Lakhpat Rai | |
|---|---|
| Diwan of Lahore | |
| In office 1726–1747 | |
| Preceded by | unknown |
| Succeeded by | Kaura Mal |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 1746 (1747) Punjab, Mughal Empire |
| Relatives | Jaspat Rai (brother), Dalpat Rai (son) |
| Known for | Involvement in the Chhota Ghallughara |
Lakhpat Rai was the Diwan (chief minister) of Lahore for Yahya Khan Bahadur, the Subahdar of Subahs of Lahore and Multan, from 1726 until his death on March 21, 1747.[1] He is best known for his role in a large scale massacre of Sikhs in 1746 called the Chhota Ghallughara, in which an estimated 7,000 Sikhs were killed.[2][3] However, Purnima Dhavan gives a smaller figure of 400 Sikhs being killed in the massacre.[4]
Lakhpat Rai and his brother Jaspat Rai belonged to a Khatri family from Kalanaur.[1][5] Jaspat Rai was killed by the Sikhs in a raid. In order to take revenge of his brother's death, Lakhpat Rai convinced Yahya Khan, the Mughal governor, to take action against Sikhs.[5] As per Rattan Singh Bhangu's Panth Prakash, Lakhpat Rai personally supervised the operation and specifically sought out copies of the Guru Granth Sahib in-order to destroy them.[6] He was later killed by the Sikhs.[1] His son, Dalpat Rai, sought asylum in Jammu and settled there.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Seetal, Sohan Singh (1971). Rise of the Sikh Power and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Dhanpat Rai. p. 221.
- ^ A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy, p.86, Routledge, W. Owen Cole, Piara Singh Sambhi, 2005
- ^ Singha, H. S (2000). The encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ Dhavan, Purnima (2 November 2011). When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799. Oxford University Press. p. 91. ISBN 9780199877171.
- ^ a b Dhavan, Purnima (2 November 2011). When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799. Oxford University Press. p. 91. ISBN 9780199877171.
- ^ Mann, Gurinder Singh (2016). Sri Gur Panth Prakash: Its Text, Context, and Significance (PDF). New York: Global Institute for Sikh Studies. p. 34.
... and Bhangu mentions Lakhpat Rai, a Hindu Rajput working for the Afghan administration, making efforts to destroy the manuscripts of the Guru Granth.
- ^ Seth, Mira. "1: Background". Dogra Wall Paintings in Jammu and Kashmir (illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 2–3. ISBN 9780195615494.
