Jammu. He held his own against Dewan Singh in the face of great odds, and, in the end, defeated him.

On his return from the war against tribal chiefs, Gulab Singh sent an expedition to Kishtwar in 1821 A.D. He raised Zorawar to the rank of a commandant and gave him independent charge of the commissariat. Aided greatly by the influence which his brother, Raja Dhyan. Singh, wielded at the Lahore Durbar as the Lord Chamberlain, to which post he had been appointed in place of Jamadar Khushal Singh, Gulab Singh was left free to try his army against the neighbouring hilly principalities.

In 1822 A.D., Maharaja Ranjit Singh himself performed the Rajtilak ceremony of Gulab Singh and clowned him the Raja of Jammu with the saffron tilak and the formal bunch of saffron flowers. The Raja was barely thirty and he had already subjugated Reasi, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Ramgarh, as Jagirs. In diplomacy and statecraft, he was almost equal to Pundit Dina Nath, the reputed "Colbert of the Punjab". Inspiring faithfulness and loyalty in his associates and soldiers, he had devoted men like Wazir Lakhpat, the former Wazir of the Raja of Kishtwar, Dewan Jwala Singh Sahi-the son of Dewan Amir Chand and Zorawar Singh, in his employ.

Gulab Singh had realized his ambition of uniting the hilly principalities of Jammu under his hereditary rule, like his great ancestor, Raja Ranjit Dev, but he wasn't satisfied. He was bent on widening his territories as much as he could. Nothing daunted him in the enterprises, for his physical and moral courage was great.

The petty Raja of Chenani had become Raja Gulab Singh's feudatory, prior to the Raja's expedition to Kishtwar. Gulab Singh and his generals saw the Valley of Kashmir from the Himalayan ranges over Chenani and desired very much to annex it. This they could not do, at least not very soon for Kashmir was directly administered by the Sikhs through the Subedar, Col. Mian Singh. For years, Gulab Singh's army fought down tribal uprisings or the revolt of one petty Raja or the other.

In 1834 A.D., Gulab Singh and his Wazir, Dewan Jawala Singh, took the momentous decision to attack and annex the frontier districts of Kashmir, which were not administered by the Sikh Governor. Ladakh and Baltistan were fixed as the targets of the Dogra Army, under the command of Zorawar Singh, who was now a general.

Ladakh was ruled by a Tibetan chief who owed allegiance to the Grand Lama. This rocky and sandy country, bounded on the north by the Karakaram Pass and on the west by Gilgit and Astore, situated on an average height of over 12,000 ft above the sea level, had not know,
an invader from the 15th century downwards. No Chenghis Khan or Mohammad Ghaznavi would dare come up as far in a region of intense freezing cold, surrounded by snow-clad peaks of twenty-five to twenty eight thousand feet height. The vegetation is sparse there and only Ladakhis knew how to keep themselves warm - and kicking with sheepskins, in spite of scarcity of fuel and timber.

To this land Zorawar Singh and his forces crossed from Kishtwar, after Raja Gulab Singh, on confidential enquiry from the East India Company, ascertained the concurrence of the British in the proposed expedition. Zorawar's forces took Purig, the capital of Kartse, by surprise. There was little opposition to the Dogras. To keep the rear undisturbed-Zorawar Singh left a small Dogra garrison in the conquered fort and then proceeded further. The path lay over the most difficult terrain. The rocky track flanked the deep roaring Suru river whose water looks black. Many ponies slipped down the ravines and were flung into the mad waters.

The Ladakhis of a neighbouring district gathered and gave battle. They were again defeated on the plain of Pushkum. The fierce and relentless winter of these parts was about to set in. Zorawar, desirous of camping in a less cold place, Lankartse, started negotiations but the Ladakhis would not respond. Their guerilla warfare proved ineffective against the Dogras who were well entrenched.

