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	'''Kharak Singh'''(22 February 1801 – 5 November 1840) was the second [[Maharaja]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]. The first legitimate son of [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh\|Ranjit Singh]], founder of the [[Sikh Empire]], he succeeded his father on 27 June 1839 and reigned until his dethronement and imprisonment on 8 October 1839.<ref name="eos" />		'''Kharak Singh''' (22 February 1801 – 5 November 1840) was the second [[Maharaja]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]. The first legitimate son of [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh\|Ranjit Singh]], founder of the [[Sikh Empire]], he succeeded his father on 27 June 1839 and reigned until his dethronement and imprisonment on 8 October 1839.<ref name="eos" />

	==Background==		==Background==
	He was born in [[Lahore]] in 1801, the first ~~legitimate~~ son of [[Ranjit Singh]] and his second wife [[Datar Kaur]].<ref name="C. Grey 1849">C. Grey, European Adventurers of Northern India, 1785 to 1849, Asian Educational Services, 1996,</ref> In 1812, at the age of 11 he was married to [[Chand Kaur]], daughter of Sardar Jaimal Singh, chief of the [[Kanhaiya Misl]]. Their son [[Nau Nihal Singh]] was born in 1821.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> In 1816 he married again when he was still a prince, to [[Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon]], a [[Jat people\|Jat]] Sikh daughter of Jodh Singh Kalalvala and grand daughter of Sahib Singh Dhillon.<ref name=dhillon1/> After the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] in 1849, Bibi Khem's [[jagir]]s were reduced by the [[British raj]] due to her anti-British role in the war.<ref name=dhillon1/>		He was born in [[Lahore]] in 1801, the first son of [[Ranjit Singh]] and his second wife [[Datar Kaur]].<ref name="C. Grey 1849">C. Grey, European Adventurers of Northern India, 1785 to 1849, Asian Educational Services, 1996,</ref> He married four wives. In 1812, at the age of 11 he was married to [[Chand Kaur]], daughter of Sardar Jaimal Singh, chief of the [[Kanhaiya Misl]]. Their son [[Nau Nihal Singh]] was born in 1821.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> In 1816 he married again when he was still a prince, to [[Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon]], a [[Jat people\|Jat]] Sikh daughter of Jodh Singh Kalalvala and grand daughter of Sahib Singh Dhillon.<ref name=dhillon1/> After the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] in 1849, Bibi Khem's [[jagir]]s were reduced by the [[British raj]] due to her anti-British role in the war.<ref name=dhillon1/> Since his first two wives were having trouble conceiving, he married Kishan Kaur Samra in 1818, daughter of loyal supporter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Chaudhari Raja Singh of Amritsar of the Samra clan. She was the only queen to live after the fall of the Sikh Empire in 1849, had an annual pension paid by the British Raj of RS 2324 and died in Lahore in 1876 while living at the Lahore Fort. His last wife was married by proxy in a "chadar dalna" ceremony, having been sent from the Zenana of his father, in 1815. She committed sati (self immolation) on his funeral pyre. <ref>https://books.google.com.pr/books?id=Z1UoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA392&dq=samra+jat+Amritsar&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjolqqWrbjyAhUwmGoFHRr5CCgQ6AEwAXoECAoQAg#v=onepage&q=samra%20jat%20Amritsar&f=false</ref>

	==Early life==		==Early life==
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	==Maharaja of the Sikh Empire==		==Maharaja of the Sikh Empire==
	Though courageous and good in battle, Kharak was regarded as simple minded.<ref name="Bobby Singh Bansal 2015">Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 Dec 2015,</ref> It was believed he lacked his father's diplomatic skills~~, and wasted himself by consuming excessive amounts of [[alcohol (drug)\|alcohol]] and [[opium]]~~.<ref name="Bobby Singh Bansal 2015"/><ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> He developed a close relationship with his tutor Chet Singh, who gained such an ascendancy over him as to render him a puppet.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> This relationship with Chet Singh created tensions with Prime Minister Raja Dhian Singh, and in 1839, Chet Singh was murdered.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/>		Though courageous and good in battle, Kharak was regarded as simple minded.<ref name="Bobby Singh Bansal 2015">Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 Dec 2015,</ref> It was believed he lacked his father's diplomatic skills.<ref name="Bobby Singh Bansal 2015"/><ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> He developed a close relationship with his tutor Chet Singh, who gained such an ascendancy over him as to render him a puppet.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> This relationship with Chet Singh created tensions with Prime Minister Raja Dhian Singh, and in 1839, Chet Singh was murdered.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/>

