Gaputaka

Overview

Gaputaka was a member of the Bayara clan of the Plain Blue Banner. Volume 38 of the official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he lived in the Faltu region and submitted to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. The original genealogy uses this ancestor as the starting point to record the military achievements and inheritances of his descendants; Faltu was his ancestral home and cannot be interchanged with the locations where his descendants fought in Shandong and Shaanxi.

His grandson, Xiaerjiu, served in the campaign as a non-official. During the attack on Qixia, he was the second to scale the city walls and was awarded the rank of Yunqiwei (hereditary merit rank). He was later granted the rank of Third-class Qingche duwei by imperial decree. "Non-official" indicates that he was not listed with a specific official position at the time, but it did not mean he had left the banner system. Xiaerjiu's son, Yindahun, inherited the title. Yindahun distinguished himself in battles in Pingliang, Shaanxi, and other places, but later died of illness in the army. He was posthumously awarded the rank of Second-class Qingche duwei.

"Dying of illness in the army" does not mean that the original text explicitly states he died in battle, and the cause of death should not be changed. The title was later inherited by Zonghai, Bashan, and Duolongguo. When Bashan inherited the title, the portion granted by imperial decree was deducted, but the rank of Qiduwei was retained. The genealogy also includes positions such as Imperial Academy Student and Military Officer, which respectively represent educational qualifications and military duties, and the individuals holding these positions must be identified. The location of Faertu, the characters in the phrase "Pingliang," and the dates of succession need to be verified against the original printed source; the military achievements of later generations are not attributed to their ancestors.