Virk Ancestry for Posterity
I had collated this basically for Gulnar & Yuvraj to make them aware of our lineage and our rich heritage. 👊⚔
It would be nice if Nirvaan could be made aware of his mother's lineage when he comes of age. It would I am sure give him strength and encourage him to live up to the rich traditions of his ancestors.⚔
We are direct descendants of the great Sikh General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk. In fact, my father Colonel Kapur Singh Virk, who was himself a gallantry award winning Veteran of 4 wars, was named after our ancestor.
This is a bit long but it is important for you children to know your lineage and roots besides gaining knowledge of the rich Sikh history and some of its great Generals. Do kindly go through this interesting piece collated by me specifically for you my children to apprise you of your rich legacy and ancestry and give you the strength to emulate your ancestors in keeping with the rich traditions and high ideals of our illustrious family.
Salute to a great Sikh Warrior General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk (Singhpuria),
1697-1753.
Massacre in Delhi of Banda Singh Bahadur and his 700 Singhs was followed by severe action against Sikhs. But every fresh adversity only stimulated their will for survival. A commanding figure who led Sikhs through this dark period was General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, the founder of the Dal Khalsa. General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk by his bold example and his wise leadership, welded the Sikhs into a strong fighting force and implanted in their minds the vision of political sovereignty. He was a true embodiment of Sikh character forged by the alchemy of a fiery ordeal and enjoyed unique esteem for his courage, sacrifice and religious devotion.
Nawab Kapur Singh Virk was born in a Virk family of Jats in 1697. His native village was Kalo-ke, in Sheikhupura District, now in Pakistan Punjab. Later, when he seized the village of Faizullapur, near Amritsar, he renamed it Singhpura and started living there. He is also known to history as Kapur Singh Virk Faizullapuria or Singhpuria, and the small principality he founded as Faizullapuria's or Singhpuria's state.
Kapur Singh Virk was eleven years old at the time of Guru Gobind Singh's death and nineteen at the time of the massacres of Banda Bahadur and his 700 Singhs in Delhi. He had thus passed his early life in an atmosphere charged with the fervor of faith and sacrifice. He came in living tough with the new impulse animating his people when he took baptism at a large gathering of Sikhs held at Amritsar on the occasion of Baisakhi of 1721. Bhai Mani Singh who had been sent to Amritsar as head priest of the Harimandir Sahib by Guru Gobind Singh's widow, Mata Sundari ji, conducted the ceremony. Kapur Singh Virk's youthful heart was fired with a new enthusiasm. His father, Dalip singh, and brother, Dan singh, were also among those who were baptized into the Khalsa fold on that historic date.
Kapur Singh Virk's physical courage and warlike spirit were valuable qualities in those days of high adventure. He soon gained a position of eminence among his people who were then engaged in a desperate struggle against the Mughal government. Zakariya Khan, who became the governer of Lahore in 1726, launched a still severer policy against the Sikhs and let loose terror upon them.
General Nawab Kapur singh Virk headed a band of warriors who, with a view to paralysing the administration and obtaining food for their companions who were forced to seek shelter in remote hills and forests, attacked government treasuries and caravans moving from one place to another. Such was the effect of their depredations that the governor was soon obliged to make terms with them.
In 1733, the Mughal government decided, at the instance of Zakariya Khan, to lift the quarantine forced upon the Sikhs and made an offer of a grant to them. Offering their leader a title of Nawab and a jagir consisting of parganahs of Dipalpur, Kanganval and Jhabal.
After some mutual discussion Sikhs accepted the offer. All eyes centered on him and he was, with one accord, selected for the honour of Nawab. General Kapur Singh Virk was reluctant, but he could not deny the unanimous will of the Panth. As a mark of respect, he placed the robe of honour sent by the Mughals at the feet of five revered Sikhs- Bhai Hari Singh Hazuria, Baba Deep Singh Shaheed, Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Bhai Karam Singh, Bhai Buddh Singh, great-great-grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, before putting it on. The dress included a shawl, a turban, a jeweled plume, a pair of gold bangles, a necklace, a row of pearls, a brocade garment and a sword.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk looked magnificent in this regalia. But he had lost none of his native humility. The first request he made to his comrades after the investiture was that he should not be deprived of his old privilege of serving in the community kitchen (Langar).
