Raj Kaur

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For the Indian archer, see Raj Kaur (archer).
Raj Kaur
Rajmata of Sikh Empire
Mai Malwain Sahiba
Sardarni of Sukerchakia Misl
Tenure1774- 1792
PredecessorDesan Kaur
SuccessorMehtab Kaur
Datar Kaur
Regent of the Sukerchakia Misl
MonarchRanjit Singh
Bornc. 1758
Badrukhan, Phulkian Misl, Sikh Confederacy (present-day Punjab, India
Died1803
Lahore, Sikh Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan
SpouseMaha Singh (m. 1774)
IssueRanjit Singh
HousePhulkian (by birth)
Sukerchakia (by marriage)
FatherRaja Gajpat Singh Sidhu
MotherRani Gajpat Kaur
ReligionSikhism

Rani Raj Kaur was the wife of Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl and the mother of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. She was affectionately known as Mai Malwain (Malwa Mother) after her marriage. She is also referred to as Sardarni Raj Kaur and was daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh Sidhu of Jind.[1]

Family and marriage[edit]

Miniature painting of Raja Gajpat Singh, founder of Jind State and father of Raj Kaur

Raj Kaur was the daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh Sidhu, a scion of the Phulkian Misl of Jind.[2] She was married in 1774 (at the age of fifteen) to the 17-year-old Maha Singh,[3] the heir of Charat Singh, the founder and leader of the Sukerchakia Misl.[4] The marriage was beneficial for Maha Singh as it strengthened his position amongst the Sikhs.[5]

Six years after their marriage, Raj Kaur gave birth to Maha Singh's only son on 2 November 1780. He was named Buddh Singh at birth, but was later renamed Ranjit Singh. The birth of a son was celebrated with alms-giving, feeding of the poor, and giving rich offerings to temples and shrines.[6] Maha Singh did not have time to devote to his son's upbringing, nor did the conventions of the time give opportunity to Raj Kaur, confined as she was to the seclusion of the zenana (a practice which the Sikh ruling classes had taken from the Muslims) to see much of her son after he was old enough to be on his own.[7]

Regent to Ranjit Singh[edit]

During the siege of Sodhra, which was being occupied by the Bhangi Misl, Maha Singh contracted dysentery and died in April 1790. Ranjit Singh was 9-years-old at the time of his father's death in 1790. Raj Kaur became Ranjit's regent during his minority and managed the affairs of the Sukerchakia Misl.[2] She was assisted by Dewan Lakhpat Rai (the Dewan of her late husband) who is reputed to have acted with ability and enthusiasm.[8] The teenage Ranjit Singh took hardly any interest in the affairs of the state, making Raj Kaur anxious for his future. She felt that marriage might bring him around to the responsibilities of life.[9]

Ranjit had been betrothed (in Maha Singh's lifetime) to Mehtab Kaur, the only daughter of Sada Kaur and granddaughter of Jai Singh Kanhaiya, the chief of the powerful Kanhaiya Misl. Raj Kaur approached Sada Kaur to fix the nuptial date. Ranjit was fifteen years old when he left Gujranwala for Batala, the chief town of the Kanhaiyas, for his muklawa to Mehtab Kaur in 1796, the marriage took place in 1789.[10] This alliance between the two important Sikh families was a major event for Punjab. All the leading Sikh chiefs were present at the wedding.[9]

Raj Kaur also oversaw Ranjit's nuptials with Raj Kaur Nakai, daughter of Sardar Ran Singh Nakai in 1792.[11] They were betrothed when she was just an infant and he was merely 4 years old. The alliance was fixed by Maha Singh and Ran Singh Nakai's widow, Sardarni Karmo Kaur.[12] His second marriage brought him a strategic military alliance just like his first wedding.[13] Raj Kaur Nakai was renamed Datar Kaur, was affectionately spoken of as Mai Nakain and remained his most loved and respected queen.[14] This wife of Ranjit Singh was also the favorite of Mai Malwain and in 1801 she bore Kharak Singh, the first grandchild of Mai Malwain.[15]

In popular culture[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Singh, Patwant; Rai, Jyoti M. (2008). Empire of the Sikhs : the life and times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. London: Peter Owen. p. 69. ISBN 978-0720613230.
  2. ^ a b Mehta, J. L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India, 1707-1813. Slough: New Dawn Press, Inc. p. 681. ISBN 9781932705546.
  3. ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1991). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh lion of Lahore, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 5. ISBN 9788121505154.
  4. ^ Mahajan, Vidya Dhar (1965). Muslim Rule in India (2 ed.). S. Chand. p. 241.
  5. ^ Jauhar, Raj Pal Singh; foreword by Bhupinder Singh (2003). The Sikhs : their journey of five hundred years. New Delhi: Bhavana Books & Prints. p. 134. ISBN 9788186505465.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Duggal, Kartar Singh (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the last to lay arms. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications. p. 49. ISBN 9788170174103.
  7. ^ Singh, Khushwant (2008). Ranjit Singh. Penguin Books India. pp. 4, 270. ISBN 9780143065432.
  8. ^ "The Panjab Past and Present". 22. Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University.: 122 1 January 1988. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  9. ^ a b Singh 2008, p. 6
  10. ^ Atwal, Priya (2020-11-01). "Royals and Rebels". doi:10.1093/oso/9780197548318.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-754831-8. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ von Hugel, Karl Alexander; Jervis, T. B. (2012), "Dedication", Travels in Kashmir and the Panjab, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 429–430, doi:10.1017/cbo9781139198622.016, ISBN 9781108046497, retrieved 2021-12-22
  12. ^ Siṅgha, Bhagata (1993). History Of The Sikh Misals. Patiala: Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. pp. 161–166.
  13. ^ Singh, Khushwant (1985). Ranjit Singh : Maharajah of the Punjab. Orient Longman. OCLC 799280171.
  14. ^ Vaḥīduddīn, Faqīr Sayyid (1965). The Real Ranjit Singh. Lion Art Press. p. 58.
  15. ^ Suri, Sohan; Lal, Lala. An outstanding original source of Panjab history : Umdat-ut-tawarikh, daftar 4, parts i-iii; Chronicles of reign of Maharaja Kharak Singh, Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh, Maharaja Sher Singh and Maharaja Dalip Sing, 1839-1845 A.M. Punjab Itihas Prakashan, $1972. OCLC 977344536.
  16. ^ "Want to try my hand at direction: Sneha Wagh". The Times of India. March 24, 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
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