When the severe winter was over, Zorawar attacked the Ladakhi camp and encountered little resistance by the enemy who fled to Leh. Ladakhis, mostly Buddhists, were not soldiers of the calibre of the neighbouring district of Baltistan, where the people, though of the same Mongolian stock, were militantly organised Muslims. Tsepal, the old King of Ladakh, was utterly demoralised. He met Zorawar at Bazgo to settle terms of surrender. He agreed to be a titular king in the name of Raja Gulab Singh, paying an annual tribute of Rs. 20,000, over and above the huge indemnity that he paid on demand.

The Dogra army then camped in Lamayiru, where the climate was slightly warmer. The Sikhs were envious of the quick rise of Gulab Singh and his brother, Raja Dhyan Singh, at the Lahore Durbar, and the former's successful conquests. Their Kashmir Governor, Col. Mian Singh, engineered a revolt of Ladakhis against the Dogra army of occupation. They wiped out the Dogra garrison posted in Suru.

Zorawar Singh like an adept general, took time by the forelock and hastened to Leh, in spite of the advancing winter and snow over the passes, that had almost closed them. He gave deterrent punishment to the rebels and, posting his agent with the King and reinforcing all his garrisons, went back to Jammu to spend the rest of the winter and to confer with Gulab Singh. The Raja was highly pleased with the successes, absolute honesty and fearlessness of his general, who accepted a small pay just enough for his and his family's wants. He put on the clothes that the Raja gave him and would continue using them till they were worn threadbare. The Raja had better uniforms prepared for him and for Col. Basti Ram, who was his second in command as well as the chronicler of these famous campaigns which made history. The Raja conferred the title of Wazir on General Zorawar Singh.

In 1836 A.D., the indefatigable Zorawar appeared on the scene to fight Tsepal who was instigated by Sikhs in Kashmir to the repudiation of Dogra suzerainty. Zorawar dethroned him and installed Stanzan, a cousin of Tsepal, in his place. Before trekking back to Jammu, Zorawar posted a strong garrison in Leh where the fortress was reinforced. Next year, on his annual expedition to Ladakh, Zorawar found the roles of the king and the rebel reversed. Stanzan was now at the head of a rebellion. Zorawar deposed Stanzas and placed Tsepal once again on the throne on increased tribute.

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Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839 A.D. Gulab Singh, Dhyan Singh and his sons, were involved in the affairs of the Lahore Durban Anarchy prevailed in Lahore and the rest of the Punjab. Gulab Singh however, found time to go to Jammu and to plan expeditions to the Frontier and other turbulent districts with Dewans and generals, most prominent among whom was Zorawar.

During the winter of 1840 A.D., Sukaamir rose to be a leader of Ladakhis. He collected the frustrated warriors and led them in a final attempt to throw off the Dogra yoke. Zorawar stormed Ladakh with fresh and strong forces in the spring. With a firm hand and indomitable will, he suppressed the rebellion. The tale of the public execution of Sukamir is even now on the lips of Ladakhis. They say Sukamir was thrown into a trench and earth was filled about him so that his head remained out. Then a large nail was driven with hammers in his head. The horrified people were finally conquered.

Next, Zorawar directed his expedition to Baltistan, which was ruled by the Sultan of Skardu. Zorawar was well versed in diplomacy and stratagem: his settlements proved the former and his warfare the latter. Mohammad Shah, the son of the Sultan, aspired to the throne of Skardu. Aided by the forces of Mohammad Shah and King Tsepal, Zorawar Singh attacked Skardu and conquered the fort. He enthroned Mohammad Shah. As usual, he left a unit of Dogras in the fort.