Word was sent around to the Sikhs passing their days in distant jungles and deserts that peace had been made with the government and that they could return to their homes. General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk undertook to consolidate the disintegrated fabric of the Sikh organization. He divided the whole body of the Khalsa’s into two sections – the Budha Dal, the Army of the Veterans, and Taruna Dal, the Army of the Young. The former was entrusted with the task of looking after the holy places, preaching the Gurus word and inducting converts into the Khalsa panth by holding Baptismal ceremonies. The Taruna Dal was the more active division and its function was to fight in times of emergencies.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk's personality was the common link between these two wings. He was universally esteemed for his high character. His word was obeyed willingly and to receive baptism at his hands was counted an act of rare merit. But he was so humble by temperament that he always thought of his position among his people to be a gift from them rather than the result of any qualities he possessed.
The Taruna Dal rapidly grew in strength and soon numbered more than 12,000. To ensure efficient control, General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk split it into five parts, each with a separate centre. The first batch was led by Baba Deep Singh Shaheed, the second by Karam Singh and Dharam Singh, the third by Kahan Singh and Binod Singh of Goindwal, the fourth by Dasaundha Singh of Kot Budha and the Fifth by Vir Singh Ranghreta and Jivan Singh Ranghreta. Each batch had its own banner and drum, and formed the nucleus of a separate political state. The territories conquered by these groups were entered in their respective papers at Akal Takht by the store keeper of General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, one of the few literate Sardars. From these documents or misls, the principalities carved out by them came to be known as Misls. Seven more groups were formed subsequently and, towards the close of the century, there were altogether twelve Sikh Misls ruling between the land of the Five Rivers.
The entente with the Mughals did not last long and, before the harvest of 1735, Zakariya Khan, the governer of Lahore, sent a strong force and occupied the Jagir. The Sikhs were driven away towards the Malwa by Lakhpat Rai, the Hindu minister at the Mughal Court at Lahore. They were welcomed by Sardar Ala Singh of Phulkian Misl of Malwa. During his sojourn in the Malwa, General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk conquered the territory of Sunam and handed it over to Ala Singh. He also attacked Sirhind and defeated the Mughal governer.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk led Sikhs back to Majha to celebrate Diwali at Amritsar . He was pursued by Diwan Lakhpat rai's army near Amritsar and forced to turn away. The Taruna Dal promptly came to his help. The combined force fell upon Lakhpat Rai before he could reach Lahore and inflicted upon him a severe defeat. His nephew Duni Chand, and two important Faujdars, Jamal Khan and Tatar Khan, were killed in the battle.
In the summer of 1739, Nadir Shah, the persian invader, was returning home after a hearty plunder of Delhi and Punjab. The Khalsa Dal lay not far from the route he had taken. When he reached Akhnur, on the River Chenab, they swooped down upon the rear guard, relieving the invaders of much of their booty. On the third night they made an even fiercer attack and rescued from their hands thousands of Hindu girls who were restored to their families. For many a long mile, the Sikhs pursued Nadir Shah in this manner.
Zakariya Khan continued to carry out his policy of repression with redoubled zeal. A Pitiless campaign for a manhunt was started. Sikhs heads sold for money and Mughals offered a prize for each head brought to them. According to Ratan Singh Bhangu, "He who informed where a Sikh was received 10 rupees, he who killed one received 50."
