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Mahroks
In 3137 BCE, with the advent of the Mahabharata war, conflict arose from a succession struggle between the supporters of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapur. This war resulted in the involvement of several ancient kingdoms, participating as allies of the rival groups. As a last attempt at peace and mediation was called for in rajdharma, Krishna, the chieftain of the Yadavas, Lord of the kingdom of Dwarka, travelled to Hastinapur to persuade the Kauravas to see reality and avoid all the bloodshed of their kith and kin. Krishna embarked upon a peaceful path as a goodwill emissary of the Pandavas.
Unfortunately, Duryodhana did not listen to the peace message of his cousins. Krishna presented himself to the Kuru mahasabha to relay the peace message and to ask Duryodhana to return Indraprastha to the Pandavas and restore their relationship, but Duryodhana was reluctant to give even an inch of land to the Pandavas. After exhausting all avenues, even to the extent that Krishna was humiliated by Duryodhana, Krishna cursed him, saying that his downfall was certain, and returned to inform the Pandavas of the inevitable that was to occur. Thus, the cousins faced each other in the fields of Kurukshetra to shed one another’s blood. King Sudakshina, the king of the Kambojas and the brother of Duryodhana’s wife, Bhanumati, was called on to help their cause. Sudakshina did not come alone to be on Duryodhana’s side but with nine other Kamboj kings and chieftains, including the king of Mehrok desha with his army of warriors, horses and elephants from Ghar Gazni.
Sudakshina was to be the commander of the combined warriors, supporting the Kauravas against the Pandavas. A fierce battle took place, and on the fourteenth day, Arjuna, with his charioteer, Krishna, attempted to reach Jayadratha. Duryodhana, with his men, tried until sunset to impede Arjuna’s path. Sudakshina threw a spear at Arjuna, which injured him badly. However, he recovered quickly and invoked the Indrastra, composed of multiple arrows, which resulted in Sudakshina’s death, after he was hit by one of the arrows. After the eighteenth day of fighting, the Kauravas were defeated, and all was lost for them and their allies. Yudhishtra was crowned the king of Hastinapur.
In the mid medieval some prominent members of this tree have been keenly associated with the Sikh Gurus and have played a prominent role in the creation of the Khalsa.In the year 1699 when Sri Guru Gobind Singh created a new nation of Sant Sipahies to wage a just war against the continued repression and tyranny of the Moguls against the inhabitants of a disunited and disintegrated Hindustan. There in one corner was sitting his childhood friend and confident Bhai Mani Singh watching his friend transforming the demoralized people into a nation of Lions, which came to haunt the Moguls at a later date.Bhai Mani Singh was a literary genius, who wrote the first Guru Granth Sahib while Guru Gobind Singh uttered the holy sermons. Bhai Mani Singh has many literary works to his credit such as:
7th December 1738 was the day when Bhai Mani Singh was hacked to death by the Lahore Suba.He gave away his life protecting the principals of Sikhism. On the place at Lahore stands The Gurudwara Shaheed Ganj and will remain there for centuries to come.Later from this tree Baba Sukha Singh Mahrok along with Sardar Mahtab Singh avenged the desecration of Golden Temple by beheading Massa Ranggar in the holy temple. Massa Ranggar used the holy temple premises as a place of entertainment with the ladies of ill repute. Baba Sukha Singh restored the holiness of the place with the help of other warrior saints of that time.Sardar Natha Singh Mahrok , who was the Musahib (ADC) to Kanwar Nau Nihall Singh at the courts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh , and later on the Killadar of Shahpur Killa . After the Sikh wars with the British and subsequently the Sikhs defeat due to deceit and treachery of the Jats and Dogra Misals , the whole of the Sikh army was merged with the British army and a new regiment 19 Punjabi Sher Dal Platoon was raised . Sardar Natha Singh served meritoriously at various campaigns. Such was his honesty that the British assigned him along with four of his confidants to ferry the famous Kohinoor Diamond to Calcutta in route to London. This Diamond still shines in the crown of Queen Mother the Queen Elizabeth.Sardar Bahadur captain Ram Singh, as the British Army addressed him was my great Grand Father.
Keeping with the army tradition joined the Maharaja of Patiala army, but later on not being satisfied with the challenges there, he joined the British army in the 15th Sikhs known as the LOODIANA SIKHS by the British. Like his father he fought at various fronts, Sudan War 1884-85 and 1897-98 Northwest frontiers of India. Later on joined in the Royal Coronation of King Edward vii In London in 1902.He was awarded the Order Of British India, India General Service Medal, Sudan war Bronze Medal and a Gold Medal presented by the King Edward vii.A few of these men from this tree contributed so much for the Sikhs as a nation and a country as a whole.My grand Father Sardar Tara Singh Kamboj devoted his early life along with his father in the Akali movement and went to prison several times. Sardar Tara Singh Kamboj was the unsung hero of our tree, who felt passionately about the welfare of Kambojas. He funded many a writers and researchers to write and research about the Kamboj history.Our senior generation at present at our village sunam, Patiala, Chandigarh, Bombay and many other cities have a great contribution in the making of this tree so high and mighty. From Politics to Performing Arts to creative writing to progressive farming and not forgetting our trees old profession THE ARMY have excelled.
The sacrifices by some and valiant feats by the others made this tree a humble but proud tree of its past. We as the new generation have been fortunate to inherit a position at the top of the tree, where we just have to guard and keep a watch to see that no one destroys the legacies of our ancestors.It is now up to us to nurture this tree further and make it grow stronger so that it can last for centuries as it has lasted for 500 years as we know and before.
