Kharak Singh

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This article is about the Maharaja. For 20th century political leader, see Baba Kharak Singh.

Kharak Singh
Kharak Singh.jpg
2nd Maharaja of the Sikh Empire
Reign27 June 1839 – 8 October 1839
Coronation1 September 1839
PredecessorRanjit Singh
SuccessorNau Nihal Singh
WazirDhian Singh
Born22 February 1801
Lahore, Punjab, Sikh Empire
Died5 November 1840 (1840-11-06) (aged 39)
Lahore, Punjab, Sikh Empire
SpouseBibi Khem Kaur Dhillon,[1]
Chand Kaur Kanhaiyā[2]
IssueNau Nihal Singh
FatherRanjit Singh
MotherDatar Kaur
ReligionSikhism

Kharak Singh (22 February 1801 – 5 November 1840) was the second Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. Elder son of Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, and Maharani Datar Kaur. He suceeded his father on 27 June 1839 and reigned until his dethronement and imprisonment on 8 October 1839.[2]

Background[]

He was born in Lahore in 1801, the first son of Ranjit Singh and his second wife Datar Kaur.[3] He married four wives. In 1812, at the age of 11 he was married to Chand Kaur, daughter of Sardar Jaimal Singh, chief of the Kanhaiya Misl. Their son Nau Nihal Singh was born in 1821.[3] In 1816 he married again when he was still a prince, to Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon, a Jat Sikh daughter of Jodh Singh Kalalvala and grand daughter of Sahib Singh Dhillon.[1] After the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849, Bibi Khem's jagirs were reduced by the British raj due to her anti-British role in the war.[1] Since his first two wives were having trouble conceiving, he married Kishan Kaur Samra in 1818, daughter of loyal supporter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Chaudhari Raja Singh of Amritsar of the Samra clan. She was the only queen to live after the fall of the Sikh Empire in 1849, had an annual pension paid by the British Raj of RS 2324 and died in Lahore in 1876 while living at the Lahore Fort. His last wife was married by proxy in a "chadar dalna" ceremony, having been sent from the Zenana of his father, in 1815. She committed sati (self immolation) on his funeral pyre. [4]

Early life[]

Kharak received the principality of Jammu as his jagir in 1812. In 1818, together with Misr Diwan Chand he commanded an expedition against the Afghan ruler of Multan Nawab Muzaffar Khan, achieving a decisive victory at the Battle of Multan.He was born into Sandhawalia Jat family.[5] In 1819, he held nominal command of the expedition to conquer Kashmir. [6] Three months before his death, Ranjit Singh awarded Kashmir to Kharak, which was seen as a check on the ambitions of Gulab Singh.[7]

Maharaja of the Sikh Empire[]

Though courageous and good in battle, Kharak was regarded as simple minded.[8] It was believed he lacked his father's diplomatic skills.[8][3] He developed a close relationship with his tutor Chet Singh, who gained such an ascendancy over him as to render him a puppet.[3] This relationship with Chet Singh created tensions with Prime Minister Raja Dhian Singh, and in 1839, Chet Singh was murdered.[3]

On the death of his father he was proclaimed Maharajah and installed on the throne at Lahore Fort on 1 September 1839. Following his accession, a series of lavish parties, and escalation of his indulgence in drink, drugs and dancing girls alienated many of his advisers and generals.[9] The Austrian physician Johann Martin Honigberger who was present at court, described his coronation as a dark day for the Punjab, and referred to the Maharajah as a blockhead who twice a day deprived himself of his senses and spent his whole time in a state of stupefaction.[9]

Raja Dhian Singh had previously resisted attempts to allow Kharak training in state craft, and on 8 October 1839 he instigated his removal from the throne with Nau Nihal Singh becoming de facto ruler.[10]

Death[]

Kharak Singh was poisoned with white lead and mercury.[9] Within six months he was bedridden, and eleven months after the poisoning he died on 5 November 1840 in Lahore.[11][9] The official announcement blamed a sudden mysterious illness.[9] Though never proven, most contemporaries believed Raja Dhian Singh to be behind the poisoning.[9] Raja Dhian Singh also murdered one of Kharak Singh's wives by setting her on fire. [9]

See also[]

  • Gurdaspur District

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c ""Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon", URL accessed 11/16/06". Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Āhlūwālīā, M. L. "KHAṚAK SIṄGH MAHĀRĀJĀ (1801–1840)". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e C. Grey, European Adventurers of Northern India, 1785 to 1849, Asian Educational Services, 1996,
  4. ^ https://books.google.com.pr/books?id=Z1UoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA392&dq=samra+jat+Amritsar&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjolqqWrbjyAhUwmGoFHRr5CCgQ6AEwAXoECAoQAg#v=onepage&q=samra%20jat%20Amritsar&f=false
  5. ^ Kartar Singh Duggal, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms, Abhinav Publications, 2001, p.82
  6. ^ Shashikant Nishant Sharma, International Journal of Research (IJR)
  7. ^ Vanit Nalwa, Hari Singh Nalwa, "champion of the Khalsaji" (1791-1837), Manohar, New Delhi, 13 Jan 2009
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 Dec 2015,
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g William Dalrymple, Anita Anand, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond, Bloomsbury Publishing, 15 Jun 2017
  10. ^ J. S. Grewal, The Sikhs of the Punjab, Volumes 2-3, Cambridge University Press, 8 Oct 1998, p.120
  11. ^ G. S. Chhabra, Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-2: 1803-1920), Lotus Press, 2005, p.176

External links[]

Preceded by
Ranjit Singh 		Maharaja of the Sikh Empire
27 June 1839 – 8 October 1839 		Succeeded by
Nau Nihal Singh


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