To cut off the Sikhs from the main source of their inspiration, the Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar was taken possession of and guarded by Mughal troops to prevent them visiting it. Sikhs were then living in exile in the Shivalik hills, in Lakkhi Jungle and in the sandy desert of Rajputana. To assert their right to ablution in the holy tank in Amritsar they would occasionally send riders, who, in disguise or openly cutting their way through armed guards, would reach the temple, take a dip in the tank and ride back with lightning speed. Many a heroic tale of such daring adventure is recounted. The governor of Lahore Zakariya Khan, sent a strong force under Samad Khab to seek out the Sikhs. Mughal force was severely punished and their leader killed. Samad Khan had been the target of Sikhs' wrath since he had, on June 24, 1734 executed with torture, hacking bone by bone, Bhai Mani Singh, the learned and pious high priest of the Golden Temple.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk now made a plan to capture Zakariya Khan. With a force of 2000 strong, dressed in green, their hair hanging loosely behind in Muslim style and a green Muslim banner leading them, he entered the city and went on to the Shahi Mosque where, according to intelligence received, the Mughal governor was expected to attend the afternoon prayer. But Zakariya Khan did not visit the mosque. General Kapur Singh Virk was disappointed at the failure of the mission. Throwing off the disguise and shouting their usual war cries of SAT SRI AKAL , the Sikhs marched out of Lahore and vanished into their jungle homes.
This difficult period is full of countless other deeds of heroism and sacrifice. A passion for martyrdom seemed to have gripped the Sikhs. As Prachin Panth Prakash says "Sikhs had a fondness for death. To court death they had now found the opportunity. Their lives they held not dear. They did not feel the pain if their bodies were slashed. They took to arms vowed to death. "To Martyrdom are we wedded. We turn not our backs upon it, " sang the Sikhs.
In 1748, a section of Dal Khalsa under Charat Singh, grandfather of Ranjit singh gave chase to the fleeing troops of Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali). Another, at the instance of General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk marched on to Amritsar and freed it from Mughals. Then General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk begged the Khalsa Panth to relieve him of his office, due to his old age, and at his suggestion Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was choosen the supreme commander of the Dal Khalsa.
For nearly a quarter of a century, General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk of Singhpuria Misl had led the Sikhs through most trying times. Few men had even to contend with heavier odds; few ever engaged in such unequal fight. Yet, striving valiantly, he step by step built up the sovereignty of the Khalsa and, by the time he retired, he had conferred on the Dal the lineaments of an independent State. In the midst of this lifelong preoccupation with war and fighting, he maintained irreproachable moral standards and was universally admired for his devout and heroic spirit.
Since it started with Sardar Jassa Singh, I am adding this para specifically in that context….
Jassa Singh lost his father at the age of 5 and his mother entrusted him to the care of Mata Sundari, the widow of Guru Gobind Singh the 10th Guru and Bhai Mani Singh, one of the most revered Sikh scholars and a contemporary of the Guru. Mata Sundari gave the young Jassa Singh an education in spirituality and politics whilst Mani Singh taught him the secrets of the Sikh scriptures. Once Jassa Singh came of age, he was put under the guardianship of General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, the leader of the Sikhs. General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk trained Jassa Singh in combat, passing on his knowledge of Shastra Vidhya (the art of fighting/weaponry) and made him a storekeeper of his troops.
My Grandfather Jathedar Mann Singh Virk’s (Hambo) was a renowned freedom fighter. His history was chronicled in the Sikh Museum at The Akal Takht, but unfortunately it got burnt down when the Akal Takht was destroyed when the Golden Temple was attacked and burned down during Op Blue Star in 1984. The SGPC sent a communication to my father to restore my grandfather’s data, photograph etc. at the Akal Takht, but unfortunately it was not actioned upon by us and now it is ‘lost in translation’ so to speak. Hopefully before my time is up I shall restore it. My father Colonel Kapur Singh Virk was a gallantry award winner and was 'Mentioned-in-Dispathches' in the 1965 operations besides getting a Commendation card from Field Marshal Sir Auchinleck for exemplary service during the 2nd world war.
As far as my life goes I will leave it to my children to fill in the blanks once I have moved on.
