Kapurthala State

Princely state of India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kapurthala State was a kingdom and later princely state of the Punjab Province of British India. Ruled by Ahluwalia Sikh rulers, spread across 510 square miles (1,300 km2). According to the 1901 census the state had a population of 314,341 and contained two towns and 167 villages.[1] In 1930, Kapurthala became part of the Punjab States Agency and acceded to the Union of India in 1947.

StatusPrincely State under the East India Company (1846–1857)
Princely State under the British Raj (1857–1947)
Historical eraNew Imperialism
19011,320 km2 (510 sq mi)
Today part ofPunjab, India
Quick facts Status, Historical era ...
Kapurthala State
1846–1947
Flag of Kapurthala
Flag
Coat of arms of Kapurthala
Coat of arms
Detail of Kapurthala State, from a map of Punjab, Delhi, and the Punjab States of British India, published in the 'Imperial Gazetteer of India' (Vol. XXVI, Atlas; 1931 revised edition; plate no. 34)
Detail of Kapurthala State, from a map of Punjab, Delhi, and the Punjab States of British India, published in the 'Imperial Gazetteer of India' (Vol. XXVI, Atlas; 1931 revised edition; plate no. 34)
StatusPrincely State under the East India Company (1846–1857)
Princely State under the British Raj (1857–1947)
Historical eraNew Imperialism
• Established
1846
• Part of the Punjab States Agency
1930
• Accession to the Indian Union
1947
Area
19011,320 km2 (510 sq mi)
Population
• 1901
314,341
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Ahluwalia Misl
Patiala and East Punjab States Union
Today part ofPunjab, India
Kapurthala state The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 14, p. 408–416.
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In colonial India, Kapurthala State was known for its communal harmony, with its Sikh ruler Jagatjit Singh building the Moorish Mosque for his Muslim subjects.[2] At the time of the Indian independence movement, the ruler of the Kapurthala State opposed the partition of India and advocated for a united, secular country.[3]

History

Origin

After the Muslim conquest of Punjab, his descendants migrated to the Jaisalmer area, where they came to be known as Kalal tribe. After Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Jaisalmer, some of the former ruling Kalchuri Kalal tribe people migrated to Tarn Taran district. In the 17th century, they joined Guru Hargobind's army. Ganda Singh of this family raided Lahore, whose governor Dilawar Khan persuaded him to join the Lahore army, and assigned him the fief of Ahlu and some other villages. Ganda Singh Kalal's son Sadhu (or Sadho) Singh Kalal lived in Ahlu, because of which the family came to be known as Ahluwalia. The descendants of Sadhu Singh Kalal through his son Gopal Singh Kalal (who was the grandfather of Jassa Singh Kalal) established the royal family of Kapurthala.[4] The British administrator Lepel Griffin (1873) dismissed this account as spurious.[4] The Sikh author Gian Singh, in his Twarikh Raj Khalsa (1894), wrote that the Ahluwalia family adopted the Kalal caste identity much before Sadhu Singh.[5]

The ruling dynasty of Kapurthala originated in the Ahluwalia misl. The Ahluwalia misl rose to prominence under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia,[6][7] who was the first person to use the name "Ahluwalia". Originally known as Jassa Singh Kalal, he styled himself as Ahluwalia after his ancestral village of Ahlu and belonged to the Kalal community.[8] He is regarded as the founder of the Kapurthala State.[9]

Establishment

In 1774, Jassa Singh Kalal conquered Kapurthala from Rai Ibrahim Bhatti, however the town had a different unrecorded name.[10][11] In December 1779, Jassa Singh embarked on a decisive campaign to assert his authority over Kapurthala. This strategic region, nestled along the left bank of the River Beas, had been under the control of Rae Ibrahim Bhatti. Rae Ibrahim's failure to pay the annual tribute of one lakh rupees, which had been overdue for some time, sparked Jassa Singh's action. Furthermore, Ibrahim's construction of 13 forts around the town, including the strategically located Rae-ka-kot near Afghan colonies, raised concerns about his growing power.[12]

Jassa Singh had previously demonstrated his military prowess by capturing Rae-ka-kot in 1770 with the help of Murar Singh and Shaikh Karimulilah. He then appointed Chait Singh as the thanadar of the region. However, tensions escalated in 1777 when Jassa Singh's son-in-law, Mohar Singh, was killed by a gunshot from one of the forts near Kapurthala. Despite Ibrahim's apologies and claims of innocence, Jassa Singh demanded justice and eventually decided to take over Kapurthala.[12]

Upon arriving at Kapurthala, Jassa Singh's forces clashed with Rae Ibrahim's, and the Bhatti chief retreated to the main fort. Jassa Singh set up camp at Shaikhpur village, while his cousin, Kanwar Bhag Singh, successfully captured several surrounding villages. These villages included: Andresa, Dialpur, Bholath, Bhoian, Bohal, Brahmwal, Chakoke, Dainwind, Dala, Dhaliwal, Dhilwan, Hamira, Karael, Khakhrain, Kularan, Lakhanki, Lohian, Mullanwal, Nadali, Parveznagar, Ramidi, Sidhwan, and Wadalli. Rae Ibrahim soon realized the futility of resistance and sued for peace. He sent a horse as a gift and dispatched his officials, Diwan Lahori Mal and Bora Mal, to negotiate terms.[12]

