Maya Singh Saini , sometimes spelt as Mayya Singh Saini, was a cavalryman and notable Indian freedom-fighter from Naushahra in Amritsar district of the Punjab.
Ghorchara in Khalsa Army
Maya Singh Saini was an initially a Ghorchara or cavalryman Khalsa army and fought in the battle of Ramnagar on 22 November 1848 during the second Anglo-Sikh war.
Although the battle of Ramnagar was inconclusive , the Sikh cavalry caused heavy damage to the British forces, which proved to be a great morale booster for the Sikhs.
As Insurgent
Thereafter he joined volunteer corps of Bhai Maharaj Singh, the leader of the popular revolt against the British. He participated in the battles of Sa`dullapur and Gujrat. After the defeat of the Sikh forces, Maya Singh was in Bhai Maharaj Singh`s train at Sujoval near Balala. From the latter place he was sent to Lahore on a mission, and thus escaped arrest when Maharaj Singh and his companions were captured on the night of 28 and 29 December 1849. He, however, fell into the hands of the British soon afterwards.
References
Freedom Struggle of India by Sikhs and Sikhs in India: The Facts World Must Know, pp87, By Gurdial Singh Grewal,Published by Sant Isher Singh Rarewala Education Trust, 1991
Documents Relating to Bhai Maharaj Singh, Died as State Prisoner on 5th July 1856 at Singapur, pp 228, By Nahar Singh, Published by Sikh History Source Material Search Association, 1968, Original from the University of Michigan , Digitized 3 Aug 2007 389 pages
Sant Nihal Singh, Alias Bhai Maharaj Singh: A Saint-revolutionary of the 19th Century Punjab, pp 105 & 114, By M. L. Ahluwalia, Published by Punjabi University, 1972
Rebels Against the British Rule ,pp 190, By Nahar Singh, Kirpal Singh, Published by Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 1989
Historical painting of a Sikh Ghorcharra or cavalryman. Maya Singh Saini participated as a Ghorcharra in the Anglo-Sikh wars. After the defeat of Sikhs he became an insurgent against the English occupation. He was finally arrested and incarcerated.
