Diwan Kirpa Ram (d. 1842), the youngest son of Diwan Moti Ram, was a civil administrator and soldier in the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

Family

Diwan Kirpa Ram was born into a family with a rich legacy of military and administrative service. His grandfather

Dewan Mokham Chand Diwan Mokham Chand (died 16 or 29 October 1814) was one of the chief commanders of the Sikh Empire. He conquered Attock from the Durrani Afghans in 1813 and subdued the Rajputs in the Hills of Himachal and in Jammu at Jasrota, Chamba, and ...

, contributed significantly to the early consolidation of territories that came under the sway of

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

. His father, Moti Ram, was an honest, well-respected administrator and faithful courtier, who served as the governor of Kashmir for two terms. Diwan Kirpa Ram's brother, Diwan Ram Dayal, was killed in the line of duty while trying to enforce tribute collection from rebellious tribes in Hazara.

Career

Kirpa Ram managed the Jalandhar doab while his father, Diwan Moti Ram, was serving in Kashmir. In 1823, Diwan Kirpa Ram participated in the Battle of Nowshera against the

Barakzai Bārakzai (, plur. , ) is the name of a Pashtun tribe from present-day Kandahar, Afghanistan. '"Barakzai" is a common name among the Pashtuns and it means "son of Barak" in Pashto. According to the Encyclopædia Iranica, "In the detailed Pash ...

Afghans Afghans (; ) are the citizens and nationals of Afghanistan, as well as their descendants in the Afghan diaspora. The country is made up of various ethnic groups, of which Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks are the largest. The three main lan ...

in the trans-Indus region on the banks of the river Kabul. He was with the advance troops and played a crucial role alongside

Hari Singh Nalwa Hari Singh Nalwa (29 April 1791 – 30 April 1837) was the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army, Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshaw ...

in securing Sikh dominance against Afghan forces, which underscored his strategic capabilities and military prowess. In 1827, Diwan Kirpa Ram was appointed the Governor of Kashmir, a post he held till 1831. Despite his success, and like his father before him, Kirpa Ram faced political challenges and intrigues within the Maharaja's court, particularly from rivals like

Dhian Singh Raja Dhian Singh (22 August 1796 – 15 September 1843) was the longest serving wazir of the Sikh Empire, during the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, and the brief rule of four of his successors over four years. He held the office for twenty fiv ...

and

Gulab Singh Maharaja Gulab Singh Jamwal (1792–1857) was the first Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and the founder of the Dogra dynasty. Originally a commander of the Sikh Empire, he sided with the British in the First Anglo-Sikh War and briefly became ...

Dogra, who had long been eyeing Kashmir. Accusations of embezzlement led to Kirpa Ram's imprisonment.

Departure

Repeated insults, slights, imprisonment and the imposition of an unjustified exorbitant fine forced Kirpa Ram to apply for permission to join his father in

Benares Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.* * * * The city ...

. While Moti Ram obtained permission from Ranjit Singh before he left the Sikh Empire for Benares in May 1833, Kirpa Ram applied but got no answer. Tired of waiting, Diwan Kirpa Ram undertook a pilgrimage to Jwalamukhi and crossed the Satluj into British territory. En route, he was offered a job by the Phulkian rajas whose state he travelled through, but he refused them. After Kirpa Ram's departure, Ranjit Singh applauded the capability and intelligence of Dewan Mokham Chand, Moti Ram, Ram Dayal and Kirpa Ram in the Durbar. He attempted Moti Ram's return without success. After Ranjit Singh's demise, his inheritors tried to tempt Diwan Kirpa Ram with money and position but failed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, Diwan Kirpa 1842 deaths Ranjit Singh Kashmir Sikh Empire Sikhs