God bless us all. Major Harpal Singh Virk (Veteran) 👊⚔
It would be nice if Nirvaan could be made aware of his mother's lineage when he comes of age. It would I am sure give him strength and encourage him to live up to the rich traditions of his ancestors.⚔
We are direct descendants of the great Sikh General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk. In fact, my father Colonel Kapur Singh Virk, who was himself a gallantry award winning Veteran of 4 wars, was named after our ancestor.
This is a bit long but it is important for you children to know your lineage and roots besides gaining knowledge of the rich Sikh history and some of its great Generals. Do kindly go through this interesting piece collated by me specifically for you my children to apprise you of your rich legacy and ancestry and give you the strength to emulate your ancestors in keeping with the rich traditions and high ideals of our illustrious family.
Salute to a great Sikh Warrior General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk (Singhpuria),
1697-1753.
Massacre in Delhi of Banda Singh Bahadur and his 700 Singhs was followed by severe action against Sikhs. But every fresh adversity only stimulated their will for survival. A commanding figure who led Sikhs through this dark period was General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, the founder of the Dal Khalsa. General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk by his bold example and his wise leadership, welded the Sikhs into a strong fighting force and implanted in their minds the vision of political sovereignty. He was a true embodiment of Sikh character forged by the alchemy of a fiery ordeal and enjoyed unique esteem for his courage, sacrifice and religious devotion.
Nawab Kapur Singh Virk was born in a Virk family of Jats in 1697. His native village was Kalo-ke, in Sheikhupura District, now in Pakistan Punjab. Later, when he seized the village of Faizullapur, near Amritsar, he renamed it Singhpura and started living there. He is also known to history as Kapur Singh Virk Faizullapuria or Singhpuria, and the small principality he founded as Faizullapuria's or Singhpuria's state.
Kapur Singh Virk was eleven years old at the time of Guru Gobind Singh's death and nineteen at the time of the massacres of Banda Bahadur and his 700 Singhs in Delhi. He had thus passed his early life in an atmosphere charged with the fervor of faith and sacrifice. He came in living tough with the new impulse animating his people when he took baptism at a large gathering of Sikhs held at Amritsar on the occasion of Baisakhi of 1721. Bhai Mani Singh who had been sent to Amritsar as head priest of the Harimandir Sahib by Guru Gobind Singh's widow, Mata Sundari ji, conducted the ceremony. Kapur Singh Virk's youthful heart was fired with a new enthusiasm. His father, Dalip singh, and brother, Dan singh, were also among those who were baptized into the Khalsa fold on that historic date.
Kapur Singh Virk's physical courage and warlike spirit were valuable qualities in those days of high adventure. He soon gained a position of eminence among his people who were then engaged in a desperate struggle against the Mughal government. Zakariya Khan, who became the governer of Lahore in 1726, launched a still severer policy against the Sikhs and let loose terror upon them.
General Nawab Kapur singh Virk headed a band of warriors who, with a view to paralysing the administration and obtaining food for their companions who were forced to seek shelter in remote hills and forests, attacked government treasuries and caravans moving from one place to another. Such was the effect of their depredations that the governor was soon obliged to make terms with them.
In 1733, the Mughal government decided, at the instance of Zakariya Khan, to lift the quarantine forced upon the Sikhs and made an offer of a grant to them. Offering their leader a title of Nawab and a jagir consisting of parganahs of Dipalpur, Kanganval and Jhabal.
After some mutual discussion Sikhs accepted the offer. All eyes centered on him and he was, with one accord, selected for the honour of Nawab. General Kapur Singh Virk was reluctant, but he could not deny the unanimous will of the Panth. As a mark of respect, he placed the robe of honour sent by the Mughals at the feet of five revered Sikhs- Bhai Hari Singh Hazuria, Baba Deep Singh Shaheed, Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Bhai Karam Singh, Bhai Buddh Singh, great-great-grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, before putting it on. The dress included a shawl, a turban, a jeweled plume, a pair of gold bangles, a necklace, a row of pearls, a brocade garment and a sword.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk looked magnificent in this regalia. But he had lost none of his native humility. The first request he made to his comrades after the investiture was that he should not be deprived of his old privilege of serving in the community kitchen (Langar).
