Sarada22 at 01:23, 6 May 2026

2026-05-06T01:23:03Z

New page

{{Short description|Family of Shergill sadars}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2026}}

[[File:Dilapidated haveli of Dyal Singh Majithia.jpeg|thumb|Dilapidated [[haveli]] belonging to Majithia family in [[Majitha|Majithia]], [[Amritsar district]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]]]]

The '''Majithia family''' are a family of [[Shergill]] [[Jat Sikh|Jat]] ''[[sardar]]s'' that derive their name from the village of [[Majitha]], in [[Amritsar District]], [[Indian Punjab|Punjab]].<ref name=":1" /> The Majithias were a prominent family in the court of the [[Sikh Empire]], serving as administrators and military generals.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Hasrat |first=B. J. |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University, Patiala |year=2002 |isbn=8173801002 |editor-last=Singh |editor-first=Harbans |edition=4th |volume=1: A–D |pages=555–556}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Samra |first=Mandeep Kaur |date=1993 |editor-last=Singh |editor-first=Ganda |editor-link=Ganda Singh (historian) |title=Socio -Cultural Conditions of Early to Mid-Nineteenth Century Punjab as Described by Baba Prem Singh Hoti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kzpuAAAAMAAJ |journal=The Panjab Past and Present |publisher=Punjabi University |volume=27 |issue=2 |page=63 |issn=0031-0786 |quote=Jats constituted the most important and powerful class among the Sikhs... Ranjeet Singh a Jat himself knew their potential for dash and courage and gave them important posts in the army. For example [[Desa Singh Majithia]]...}}</ref>

Some members of the family continue to play a role in [[Indian politics]], such as [[Bikram Singh Majithia]], who served as a cabinet minister in the Punjab government.<ref>{{cite news |title=Council of Ministers – Government of Punjab, India |url=http://punjab.gov.in/council-of-ministers/ |accessdate=15 October 2020 |work=punjab.gov.in}}</ref>

== History ==
The family is divided into three principle branches, the Dayal Singh branch, Surat Singh branch, and Mahtab Singh branch.<ref>{{cite book|title=Brahmo Samaj and Dyal Singh Majithia|year=1998|editor-first=Madan|editor-last=Gopal|publisher=Uppal Publishing House|location=New Delhi|page=3|isbn=8185565929}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Rekhi |first=Gurnam Singh |url=https://gurmatveechar.com/books/English_Books/Sir.Sundar.Singh.Rekhi.by.Gurnam.Singh.%28GurmatVeechar.com%29.pdf |title=Sir Sundar Singh Majithia and His Relevance in Sikh Politics |publisher=Har-Anand Publications Pvt. Ltd. |year=1999 |page=15 |quote=...the small village of Majithia (near Amritsar)—which the family of Sir Sundar Singh, of Shergill clan among the Jat Sikhs—had adopted as their surname, could also be proud of its illustrious Sardars.}}</ref> Dayal Singh and Matab Singh were fifth cousins, whilst Surat Singh was considerably more distantly related to them. One had to go back fourteen generations from their generation to find a common relation between Surat Singh and the other two branches.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Griffin |first=Lepel Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNEwAQAAMAAJ |title=The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab |publisher=Civil and Military Gazette Press |year=1890 |page=267}}</ref> An early ancestor of the family was Madho, a [[Jats|Jat]] of the [[Gill (name)|Gill clan]], which the Sher-Gill clan is a derivative of.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gill |first=Gurcharan Singh |title=Deeper Roots of the Gill, Bhatti, Sidhu, Brar, Tur, and Related Jat and Rajput Clans |publisher=Indian Family History Society |year=2008 |editor-last=Bunker |editor-first=Janice Gill |edition= |page=12 |chapter=CHAPTER 2: The Gill Clan - Section A. Indo-Scythian Origin |quote=The descendants of Gillpal use the family surname 'Gill'. There are many sub-castes such as Sher-Gill, Jhalli-Gill and so on.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Duleh |first1=Hoshiar Singh |title=Jatta da Itihas |last2=Singh |first2=Gurjant |publisher=Lahore Books Ludhiana |year=2001 |pages=106–112 |language=pa |translator-last=Preet |translator-first=Pritam Singh |script-title=pa:ਜੱਟਾਂ ਦਾ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ |trans-title=History of the Jats}}</ref> He founded the village of Madho-Jetha, later known as Majitha.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Majithia |first1=Satyajit Singh |last2=Sandhu |first2=Manleen |last3=Singh |first3=Sukhpal |date=28 May 2013 |title=Oral history with Satyajit Singh Majithia |url=https://exhibits.stanford.edu/1947-partition/catalog/cy062hz9278 |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The 1947 Partition Archive, Survivors and their Memories - Spotlight at Stanford - Stanford Libraries - Stanford University |language=en |quote=Mado Jetha was the name that established Majitha, a place thirty odd miles from Amritsar.}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Walia |first=Varinder |date=8 September 2005 |title=Special on the death anniversary of Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, which falls on September 9 - Majithia's virasat knows no sarhad |work=The Tribune India |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050908/aplus.htm |quote=Majitha is situated 16 kilometre to the north east of Amritsar. The town is connected with Amritsar by train and road. The town was founded by one Madho, a Jat of the Gill clan. He was 'jetha' (the eldest son) of his father and hence the place was 'Madho-Jetha'. The 'Madho-Jetha' subsequently got contracted into Majitha. Madho was thus the ancestor of Majithia Sardars, some of whom held high positions during the Sikh rule. It is believed that the forefathers of legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh were closely associated with the town.}}</ref> Lepel H. Griffin in his work, ''Panjab Chiefs'' (1865), states that the Majithia family is the progeny of a certain Rana Dhar, who was the son of Sher-Gil (founder of the clan).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Griffin |first=Lepel H. |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.6612/mode/2up |title=The Punjab Chiefs: historical and biographical notices of the principal families in the territories under the Punjab government. |publisher=T.C. McCarthy, Chronicle Press |year=1865 |page=353 |quote=Shergil had four sons. The two youngest died without issue, but from the eldest Rana Dhar has descended the great house of Majitha}}</ref>

