Nau Nihal Singh
Encyclopedia
Maharaja
Nau Nihal Singh (9 March 1821 - 6 November 1840) was a Sikh
ruler of the sovereign
country of Punjab
and the Sikh Empire. He was the son of Maharani Chand Kaur and Maharaja Kharak Singh, himself eldest son and heir of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Sher-e-Panjab and the Grandson of Datar Kaur
.
After the death of Ranjit Singh, Kharak Singh became king but was unable to keep control of the various factions within the kingdom. Prince Nau Nihal took control of the state himself.
In the Year 1837 at the age of Sixteen He was married to Bibi Sahib Kaur in the Month of April the Daughter of Shaheed Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala
(1790-1846) of the Village of Attari in Amritsar District of Punjab.
Upon Kharak Singh's death, Nau Nihal Singh was in line to become Emperor. However, whilst returning from his father's funeral, he was injured when a building collapsed upon him. His body was taken to a tent away from the courtiers, who were not allowed into the presence of the prince. Eyewitnesses described his initial injuries as being small blows to the head which knocked him unconscious. Later, when the tent was opened Nau Nihal Singh was dead, his head having been smashed in, possibly with a rock. It is unclear whether the building's collapse was accidental or deliberate and who was responsible it could be the Hindu Dogra brothers Who were not loyal to the Sikh Court who long before Wanted the Sikh Empire to Crumble. He Died at the age of 19 years old.
His Mother Maharani Chand kaur Became the Empress of Sikh Empire, from (1840-41) She challenged Sher Singh, the second son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sher-e-Panjab the Step Brother of her Husband Kharak Singh, on the grounds that her co-daughter, Nau Nihal Singh's widow, Sahib Kaur, was pregnant saying that she should assume regency on behalf of the unborn legal successor to her husband's throne. In July 1841, Nau Nihal Singh's widow Sahib Kaur delivered a stillborn son. This ended whatever hopes Chand Kaur had of realizing her claims. But courtly intrigue had not ceased. Dhian Singh replaced the maidservants of the Dowager Maharani with hillwomen from his own country of Jammu & Kashmir. The latter tried to kill her by poisoning her food and eventually finished her off on 11 June 1842, smashing her head with wooden pikes from the kitchen (some reports say they dropped a stone from a balcony crushing her skull.)
He also ordered the Construction of a Bunga (Tower) in the Complex of Tarn Taran Sahib One of the Holiest Sikh Shrines in the Majha Region of Punjab Kingdom.
One wonders if there would be a divided Panjab or a nation of Pakistan today if had he lived to rule More.
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Nau Nihal Singh (9 March 1821 - 6 November 1840) was a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
ruler of the sovereign
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
country of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
and the Sikh Empire. He was the son of Maharani Chand Kaur and Maharaja Kharak Singh, himself eldest son and heir of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
Sher-e-Panjab and the Grandson of Datar Kaur
Datar Kaur
Maharani Datar Kaur was the second wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and daughter of Sardar Ran Singh Nakai The Third Ruler of Nakai Misl One of the 12 Sikh Kingdoms in Punjab Nakai Sardars ruled Countryside of Kasur District and Around Khem Karan and the Sister of Sardar Bhagwan Singh and Sardar Gyan...
.
After the death of Ranjit Singh, Kharak Singh became king but was unable to keep control of the various factions within the kingdom. Prince Nau Nihal took control of the state himself.
In the Year 1837 at the age of Sixteen He was married to Bibi Sahib Kaur in the Month of April the Daughter of Shaheed Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala
Sham Singh Attariwala
Sham Singh Attariwala was a general for the Sikh Empire and is famous for his last stand at the Battle of Sobraon. He joined the Sikh military in 1817 and during the Afghan-Sikh Wars participated in the Battle of Attock, Battle of Multan, Battle of Peshewar, and the 1819 Kashmir expedition...
(1790-1846) of the Village of Attari in Amritsar District of Punjab.
Upon Kharak Singh's death, Nau Nihal Singh was in line to become Emperor. However, whilst returning from his father's funeral, he was injured when a building collapsed upon him. His body was taken to a tent away from the courtiers, who were not allowed into the presence of the prince. Eyewitnesses described his initial injuries as being small blows to the head which knocked him unconscious. Later, when the tent was opened Nau Nihal Singh was dead, his head having been smashed in, possibly with a rock. It is unclear whether the building's collapse was accidental or deliberate and who was responsible it could be the Hindu Dogra brothers Who were not loyal to the Sikh Court who long before Wanted the Sikh Empire to Crumble. He Died at the age of 19 years old.
His Mother Maharani Chand kaur Became the Empress of Sikh Empire, from (1840-41) She challenged Sher Singh, the second son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sher-e-Panjab the Step Brother of her Husband Kharak Singh, on the grounds that her co-daughter, Nau Nihal Singh's widow, Sahib Kaur, was pregnant saying that she should assume regency on behalf of the unborn legal successor to her husband's throne. In July 1841, Nau Nihal Singh's widow Sahib Kaur delivered a stillborn son. This ended whatever hopes Chand Kaur had of realizing her claims. But courtly intrigue had not ceased. Dhian Singh replaced the maidservants of the Dowager Maharani with hillwomen from his own country of Jammu & Kashmir. The latter tried to kill her by poisoning her food and eventually finished her off on 11 June 1842, smashing her head with wooden pikes from the kitchen (some reports say they dropped a stone from a balcony crushing her skull.)
He also ordered the Construction of a Bunga (Tower) in the Complex of Tarn Taran Sahib One of the Holiest Sikh Shrines in the Majha Region of Punjab Kingdom.
One wonders if there would be a divided Panjab or a nation of Pakistan today if had he lived to rule More.