| Maharani Jind Kaur | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Maharani of the Sikh Empire | |
 Maharani Jind Kaur at 45 (Portrait by George Richmond) | |
| Maharani of the Sikh Empire | |
| Tenure | c. 1847 (nominal power) |
| Predecessor | Duleep Singh (as Maharaja) |
| Successor | Sikh Empire annexed by East India Company |
| Regent of the Sikh Empire | |
| Regency | c. 1843 – c. 1847 |
| Monarch | Duleep Singh |
| Born | 1817 Chichrianwali, Gujranwala, Sikh Empire[1] (present-day Punjab, Pakistan) |
| Died | 1 August 1863 (aged 45) Kensington, Middlesex, United Kingdom |
| Spouse | Maharaja Ranjit Singh (m.1829; died 1839)[2] |
| Issue | Maharaja Duleep Singh |
| House | Sukerchakia (by marriage) |
| Father | Manna Singh Aulakh |
| Religion | Sikhism |
Maharani Jind Kaur (c. 1817 – 1 August 1863) was regent of the Sikh Empire from 1843 until 29 March 1847. After the Sikh Empire was dissolved on 29 March 1847 the Sikhs claimed her as the Maharani and successor of Maharaja Duleep Singh. However, on the same day the British took full control and refused to accept the claims.[3]
She was the youngest wife of the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh, and the mother of the last Maharaja, Duleep Singh. She was renowned for her beauty, energy and strength of purpose and was popularly known as Rani Jindan, but her fame is derived chiefly from the fear she engendered in the British in India, who described her as "the Messalina of the Punjab".[4]
After the assassinations of Ranjit Singh's first three successors, Duleep Singh came to power in September 1843 at the age of 5 and Jind Kaur became Regent on her son's behalf. After the Sikhs lost the First Anglo-Sikh War she was replaced in December 1846 by a Council of Regency, under the control of a British Resident. However, her power and influence continued and, to counter this, the British imprisoned and exiled her. Over thirteen years passed before she was again permitted to see her son, who was taken to England.[5]
In January 1861 Duleep Singh was allowed to meet his mother in Calcutta and took her with him back to England, where she remained until her death in Kensington, London, on 1 August 1863 at the age of 46. She was temporarily buried in Kensal Green Cemetery and cremated the following year at Nashik, near Bombay. Her ashes were finally taken to the samadh (memorial) in Lahore of her husband, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by her granddaughter, Princess Bamba Sofia Jindan Duleep Singh.[6]
- ^ Ahluwalia, M. L. (2001). Maharani Jind Kaur. Singh Brothers. p. 13.
Since she was the daughter of his friend-officer who hailed from a nearby village (Chichrianwali) of his own birth-place, Gujranwala
- ^ Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and Rebels:The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. London: C. Hurst (Publishers) Limited. ISBN 9781787383081.
- ^ Bance, Bhupinder Singh (23 September 2004). "Jind Kaur (1817–1863), maharani and regent of Lahore". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/73521. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Herpreet Kaur Grewal (31 December 2010). "Rebel Queen – a thorn in the crown". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Campbell5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail – Maharani Jind Kaur Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine