Ram Singh Pathania

The last battle was fought in the mid-19th century against the British by the great Wazir Ram Singh Pathania for his King who was still a minor. After fighting a guerrilla war against the British, he made brigadier Wheeler assemble a considerable force on the dhaula dhar range against him. Ram Singh Pathania fought the British many times in pitched battles, but they could not defeat him, and there were heavy losses on both sides, with the British losing many officers. Eventually the British keeping in tune with their tradition of treachery realized that it would not be possible to capture this brave Rajput Prince by military means. They bribed a Brahman to tell them where he could be found alone and unarmed, so that they would ambush him. Soon he was captured while he was praying on the banks of the Ravi river without his weapons, near the Shahpurkandi fortress. Legend has it that before he could be overcome by the soldiers he managed to kill some of them with just his praying tool. Some historians say that he was betrayed by the Raja''s of Jammu and Guler and handed over to the British. He was sentenced to life imprisonment beyond the high seas,and sent to Rangoon (Burma).He died there on 11th November,1856, he was just 23. The kingdom was annexed by the British soon after this.Some say that Ram Singh Pathania was the first freedom fighter of India, who stood against the British might and fought bravely against them, but sadly not many people know about him outside his state. He was a true Rajput, who followed the valorous tradition of his brave ancestors till the end. Every year a fair honoring his name is held in the dhaula dhar ranges of Himachal Pradesh, where the sword and armour of the lionheart Ram Singh Pathania is displayed.