Word was sent around to the Sikhs passing their days in distant jungles and deserts that peace had been made with the government and that they could return to their homes. General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk undertook to consolidate the disintegrated fabric of the Sikh organization. He divided the whole body of the Khalsa’s into two sections – the Budha Dal, the Army of the Veterans, and Taruna Dal, the Army of the Young. The former was entrusted with the task of looking after the holy places, preaching the Gurus word and inducting converts into the Khalsa panth by holding Baptismal ceremonies. The Taruna Dal was the more active division and its function was to fight in times of emergencies.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk's personality was the common link between these two wings. He was universally esteemed for his high character. His word was obeyed willingly and to receive baptism at his hands was counted an act of rare merit. But he was so humble by temperament that he always thought of his position among his people to be a gift from them rather than the result of any qualities he possessed.
The Taruna Dal rapidly grew in strength and soon numbered more than 12,000. To ensure efficient control, General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk split it into five parts, each with a separate centre. The first batch was led by Baba Deep Singh Shaheed, the second by Karam Singh and Dharam Singh, the third by Kahan Singh and Binod Singh of Goindwal, the fourth by Dasaundha Singh of Kot Budha and the Fifth by Vir Singh Ranghreta and Jivan Singh Ranghreta. Each batch had its own banner and drum, and formed the nucleus of a separate political state. The territories conquered by these groups were entered in their respective papers at Akal Takht by the store keeper of General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, one of the few literate Sardars. From these documents or misls, the principalities carved out by them came to be known as Misls. Seven more groups were formed subsequently and, towards the close of the century, there were altogether twelve Sikh Misls ruling between the land of the Five Rivers.
The entente with the Mughals did not last long and, before the harvest of 1735, Zakariya Khan, the governer of Lahore, sent a strong force and occupied the Jagir. The Sikhs were driven away towards the Malwa by Lakhpat Rai, the Hindu minister at the Mughal Court at Lahore. They were welcomed by Sardar Ala Singh of Phulkian Misl of Malwa. During his sojourn in the Malwa, General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk conquered the territory of Sunam and handed it over to Ala Singh. He also attacked Sirhind and defeated the Mughal governer.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk led Sikhs back to Majha to celebrate Diwali at Amritsar . He was pursued by Diwan Lakhpat rai's army near Amritsar and forced to turn away. The Taruna Dal promptly came to his help. The combined force fell upon Lakhpat Rai before he could reach Lahore and inflicted upon him a severe defeat. His nephew Duni Chand, and two important Faujdars, Jamal Khan and Tatar Khan, were killed in the battle.
In the summer of 1739, Nadir Shah, the persian invader, was returning home after a hearty plunder of Delhi and Punjab. The Khalsa Dal lay not far from the route he had taken. When he reached Akhnur, on the River Chenab, they swooped down upon the rear guard, relieving the invaders of much of their booty. On the third night they made an even fiercer attack and rescued from their hands thousands of Hindu girls who were restored to their families. For many a long mile, the Sikhs pursued Nadir Shah in this manner.
Zakariya Khan continued to carry out his policy of repression with redoubled zeal. A Pitiless campaign for a manhunt was started. Sikhs heads sold for money and Mughals offered a prize for each head brought to them. According to Ratan Singh Bhangu, "He who informed where a Sikh was received 10 rupees, he who killed one received 50."
