Maharani Jind Kaur : Lioness of Punjab

Jeand Kaur, the Maharani of Punjab, played a significant role in the history of India. She married Maharaja Ranjit Singh and became a powerful and respected ruler. After his death, she faced many challenges, including internal threats and resistance from the British. Despite these difficulties, she managed to maintain control and stability in the Sikh Empire. However, the British eventually took control and replaced her with their own council. Her son, Duleep Singh, was separated from her, and the Sikh Empire fell under British rule. Ek aurat dressed in torn clothes and thick dark dirty cloak walks briskly in the dark forest. She keeps checking her back to make sure she is not being followed. Her gaze is sharp and observes even a slight movement in the dark forest. Thankfully it is a full moon night and the path in front of her is lit. She has a faint idea where she is going but she is still determining how she will be welcomed. She hears the howl of the wolf. She inhales sharply and walks faster. Nothing can be more scary than what she has undergone in the past few years. She now knows predators of the jungle are nothing against the monsters dressed as humans. This is the story of Jeand Kaur, the Maharani of Punjab, who shook the British Empire and became the thorn between them and Kohinoor diamond. And this is me, Anushka Jain, telling you the true tale of this badass begum. Maharani Jeand Kaur was blessed with real beauty. She was dark, beautiful, fierce and had distinguished features that made everyone bow in reverence when they looked at her. She was born in 1816 in a poor Punjabi family in Gujranwala. Her father, Manna Singh Aulakh, was a royal caretaker of the kennel. Nobody, including her, could have predicted the huge role she would play in the history of modern India and how her very presence would make the British anxious. The virtues of her unparalleled beauty soon reached the ears of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was a concierge of rare beauty and beautiful things, even if it was people. He had already married multiple times, but the Maharaja was determined to acquire and marry Jeand Kaur and make her his wife. 1835 May, he sent a sword and an arrow to the village where she lived as a token of his presence during the marriage. Jeand was married to her non-existent groom in a unique ceremony. When she left her maternal home and met the Maharaja, the blossoming love was unseen. The Maharaja had finally met his match in Jeand Kaur. She was quick, witty, proud, brave, and an astute stateswoman. It was tragic that he met her near the end of his life. For he fell in love so hard with Jeand that the otherwise insatiable Maharaja Ranjit never thought of looking at another woman again, let alone marry one. 1838 May, the happy couple was blessed with a son named Duleep Singh, who was born with his own wretched, twisted fate, unlike any other prince of Punjab Empire. The Maharani and Maharaja ek alag separate quarter mein rehte the inside the Lahore fort. The years with young Duleep Singh were joyful, and after years of battles and consolidating the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh finally was at rest and happy. However, one thing that troubled Maharaja was his eldest son, Khadak Singh, who was not skilled enough to handle and hold the Sikh Empire together. The British Raj was eyeing the empire like a hawk, too afraid to make any move against Ranjit Singh, but keen enough to wait for his death. His grandson, Prince Nau Nihal, seemed like an able ruler and could save the Sikh Empire from the tumultuous water. But still, the future of Sikh Empire without the grand patriarch Maharaja Ranjit Singh seemed very, very dark. 1839 mein Maharaja Ranjit Singh fell severely ill. Maharani Jeet Kaur aur unki baaki patniyon ne vigilant rakha Maharaja Ranjit Singh pe. They wanted him to recover as fast as he could. Each of the wives prayed, willing to sacrifice their life to extend the life of the mighty Maharaja, who stood tall as shield against the changing tides of the Indian subcontinent. However, the Hakeens and the physicians gave up and declared Maharaja Ranjit Singh dead. The tragedy was yet to fall on the Sikh Empire and nobody could have prepared for what was yet to come. A scene of horror soon unfolded after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. A scene of horror soon unfolded after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as the empire moaned and was in a state of shock. The now widowed wives of Maharaja took a drastic step. They all decided to commit sati. Maharani Jeet Kaur was aghast and could not imagine abandoning her two-year-old son. She knew the Maharaja would have wanted her to live long enough and to take care of the empire. In