Mian Dido Jamwal was a
Dogra Rajput warrior from the
Jamwal clan who rebelled against the overlords of
Jammu, the
Sikh Empire. He was descended from Raja Hari Dev of Jammu. Mian Dido was extremely popular among the common people of Jammu, and even today he is the subject of several ballads and legends. He is considered a hero and propagator of the regional identity of Jammu in political terms. He was killed by the troops of
Gulab Singh after being surrounded.
Early life
According to oral tradition, Mian Dido was born in 1780, to Mian Hazara Singh (
jagir
A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...
dar of Jagti village) in Jagti village, Jammu. He was the descendant of Raja Hari Dev of Jammu after six generations, Raja Hari Dev was the common ancestor of both Mian Dido and
Gulab Singh, the first ruler of
Jammu and Kashmir princely state.
Mian Hazara Singh started to train his son as a swordsman and archer right from his childhood.
Rebellion
In 1808, the
Dogra rulers of Jammu were defeated in the
Battle of Jammu and Jammu came under the rule of
Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...
, ruler of the
Sikh Empire. Mian Dido was disturbed as he thought of the Sikh conquest as an insult to the dignity and prestige of the natives.
Hence, he decided to organize the common people in a rebellion against
Sikh authority. Mian Dido, along with his father Mian Hazara, were successful in raising the local peasants and
zamindars against Sikh rule. The ballads on Mian Dido describe how the rebels damaged the integrity of Sikh rule in Jammu by plundering towns and villages, frustrating the tax collection process of the tax officials, robbing merchants and traders, murdering government servants and the
zamindars refused to pay their dues.
The rebellion rapidly became popular as the common people viewed Mian Dido's rebellion as a fight for their honour and dignity. He became a figure somewhat similar to
Robin Hood, a legendary outlaw of Europe.
He regularly attacked the town of Jammu, which had a garrison of about 2,000 men, with varying numbers- 2,000 to 50-60 outlaws. Inspired by his victories, other social groups of Jammu such as the Chib Rajputs and Bhows flared up in revolt.
Several ballads were composed in praise of his deeds, which may be somewhat exaggerated:
Death
When all else failed,
Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...
decided that an indigenous
Dogra commander would be able to suppress the rebellion since he would be able to communicate with the natives, be aware of the culture and would know the terrain thoroughly. Hence, he sent
Gulab Singh, a
Dogra courtier at
Lahore to crush the resistance of Mian Dido. Initially,
Gulab Singh tried to convince Mian Dido to submit, he would be spared and given a high post in the Sikh court if he stopped the rebellion. However, the latter refused and then
Gulab Singh tried to use his kinmanship with him (Raja Hari Dev of Jammu was their common ancestor) as a pretext to not fight.
When negotiations failed, Gulab Singh cut off the food supplies of Mian Dido's men. The latter still refused to surrender, and
Gulab Singh sent his troops under Attar Singh Kallol to surround the village of Jagti, the ancestral
jagir
A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...
of Mian Dido. Dido was not present there, however his father Mian Hazara Singh defended the village and was killed. Mian Dido fled to the
Trikuta hills with his family. When they were surrounded by Sikh forces, Dido left his wife and two sons under the protection of a priest of the
Vaishno Devi temple.
At this juncture, legend says that he slew Attar Singh Kallol, who had killed his father, and with great composure, sat on a rock and started smoking his
hookah
A hookah (Hindustani language, Hindustani: (Nastaleeq), (Devanagari), IPA: ; also see #Names and etymology, other names), shisha, or waterpipe is a single- or multi-stemmed instrument for heating or vaporizing and then smoking either tobacco ...
. He was killed by a bullet from the Sikh soldiers from a distance.
See also
*
Gulab Singh
*
Jammu
*
Sikh Empire
References
{{reflist
1780 births
1821 deaths
Dogra people