	On the death of his father he was proclaimed Maharajah and installed on the throne at [[Lahore Fort]] on 1 September 1839. Following his accession, a series of lavish parties, and escalation of his indulgence in drink, drugs and dancing girls alienated many of his advisers and generals.<ref name="ReferenceA">William Dalrymple, Anita Anand, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond, Bloomsbury Publishing, 15 Jun 2017</ref> The [[Austrians\|Austrian]] physician [[Johann Martin Honigberger]] who was present at court, described his coronation as a dark day for the Punjab, and referred to the Maharajah as a blockhead who twice a day deprived himself of his senses and spent his whole time in a state of stupefaction.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>		On the death of his father he was proclaimed Maharajah and installed on the throne at [[Lahore Fort]] on 1 September 1839. Following his accession, a series of lavish parties, and escalation of his indulgence in drink, drugs and dancing girls alienated many of his advisers and generals.<ref name="ReferenceA">William Dalrymple, Anita Anand, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond, Bloomsbury Publishing, 15 Jun 2017</ref> The [[Austrians\|Austrian]] physician [[Johann Martin Honigberger]] who was present at court, described his coronation as a dark day for the Punjab, and referred to the Maharajah as a blockhead who twice a day deprived himself of his senses and spent his whole time in a state of stupefaction.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
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	==Death==		==Death==
	Kharak Singh was poisoned with white lead and mercury.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Within six months he was bedridden, and eleven months after the poisoning he died on 5 November 1840 in Lahore.<ref>G. S. Chhabra, Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-2: 1803-1920), Lotus Press, 2005, p.176</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/> The official announcement blamed a sudden mysterious illness.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Though never proven, most contemporaries believed Raja Dhian Singh to be behind the poisoning.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Raja Dhian Singh also murdered one of Kharak Singh's ~~wife~~ by setting her on fire. <ref name="ReferenceA"/>		Kharak Singh was poisoned with white lead and mercury.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Within six months he was bedridden, and eleven months after the poisoning he died on 5 November 1840 in Lahore.<ref>G. S. Chhabra, Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-2: 1803-1920), Lotus Press, 2005, p.176</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/> The official announcement blamed a sudden mysterious illness.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Though never proven, most contemporaries believed Raja Dhian Singh to be behind the poisoning.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Raja Dhian Singh also murdered one of Kharak Singh's wives by setting her on fire. <ref name="ReferenceA"/>

	==See also==		==See also==

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{{About|the Maharaja|20th century political leader|Baba Kharak Singh}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Kharak Singh
| image = Kharak Singh.jpg
| succession = 2nd [[Maharaja]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]
| reign = 27 June 1839 – 8 October 1839
| cor-type = Coronation
| predecessor = [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh|Ranjit Singh]]
| successor = [[Nau Nihal Singh]]
| coronation = 1 September 1839
| birth_date = 22 February 1801
| birth_place = [[Lahore]], [[Punjab]], [[Sikh Empire]]
| death_date = {{d-da|5 November 1840|22 February 1801}}
| death_place = Lahore, Punjab, Sikh Empire
| spouse = [[Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon]],<ref name=dhillon1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/warriors/khemkaurdhillon.html |title="Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon", URL accessed 11/16/06 |access-date=19 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218030926/http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/warriors/khemkaurdhillon.html |archive-date=18 December 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> <br>[[Chand Kaur|Chand Kaur Kanhaiyā]]<ref name=eos>{{cite web |url=http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx
| title=KHAṚAK SIṄGH MAHĀRĀJĀ (1801–1840) |last=Āhlūwālīā |first=M. L.
| website=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University Patiala
| access-date=19 May 2016}}</ref>
| religion = [[Sikhism]]
| image_size = 200px
| father = [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh|Ranjit Singh]]
| mother = [[Maharani Datar Kaur|Datar Kaur]]
| issue = [[Nau Nihal Singh]]
| reg-type1 = {{nowrap|Wazir}}
| regent1 = [[Dhian Singh]]
}}

'''Kharak Singh'''(22 February 1801 – 5 November 1840) was the second [[Maharaja]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]. The first legitimate son of [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh|Ranjit Singh]], founder of the [[Sikh Empire]], he succeeded his father on 27 June 1839 and reigned until his dethronement and imprisonment on 8 October 1839.<ref name="eos" />

