Kapurthala State


Kapurthala State was a kingdom and later princely state of the Punjab Province of British India. Ruled by Ahluwalia Sikh rulers, spread across. According to the 1901 census the state had a population of 314,341 and contained two towns and 167 villages. In 1930, Kapurthala became part of the Punjab States Agency and acceded to the Union of India in 1947.
In colonial India, Kapurthala State was known for its communal harmony, with its Sikh ruler Jagatjit Singh building the Moorish Mosque for his Muslim subjects. At the time of the Indian independence movement, the ruler of the Kapurthala State opposed the partition of India and advocated for a united, secular country.

History

Origin

After the Muslim conquest of Punjab, his descendants migrated to the Jaisalmer area, where they came to be known as Kalal tribe. After Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Jaisalmer, some of the former ruling Kalchuri Kalal tribe people migrated to Tarn Taran district. In the 17th century, they joined Guru Hargobind's army. Ganda Singh of this family raided Lahore, whose governor Dilawar Khan persuaded him to join the Lahore army, and assigned him the fief of Ahlu and some other villages. Ganda Singh Kalal's son Sadhu Singh Kalal lived in Ahlu, because of which the family came to be known as Ahluwalia. The descendants of Sadhu Singh Kalal through his son Gopal Singh Kalal established the royal family of Kapurthala. The British administrator Lepel Griffin dismissed this account as spurious. The Sikh author Gian Singh, in his Twarikh Raj Khalsa, wrote that the Ahluwalia family adopted the Kalal caste identity much before Sadhu Singh.
The ruling dynasty of Kapurthala originated in the Ahluwalia misl. The Ahluwalia misl rose to prominence under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, who was the first person to use the name "Ahluwalia". Originally known as Jassa Singh Kalal, he styled himself as Ahluwalia after his ancestral village of Ahlu and belonged to the Kalal community. He is regarded as the founder of the Kapurthala State.

Establishment

In 1774, Jassa Singh Kalal conquered Kapurthala from Rai Ibrahim Bhatti, however the town had a different unrecorded name. In December 1779, Jassa Singh embarked on a decisive campaign to assert his authority over Kapurthala. This strategic region, nestled along the left bank of the River Beas, had been under the control of Rae Ibrahim Bhatti. Rae Ibrahim's failure to pay the annual tribute of one lakh rupees, which had been overdue for some time, sparked Jassa Singh's action. Furthermore, Ibrahim's construction of 13 forts around the town, including the strategically located Rae-ka-kot near Afghan colonies, raised concerns about his growing power.
Jassa Singh had previously demonstrated his military prowess by capturing Rae-ka-kot in 1770 with the help of Murar Singh and Shaikh Karimulilah. He then appointed Chait Singh as the thanadar of the region. However, tensions escalated in 1777 when Jassa Singh's son-in-law, Mohar Singh, was killed by a gunshot from one of the forts near Kapurthala. Despite Ibrahim's apologies and claims of innocence, Jassa Singh demanded justice and eventually decided to take over Kapurthala.
Upon arriving at Kapurthala, Jassa Singh's forces clashed with Rae Ibrahim's, and the Bhatti chief retreated to the main fort. Jassa Singh set up camp at Shaikhpur village, while his cousin, Kanwar Bhag Singh, successfully captured several surrounding villages. These villages included: Andresa, Dialpur, Bholath, Bhoian, Bohal, Brahmwal, Chakoke, Dainwind, Dala, Dhaliwal, Dhilwan, Hamira, Karael, Khakhrain, Kularan, Lakhanki, Lohian, Mullanwal, Nadali, Parveznagar, Ramidi, Sidhwan, and Wadalli. Rae Ibrahim soon realized the futility of resistance and sued for peace. He sent a horse as a gift and dispatched his officials, Diwan Lahori Mal and Bora Mal, to negotiate terms.
Jassa Singh agreed to let Rae Ibrahim leave safely with his family and belongings. He also provided him with a place to live and a fixed allowance, demonstrating his magnanimity. In the end, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia would rename the city Kapurthala after his predecessor Nawab Kapur Singh, who was an influential and respected Sikh leader at the time as well as a mentor to Jassa Singh Ahluwlia, Kapurthala became the headquarters of Kanwar Bhag Singh and it would become the capital of the Ahluwalia misl. Jassa Singh continued to reside at Fatehabad, solidifying his leadership and the Ahluwalia misl's dominance in the region.

Subjugation

Even after other misls lost their territories to Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire, the emperor permitted the descendants of Jassa Singh to retain their estates. After the British took over the Sikh territories in 1846, Jassa Singh's descendants became the ruling family of the Kapurthala State.

Demographics

Royal dynasty

List of rulers

Crown Princes

  • Tikka Raja Shatrujit Singh

    Dewan / Ministers of Kapurthala State

  • Dewan Banna Mal Gautam
  • Dewan Mathra Dass
  • Dewan Ramjas Dhir
  • Dewan Acchru Mal Gautam s/o Dewan Banna Mal
  • Dewan Durga Dass Gautam
  • Dewan Ambika Parshad Gautam
  • Dewan Mohabbat Rai
  • Dewan Abdul Hamid
  • Dewan Shiv Narayan Randev
  • Sirdar Bhagat Ram Randev
  • Sirdar Dwarka Dass Randev, Bar At Law S/O Dewan Shiv Narayan Randev
  • Dewan Hari Chand Chopra
  • Dewan Saudagar Mal
  • Dewan Badrinath
  • Dewan Surendranath
  • G.T Fisher
  • Dewan Sureshwar Dass
  • Dewan Ajudhia Dass
  • Sirdar Suchet Singh
  • Sirdar Kishan Singh
  • Dewan Raj Kumar Chopra
  • Dewan Jermany Dass
  • Dewan Kuljass Rai

    Orders of chivalry

The Royal House of Kapurthala awards three orders of chivalry; these knighthoods include:
  • Nishan-i-Shahi, awarded in three classes
  • Nishan-i-Iftikhar, awarded in three classes
  • Nishan-i-Askari, awarded in three classes
The decoration of the Nishan-i-Iftikhar includes the coat of arms of Kapurthala State.