To cut off the Sikhs from the main source of their inspiration, the Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar was taken possession of and guarded by Mughal troops to prevent them visiting it. Sikhs were then living in exile in the Shivalik hills, in Lakkhi Jungle and in the sandy desert of Rajputana. To assert their right to ablution in the holy tank in Amritsar they would occasionally send riders, who, in disguise or openly cutting their way through armed guards, would reach the temple, take a dip in the tank and ride back with lightning speed. Many a heroic tale of such daring adventure is recounted. The governor of Lahore Zakariya Khan, sent a strong force under Samad Khab to seek out the Sikhs. Mughal force was severely punished and their leader killed. Samad Khan had been the target of Sikhs' wrath since he had, on June 24, 1734 executed with torture, hacking bone by bone, Bhai Mani Singh, the learned and pious high priest of the Golden Temple.
General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk now made a plan to capture Zakariya Khan. With a force of 2000 strong, dressed in green, their hair hanging loosely behind in Muslim style and a green Muslim banner leading them, he entered the city and went on to the Shahi Mosque where, according to intelligence received, the Mughal governor was expected to attend the afternoon prayer. But Zakariya Khan did not visit the mosque. General Kapur Singh Virk was disappointed at the failure of the mission. Throwing off the disguise and shouting their usual war cries of SAT SRI AKAL , the Sikhs marched out of Lahore and vanished into their jungle homes.
This difficult period is full of countless other deeds of heroism and sacrifice. A passion for martyrdom seemed to have gripped the Sikhs. As Prachin Panth Prakash says "Sikhs had a fondness for death. To court death they had now found the opportunity. Their lives they held not dear. They did not feel the pain if their bodies were slashed. They took to arms vowed to death. "To Martyrdom are we wedded. We turn not our backs upon it, " sang the Sikhs.
In 1748, a section of Dal Khalsa under Charat Singh, grandfather of Ranjit singh gave chase to the fleeing troops of Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali). Another, at the instance of General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk marched on to Amritsar and freed it from Mughals. Then General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk begged the Khalsa Panth to relieve him of his office, due to his old age, and at his suggestion Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was choosen the supreme commander of the Dal Khalsa.
For nearly a quarter of a century, General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk of Singhpuria Misl had led the Sikhs through most trying times. Few men had even to contend with heavier odds; few ever engaged in such unequal fight. Yet, striving valiantly, he step by step built up the sovereignty of the Khalsa and, by the time he retired, he had conferred on the Dal the lineaments of an independent State. In the midst of this lifelong preoccupation with war and fighting, he maintained irreproachable moral standards and was universally admired for his devout and heroic spirit.
Since it started with Sardar Jassa Singh, I am adding this para specifically in that context….
Jassa Singh lost his father at the age of 5 and his mother entrusted him to the care of Mata Sundari, the widow of Guru Gobind Singh the 10th Guru and Bhai Mani Singh, one of the most revered Sikh scholars and a contemporary of the Guru. Mata Sundari gave the young Jassa Singh an education in spirituality and politics whilst Mani Singh taught him the secrets of the Sikh scriptures. Once Jassa Singh came of age, he was put under the guardianship of General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, the leader of the Sikhs. General Nawab Kapur Singh Virk trained Jassa Singh in combat, passing on his knowledge of Shastra Vidhya (the art of fighting/weaponry) and made him a storekeeper of his troops.
My Grandfather Jathedar Mann Singh Virk’s (Hambo) was a renowned freedom fighter. His history was chronicled in the Sikh Museum at The Akal Takht, but unfortunately it got burnt down when the Akal Takht was destroyed when the Golden Temple was attacked and burned down during Op Blue Star in 1984. The SGPC sent a communication to my father to restore my grandfather’s data, photograph etc. at the Akal Takht, but unfortunately it was not actioned upon by us and now it is ‘lost in translation’ so to speak. Hopefully before my time is up I shall restore it. My father Colonel Kapur Singh Virk was a gallantry award winner and was 'Mentioned-in-Dispathches' in the 1965 operations besides getting a Commendation card from Field Marshal Sir Auchinleck for exemplary service during the 2nd world war.
As far as my life goes I will leave it to my children to fill in the blanks once I have moved on.
God bless us all. Major Harpal Singh Virk (Veteran) 👊⚔
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