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 ...

Surat Singh (1810–1881) was a

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

Jagirdar, a military officer in the Khalsa Army, and a member of the renowned Majithia family.

Biography

He was born in

Majitha Majitha is a town and a municipal council in Amritsar district in the Indian state of Punjab. The 2011 Census of India recorded 14,503 people resident in the town. The renowned Majithia family of ''Sardars'' of the Sher-Gill Jat clan trace t ...

to Sardar Attar Singh of the Sher-Gill

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

clan. With his father, he participated in many campaigns under

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 M ...

. In 1843 he succeeded his father. During 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 ...

he was responsible for maintaining order in Naushera.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. He was a notable advocate of rebellion prior to the start of 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 ...

. On Sher Singh leaving

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

, he was placed in command of one division of his army, consisting of two thousand men and two guns. He led a march to

Jalalpur Jalalpur is a town, tehsil and a municipal board in Ambedkar Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Geography Jalalpur is located at . It has an average elevation of . The city is directly connected to Azamgarh, Akbarpu ...

which was noted for its excesses, including the defilement of mosques at

Chiniot Chiniot ( Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a city and the administrative headquarters of Chiniot District in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the river Chenab, it is the 28th most populous city in Pakistan. It is also known for ...

and

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi / ; ; ) is the capital city of Jhang District in central Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 13th most populous city of Pakistan. Etymology The historical name of the city and dis ...

, and plundering two lakhs of government money.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. After the

Battle of Gujrat The Battle of Gujrat was a decisive battle in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, fought on 21 February 1849, between the forces of the East India Company, and a Sikh army in rebellion against the company's control of the Sikh Empire, represented by ...

, his jagirs were confiscated and he was banished to

Benares Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.* * * * The city ...

on a pension of Rs. 720 per annum.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. At the start of the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, Surat Singh remained in exile in Benares. In June 1857 a corps of Ludhiana Sikhs serving in the

37th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry The 37th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was a regiment of the East India Company's Bengal Army, which had only become a separate regiment in 1824, and was later to become one of the regiments which took part in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 ...

in Benares was accused of disloyalty and had guns directed at them. This incensed the corps who charged at the guns, suffering many loses. Nearby a Sikh regiment was guarding the Benares treasury, and on hearing the treatment of the Ludhiana Sikhs, threatened to mutiny. Surat Singh visited the regiment and using his personal influence discouraged them from rebelling.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. Later in the rebellion he commanded troops on various occasions in the field, and on 6 July was wounded by a sabre to the thigh by a body of Rajputs who had attacked Benares.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. For his services in 1857, he was awarded a pension of Rs. 4,800 per annum, and awarded a jagir in perpetuity in Dumri,

Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the West Rapti River, Rapti river in the Purvanchal , Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometres east of ...

. He was also allowed to return to the Punjab.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. In 1875 he was made an Honorary Magistrate and granted civil-judicial powers in Majithia. In 1877 he was awarded the title of

and made a Companion of the Star of India.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. He died in 1881 and was succeeded by his eldest son

Umrao Singh Sher-Gil Umrao Singh Sher-Gil Majithia (1870–1954) was an Indian aristocrat, scholar of Sanskrit and philosophy, and photographer. He was known as one of the pioneers of photography in India, leaving behind over 3,000 prints, including the hundreds of f ...

. His granddaughter through Umrao Singh was the artist

Amrita Sher-Gil Amrita Sher-Gil (30 January 1913 – 5 December 1941) was a Hungarian–Indian painter. She has been called "one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century" and a pioneer in modern Indian art. Drawn to painting from an ...

. His younger son

Sundar Singh Majithia Sardar Bahadur Sir Sundar Singh Majithia (17 February 1872 – 2 April 1941) was a Punjabi landowner and politician. Biography He was born to an aristocratic Sher-Gill Jat Sikh family, the son of Raja Surat Singh of Majitha. He was ed ...

became a prominent politician in the Punjab.Lethbridge, Roper. The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire. United Kingdom, Macmillan, 1893.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Surat 1810 births 1881 deaths Companions of the Order of the Star of India Punjabi Sikhs People from British India Majithia family