Chattar Singh Attariwalla, also spelt Chatar Singh Aṭārīvālā, was
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of
Hazara province and a
military commander in the army of the
Sikh Empire
The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...
during the reign of
Maharaja Duleep Singh in the
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
. He fought in the
Second Anglo-Sikh war
The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab region, Punjab and what sub ...
against the British.
Family
Chatar Singh was the son of Jodh Siṅgh Aṭārīvālā. He had two sons, Raja
Sher Singh Attariwalla and Avtār Singh. Sher Singh commanded the Sikh army which fought against the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
at the
Battle of Chillianwala.
[George Bruce Malleson, ''Decisive Battles of India''.] His daughter Tej Kaur was betrothed to Duleep Singh, but after the
First Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 around the Firozpur district of Punjab. It resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu ...
the British Resident,
Sir Frederick Currie did not honour the betrothal.
Career
On the death of his father in August 1815, Chatar Singh inherited large
jagirs and occupied himself with farming his estates. He rose to political prominence in 1843, after the assassination of Maharaja
Sher Singh, and his daughter Tej Kaur was betrothed to Maharaja Duleep Singh. In 1846 he was made Governor of Peshawar and the following year the Council of Regency recommended him for the title of
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
, but he asked that the title should instead be conferred on his son, Sher Singh.
In 1848 he was appointed Governor of the Hazara province. There he came into conflict with Captain
James Abbott, the British Deputy Commissioner of the Hazara District. Abbott alleged that Chatar Singh was conspiring to subvert British authority in the Punjab. The British Resident at Lahore,
Sir Frederick Currie commissioned an investigation by Captain
John Nicholson who exonerated Chatar Siṅgh, and also justified the defensive measures he had taken to save the besieged capital of Hazārā from Abbott's troops. Despite this, Currie virtually dismissed Chatar Singh and confiscated his jagirs. After this, and the failure of the Resident to honour the betrothal of his sister, Sher Singh, who had been fighting alongside the British, changed sides. In the
second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab region, Punjab and what sub ...
, Sher Singh fought against the British at the battle of Chillianwala, and was defeated later the same year at the
battle of Gujrat. Following the battle, Chatar Siṅgh and his sons, Rājā Sher Siṅgh and Avtār Singh, were imprisoned first at Allāhābād and then at Fort William at Calcutta. Chattar Siṅgh died in Calcutta on 27 December 1855.
See also
*
Punjab Army
References
External links
Battle of Chillianwalah - second Anglo-Sikh war
Indian Sikhs
Military personnel of the Sikh Empire
{{Sikh-bio-stub