Jassa Singh agreed to let Rae Ibrahim leave safely with his family and belongings. He also provided him with a place to live and a fixed allowance, demonstrating his magnanimity. In the end, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia would rename the city Kapurthala after his predecessor Nawab Kapur Singh, who was an influential and respected Sikh leader at the time as well as a mentor to Jassa Singh Ahluwlia,[13] Kapurthala became the headquarters of Kanwar Bhag Singh and it would become the capital of the Ahluwalia misl. Jassa Singh continued to reside at Fatehabad, solidifying his leadership and the Ahluwalia misl's dominance in the region.[12]

Subjugation

Map of Jalandhar district (including Kapurthala State) of Punjab Province, British India, published in 'The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province and Kashmir' (1916)

Even after other misls lost their territories to Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire, the emperor permitted the descendants of Jassa Singh to retain their estates. After the British took over the Sikh territories in 1846, Jassa Singh's descendants became the ruling family of the Kapurthala State.[14]

Demographics

Religion in Kapurthala Princely State(1941)
  1. Muslims (56.5%)
  2. Sikhs (23.4%)
  3. Hindus (16.3%)
  4. Others (3.89%)
More information Religious group, Pop. ...
Religious groups in Kapurthala State (British Punjab province era)
Religious
group		 1881[15][16][17] 1891[18] 1901[19] 1911[20][21] 1921[22] 1931[23] 1941[24]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 142,974 56.6% 170,557 56.91% 178,326 56.73% 152,117 56.73% 160,457 56.44% 179,251 56.59% 213,754 56.49%
Hinduism [a] 82,900 32.82% 89,463 29.85% 93,652 29.79% 61,426 22.91% 58,412 20.55% 64,319 20.31% 61,546 16.27%
Sikhism 26,493 10.49% 39,493 13.18% 42,101 13.39% 54,275 20.24% 64,074 22.54% 72,177 22.79% 88,350 23.35%
Jainism 214 0.08% 169 0.06% 226 0.07% 205 0.08% 228 0.08% 27 0.01% 380 0.1%
Christianity 35 0.01% 8 0% 39 0.01% 107 0.04% 1,100 0.39% 983 0.31% 1,667 0.44%
Buddhism 1 0% 0 0% 3 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Zoroastrianism 0 0% 0 0% 4 0% 3 0% 4 0% 0 0% 6 0%
Judaism N/a N/a 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Others 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 12,677 3.35%
Total population 252,617 100% 299,690 100% 314,351 100% 268,133 100% 284,275 100% 316,757 100% 378,380 100%
Note: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
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Royal dynasty

List of rulers

More information No., Name (Birth–Death) ...
No. Name

(Birth–Death)

 Portrait Reign Ref.
Sardars
1 Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
(1718–1783)		 1777 – 20 October 1783 [25][26]
2 Bhag Singh Ahluwalia
(1747–1801)		 20 October 1783 – 10 July 1801 [citation needed]
Rajas
3 Fateh Singh Ahluwalia
(1784–1837)		 10 July 1801 – 20 October 1837 [27][28][29]
4 Nihal Singh
(1817–1852)		 20 October 1837 – 13 September 1852 [citation needed]
5 Randhir Singh
(1831–1870)		 13 September 1852 – 12 March 1861 [26]
Raja-i Rajgan
– Randhir Singh
(1831–1870)		 12 March 1861 – 2 April 1870 [26]
6 Kharak Singh
(1850–1877)		 2 April 1870 – 3 September 1877 [citation needed]
7 Jagatjit Singh
(1872–1949)		 3 September 1877 – 12 December 1911 [26]
Maharajas
– Jagatjit Singh
(1872–1949)		 12 December 1911 – 15 August 1947 [26]
Titular
– Jagatjit Singh
(1872–1949)		 15 August 1947 – 19 June 1949 [26]
8 Paramjit Singh [citation needed]
9 Sukhjit Singh [citation needed]
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Crown Princes

  • Tikka Raja Shatrujit Singh[3]

Dewan / Ministers of Kapurthala State

Orders of chivalry

The Royal House of Kapurthala awards three orders of chivalry; these knighthoods include:[citation needed]

The decoration of the Nishan-i-Iftikhar includes the coat of arms of Kapurthala State.[30]

Gallery

  • Qila Jallow Khana, Kapurthala State
    Qila Jallow Khana, Kapurthala State
  • Old Baradari at Shalimar Garden, Kapurthala State
    Old Baradari at Shalimar Garden, Kapurthala State
  • Photograph of the State Gurdwara of Kapurthala State during a thanksgiving service
    Photograph of the State Gurdwara of Kapurthala State during a thanksgiving service
  • Old court complex, Kapurthala State
    Old court complex, Kapurthala State
  • Photograph of Buggy Khana, Kapurthala State
    Photograph of Buggy Khana, Kapurthala State

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis

References

External links

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