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perch on the balcony to carry out the orders of the Lord of Death,<br />
Dharma Raj. The use of just one word Dhanna Raj makes it an<br />
example of the divine wrath at work.<br />
A list of those who were put to death within six years would<br />
enable the reader to fonn some idea ofwhat really was to follow.<br />
The list is as under:<br />
1. Chet Singh, a very close friend ofMaharaja Kharak Singh, was<br />
murdered in his very presence at the mourning ceremony of<br />
Maharaja Ranjit Singh itself. Theyoung and ambitious Kanwar<br />
did not want to share power with anyone else.<br />
2. Passing away of Naunihal Singh and Udham Singh in the<br />
collapse of the balcony of the gate under which they were<br />
passing. It happened just after the cremation ofKharak Singh.<br />
3. Murder of Rani Chand Kaur, the widow of Kharak Singh,<br />
with the connivance of Sher Singh, the new Maharaja, and<br />
the maids attending upon her. She had earlier been interned<br />
in the palace by her brother-in-law.<br />
4. Murder of Maharaja Sher Singh and his son Pratap Singh<br />
by the Sandhawalia Sardars through treachery. Dhian Singh<br />
was also murdered by them on the same day.<br />
S. Killing of both Lehna Singh and Ajit Singh, the Sandhawalia<br />
Sardars by Hira Singh, the new Prime Minister who was<br />
the son of Dhian Singh. This was done in an open battle<br />
in which the Khalsa Darbarwas vertically divided into two<br />
camps. Many a grandee died in this fight thereby rendering<br />
the Darbar leaderless.<br />
6. Killing of Jalla and Hira Singh by the Khalsa anny while<br />
they were giving them a slip on their way to Jammu.<br />
7. Killing of Jawahar Singh, the brother of Maharani Jindan,<br />
who had been elevated as the new Prime Minister.<br />
All this happened due to a strange and collective death wish<br />
operating at that time. This resulted in three things: One, the<br />
demoralisation of the wise and senior Sardars who left the Darbar<br />
on one pretext or the other; two, the anny whom Shah<br />
Mohammed had described pejoratively as Burchhas which<br />
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