https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Jawahar_Singh_%28wazir%29Jawahar Singh (wazir) - Revision history2026-08-29T16:22:09ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jawahar_Singh_(wazir)&diff=505865&oldid=prevPururava at 02:27, 31 July 20252025-07-31T02:27:49Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Wazir of the Sikh Empire in 1845}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}<br />
{{Use Pakistani English|date=July 2024}}<br />
{{Infobox Officeholder<br />
| name = Jawahar Singh<br />{{lang|pa|ਜਵਾਹਰ ਸਿੰਘ}}<br />
| image = Portrait of Sardar Jawahar Singh, the wazir of the Sikh Empire, and two European ladies in medallions.webp<br />
| office = [[Vizier|Wazir]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]<br />
| monarch = [[Duleep Singh]]<br />
| term_start = 14 May 1845<br />
| term_end = 21 September 1845<br />
| predecessor = Hira Singh<br />
| successor = [[Lal Singh]]<br />
| birth_date = 1814<br />
| birth_place = [[Gujranwala]], [[Sikh Empire]]<br />
| death_date = 21 September 1845 (aged 30–31)<br />
| death_place = [[Lahore]], [[Sikh Empire]] (now [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]])<br />
| relatives = [[Jind Kaur]] (sister) <br> [[Duleep Singh]] (nephew)<br />
| caption = Portrait of Sardar Jawahar Singh, the wazir of the Sikh Empire, and two European ladies in medallions<br />
}}<br />
'''Jawahar Singh Aulakh''' (1814 – 21 September 1845), also anglicised as '''Jawaheer Singh''' or '''Jawahir Singh''', was [[Vizier|Wazir]] of the [[Sikh Empire]] from 14 May 1845 until his assassination by the [[Sikh Khalsa Army]] on 21 September of the same year, under his nephew Maharaja [[Duleep Singh]]. He was the elder brother of [[Jind Kaur]], Duleep's mother.<ref name="Encyclopaedia">Singh, Harbans (2011) ''Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: Volume II, E-L''. Punjab University, Patiala. p. 563-564. {{ISBN|9788173805301}}</ref><ref name="Schmidt">Schmidt, Karl J. (2015) ''An Atlas and Survey of South Asian History''. Routledge. p. 70. {{ISBN|9781317476818}}</ref><br />
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==Biography==<br />
Jawahar was the son of Manna Singh Aulakh, and the brother of the future Maharani [[Jind Kaur]], whose son Maharajah [[Duleep Singh]] he was appointed guardian and tutor of. He was eventually superseded as Duleep's tutor by [[Lal Singh]], who was appointed by [[Vizier|Wazir]] Hira Singh. Hira Singh later had Jawahar imprisoned on suspicion of making treasonous overtures to the [[East India Company]], and during his imprisonment he was beaten and tortured by a Brahmin named Jodha Ram.<ref name="Keay"/> Upon Hira Singh's fall from power, Jawahar, Lal Singh, and [[Gulab Singh]] all put themselves forward for the position of Wazir; the Maharani selected her brother as Wazir on 14 May 1845.<ref name="Encyclopaedia"/> He held the position only briefly, during a tumultuous nine months in which he persecuted those who had antagonised him in the past, including Jodha Ram, who was mutilated. A heavy drinker, Jawahar distrusted, and was distrusted by, the [[Sikh Khalsa Army]], and relied more upon the troops of [[Alexander Gardner (soldier)|Alexander Gardner]].<ref name="Keay"/><br />
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His most significant action was his alleged order of the murder of the rebel Prince [[Pashaura Singh]], which was carried out after Pashaura had been offered safe conduct and surrendered. The Khalsa, or Sikh army, believed that Jawahar had personally ordered the death, fearing that Pashaura presented too great a threat to young Duleep Singh. The leaders of the Khalsa demanded Jawahar present himself before them on 21 September 1845, which he did after much prevarication and attempts at bribery.<ref name="Encyclopaedia"/><ref name="Malleson">Malleson, George Bruce (1914) ''The Decisive Battles of India: From 1746 to 1849 Inclusive''. London: Reeves & Turner.</ref><br />
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Jawahar met with the Khalsa on the appointed date, with an escort of elephants and people including the Maharani, and the Maharaja himself seated beside him, in an attempt to ensure his own safety. The soldiers, however, removed the escort and dragged away the Maharani, causing Jawahar to panic: Duleep was pulled out of Jawahar's arms and taken to the Maharani, and the Wazir was bayoneted, dragged from his elephant, and speared to death, supposedly being stabbed fifty times.<ref name="Encyclopaedia"/><ref name="Keay">Keay, John (2017) ''The Tartan Turban: In Search of Alexander Gardner''. Kashi House. {{ISBN|9781911271000}}</ref><br />
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== Gallery ==<br />
<gallery><br />
File:Rani Chanda, Duleep Singh, Sardar Jawahar Singh & Raja Lal Singh.jpg|Rani Chand Kaur, Duleep Singh, Sardar Jawahar Singh & Raja Lal Singh<br />
File:Jawahar Singh.jpg|Company painting of Jawahar Singh, ca.1865<br />
File:War-elephant-illustrated-london-news.jpg|The killing of Jawahar Singh on 21 September 1845, as portrayed in ''[[The Illustrated London News]]''<br />
</gallery><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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{{Sikh Empire|state=collapsed}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Jawahar}}<br />
[[Category:People from the Sikh Empire]]<br />
[[Category:Assassinated Indian politicians]]<br />
[[Category:1814 births]]<br />
[[Category:1845 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Politicians assassinated in the 1840s]]</div>Pururava