| Mian Dido Jamwal | |
| Birth Place: | Jagti village, Jammu |
| Death Place: | Trikuta hill, Jammu |
| Children: | Mian Basant Singh Mian Gulshan Singh |
| Father: | Mian Hazara |
| Religion: | Hinduism |
| Relatives: | Dogra dynasty |
| Known For: | Leading a rebellion of the common people in Jammu against the Sikh Empire |
Mian Dido Jamwal (1780-1821) is a local legend who rebelled against Gulab Singh during the Sikh Empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He was descended from Raja Hari Dev Singh Jamwal of Jammu. He was killed by the troops of Sikh Empire. He is considered hero for local Dogra Rajputs and is used as a propagator of the regional identity of Jammu. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
According to oral tradition, Mian Dido was born in 1780, to Mian Hazara Singh (jagirdar of Jagti village) in Jagti village, Jammu. He was the descendant of Raja Hari Dev of Jammu after six generations, Raja Hari Dev was the common ancestor of both Mian Dido and Gulab Singh, the founder of the Dogra dynasty and the first ruler of Jammu and Kashmir princely state.[2] Mian Hazara Singh started to train his son as a swordsman and archer right from his childhood.
In 1808, the Dogra rulers of Jammu surrendered in the Battle of Jammu against the Sikhs and Jammu came under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Sikh Empire. Mian Dido, along with his father Mian Hazara, were successful in raising a band of bandits. The ballads on Mian Dido describe how they damaged and plundered towns and villages, frustrating the tax collection process of the tax officials, robbing merchants and traders, murdering government servants and the zamindars refused to pay their dues.
The bandits rapidly became popular as the common people viewed Mian Dido as a fighter for their honour.[4] Several ballads were composed in praise of his deeds,one of which is given below:
Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent Gulab Singh to crush the bandit group of Mian Dido. Initially, Gulab Singh tried to convince Mian Dido to submit, he would be spared and given a high post in the court. Gulab Singh also tried to use his kinmanship with him (Raja Hari Dev of Jammu was their common ancestor) as a pretext to not fight.[2] When negotiations failed, Gulab Singh cut off the food supplies of Mian Dido's men and sent Attar Singh Kallol as commander of troops to surround the village of Jagti, the ancestral jagir of Mian Dido. Dido's father Mian Hazara Singh was killed while defending the village. Mian Dido fled to the Trikuta hills with his family. When they were surrounded by Sikh forces, Dido left his wife and two sons under the protection of a priest of the Vaishno Devi temple.[2] He was killed by a bullet from the Gulab Singh.[2] [4]