front of her eyes, she saw ladies of the harem jump into the burning fire of the rising pyre. They did not weep, wail or flinch. They walked silently, bravely in the fire, dying with their king and husband. In the following four years, the successive weak rulers of the Sikh Empire either died because of the freakish accidental death or were assassinated mercilessly by the contenders of the throne. The city was painted red and not even a day was left when the killings of the king and the family was not reported. In 1843, things changed for worse and life altered for Maharani Jeet Kaur permanently. Unke bete ab paan saal ke was declared the Maharaja of the mighty Sikh Empire after the assassination of Sheikh Singh and his Wazir. There were no successors left from the line of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who could take the throne. The following year saw the rise of Maharani Jeet Kaur as the regent on behalf of her son and as practically an able ruler who steered the Sikh Empire from the throes of instability and violence. Shurwaad mein Wazir Heera Singh was appointed as the Wazir for Duleep Singh but Heera Singh took little to no notice of Maharani Jeet Kaur and her son's wishes. He had become de facto ruler. Maharani Jeet Kaur was never someone who could tolerate injustice silently. She appealed to the council and committee asking if Duleep Singh is indeed the rightful king, then he should receive duties and decision-making power and not Hari Singh. He cannot be a king with an empty title, she declared. She approved his appeal and gradually she became the face and the symbol of sovereignty and stability for the Sikh Empire. She cast off her veil, took control of the government with the approval of the army, reconstituted the Supreme Council and restored balance between the army and the civil council. In fact, she even marched and reviewed the army troops unveiled and solved matters of the state in public audience. The life for the young Maharani with a toddler prince was far from easy. The weight of the Sikh Empire and the threat from within the empire and from outside was overwhelming and scaring. The step-brother of Duleep Singh, Pashaura Singh Kunwar wanted to remove Duleep Singh. Every day he was plotting and scheming to kill Duleep and Maharani and remove them from the power. If the internal threat was not enough, the Maharani also faced resistance from the feudal chieftains who wanted to reduce the taxation and restoration of their jagees, the land grant from which they received income. The army wanted to increase the income. The cost of running civil and military administration was too much and the Treaty of Lahore was completely empty by the Dogra brothers. But Maharani Jind Kaur was made of sterner stuff and she knew how to tackle the factions. She first focused on creating a powerful council of elderly members who were trained in navigating such tough testing times. She betrothed the young Duleep Singh with the daughter of Chhatar Singh Attariwala, a powerful governor of Hazara and a strong influential member of the Sikh nobility. She then increased the salary of the army leaders. It was also important to exert her power and control over the faction in public. She brought Gulab Singh to Lahore and charged him with treason. She fined him with 68 lakh rupees, thus renewing the Lahore treasury and a promise of good conduct in the future. Unhone apne nephew Hari Singh ko hataya and appointed her brother Jawahar Singh as the governor of Jammu. Magar a tragic event unfolded in front of the Maharani. Things were far from over for Jind Kaur. Her brother Jawahar Singh had strangled the stepson Pashora Singh of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Pashora had tried to rebel against Duleep and Maharani by declaring himself an independent ruler. However, Chhatar Singh had managed to make Pashora surrender. Still, considering his nephew Jaswant decided to strangulate Pashora Singh. For this crime, Jaswant was killed mercilessly in front of the Maharani. The event left Maharani Jind Kaur broken and bruised. Her only loyal ally, her brother, was no more. Her husband was dead and her son was too young. She was fighting alone to keep the throne. 1845 May, the British decided to wage war against the Sikh Empire. Already, several factions were supporting and hatching schemes with the British to get a piece of power and throne. The Sikh army fought valiantly and managed to get the situation under control. During the Battle of Feroz Shah, the British were at the mercy of the Sikh army but the The commanders of the army, Lal Singh and Tej Singh, had already signed with the British. It was because of this treachery that the Sikhs failed to attack. They even sank the Sikh bridge of boats and thus the Anglo-Sikh war led to devastating victory of the British. 