== Notable Members ==
Below is a list of prominent members of the Majithia family.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gill |first=Dawinder Singh |title=Majithia (Bansawali) Gharane Da Itihaas |publisher=B. Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh Amritsar |language=Punjabi |trans-title=History of the House of Majithia (Genealogy)}}</ref>
[[File:Painting of Desa Singh Majithia receiving a deputation from a State court in the Punjab Hills, ca.1775.jpg|thumb|Painting of [[Desa Singh Majithia]] receiving a deputation from a State court in the Punjab Hills, ca.1775]]

=== Dayal Singh branch ===
*[[Desa Singh Majithia|Desa Singh]] (1768–1832)<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nadiem |first=Ihsan H. |title=Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia: As Seen by His Contemporaries |publisher=Dyal Singh Research & Cultural Forum |edition=2nd |pages=16–18 |chapter=A Glimpse of The Unsung Hero From Punjab, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia}}</ref>
*[[Lehna Singh Majithia|Lehna Singh]] (d. 1854)<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= 19 December 2000|title=Desa Singh Majithia |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/desa-singh-majithia/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US |quote=Desa Singh died in 1832, and was succeeded in all his estates and honours by his eldest son, Lahina Singh Majithia.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date= 19 December 2000|title=Lahina Singh Majithia |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/lahina-singh-majithia/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Ranjodh Singh Majithia|Ranjodh Singh]] (d. 1872)<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= 19 December 2000|title=Ranjodh Singh Majithia |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/ranjodh-singh-majithia/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Dyal Singh Majithia|Dyal Singh]] (1848–1898)<ref>{{Cite web |date= 19 December 2000|title=Dyal Singh Majithia |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/dyal-singh-majithia/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Surat Singh branch ===
* [[Surat Singh]] (1810–1881),<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date= 19 December 2000|title=Surat Singh Majithia, Raja |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/surat-singh-majithia-raja/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> zamindar and military officer in the Khalsa Army<ref>{{cite web |title=Amrita Sher-Gil Portrait Comes to Market After 80 Years |url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/amrita-sher-gil-portrait-comes-to-market-after-80-years |access-date=24 April 2021 |website=[[Sotheby's]] |date=26 November 2018 |archive-date=24 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424191837/https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/amrita-sher-gil-portrait-comes-to-market-after-80-years |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1877, he was awarded the title of [[Raja]] and made a [[Order of the Star of India|Companion of the Star of India]].
* [[Sundar Singh Majithia]] (1872–1941),<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date= 19 December 2000|title=Sundar Singh Majithia, Sardar Bahadur Sir |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/sundar-singh-majithia-sardar-bahadur-sir/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> landowner and politician. He was a member of Khalsa Nationalist Party and Revenue Member at the first and second legislative councils of the [[Punjab Legislative Assembly]]. The first president of the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee]]
*[[Umrao Singh Sher-Gil]] (1870–1954)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation {{!}} Sher-Gil Sundaram Family |url=https://ssaf.in/sher-gil-sundaram-family/ |access-date=28 January 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> aristocrat and a scholar in Sanskrit and Persian and Father of [[Amrita Sher-Gil]]
