[2][3] This work describes how the Sikh people came to dominate Punjab in the 1700s and remains one of the few historical accounts of the era.
[1]: 28 His grandfather, Mehtab Singh Bhangu, was a famous Sikh warrior who assassinated Massa Ranghar for defiling the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar.
[1]: 17 Whilst travelling to his estate, Rattan came to learn that a local Ludhiana munshi named Bute Shah had been employed by the British East India Company to write reports for them on Sikh history.
[1]: 17 Thus, Rattan Singh pleaded to Captain William Murray (1791–1831; public face of the regional army head, Colonel David Ochterlony) to hear-out his own accounts of Sikh history.
[note 1][9] He was approached by the British East India Company who wished to know how the Sikhs rose to power in the Punjab Region.