1846 May, the famous Treaty of Lahore was signed that continued to make 7-year-old Duleep Singh as the ruler of the Sikh Empire and Maharani Jind Kaur as the regent. But in few months, things changed for worse and the British showed its true colours. They replaced Maharani Jind Kaur with British Council of Regency and provided a pension of 1,50,000 to the Maharani. The Sikh Empire, as we knew, was effectively now in the control of British. 1847 May, kuch ghatnaaye aise hui ki it separated Duleep Singh and Maharani forever. In 1847, British Council pressurized Duleep Singh to hire Tej Singh. In 1847, the British Council pressurized Duleep Singh and indirectly Jind Kaur to appoint the traitor Tej Singh who had helped the British win the Anglo-Sikh war. In 1847, the British Council pressurized Duleep Singh and indirectly Jind Kaur to appoint the traitor Tej Singh who had helped British win as the Raja of Sialkot. Jab Duleep Singh ne mana kar diya to follow this orders, British resident decided that as long as Jind Kaur remains near Duleep, the British will never take control of the Sikh Empire. Ek raat when Duleep and Jind were asleep, the British entered the chambers and dragged Jind Kaur outside. No cry of help was heard. She was imprisoned overnight in the Lahore fort and her pension was reduced to Rs 48,000. The bittersweet blow to the Maharani was the separation from her nine-year-old son. She wrote to Lawrence imploring him to return Duleep to her. She writes, He has no sister, no brother. He has no uncle, senior or junior. His father he has lost. To whose care has he been entrusted, tell me. She did not see her son for next 13 years. Agle saal the new British resident Frederick Curie thought Jind Kaur was too headstrong and a threat to British power. He described her as the rallying point of rebellion and exiled her from Punjab, away from her young son, who was too afraid and scared to know what is going to happen. Unko chunnar fort mein, 45 kilometres away from Varanasi mein capture kar liya. In fact, unki jewellery, quote, she was imprisoned in the chunnar fort, 45 kilometres away from Varanasi. Her jewellery was taken from her. The way a young mother was treated and in fact the Maharani of Sikh empire itself caused a deep resentment within the Sikh empire and general public. The Afghan ruler Dost Mohammad condemned the way the British acted. It was against any morals or ethics to have treated a woman without a husband in such a cruel way. Chunnar fort ke andar Jind Kaur ki life turned worse. She was living in controlled setting in a tehkhana with dingy chambers, no light and deprived of any luxury she was so used to. Nobody would have guessed she was the wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the owner of Kohinoor, one of the largest diamonds in the world. Jind Kaur ko do saal lage to plot her escape from the chunnar fort. Ek raat ko she asked the maid to give her clothes and exchange it for the clothes Jind was wearing. She, with the help of the maid, escaped the chunnar fort and entered the dark jungles with no light and no help. Jind Kaur travelled on foot towards Nepal. She knew if she went back to Lahore, she would immediately be captured. Even though unka dil chahata tha Duleep se milne ke liye, magar khatra bahot tha. What she needed right now was a protection and an army. Unko yaad tha Maharaja Ranjit Singh had formed a secret alliance with the Prime Minister of Nepal against the British forces 1839 ke andar. In 1849 me she reached Nepal and met Amar Bikram Shaha, the son of the Prime Minister with whom Ranjit Singh had signed contract. Amar provided safe refuge to Rani and provided her all facilities fit for royalty. Phir bhi agar koi bhi palace me aata tha toh Jind Kaur was introduced as maid. Having heard enough, kuch maheno baad, Jind Kaur decided to make another bold move and came out of hiding. She declared her presence to Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana, who allowed her to stay and build a palace, Char Burja Darbar, for Maharani Jind Kaur. The British resident in Nepal kept an eye on her, believing she still had power to raise the Sikh forces for a rebellion. But Jind Kaur ab thak chuki thi. She had no money, no army, no son and no husband. Months turned into years and Jind Kaur stayed in Nepal for 11 years. 1856 me Duleep Singh ne kaafi koshish kari apne mother se contact karne ki. By now he had been transported to England. He had become a proper English prince and was the godson of Queen Victoria. He had little to no clue about the struggles of the Sikh empire. However, unhone apne maa ke baare me bahot logon se suna tha and he wanted to meet Messalino of Punjab. 