Ghaus Khan | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1814 |
| Allegiance |  Sukerchakia Misl Sikh Empire |
| Service | Topkhana |
| Years of service | 1804–1814 |
| Rank | Artillery commander |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Attock (1813) Battle of Kashmir (1814) |
| Children | Sultan Mahmud Khan |
Mian Ghaus Khan (died 1814), better known asMian Ghausa, was aPunjabi Muslim who served as an artillery officer forSardar Maha Singh ofSukerchakia Misl and later his sonRanjit Singh, founder of theSikh Empire.[1]
Ghaus Khan belonged to aRajput family fromBatala inGurdaspur district. His family had been associated with gunnery for generations.[2]
Ghaus Khan started his career in the army of Maha Singh. His first significant participation was during the conquest of theRohtas Fort from Nur-ud-Din Bamezai, aDurrani general. He accompanied Maha Singh during four-month siege toRasool Nagar, in which they were assisted byJai Singh Kanhaiya, chief of theKanhaiya Misl.[3]
Ghaus Khan served under the 10-year old Ranjit Singh during the siege ofSodhra. Sometime after, Maha Singh died and Ranjit Singh was crowned the chief of Sukerchakia Misl. In 1799, he accompanied Ranjit Singh and his mother-in-law,Sada Kaur in the conquest ofLahore from theBhangi Misl. Ghaus Khan was a skilful artillery officer and known to be close to both Maha Singh and Ranjit Singh.[4] In 1801, Ranjit Singh was proclaimed theMaharaja of Punjab. Ghaus Khan became artillery commander ofKhalsa Army in 1804, and was rewarded with jagirs of Van and Bharoval inAmritsar district, along with a mansion in Lahore.[2][1] In 1807, he commanded the operation with the six-year oldPrince Kharak Singh, when he was sent to capture the fort ofSheikhupura. In 1812, when Ranjit Singh reorganized the artillery wing of his army intoTopkhana Khas andTopkhana Mubarak, Ghaus Khan was placed in charge of both, with the designation ofDarogha-i-Topkhana.[1]
Ghaus Khan commanded the artillery during thebattle of Attock in 1813, in which theAttock fort was captured. He died of Cholera during theKashmir campaign in 1814.[1] After his death, his sonSultan Mahmud Khan (d. 1859) too served as an artillery officer in the army of Ranjit Singh.[4]