Significance of year 2017 for our
family
Author: Dr. K.S. Kang
The year 2017 has come as an year of
special significance for a number of personalities and events in the world like
the 200 anniversary of famous women novelist Jane Austen’s death. Similarly
this year has connection with our family too significantly. Exactly three
centuries ago in the year 1717 A.D one of our most illustrious ancestor in
human history was born in a small village named Kang situated on the banks of
River Bein in Kapurthala district of Punjab. He was named as Tara Singh by his
doting though poor parents but in history of Punjab
he was popularly and better known as Ghebba or the Vanquisher for his deft
skill for vanishing the live stock, mainly horses of the enemy. Tara Singh,
according to historian Hari Ram Gupta joined Sardar Gulab Singh, Chief of
Dallevalia misl. In one of the battle Gulab Singh and his son were killed so
Tara Singh Kang became chief of Dallewalia misl as successor of Gulab Singh. One
of his first exploit was to plunder the troops of Ahmad Shah Durrani while they
were crossing River Bein near his village. Alongwith Kanhaiya, Bhangi and
Ramgarhia Misls, he took part in famous siege of Kasur fort, along with other
Misaldars of Punjab for which he got Rs 4
lacs at that time as part of his booty. In the year 1760 A.D after making Rahon
as his capital he crossed River Sutlej and conquered the forts of Dharamkot and
Fatehgarh and this was the point where our ancestors join this great warrior
and dynamic man when he handed over the fort of Dharamkot to one of his four
sons who continued the lineage of my ancestors who belonged to Dharamkot. After
that he went on to expand his empire till Ambala in Harayana in South and to
Jalandhar in North, Firozepur in the West and in Ropar in the East with the
annual revenue of 17 lacs. He was also present in the famous sack of fort of
Sirhind in which Mughal Governor Zain Khan was killed. He also became a close
confidant of Maharaja Mahan Singh and his famous son Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It
is also said that his eldest son Dasaundha Singh Kang was married to the
daughter of Sardar Himmat Singh of Patiala