1860 me, on the pretext of shikar in Bengal, Duleep Singh left England to meet his mother. He wrote to British resident in Kathmandu ki wo apni mother se milna chahate hain. The resident reported that the Rani has much changed, was blind and had lost much of the energy which formerly characterized her. British decided that she was no longer a threat and on 16th January 1861, 13 saal baad maa beton ki mulaqat hoi Spence Hotel, Calcutta me. Duleep unko dekhte hi ro pade. Jeant was shocked that in this lifetime she could once again meet her son. At the time, several Sikh regiments were also returning via Calcutta from the Chinese war. The presence of Sikh royalty in the city gave rise to demonstrations of joy and loyalty. Spencer Hotel ke bahar, the Sikh regiment sang, rejoiced, clapped and gave proper honour to Jeant Kaur and Duleep Singh. They had tears in their eyes, for they remembered the nobility and generosity of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The hotel was surrounded by thousands of armed Sikh forces and the Governor General Lord Tanning requested Duleep Singh as a favour to leave England with his mother by the next boat. During the passage of England, Duleep Singh decided ki unki mother ke liye ek naya palace banna chahiye. When the Maharaja and Maharani reached England, they were well settled in the Lancaster Castle. Soon after the arrival, Lady Login, likhti hai wo apne teen bachon ke saath Maharani se milne gayi. Unhone unke khupsoorti aur unke influence ke baare mein bahot suna tha. Her compassion was aroused when she met the tired, half-blind woman, her health broken and her beauty vanished. Maharani Jeant Kaur was now a shadow of how she used to look. Yet, Lady Login apne diary mein likhti hai, the moment she drew interested and excited in a subject, Maharani Jeant Kaur had unexpected gleams and glimpses through the haze of indifference and the torpor of advancing age revealed the shrewd and the plotting brain of her who had once been known as the Messalina of Punjab. While in India, Duleep Singh had negotiated the return of jewellery for Maharani jo British ne rakhi thi. The jewellery arrived at Lancaster Gate just before Maharani returned Lady Login's visit. Her delight was so great. While in India, Duleep Singh negotiated the return of Maharani's jewellery which had been kept in the treasury at Banaras by the British. At Lancaster Gate these jewellery arrived for Maharani. Lady Login writes in her diary how surprised and excited the Maharani became when she saw her jewellery. She forthwith decorated herself and her attendants with an assortment of the most wonderful necklaces and earrings, strings of lovely pearls and emeralds to wear during the visit. The portrait of Maharani by George Richmond, jo aaj ki time mein sabse zyada famous hai, actually shows all the jewellery that the Maharani wore after it was returned to her after 14 years. One of the necklaces made of emerald and pearl was sold and auctioned in 2009 which cost it 56 lakh rupees. For a while, Duleep Singh moved with his mother to Mulgrave Castle, Yorkshire ke andar. Attempts were made ki unki ek separate establishment ho by the British. But Maharani Jeet Kaur this time was determined she will not separate from her son. She got only two years with her son. In these two years, she reminded Maharaja of the Sikh heritage and told him of the empire that was once his, sowing the seeds that 20 years later led him to research for weeks in British Library and to petition Queen Victoria, hoping ki unko is injustice ke liye kuch remedy milegi. In 1863, Maharani Jeet Kaur died peacefully in her sleep in abandoned house, Kenningston. Thankfully, unke saath mein unke bete the and she did not die alone. Cremation England ke andar us wak illegal thi. Duleep Singh refused the permission for the British to take her mother's body to Punjab. So it was kept in Kensal Green Cemetery. 1864 mein Maharaja obtained the permission to take the body of Maharani Jeet Kaur to Bombay where it was cremated. He erected a small samadhi in the memory of her mother at Godavari Bank. Jeet Kaur wishes to be cremated in Lahore could not be fulfilled as the British authorities did not allow Duleep Singh to go to Punjab. The memorial in Bombay was maintained by Kapurthala state authorities until 1924. Much later, the grandchild of Maharaja Duleep Singh, Princess Bamba Sutherland, moved the remains of Maharani Jeet Kaur at the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore, finally uniting the husband and wife. In 1997, a marble headstone with her name was uncovered during restorations at the Kensal Green. Maharani Jeet Kaur remains buried in Lahore alongside her husband. The annals of Punjab history she has fought valiantly for her husband and for her son. Maharani Jeet Kaur remains one of the most influential strong forces that made British run for its money.