Maharaja of Patiala

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Template:Infobox monarchy The Maharaja of Patiala was the title of the ruler of the princely state of Patiala, in British India. The first ruler of Patiala was Baba Ala Singh (1691 – 1765), who held the title of Raja.[1] The second and third rulers, Amar Singh and Sahib Singh, respectively, held the held the title of Raja-e-Rajgan (King of Kings).[2][3] Karam Singh, the fourth ruler, was the first ruler of Patiala who held the title of Maharaja.[2][3] By the time of the seventh Maharaja, Rajinder Singh (1876 – 1900), the Maharaja of Patiala was recognized as the leader of the Sikh community and the most foremost prince in Punjab.[4][5] During the British Raj, the Patiala maharajas were entitled to a 17-gun salute and had precedence over all the other princes in Punjab.[6]

Yadavindra Singh (1914 – 1974) became the maharaja on 23 March 1938. He was the last independent maharaja, agreeing to the accession of Patiala State into the newly independent Union of India in 1947.[7] On 5 May 1948, he became Rajpramukh of the new Indian state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU).[8] The former Patiala royal family has had multiple notable members in post-independence India, including those in politics, diplomacy, the Indian army, and other fields.[9] The title of Maharaja of Patiala and other royal titles were retained by members of the Patiala royal family until they were abolished in India in 1971 through the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

In 1940, Dr. V.S. Bhatti proposed the creation of a Sikh nation called 'Sikhistan,' to be led by the Maharaja of Patiala. He envisioned a "Khalistan" where the Maharaja would be aided by a cabinet comprising representatives from various federating units.[10][11][12][13] These units included the central districts of Punjab province directly administered by the British at that time, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Ambala, Firozpur, Amritsar, and Lahore. It also encompassed the princely states of the Cis-Sutlej region, including Patiala, Nabha, Faridkot, and Malerkotla, as well as the states in the 'Shimla Group'.

After the Partition of India in 1947, a Sikh publication called The Liberator advocated for Khalistan, proposing that it should include East Punjab merged with the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), with the Maharaja of Patiala as its monarch.[14]

Origins and lineage

File:A panel of seven portraits of rulers of Patiala State.jpg
A panel of seven portraits of rulers of Patiala State. Starting anti-clockwise from top: Ala Singh, Amar Singh, Sahib Singh, Karam Singh, Narinder Singh, Mahendra Singh and in the centre is Rajinder Singh.

The Maharajas of Patiala were Jat Sikhs of the Sidhu clan.[15][16] The Patiala maharajas are direct descendants of Rawal Jaisal Singh, who founded the Kingdom of Jaisalmer in 1156.[17] The maharajas of Patiala, through Jaisal Singh's ancestor, are direct descendants of Rao Bhatti, a 3rd-century Hindu monarch.[18][19][20] Over the centuries, some of Jaisal Singh's descendants established themselves in the Punjab region, and Khewa, a descendant of Jaisal Singh, married the daughter of a Jat Sidhu zamindar, whose children were known by their mother's caste.[17] Khewa's descendant was Baba Phul, the common ancestor of the Phulkian dynasty, and Baba Phul's grandson was Ala Singh, the first ruler of Patiala.[17][21]

File:Political map of Punjab in 1846 after the treaties in the aftermath of the First Anglo-Sikh War by Joseph Davey Cunningham.jpg
Map of the Patiala Kingdom labelled "Protected Areas" in White.
File:Nine courtiers and servants of the Raja Patiala.jpg
Nine courtiers and servants of the Raja of Patiala[22]

Mythological lineage and descent

The maharajas of Patiala claimed to be direct descendants of Yadu, a mythological Hindu king from whom Bhatti claimed descent.[18][23][24] According to Hindu mythology, Yadu was the founder of the mythological Yadu dynasty, a branch of the legendary Lunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa).[18][20][24]

