PHULA SINGH AKALI (1761–1823), a revered religious leader during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and a Sikh hero, was born in 1761 in the now-ruinous village of Shihari, 5 km west of Miinak in the present-day Sarigrur region of Punjab. When Ishar Singh, a member of the Nishanarivali misi, was killed in battle against Ahmad Shah Durrani in the Great Carnage known as Vadda Ghallughara in 1762, he left his young son in the custody of Baba Narain (Naina) Singh who belonged to the Shahid misl. He was raised by Baba Narain Singh, who also taught him the Sikh scriptures and how to fight.
He gave him the khanda di panel initiatory vows as well. Phula Singh joined Baba Narain Singh's jatha as he grew up and participated in numerous expeditions. He was chosen as the new leader of the Jafhd following the passing of Baba Narain Singh. Despite the presence of soldiers, Phula Singh expressed worry about the way the Sikh shrines were being managed and criticized some of the common practices. Phula Singh and the members of Insert/Art relocated to Amritsar. To retake Amritsar from the Bharigts, Maharaja Ranjit Singh besieged the city in January 1802, but Phula Singh brokered a truce between the rival factions and stopped the violence.
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He assumed control of the sacred sites there and started charging the sarddrs and Sikh court employees for their upkeep. In his capacity as provost of the Takht Akal Buriga, he once sentenced Maharaja Ranjit Singh to punishment for breaking the Sikh code. The Akalis of Phula Singh mistrusted foreigners, namely Afghans, and foreigners in general. They took part in an assault on Charles Metcalf, the British envoy to Ranjit Singh's court, and his Muhainmadan escort in 1809. Akali Phula Singh's jatha at PattokT opposed Licut F.S. White, a British officer, who was traveling through the Sikh homeland with 80 troopers to examine the Cisutlej region under the authority of the Phulkiari chiefs.
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Maharaja Ranjit Singh made Phula Singh the commander of the AkalT forces under his command after the Nabha chief's quick action saved Licut While. These soldiers were the most audacious of the Maharaja's men because they weren't completely obedient to his rule. Akali Phula Singh and Yi'isjathd bravely fought in Kasur in February 1807, assisting the armies of Lahore in bringing the Pathan governor, Qutb Uddin Khan, under their control. As payment, the Maharaja provided Phula Singh's army with permanent barracks in Amritsar, which ultimately evolved into the Nihang sect's headquarters and took the name Akalian di Chhauni or the Akali Cantonment. When Ranjit Singh's forces launched their sixth assault on Multan in 1816, Phula Singh led a storming party of his ardent Akali followers.
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In their final assault, which they conducted in 1818, the Akalis battled with reckless bravery and captured the Fort. Additionally, Phula Singh and his Akali group took part in the battles in Kashmir (1819) and Peshawar (1818). Amir Muhammad 'Azim Khan led an army from Kabul in January 1823 to seize Peshawar and reprimand the Sikhs. Between Attock and Peshawar, in the middle of the Sikh army led by Prince Kharak Singh, was Naushehra. The Akali contingent, 1500 strong, made a frantic charge and quickly found themselves in the middle of the furious combat at Naushehra. Phula Singh's horse was fatally shot by a bullet in an instant.
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Even though Phula Singh was hurt, he continued to move forward by mounting an elephant. He was the main target of the Afghan militia, who barraged him with shots. The Afghans were forced to abandon Naushehra even though Phula Singh and the majority of his soldiers had been slaughtered. On March 14, 1823, Akali Phula Singh lost his life in a hero's battle. With full military honors, he was cremated at Pirsibaq, 6 kilometers to the east of Naushehra. On the spot, a samadhi was constructed, and the Maharaja affixed a jagir to it for upkeep. Burj Baba Phula Singh, another memorial to Akali Phula Singh, is located in Amritsar.
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