*[[Amrita Sher-Gil]] (1913–1941, through her father, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Anand |first=Mulk Raj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fd7qAAAAMAAJ&q=amrita+sher-gil+majithia+family |title=Amrita Sher-Gil |publisher=National Gallery of Modern Art |year=1989 |pages=2, 7 |quote=Page 2: Amrita Sher-Gil, born of Marie Antoinette, a cultured Hungarian mother, and Sardar Umrao Singh Gil, an aristocrat from the Majithia family of Amritsar..." Page 7: "Amrita Sher-Gil was brought to India by her parents at the age of eight and lived on the slopes of Summer Hill at Simla, and in Saraya a village in the Gorakhpur district of U.P., which was the Majithia family estate.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Anand |first=Mulk Raj |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-zY2gTcG6yIC&dq=amrita+sher-gil+majithia+family&pg=PA113 |title=Splendours of Himachal Heritage |publisher=Abhinav Publications |year=1997 |isbn=978-81-7017-351-9 |editor-last=Anand |editor-first=Mulk Raj |page=113 |language=en |chapter=Conversation with Amrita Sher-Gil |quote=Mulk Raj Anand (speaking to Amrita Sher-Gil): 'You from Majithia family say so, you are more progressive than me!' Amrita replied: 'I hope so.'}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nigam |first=Raj Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6geKAAAAMAAJ&q=amrita+sher-gil+majithia+family |title=Memoirs of Old Mandarins of India: The Administrative Change as the ICS Administrators Saw in India |publisher=Documentation Centre for Corporate & Business Policy Research |year=1985 |quote=From Dehra Dun, I came to Gorakhpur. After two more years at Gorakhpur, I was posted to Rae Bareli, perhaps, the most feudal district in the U.P. with Rajas, Ranas, and Sardars (Majithia family whom I had known from before through Amrita Sher-Gil, the painter who lived in Sardarnagar in Gorakhpur).}}</ref> Hungarian-Indian painter. Daughter of Umrao Singh
* Wing Commander [[Surjit Singh Majithia]] (1912–1995),<ref>{{Cite web |date= 19 December 2000|title=Surjit Singh Majitha |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/surjit-singh-majlthia/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> Indian politician, diplomat, and air force officer. Son of [[Sundar Singh Majithia]]
* [[Satyajit Singh Majithia]], educationist, industrialist, philanthropist, and Chancellor of Khalsa University. Son of Sardar Surjit Singh Majithia, former Deputy Defence Minister
* [[Harsimrat Kaur Badal]], a former Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing Industries. Daughter of Satyajit Singh Majithia
* [[Bikram Singh Majithia]], a former cabinet minister in the Punjab Government. Son of Satyajit Singh Majithia
*[[Jimmy Shergill]] (born Jasjit Singh Gill; 3 December 1970), also known as Jimmy Shergill, is an Indian actor and producer who primarily works in Hindi and Punjabi films

=== Mahtab Singh branch ===
{{Expand section|Need notable family members listed for this branch of Majithias|date=September 2022}}
*Mahtab Singh (1811–1865)<ref>{{Cite web |date= 19 December 2000|title=Mahtab Singh Majithia |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/mahitab-singh-majithia/ |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Pedigrees ==
<gallery>
File:Majitha branch 1.jpg|Pedigree for Dayal Singh branch of Majithias
File:Majithia Sardars family pedigree.jpg|Pedigree for Surat Singh branch of Majithias
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Sikh Empire|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Indian families]]
[[Category:People from Amritsar]]
[[Category:Majithia family]]
[[Category:Jat clans]]
[[Category:Punjabi families]]

Majithia family - Revision history

Sarada22 at 01:23, 6 May 2026