Datar Kaur

Maharani Datar Kaur
Maharani Datar Kaur
	Maharani of Sikh Empire ; Maharani Sahiba
Maharani of the Sikh Empire
Tenure	c. 1801 – 1838
Predecessor	Mehtab Kaur
Successor	Jind Kaur
Born	1782 Baherwal Kalan,; Nakai Misl (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died	20 June 1838 (aged 55–56); Lahore, Sikh Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Spouse	Maharaja Ranjit Singh (m. 1798)
Issue	Maharaja Kharak Singh
House	Nakai (by birth) ; Sukerchakia (by marriage)
Father	Sardar Ran Singh Nakai
Mother	Sardarni Rai Kaur
Religion	Sikhism

Maharani Datar Kaur (born Bibi Raj Kaur Nakai; died on 20 June 1838) was the daughter of Sardar Ran Singh Nakai, the third ruler of Nakai Misl of Baherwal. She was the 2nd wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the mother of his heir apparent, Maharaja Kharak Singh.

Datar Kaur was betrothed to Ranjit Singh in 1784; the Anand Karaj took place in 1798 at Baherwal Kalan, when the couple were still in their teens. After the marriage Bibi Raj Kaur changed her name to Datar Kaur, as Raj Kaur was also the name of Ranjit Singh's mother. She is known to have had significant influence over her husband, though Ranjit Singh married several times for political reasons, Datar Kaur was his dearest wife and he lovingly addressed her as Mai Nakain.

In 1802, she gave birth to Kharak Singh, the heir apparent of Ranjit Singh. She took an active interest in the affairs of the State. She was the grandmother of Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh (1821–1840). Datar Kaur died on 20 June 1838 in Lahore. Her Samadhi, was built during the last days of the secular Sikh Raj. Today the site has become part of Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore grounds.

Family history

Bibi Raj Kaur was the youngest of Saradar Ran Singh Nakai's children and his only daughter. She had three elder brothers Sardar Bhagwan Singh Nakai, Sardar Gyan Singh Nakai and Khazan Singh Nakai. Their father was a fierce warrior and the third ruler of Nakai Misl. He had fought repeatedly against Kamar Singh, the ruler of Sayyadwala. Sometime before his death in 1781, he defeated him and captured Sayyadwala. Sardar Ran Singh had greatly expanded his Misl's strength so it became dominant among its neighbours. Misl was at its high under Ran Singh it ruled Kasur, Sharakpur, Gugera pargana, and the Kharral fort of Kot Kumaliah.

His son, Bhagwan Singh, succeeded him, but could not hold his territory against Wazir Singh, the brother of Kamar Singh and lost Sayyadwala to him. Bhagwan Singh realizing that he might lose all of his territory, around 1784, set up the engagement of his sister, Raj Kaur, to Ranjit Singh, who was the son of Maha Singh, the leader of the powerful Sukerchakkia Misl, in order to gain a powerful ally. Ranjit Singh was merely 4 at that time.

In 1785, Maha Singh was facing attacks from Sardar Jai Singh Kanhaiya of the Kanhaiya Misl and called on Bhagwan Singh and Wazir Singh to aid him. After their victory against Kanhaiyas, Maha Singh began to favor Wazir Singh, which started to affect his relationship with Bhagwan Singh.

Bhagwan Singh and Wazir Singh continued to engage in constant warfare and Bhagwan Singh was killed in battle.

In 1789, Gyan Singh succeeded his elder brother as the head of the Nakai Misl.

She was the granddaughter of Sardar Natha Singh (d. 1768), nephew of the famous Hira Singh Sandhu (1706-1767), founder of the principality of Nakai Misl in 1748.

Marriage

Ranjit Singh wanting to unite Sikh Misls and to consolidate his position as the head of the Sukerchakia Misl, as well as to re-establish Naka and Sukerchakia relations, sought for the Nakai chiefs sisters hand in marriage. To which Gyan Singh agreed and married his sister, Raj Kaur to Ranjit Singh in 1798. Ranjit Singh was already married to Mehtab Kaur, of the Kanhaiya Misl, the daughter of Sada Kaur, when he married Raj Kaur. But his marriage to Mehtab Kaur was strained due to her never forgiving the fact that her father was killed by Ranjit Singh's father; and she mainly resided with her mother.

Though the nuptials of Raj Kaur and Ranjit Singh were arranged for political reasons, the marriage turned out to be successful. The two shared a close and loving relationship.

Since Raj Kaur also being the name of Ranjit Singh's mother, she took the name of Datar Kaur. As According to Punjabi Tradition, one cannot have the same name as the elders of the family.

In some historical accounts, mistakenly, marriage of Ranjit Singh has been mentioned with two daughters of Nakai Misl i.e. Raj Kaur and Datar Kaur. However, she was one and the same person.

In 1801, she gave birth to Crown Prince Kharak Singh, the heir apparent of the Sikh Empire. Even though Ranjit Singh had many marriages, Datar Kaur remained his favourite and he fondly called her Mai Nakain.

Datar Kaur took interest in political affairs, and is said to have advised her husband in important stately matters. She even accompanied her son, Kharak Singh when he was sent out on an expedition to Multan in 1818.

On the expedition she fell ill and was sent back to Lahore where Ranjit Singh joined her. Some sources state that the Maharani passed away in 1818,[1] while some claim it is 1838.

Sukerchakkia-Nakai relationship

Even though his favourite Rani was from the house of the Nakais; the relationship between Sukerchakkias and Nakais remained rocky.

After Ranjit Singh had declared himself a Maharaja in 1801 after consolidating majority of the Misls, this ambitious chief had been eyeing the Nakai territory. He spared it till the death of Sardar Gyan Singh in 1807, but soon after suggested Sardar Kahan Singh, who succeeded his father, to join the Darbar at Lahore, which the proud newly crowned Nakai chief steadily refused. Finally, in 1810, Ranjit Singh sacked Kahan Singh and annexed all the Nakai territories. Despite having political power even the Rani could not prevent this. Before having his estates seized Kahan Singh was successful in conquering Pakpattan.

In popular culture

Datar Kaur was a portrayed in the TV series titled Maharaja Ranjit Singh which aired on DD National. The series was produced by Raj Babbar.

References

Lepel Henry Griffin (1890). "1-Political Condition". The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. 2. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-81-7625-738-1.

Notes

Suri, Sohan Lal, Umddt ut-Twarikh. Lahore, 1885–89.
Ganda Singh, ed., Maharaja Ranjit Singh (First Death Centenary Memorial Volume).

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[pta1-1] Lepel Henry Griffin (1890). "1-Political Condition". The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. 2. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-81-7625-738-1.