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Jat Sikhs
The
Jat
Sikhs were
mainly Hindus who converted to Sikhism in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries in
India. Out
of the twelve Sikh misls (clan confederacies), almost seven happened to be
from the Jat Sikh community. Their most prominent son was Maharaja Ranjit
Singh who established the first
Sikh
kingdom in Lahore (now in
Pakistan).
Other prominent Jat Sikh states included
Patiala,
Nabha,
Jind,
Faridkot,
Kalsia and
Kapurthala.
(Information by Abhijit Rajadhyaksha.) |
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Jat Sikh Kings of Patiala
c.15th century AD - 1948
Patiala is a city located in the south-eastern region
of the modern
Indian
state
of Punjab. The name Patiala is derived from the Punjabi word 'pati', meaning
'land'. The princely state of Patiala was founded by Sardar Baba Ala Singh.
However the line of kings traces its ancestry to Jaisal, the founder of
Jaisalmer (in modern Rajasthan).
One of the early
Jat ancestors of the Patiala royal family was one Mohan Singh Jat, a
follower of Sikh
Guru Har Gobind. His grandson, Phul Singh, is also considered to be a common
ancestor by the royal dynasties of
Nabha and
Jind. His son Chota Ram Singh
was baptised as a Sikh by Guru Gobind Singh (after Guru Gobind Singh
converted the Sikh sect into a fully-fledged religion).
The most famous symbol of Patiala is the Patiala Peg,
which is a measure of whiskey served as a double or anything in excess of a
normal peg. |
c.15th century |
Jaisal |
Founder of
Jaisalmer.
Faridkot's
kings claim descent from him. |
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Rai Hem |
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Jaidrath / Jundar |
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Pate Rao |
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Mangal Rao |
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Anand Rao |
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Khiva Rao |
Married Rajo, daughter of Saro Bashera,
Jat chief of Dulkot. |
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Sidhu |
Founder of Sidhu
Jat clan. |
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Bhur |
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Bir |
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Satrajat / Satra |
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Jertha / Charta |
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Mahi |
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Kala / Gola |
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Mehra |
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Hamira |
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Rao Brar |
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Paur |
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Bairi |
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Kayen / Kao |
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Baho |
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? - 1526 |
Sanghar |
Killed at Panipat. |
1526 - 1554 |
Chaudhari Wariyam (Beeram) of Neli |
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Chaudhari Mehraj |
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Chaudhari Satu |
Killed in 1554 with his grandfather. |
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Chaudhari Pakhu |
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Chaudhari Mohan Singh |
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Chaudhari Mohan Singh is a follower of
Sikh Guru Har
Gobind. He dies after a fight with the Bhatti Rajputs, but during his
lifetime he is responsible for founding the village of Mehraj, which he
names after his grandfather. |
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Chaudhari Rup Chand |
Son. |
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Chaudhari Kala |
Brother. Guardian to
his sons, Phul Singh and Sandali. |
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Chaudhari Phul Singh |
Son. Founded Phul village and Phulkian family. Died accidentally. |
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One of the sons of Chaudhari Phul Singh is Tiloka. He is
responsible for founding the
Jat state of
Jind. It is Tiloka's great-grandson, Sardar Hamir Singh, who founds the Jat state of
Nabha in 1755. |
? - 1691 |
Chaudhari Chota Ram Singh |
Son. Baptised as a
Sikh by Guru Gobind
Singh. |
1691 - 1765 |
Baba Ala Singh |
Son. Founder of the kingdom of Patiala. |
1691 - 1765 |
Ala Singh establishes the kingdom of Patiala and leads a
Sikh misl. He
also wrests away much territory belonging
to the Bhatti Rajputs and purchases the town of Sirhind. By the end of 1765 his territory
possesses
almost 726 villages. Not content with that he founds the villages of Chajali, Longowal, Dirba,
and Sheron. The fort of Patiala (initially known as Qila Mubarak), which he
builds, becomes his headquarters.
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Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala
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1760 - 1761 |
Bharatpur is prepared to help the
Marathas
in their fight against the
Afghan king, but differences over powersharing in
Delhi
arise and as a
result the necessary help on the battlefield is not forthcoming. The
Marathas lose the Third Battle of Panipat, and Ala Singh aids the Maratha refugees
who return from the battle. He himself is later taken prisoner by Ahmed Shah Abdali
and has to pay a large amount to secure his release. Not only does Abdali
release him, he also acknowledges him as the first raja of Patiala. |
1763 |
Gurbaksh Singh captures many villages around
Chachrauli district, Dera Bassi in Patiala, Chirak in
Faridkot,
and Bambeli in Hoshiarpur district. He is granted the estate of Chachrauli
by the Sikh
king, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, which is renamed
Kalsia. |
1765 - 1781 |
Amar Singh |
Grandson. Receives the title 'raja-i-rajgan'.
Mints his own coins. |
1781 - 1813 |
Sahib Singh |
Son. |
1809 |
Sahib Singh enters into a treaty with the
British against
the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit
Singh of Lahore. |
1813 - 1845 |
Karam Singh |
Son. Fought with the British during
Anglo-Nepalese
War. |
1813 - ? |
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Rani Aus Kaur |
Mother and regent until Karam attained his maturity. |
1845 - 1862 |
Narendra Singh |
Son. |
1857 - 1858 |
Narendra Singh supports the British
during the Indian Mutiny (or Great Sepoy Mutiny), following which the British
Viceroys
are established to replace the
Moghuls as the highest power in the land. |
1862 - 1876 |
Mahendra Singh |
Son. |
1876 - 1900 |
Sir Rajendra Singh |
Son. Awarded Grand Cross of the Star of India by Britain. |
1900 - 1938 |
Sir Bhupendra Singh |
Son. |
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A regency council rules for Bhupendra Singh until he
attains maturity. He serves in the British
army and is promoted to Hon Lt-General in 1931. He represents
India
in the League of Nations in 1925, and serves as chancellor in the Chamber of
Princes between 1926-1938. He is also
known for his flamboyant lifestyle. He marries nine times and fathers
eighty-eight children. |
1938 - 1974 |
Sir Yadavendra Singh |
Son. Last king of Patiala. Hereditary title after 1948. |
1947 |
The dominion of
India
is formed on 15 August 1947 following the official handover of power by the
British.
The kingdom is subsumed within the republic and its ruler left
with just his title. Yadavendra Singh acts as the rajpramukh of Patiala
until it is merged into the state of Punjab. |
1971 - 1974 |
Sir Yadavendra is the ambassador to the
Netherlands
when he dies in office in the Hague
after suffering a heart attack. |
1974 - Present |
Captain Amarinder Singh |
Ex-captain
Indian
armed forces. |
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Amarinder Singh is elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980, but
resigns after Operation Bluestar (which involves the storming of the Golden
Temple by
Indian forces).
He joins Shiromani Akali Dal and serves as a minister for
agriculture and forest development. Later he breaks away from Shiromandi Akali Dal
and forms his own Shiromani Akali Dal Panthic party which later merges into
the Congress Party. |
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