The Napoleonic general was not satisfied with these conquests which had already secured him undying fame. He decided to invade Tibet, whose hard climate had repelled invaders for centuries ever since Emperor Lalitaditya conquered the country. Marching up the Indus in May, 1841 A.D, General Wazir Zorawar Singh conquered Rudok and Garo. Dogras encamped on the banks of the lake of Mansarovar and prepared themselves for the final attack on Central Tibet. Zorawar sent a letter to the King of Tibet through an emissary. Written in a friendly tone, the letter warned the King against the advance of the British power and offered him the hand of friendship of the ruler of Kashmir. The Tibetan monarch's army numbered not more than five thousand; it consisted mostly of Ladakhi and Balti recruits who were trained on the outskirts of the lake. Advancing into the country, Zorawar encamped at Tirthapuri, while Col. Basti Ram was stationed at Takla Gor on the frontier of Nepal. At those places, they intended to spend the extremely severe winter of Tibet. Their calculation was that the Lhasa army would not dare to fight them during winter.

For once Zorawar Singh's forecast turned out to be wrong. The consequences were fatal.

In mid-winter a strong Lhasa force, that far outnumbered Zorawar's men, marched upon them. Zorawar did not think of surrender, not even in the face of calamity. He attacked the advancing enemy. The battle that ensued lasted three days. On the third day, the valiant general was wounded by a bullet and, though he fought like a lion even after this, "a Tibetan warrior pierced him through the breast with his lance".

Braving great disadvantages, the Dogras had advanced into the heart of Tibet, where the battlefield was upwards of 15,000 feet above the sea level, under their intrepid general, Zorawar Singh, who led these expeditions six times. They fought in "mid-winter, when even during the day the temperature never rises above the freezing point and the intense cold of the night can only be borne by people well covered with sheepskins and surrounded by fires. For several nights the Indian troops had been exposed to all the bitternesses of the climate. Many had lost the use of their fingers and toes, and all were more or less frost-bitten... On the last fatal day not one half of the men could handle arms".

The British government on hearing of Zorawar’s invasion of Tibet, did not favour the expedition. Through Maharaja Sher Singh, Raja Gulab Singh was asked to call his forces back from Tibetan territories. Before the despatches were received, disaster had overtaken Zorawar and his army.

When Gulab Singh came to know that only 1,000 soldiers were saved, he, not losing heart, sent better equipped reinforcements under Dewan Hari Chand and Wazir Tatanu to aid Col. Basti Ram who had survived the disaster. The Dogras found the Tibetans strongly en trenched in forts. They dammed a river and flooded them out of their positions. After a brief battle, the Lhasa forces were defeated. Their commander was taken prisoner and executed on the spot. A treaty was signed between the Lhasa Government and Raja Gulab Singh.

Though the expedition was a failure, yet it and the previous conquests of the Frontier districts of Kashmir immortalised General Wazir Zorawar Singh, who was the greatest soldier that Jammu had produced and, indeed, "the finest Indian general of the 19th century."

Apart from his honesty and integrity and his wonderful management of the commissariat, he had many peculiarities." He never used to send despatches of any kind about his expeditions. The tributes and revenue collected were sent down post haste to Jammu, and the Raja had to discover from it what new country his general had conquered. By these conquests he and his family did not benefit to the extent of a single penny". His name is still a bogey to children in the Frontier districts of Kashmir where the people also admire the unexpected bravery of this intrepid general.

Remembered in Folk-song

Zorawar Singh is also a legendary figure in Ladakhi folklore. The Ladakhis sing a song of Zorawar's wife, whom they believe to have accompanied her husband to Ladakh. She had to return alone across the Zoji-la Pass. In the song, Urdu words are mixed in a quaint way with the Tibetan:

I do not wish to eat bread received from the sinful northerners,
Amidst the inhabitants of this land I have no friends and relations;.
In the northern plain I have no brothers and friends,
In the place of friends and relations I had only Zorawar.
And it was only Zorawar who made me a despised widow.
And it was only Zorawar who made his queen despised widow
When arriving at the Zoji Pass, my fatherland can be seen;
When arriving on the Zoji Pass, Lahore and the Punjab can be seen.
Although I can see my fatherland, I shall not arrive there;
Although I can see my fatherland, Zorawar's queen will not arrive them.