Mir Mannu, the Mughal governor of Punjab, found that most of his domains were in the hands of the Sikhs. Adina Beg Khan`s territory was also affected by Sikh incursions. In March 1753, he fell upon Sikh pilgrims at Anandpur. When the Sikhs retaliated by plundering the villages in the Jalandhar and Ban Doabs, Adina came to terms and assigned to them some of his revenue and took many Ramgarhias, including Jassa Singh, into his employ.

Mir Mannu now marched to Amritsar and blew up Ram Rauni, killing the entire garrison of nine hundred Sikhs, mostly Ramgarhias. Reprisals went on till Mir Mannu`s death in November 1753, when the administration in the Punjab collapsed. The Dal Khalsa Sikh leaders offered the people protection, which was readily accepted. The Sikh military command retained its headquarters at Amritsar, the Ramgarhias protecting the land between Amritsar and the Himalayas. They levied tribute on Kangra, Nurpur, Chamba, Basohli and Mandi.

After Jassa Singh`s death they became practically leaderless and were soon overpowered by Ranjit Singh. When he died in 1839, much of India, with the exception of the Punjab was under British domination.

The Sikh soldiers did not share all the grievances of Hindustani sepoys which gave rise to the 1857 struggle and with a few exceptions, the Sikhs expressed unreserved support for the British for which they were duly rewarded. They received from the British a tract of land (known as nili bar), irrigated by the 683 kilometre long Chenab canal.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the artisans in Punjab ranked just above the untouchables but below the Jats and Rajput zamindars. They performed menial duties for the landowners. With the turn of the century the Sikh artisans of `tarkhan` (carpenter) and `lohar` (blacksmith) origin began to add Ramgarhia at the end of their names.

Ramgarhias also made a considerable contribution to India`s struggle for freedom.

Sardul Singh Kaveeshar is perhaps the best-known Ramgarhia freedom fighter. A member of the All India Congress Working Committee, he coordinated the Civil Disobedience Movement started by Mahatma Gandhi. A close friend of Subhas Chandra Bose, he was instrumental in helping him to escape to Afghanistan.