Sandhawalia is a Jat clan of present-day India and Pakistan.

History

The members of one particular Sandhanwalia Jat

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

family occupied important positions in the

Sikh Confederacy The Sikh Confederacy was a confederation of twelve sovereign Sikh states (each known as a Misl, derived from the Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal'; sometimes spelt as Misal) which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the n ...

. The progenitor of this family was Choudhary Chanda Singh, who settled at the Sandhu wala village in present-day Pakistan, and consequently, came to be known as Sandhanwalia. His sons migrated to Rajasansi. The names of some of the Sandhawalia brothers included Lehna Singh, Basawa Singh, Budh Singh, Attar Singh, and Jaimal Singh.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl ...

, the

ruler of

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 ...

, has been described as "Jats" in records. This has led to the view that he belonged to the Jat. According to W. H. McLeod, however, it is more likely that he belonged to the Jat Clan ''got'' as the Sandhanwalias. Author Preminder Singh Sandhawalia believes that Ranjit Singh shared lineage with the Sandhawalias, although he did not share a direct line of descent with them. Both the Sandhawalias and Sukerchakias share a common ancestor, Budh Singh. Budh Singh was survived by two sons, Naudh Singh and Chanda Singh. Naudh Singh would succeed Budh as head of the Sukerchakia family. Meanwhile, Chanda was the progenitor of the Sandhawalia family of Rajasansi. After the assassination of Nau Nihal Singh, the Sandhawalia clan supported Chand Kaur to become the ruler. But, when Sher Singh forced Chand Kaur to abdicate the throne, Sandhawalias felt cheated and refused to accept his rule. Sandhawalias were banished from the Khalsa empire and fled to Calcutta in British India. Sikh chieftain Ajit Singh Sandhawalia, who had served as Prime Minister first for Ranjit Singh then for Sher Singh's brother Kharak Singh and Karak Singh's son Nau Nihal, assassinated on 15 September 1843 Sher Singh,

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

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 ...

, his son and heir apparent Pratap Singh and Sher Singh's wazir (prime minister)

Dhian Singh Raja Dhian Singh (22 August 1796 – 15 September 1843) was the longest serving wazir of the Sikh Empire, during the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, and the brief rule of four of his successors over four years. He held the office for twenty fiv ...

. Sher Singh was killed as he was asked to inspect a new shotgun brought by Sandhawalia. Sandhawalia then pulled the trigger and later beheaded the wounded Sher Singh with his sword.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Jat clans Punjabi tribes Jat clans of Punjab