Tej Singh

Raja

Tej Singh
Miniature painting of a seated Raja Tej Singh with a sword on his lap and shield on his back
Birth nameTej Ram
Born1799
Died4 December 1862
RankGeneral
CommandsDiwan of Peshawar
ChildrenNarinder Singh
RelationsMisr Niddha (father) Harbans Singh (brother)

Tej Singh (1799 – 4 December 1862; or Raja Teja Singh) was a Sikh commander in the Sikh Empire.[1] He was appointed as commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army during the First Anglo-Sikh War[2][3][4][5] betraying the army he was supposed to lead.[6]

In return for his loyalty to the invader, the East India Company made Tej Singh Raja of Sialkot. It appointed him to head the Council of Regency on behalf of the minor Dalip Singh. He was one of six signatories to the 1849 Treaty of Lahore, which agreed to the surrender of the Koh-i-Noor diamond by the Maharaja of Lahore to the Queen of England. All the signatories, on behalf of the minor Dalip Singh, endorsed the treaty in return for being permitted to retain their jagirs.[7]

  1. ^ Singh, Harbans (2004). Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. 4: S-Z (2nd ed.). Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 343–344.
  2. ^ "Heroes and Villains of Sikh Rule". Archived from the original on 1 January 2018.
  3. ^ Singh, Amarpal (2010). The First Anglo-Sikh War. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445620381.
  4. ^ "'Sikh generals' betrayal opened door for British' |". Times of India. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018.
  5. ^ Bawa Satinder Singh (January 1971). "Raja Gulab Singh's Role in the First Anglo-Sikh War". Modern Asian Studies. 5: 35–59. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00002845.
  6. ^ "'Teja' the traitor who became Raja of Sialkot". Dawn. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018.
  7. ^ Nalwa, V. (2022). Ranjit Singh—Monarch Mystique. HSNFT. p. 283. ISBN 978-81-910526-1-9.