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Raj Kaur

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For the Indian archer, see Raj Kaur (archer).

Raj Kaur
Rajmata of Sikh Empire
Mai Malwain Sahiba
Rani of Sukerchakia Misl
Tenure1774–1792
PredecessorDesan Kaur
SuccessorMehtab Kaur
Datar Kaur
Regent of the Sukerchakia Misl
MisldarRanjit Singh
Bornc. 1758
Badrukhan, Phulkian Misl, Sikh Confederacy (present-day Punjab, India)
Died1803
Lahore, Sikh Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Spouse
​
(m. 1774)​
IssueRanjit Singh
HousePhulkian (by birth)
Sukerchakia (by marriage)
FatherRaja Gajpat Singh Sidhu
MotherRani Gajpat Kaur, daughter Kishan Singh Manshahia
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 after her marriage. She is also referred to as Sardarni Raj Kaur and Rajkumari Bibiji Raj Kaur Sahiba before marriage. She was the daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind.[1]

Family and marriage

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

Raj Kaur was born to the family of Sidhu Phulkians of Mehraj, one of the oldest aristocratic Sikh families in Malwa.[2] She was the granddaughter of Sukhchain Singh and his wife, Rani Agan Kaur.[3] In 1743, Agam Kaur was imprisoned in Delhi by the Mughal imperial forces alongside her 5 year old son, Gajpat Singh until her husband Sukhchain Singh halts his rebellion and pays tribute to the Mughal Empire. However due to a faithful maid of Agan Kaur, who switched places with her in prison she was able to escape back to Punjab with her son.

By 1754, Gajpat Singh had expanded his territory and took the title of Raja. He was married to a daughter of Kishan Singh Manshahia and she was known as Rani Gajpat Kaur.

Raj Kaur was titled Rajkumari Bibiji at birth and she had three elder brothers, Tikka Yuvraj Mehar Singh, Raja Bagh Singh, who succeeded their father as the King of Jind in 1789 and Kanwar Bhup Singh who was granted Badrukhan, Baman Bade, and Bazidpur as his hereditary jagirs in 1789 by his brother. She also had a younger half sister, Rajkumari Bibiji Bagam Kaur who was born in 1765 to Gajpat Singh's junior wife known as Balanwali Rani.[4]

In 1774, at the age of fifteen, Raj Kaur was married to the 17-year-old Maha Singh,[3] son of Charat Singh, leader of the Sukerchakia Misl and his wife, Rani Desan Kaur.[5] The marriage was set by Maha Singh's mother and it strengthened his position amongst the Sikh rulers of the time.[4]

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

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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 Diwan Lakhpat Rai (as decided by Maha Singh prior to his death) who is reputed to have acted with ability and enthusiasm.[8] Maha Singh also entrusted Missar Laiq Ram with the treasury and he was adjure to aid Raj Kaur and Ranjit Singh.[9]

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.[10] 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. Mai Malwain approached Sada Kaur to fix the nuptial date and 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.[11][page needed] This alliance between the two important Sikh families was a major event for Punjab. All the leading Sikh royals and aristocrats were present at the wedding.[10]

As young Ranjit Singh was content with Lakhpat Rai administrate his estates much to the chargain of his mother-in-law, Sada Kaur who found an ally in Sardar Dal Singh of Akalgarh, who was the maternal uncle of Maha Singh. Dal Singh aided his sister Desan Kaur after the death of her husband, Charat Singh hence he felt that Maha Singh should have appointed him regent to Ranjit Singh and resented the influence and power of Raj Kaur and Lakhpat Rai. Faqir Syed Waheeduddin, descendant of Fakir Azizuddin, a courtier of Ranjit Singh, in his book The Real Ranjit Singh claimed that Sada Kaur and Dal Singh began poisoning young Ranjit Singh' mind against his mother, but all in vain.[12] Such courtly intrigues made Ranjit Singh spend most of his days hunting and away from home.[13] During one such hunting trip an attempt was made on his life by Hashmat Khan, uncle of Ghulam Chatta who was defeated by Maha Singh in battle planned to avenge his nephew by assassinating a 13 year old Ranjit Singh. Before the assailant could Ranjit Singh stricked him with his sword.[7][1][14][15]

Mai Malwain also oversaw Ranjit's nuptials with Raj Kaur Nakai, daughter of Sardar Ran Singh Nakai in 1797, perhaps as a check on the ambitious of Sada Kaur.[16] Ranjit Singh readily agreed to a second marriage as his marriage with Mehtab Kaur was hardly pleasant, with her not forgiving the fact that her father, Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya died in a battle against Maha Singh and she resented being married to Maha Singh's son. After halting the invasion of Zaman Shah Durrani in 1797 at 16, Ranjit Singh now started to take control of the matters of his estate hence wanted to consolidate his power by marrying the sister of the Nakai chief, Sardar Gyan Singh. Ranjit Singh was betrothed to the Nakai princess when he was merely 4 years old and she was just a suckling infant.[3] The alliance was fixed by Maha Singh and Ran Singh Nakai's widow, Rani Karman Kaur.[17] His second marriage brought him a strategic military alliance just like his first wedding.[18] His second marriage was celebrated with great show and pomp.[19] His new wife was known as Raj Kaur Nakai, she was renamed as Datar Kaur after her marriage but was affectionately spoken of as Mai Nakain and remained the most loved and respected queen of Ranjit Singh.[20][21]

Shortly after his second marriage, Lakhpat Rai was murdered while collecting revenue at Katasraj by an assassin sent by Chatta Tribal chiefs, old foes of the Sukherchakias. Dal Singh and Sada Kaur are said to have played a role in his death as after his death Dal Singh asked Missar Laiq Ram to hand over the treasury to him while Sada Kaur gave him money and sent him to Haridwar.[22][3] This is why in 1801, Ranjit Singh imprisoned Dal Singh and strips him of his territories and Sada Kaur too was sidelined especially after Datar Kaur gave birth to his heir, Kharak Singh. Eventually in 1820s, Sada Kaur too was imprisoned and her territories were also confiscated.[23]

A year later Lakhpat Rai's death, Raj Kaur too died due to poisoning.[1][24][25]

Unwilling to be controlled anymore at 17, Ranjit Singh took control of his administration.[7]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b 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)
  5. ^ Mahajan, Vidya Dhar (1965). Muslim Rule in India (2 ed.). S. Chand. p. 241.
  6. ^ Duggal, Kartar Singh (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the last to lay arms. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications. p. 49. ISBN 9788170174103.
  7. ^ a b c 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. ^ Gupta, Hari Ram. History of the Sikh Misls.
  10. ^ a b Singh 2008, p. 6
  11. ^ Atwal, Priya (1 November 2020). Royals and Rebels. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197548318.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-754831-8.
  12. ^ Waheeduddin, Faqir (1981). The Real Ranjit Singh.
  13. ^ Singh, Khushwant. Ranjit Singh.
  14. ^ Lafont, Jean Marie. Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
  15. ^ Singh, Amarinder. The Last Sunset.
  16. ^ 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 22 December 2021
  17. ^ Siṅgha, Bhagata (1993). History Of The Sikh Misals. Patiala: Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. pp. 161–166.
  18. ^ Singh, Khushwant (1985). Ranjit Singh : Maharajah of the Punjab. Orient Longman. OCLC 799280171.
  19. ^ Seetal, Sohan Singh (1971). The Sikh Empire and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Dhanpat Rai.
  20. ^ Vaḥīduddīn, Faqīr Sayyid (1965). The Real Ranjit Singh. Lion Art Press. p. 58.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Duggal, Kartar Singh. Ranjit Singh, a Secular Sikh Sovereign.
  23. ^ Suri, Sohan Lal. Umdat Ut Tawarikh.
  24. ^ Shah, Bute. Tawarikh I Punjab.
  25. ^ Kohli, Sita Ram (1928). Zafarnama-i-Ranjit Singh of Diwan Amar Nath. University of The Panjab, Lahore.
  26. ^ "Want to try my hand at direction: Sneha Wagh". The Times of India. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
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