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12
The king of Laddakh offered his
daughter in marriage to Ali Sher Khan. He made suitable arrangements
for the governance of Laddakh and left for Skardu along with his
Laddakhi Queen. He also took Ladakhi king Jamyang Namgyal with him.
Raja Sher Ghazi in order to cement his ties with the Laddakhi king
gave his daughter Argyal Khatoon to Jamyang Namgyal on the condition
that the issue from her would be the heirs to the throne. Sher Ghazi
began pleading for the release of Jamyang Namgyal. Ali Sher Khan
acceded to the request of Sher Ghazi and allowed Jamyang Namgyal to
return to Laddakh. From Argyal Khatoon Singi Namgyal and Norbu
Namgyal were born to Jamyang Namgyal. Singi Namgyal ascended the
throne after the death of his father.
Cunningham has mentioned that Ali Sher
Khan, the fourth in descent from Bukha conquered Ladakh.
In the Imperial Gazetteer of India
allusion has been made to Ali Sher Khan 13 that ‘one of
the most famous of the Gialpos was Ali Sher, who lived about the end
of the sixteenth century. He conquered Laddakh, and built the fort
on the rock at Skardu.’
It seems necessary to quote the
Laddakhi version of conquest of Laddakh as translated by Cunningham
from Laddakhi :-
“The new king,
named Jamya Namgyal, upon his accession, received the useful
offerings of submission from all the Laddakis, excepting only a
petty chief of Purik who was in the interest of Ali Mir, the Gyalpo
of Balti. Chovang Malig, the head chief or Purik and the elder
brother of the rebel, applied to Jamya for a small force to coerce
the refractory chief. The king assented and accompanied his troops
to the Purik district, where they were suddenly overtaken by a
violent snow-storm. The royal troops were dispersed; and the king
and many of his principal followers were taken prisoners by the
rebel and sent to Skardo, where they were confined. The remainder of
the troop were permitted to return to Ladak. Ali Mir, the ruler of
Skardu, taking advantage of the helpless state of the country,
immediately marched upon Le with a large force, and took possession
of the whole of Ladak (Note: This conquest is also recorded in
Vigne’s brief historical notice of Balti but the chief of Skardo is
called there Ali Sher, and not Ali Mir. Ali Sher is the true name,
as all the petty chiefs of Balti district claim their descent from
him) Shortly after his return, the conqueror released Jamya, the
imprisoned Gyalpo of Ladak, and
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