>GillRomesLado at 05:49, 11 October 2021

2021-10-11T05:49:22Z

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{{EngvarB|date=February 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox monarch
| name = Chand Kaur
| title = Maharani of Sikh Empire 
Regent of the Sikh Empire Malika Muqaddasa Empress Immaculate
| image = Maharani Chand Kaur.jpg
| birth_date = 1802
| image_size =
| caption = Maharani Chand Kaur of the [[Sikh Empire]].
| birth_place = [[Fatehgarh Churian]],<ref name=Bhagat/> [[Sikh Empire]] {{small|(present-day [[Gurdaspur district]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]])}}
| death_date = 11 June 1842 (aged 40)
| death_place = [[Lahore]], [[Sikh Empire]] {{small|(present-day [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]])}}
| religion = [[Sikhism]]
| spouse = [[Kharak Singh]]
| issue = [[Nau Nihal Singh]]
| father = Sardar Jaimal Singh
| succession1 = [[Regent]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]
| reign1 = 5 November 1840 – 18 January 1841
| coronation1 = 2 December 1840 [[Lahore Fort]], [[Lahore]]
| predecessor1 = [[Nau Nihal Singh]]
| successor1 = [[Sher Singh]]
| reign-type = Tenure
| house = [[Kanhaiya]] (by birth) 
[[Sukerchakia]] (by marriage)
| succession = [[Maharani]] consort of [[Sikh Empire]]
| reign = 1 September 1839 – 8 October 1839
}}

'''Chand Kaur''' (1802 – 11 June 1842) was fourth ruler of the [[Sikh Empire]], proclaimed as Malika Muqaddasa on 2 December 1840. She was born to Sardar Jaimal Singh of the [[Kanhaiya Misl]]. In 1812, she was married to [[Kharak Singh]], son and [[heir apparent]] of [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]] and [[Maharani Datar Kaur]]. In 1821 she gave birth to their only son [[Nau Nihal Singh]].

After the deaths of both her husband [[Kharak Singh]] and son [[Nau Nihal Singh]], she declared herself [[regent]] for the unborn child of Nau Nihal Singh and his pregnant widow Kunwarani Sahib Kaur Sahiba. She abandoned her claim when Sahib Kaur delivered a stillborn son and rival [[Sher Singh]] led a successful assault of Lahore.<ref name="Bhagat">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Chand Kaur |last1=Bhagat Singh |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjab University, Patiala }}</ref> She was later murdered by her servants on 11 June 1842.<ref name="Bhagat" />

==Biography==
Chand Kaur was born in 1802 into a [[Jat sikh]] Sandhu family in [[Fatehgarh Churian]] in the [[Gurdaspur District]] of [[Punjab]].<ref name=Bhagat/> Her father was Sardar Jaimal Singh, chief of the [[Kanhaiya Misl]]. In February 1812, at the age of ten, she married Kunwar Kharak Singh, the eldest son of Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]]. Their son, Nau Nihal Singh, was born on 23 February 1821 and in March 1837 he married Bibi Nanaki Kaur Sahiba, daughter of [[Sham Singh Atariwala]].

===Reign of son===
After the death of Ranjit Singh on 27 June 1839, Kharak Singh was appointed as his successor and Raja Dhian Singh Dogra as his ''wazir'' ([[vizier]]).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://sikhinstitute.org/conn_th_dots/ch6.htm/ |title= Connecting the Dots in Sikh History |publisher= Institute of Sikh Studies |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160305005532/http://sikhinstitute.org/conn_th_dots/ch6.htm |archive-date= 5 March 2016 |df= dmy-all }}</ref> The new Maharaja only ruled for a few months until October 1839, when he was overthrown in a coup by his son, Nau Nihal Singh, and Dhian Singh. He was imprisoned at Lahore until his death in November 1840 from slow poisoning.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Kharak Singh, Maharaja (1801-1840) |last1=Ahluwalia |first1=M.L. |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism }}</ref> Contemporary chroniclers suggest that the poison had been administered under Dhiān Siṅgh's orders.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Nau Nihal Singh Kanvar (1821-1840) |last1=Sardar Singh Bhatia |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism }}</ref>