List

Template:Abbr Name

Template:Small

Portrait Reign Enthronement Ref.
Rajas
1 Raja Ala Singh
Template:Small 		File:Detail of a mural of Ala Singh of Patiala State from the Sheesh Mahal of the Qila Mubarak.jpg 1709 – 1765 ? [2][3]
Raja-e-Rajgans
2 Raja-e Rajgan Amar Singh
Template:Small 		File:Miniature painting of Raja Amar Singh of Patiala, ca.1830.jpg 1765 – 1781 ? [2][3]
3 Raja-e Rajgan Sahib Singh
Template:Small 		File:Detail of Sahib Singh of Patiala State from a painting depicting a meeting between Sahib Singh of Patiala State, Jodh Singh of Kalsia State, Lal Singh of Kaithal State, Mehak Singh, and Raja Jaswant Rao Holkar, ca.1805 (cropped).jpg 1781 – 1813 ? [2][3]
Maharajas
4 Maharaja Karam Singh
Template:Small 		File:Painting of Maharaja Karam Singh in the Audience Hall of Qila Mubarak, Patiala.png 1813 – 1845 30 June 1813 [2][3]
5 Maharaja Narinder Singh
Template:Small 		File:Photograph of Maharaja Narinder Singh (alt. spelt as 'Narendra Singh') of Patiala State with attendants, by Jean Baptiste Oscar Malitte, ca.1860.jpg 1845 – 1862 18 January 1846 [2]
6 Maharaja Mahendra Singh
Template:Small 		File:Mahendra Singh, Maharaja of Patiala in the 1870s.jpg 1862 – 1876 29 January 1863 [2]
7 Maharaja Rajinder Singh
Template:Small 		File:Portrait of Sir Rajinder Singh Maharaja of Patiala.jpg 1876 – 1900 6 January 1877 [2]
8 Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
Template:Small 		File:BHUPINDER-SINGH, MAHARAJA OF PATIALA (18432128650).jpg 1900 – 1938 ? [2]
9 Maharaja Yadavindra Singh
Template:Small 		File:MAHARAJA OF PATIALA (18615125252).jpg 1938 – 1974 ? [2]
Titular
10 Maharaja Amarinder Singh
Template:Small 		File:Capt. Amarinder Singh.png 1974 – ? ? [25][26]
11 Yuvraj Raninder Singh — — —

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Life of Maharaja Ala Singh of Patiala and His Times{{#if:Singh|, Singh}(c. 1954)
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 A History of the Sikh Misals{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University(1993)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 ANNE-COLOMBE “SAT KAUR” LAUNOIS. “Essence Du Pouvoir de Pattâlâ: Les Estrades Royales Du Qila Mubârak.” Arts Asiatiques, vol. 62, 2007, pp. 46–62. JSTOR, Template:JSTOR. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023.
  4. ↑ Cricket Country: An Indian Odyssey in the Age of Empire{{#if:Kidambi|, Kidambi}. Oxford University Press(2019). ISBN 978-0-19-884313-9
  5. ↑ Journal of Regional History{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Guru Nanak Dev University, Department of History(1994)
  6. ↑ Punjab District and State Gazetteers: Part A].{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Punjab Government Press(1900)
  7. ↑ Panjab Past and Present{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University.(2000)
  8. ↑ The Sikhs: Their Journey of Five Hundred Years{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. Bhavana Books & Prints(2003). ISBN 978-81-86505-46-5
  9. ↑ Kings of Patiala, Chronolgy of Patiala, Kings Rule in Patiala. www.patialaonline.in. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  10. ↑ Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age{{#if:Shani|, Shani}(2007). ISBN 9781134101894
  11. ↑ Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age{{#if:Shani|, Shani}. Routledge(2007-12-06). ISBN 978-1-134-10188-7
  12. ↑ The National Archives - Homepage, Archives, The National. The National Archives. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  13. ↑ Khalistan movement: Origin and the two different narratives, Pathak, Ritika. Newshour Press(2020-12-12). Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  14. ↑ LET PATIALA LEAD THE PANTH TO GLORY, Singh, Amar. National Achieves UK. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  15. ↑ The Leisure Hour{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. W. Stevens, printer(1876)
  16. ↑ History of the Sikhs: Or, Translation of the Sikkhan de Raj Di Vikhia, as Laid Down for the Examination in Panjabi. Together with a Short Gurmukhi Grammar, and an Appendix Containing Some Useful Technical Words, in Roman Character. Translated and Edited by Henry Court{{#if:Philaurī|, Philaurī}. Printed at the "Civil and Military Gazette" Press(1888)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Asian Educational Services(2006). ISBN 978-81-206-1965-4
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Baba Ala Singh: Founder of Patiala Kingdom{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. Guru Nanak Dev University(2005)
  19. ↑ Punjab District Gazetteers: Bathinda{{#if:|, }. Revenue Department, Punjab(1992)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Asian Educational Services(2006). ISBN 978-81-206-1965-4
  21. ↑ The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 Entries){{#if:Singha|, Singha}. Hemkunt Press(2000). ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1
  22. ↑ Nine courtiers and servants of the Raja Patiala, Delhi School(c. 1817). Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  23. ↑ The New India{{#if:|, }. Times Publishing Company
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Art and Cultural Heritage of Patiala{{#if:Srivastava|, Srivastava}. Sundeep Prakashan(1991). ISBN 978-81-85067-66-7
  25. ↑ Punjab Live: Modi Congratulates Amarinder, Wishes Him Happy B'Day. The Quint(10 March 2017). Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  26. ↑ Who is Capt Amarinder Singh? Everything you need to know. The Indian Express(16 March 2017). Retrieved 16 March 2017.

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