==Background==
He was born in [[Lahore]] in 1801, the first legitimate son of [[Ranjit Singh]] and his second wife [[Datar Kaur]].<ref name="C. Grey 1849">C. Grey, European Adventurers of Northern India, 1785 to 1849, Asian Educational Services, 1996,</ref> In 1812, at the age of 11 he was married to [[Chand Kaur]], daughter of Sardar Jaimal Singh, chief of the [[Kanhaiya Misl]]. Their son [[Nau Nihal Singh]] was born in 1821.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> In 1816 he married again when he was still a prince, to [[Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon]], a [[Jat people|Jat]] Sikh daughter of Jodh Singh Kalalvala and grand daughter of Sahib Singh Dhillon.<ref name=dhillon1/> After the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] in 1849, Bibi Khem's [[jagir]]s were reduced by the [[British raj]] due to her anti-British role in the war.<ref name=dhillon1/>

==Early life==
Kharak received the principality of [[Jammu]] as his [[jagir]] in 1812. In 1818, together with [[Misr Diwan Chand]] he commanded an expedition against the [[Afghan]] ruler of [[Multan]] [[Nawab Muzaffar Khan]], achieving a decisive victory at the [[Battle of Multan]].He was born into Sandhawalia Jat family.<ref>Kartar Singh Duggal, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms, Abhinav Publications, 2001, p.82</ref> In 1819, he held nominal command of the expedition to conquer Kashmir.
<ref>Shashikant Nishant Sharma, International Journal of Research (IJR)</ref> Three months before his death, Ranjit Singh awarded [[Kashmir]] to Kharak, which was seen as a check on the ambitions of [[Gulab Singh]].<ref>Vanit Nalwa, Hari Singh Nalwa, "champion of the Khalsaji" (1791-1837), Manohar, New Delhi, 13 Jan 2009</ref>

==Maharaja of the Sikh Empire==
Though courageous and good in battle, Kharak was regarded as simple minded.<ref name="Bobby Singh Bansal 2015">Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 Dec 2015,</ref> It was believed he lacked his father's diplomatic skills, and wasted himself by consuming excessive amounts of [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and [[opium]].<ref name="Bobby Singh Bansal 2015"/><ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> He developed a close relationship with his tutor Chet Singh, who gained such an ascendancy over him as to render him a puppet.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/> This relationship with Chet Singh created tensions with Prime Minister Raja Dhian Singh, and in 1839, Chet Singh was murdered.<ref name="C. Grey 1849"/>

On the death of his father he was proclaimed Maharajah and installed on the throne at [[Lahore Fort]] on 1 September 1839. Following his accession, a series of lavish parties, and escalation of his indulgence in drink, drugs and dancing girls alienated many of his advisers and generals.<ref name="ReferenceA">William Dalrymple, Anita Anand, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond, Bloomsbury Publishing, 15 Jun 2017</ref> The [[Austrians|Austrian]] physician [[Johann Martin Honigberger]] who was present at court, described his coronation as a dark day for the Punjab, and referred to the Maharajah as a blockhead who twice a day deprived himself of his senses and spent his whole time in a state of stupefaction.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Raja Dhian Singh had previously resisted attempts to allow Kharak training in state craft, and on 8 October 1839 he instigated his removal from the throne with Nau Nihal Singh becoming de facto ruler.<ref>J. S. Grewal, The Sikhs of the Punjab, Volumes 2-3, Cambridge University Press, 8 Oct 1998, p.120</ref>

==Death==
Kharak Singh was poisoned with white lead and mercury.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Within six months he was bedridden, and eleven months after the poisoning he died on 5 November 1840 in Lahore.<ref>G. S. Chhabra, Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-2: 1803-1920), Lotus Press, 2005, p.176</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/> The official announcement blamed a sudden mysterious illness.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Though never proven, most contemporaries believed Raja Dhian Singh to be behind the poisoning.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Raja Dhian Singh also murdered one of Kharak Singh's wife by setting her on fire. <ref name="ReferenceA"/>

==See also==
*[[Gurdaspur District]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Kharak Singh}}
*Singh, Harbans "The encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol III." pages 494–495
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20171218030926/http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/warriors/khemkaurdhillon.html "Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon", URL accessed 11/16/06]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140621130115/http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/warriors/maharaja_kharak_singh.html Genealogy of Kharak Singh]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Maharaja]] of the [[Sikh Empire]]
| years = 27 June 1839 – 8 October 1839
| before = [[Ranjit Singh]]
| after = [[Nau Nihal Singh]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kharak Singh}}
[[Category:Sikh emperors]]
[[Category:1801 births]]
[[Category:1840 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Sikhs]]
[[Category:Ranjit Singh]]

{{India-royal-stub}}
{{sikh-bio-stub}}