Returning from the cremation of his father on 5 November, Nau Nihal Singh went through the gate of the [[Hazuri Bagh]] with his companion Udam Singh, son of [[Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Gulab Singh]], and Dhian Singh's nephew. As they passed through the gate stones fell from above, killing Udam Singh and injuring the prince. Dhian Singh, who was a few steps behind, immediately arranged for the prince to be taken into the fort. Nobody else was allowed into the fort, not even his mother, Chand Kaur, who beat on the fort gates with her bare hands in a fever of anxiety. Eyewitnesses stated that before he was taken into the fort the prince appeared to be only slightly injured, was conscious and asked for water. However, when his mother and friends were allowed in to see him, he was dead with severe injuries to his head.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sikhspectrum.com/2004/02/death-of-prince-nau-nihal-singh-accident-or-murder/ |title=Death of Prince Nau Nihal Singh |last1=Harbans Singh Noor |date=February 2004 |publisher=Sikh Spectrum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626023240/http://sikhspectrum.com/2004/02/death-of-prince-nau-nihal-singh-accident-or-murder/ |archive-date=26 June 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===Reign===
After the deaths of Kharak Singh and Nau Nihal Singh, Dhian Singh supported the claim of [[Sher Singh]], the son of Ranjit Singh's estranged first wife, Mehtab Kaur. Chand Kaur turned to Gulab Singh for support. A compromise was proposed that Chand Kaur should adopt Sher Singh's son Pratap Singh.

However, she pointed out that Nau Nihal's widow, Maharani Sahib Kaur, was pregnant and might give birth to a rightful successor. The arrival in Lahore of two powerful opponents of Sher Singh, Sardar Atar Singh Sandhawalia and Sardar Ajit Singh Sandhawalia, settled the matter. On 2 December 1840 Chand Kaur was proclaimed Maharani of the Punjab, with the title Malika Muqaddasa, Empress Immaculate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1840.htm |title=Women in Power (1840-1870) |work=Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership |access-date=6 February 2013}}</ref>

On 13 January, Sher Singh arrived in Lahore. The regiments outside the city walls went over to his side, leaving Chand Kaur with 5,000 men and a limited quantity of gunpowder against a force of 26,000 infantry, 8,000 horse and 45 guns. Chand Kaur's troops in the fort fought for two days, but Dhian Singh arrived on the evening of 17 January and arranged a ceasefire. Chand Kaur was persuaded to accept a pension and relinquish her claim to the throne, and on 27 January Sher Singh was formally anointed as Maharaja.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Sher Singh, Maharaja |last1=Hasrat |first1=B.J. |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism}}</ref>

===Retirement and assassination===
In July 1841 Sahib Kaur's son was stillborn, ending any justification for a renewed claim to the regency. The dowager Maharani retired to the [[haveli of Nau Nihal Singh]], her son, in Lahore and received a pension of {{formatnum:900000}} rupees. However her enemies still saw her as a threat and she was battered to death with wooden pikes by her servants on 11 June 1842.<ref name=Bhagat/>

Her samadhi is located in The Royal Lahore Garden, to the south of her samadhi, stands the samadhi of her mother-in-law, [[Maharani Datar Kaur]], lovingly called Mai Nakain by her father-in-law, [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]. In between the samadhis of the two maharanis their the smaller samadhi of her daughter-in-law, Maharani Sahib Kaur.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ualberta.ca/~rnoor/tomb_nakain_chand_sahib_kaur.html |title=Nakain Kaur, Chand Kaur and Sahib Kaur's Samadhis |work=Lahore Sites of Interest }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
{{commons category}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.advancedcentrepunjabi.org/eos/ |title=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |last1=Harbans Singh |first1=Editor-in-Chief |publisher=Punjab University Patiala |access-date=2 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912142756/http://www.advancedcentrepunjabi.org/eos/ |archive-date=12 September 2016 |url-status=dead }}

{{S-start}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Maharani]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]
| years = 5 November 1840 – 18 January 1841
| before = [[Nau Nihal Singh]]
| after = [[Sher Singh]]
}}
{{S-end}}
{{Sikh Empire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:History of Punjab]]
[[Category:Women of the Sikh Empire]]
[[Category:Sikh emperors]]
[[Category:1802 births]]
[[Category:1842 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian women]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:19th-century women rulers]]

Chand Kaur - Revision history

>GillRomesLado at 05:49, 11 October 2021