Raj Kaur
| Raj Kaur | |
|---|---|
| Born |
c. 1758 Badrukhan, Punjab, India |
| Died | Lahore |
| Spouse | Maha Singh |
| Issue | Ranjit Singh |
| Father | Gajpat Singh Gosal |
| Mother | Gajpat Kaur |
| Religion | Sikhism |
Raj Kaur was the wife of Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl and the mother of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. She was affectionately known as Mai Malwain (Malwa Mother) after her marriage.She was daughter of a farmer from Gosal family of Nabha later known as Nabha state oh phulkian Patiala.
Raj Kaur was the daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh, a scion of the Phulkian Misl of Jind. She was married in 1774 (at the age of fifteen) to the 17-year-old Maha Singh, the heir of Charat Singh, the founder and leader of the Sukerchakia Misl. The marriage was beneficial for Maha Singh as it strengthened his position amongst the Sikhs.
Six years after their marriage, Raj Kaur gave birth to Maha Singh's only son on 2 November 1780. He was named Buddh Singh at birth, but was later renamed Ranjit Singh. The birth of a son was celebrated with alms-giving, feeding of the poor, and giving rich offerings to temples and shrines. Maha Singh did not have time to devote to his son's upbringing, nor did the conventions of the time give opportunity to Raj Kaur, confined as she was to the seclusion of the zenana (a practice which the Sikh ruling classes had taken from the Muslims) to see much of her son after he was old enough to be on his own.
During the siege of Sodhra, which was being occupied by the Bhangi Misl, Maha Singh contracted dysentry and died in April 1790. Ranjit Singh was 9-years-old at the time of his father's death in 1790. Raj Kaur became Ranjit's regent during his minority and managed the affairs of the Sukerchakia Misl. She was assisted by Dewan Lakhpat Rai (the Dewan of her late husband) who is reputed to have acted with ability and enthusiasm. The teenage Ranjit Singh took hardly any interest in the affairs of the state, making Raj Kaur anxious for his future. She felt that marriage might bring him around to the responsibilities of life.
Ranjit had been betrothed (in Maha Singh's lifetime) to Mehtab Kaur, the only daughter of Sada Kaur and granddaughter of Jai Singh Kanhaiya, the chief of the powerful Kanhaiya Misl. Raj Kaur approached Sada Kaur to fix the nuptial date. Ranjit was fifteen years old when he left Gujranwala for Batala, the chief town of the Kanhaiyas, to wed Mehtab Kaur in 1796. This alliance between the two important Sikh families was a major event for Punjab. All the leading Sikh chiefs were present at the wedding.
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