Wikipedia

Kaithal State

Kaithal State was a Sikh state based out of Kaithal. It was one of the Cis-Sutlej states.[1] The Sikh chieftains of Kaithal ruled from 1767 until the state's fall in 1843.

Kaithal State
1767–1843
Detail of the main, continuous tract of territory of Kaithal State from a map created by the British East India Company, ca.1829–1835 (not including its exclaves viewable on the full-map)
Detail of the main, continuous tract of territory of Kaithal State from a map created by the British East India Company, ca.1829–1835 (not including its exclaves viewable on the full-map)
CapitalKaithal
History 
• Established
1767
• Disestablished
1843
Today part ofKaithal district, Haryana, India

History

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'Zenan Khana and East Bastion of the Fort of Khytul', the fort of Kaithal State, ca.1842.

The polity was founded by Jat Sikhs of the Sidhu gotra.[2] In 1767, the city of Kaithal fell into the hands of the Phulkian chieftain, Desu Singh.[3] In circa 1780–1781, Desu Singh died and was succeeded by his son, Lal Singh.[3][4] The state was a tributary to the Scindhia dynasty of the Maratha Empire, until the Second Anglo-Maratha War of 1803–1805, after which the Marathas lost this tributary to the British.[5][6][7] By 1808, Kaithal had come under British protection.[8] Lal Singh died in 1818.[3] Uday Singh ruled over Kaithal and proved to be the last ruler. Uday Singh had two wives, Suraj Kaur (daughter of the raja of Ballabhgarh State) and Mehtab Kaur (daughter of a zamindar).[9]

In 1829, Kavi Santokh Singh came under the sponsorship of the ruler of Kaithal state, Udai Singh.[10] After being impressed by his work, the ruler bestowed a jagir grant, of the village of Morthali, to Santokh Singh in 1834.[10] Uday Singh died on 14th or 15 March 1843.[11][12][13][9]

After the death of Uday Singh, there was no heir to the throne of Kaithal.[9] Suraj Kaur, one of the two widows of Uday Singh would die shortly after but Mehtab Kaur survived for many years longer.[9] On 10 April 1843 the British launched an invasion of Kaithal but were unsuccessful in subduing the state.[9] However, shortly after the British launched another invasion on 15 April 1843, which was successful, with the decisive battle of the invasion having been fought near the present-day Jat School.[9] Mehtab Kaur retired from Kaithal in light of this.[9] In the aftermath of the lapsing of the state, the British confiscated the main portion of territory (including Kaithal locality itself) of the erstwhile state whilst a small portion was given to Gulab Singh of Arnowali, who was the second-cousin of Gurbaksh Singh, who had been the great-grandfather of the Kaithal chief.[9] The larger portion of territory annexed by the British brought in 400,000 rupees per annum.[9] The smaller portion of territory allocated to Gulab Singh fetched an annual revenue of 100,000 rupees.[9] However, the Phulkian rulers of the states of Patiala, Nabha, and Jind were against this and thought the territory of the former state of Kaithal should be given to them due to the familial ties they possessed with the Kaithal ruling house.[9] However, the British refused this request.[9] The British dispatched a report to Queen Victoria on the capture of Kaithal and Henry Lawrence wrote an account of the area in his 1843 settlement report.[9]

List of rulers

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No. Name

(Birth–Death)

Portrait Reign Ref.
1. Desu Singh[note 1]

(died 1780–81)

  1767–1780 or 1781 [4][3]
2. Lal Singh   1781–1814 or 1818 [4][3]
3. Pratap Singh[note 2] 1814–1823 [4]
4. Uday Singh[note 3]   1823–1843 [4]
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  •  
    Map of Kaithal District, surveyed by William Brown just after the annexation of Kaithal State, 1843–46
  •  
    Photograph of Haveli Kavi Santokh Singh in Kaithal, taken by Vir Singh, ca.1920's
  •  
    Anjani Ka Tilla in Kaithal
  •  
    Ruins of the Kaithal fortress in present-day Haryana

Notes

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  1. ^ Desu Singh's forename can also be spelt as 'Desa'.
  2. ^ Pratap Singh's forename can also be spelt as 'Partap'.
  3. ^ Uday Singh's forename can also be spelt as 'Udai' or 'Udey'.

References

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  1. ^ Jayanta Kumar Ray (2007). Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World. Pearson Education. p. 379. ISBN 9788131708347.
  2. ^ Low, D. A. (1991). Political Inheritance of Pakistan (illustrated ed.). Springer. p. 35. ISBN 9781349115563. Retrieved 12 October 2022. Other Sidhu Jat families established the state of Faridkot, the jagirs of Kaithal and Arnauli, and a host of lesser fiefs.
  3. ^ a b c d e Sarkar, Jadunath (1964). Fall of the Mughal Empire. Vol. 3: 1771–1788 (3rd ed.). Orient Longman. p. 106.
  4. ^ a b c d e Surjewala, Randeep Singh. "Kaithal - An Introduction". surjewala.in. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  5. ^ Ahmed, Farooqui Salma (2011). A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid ... - Farooqui Salma Ahmed, Salma Ahmed Farooqui - Google Books. Pearson Education India. ISBN 9788131732021. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  6. ^ Chaurasia, R. S. (2004). History Of The Marathas - R.S. Chaurasia - Google Books. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 9788126903948. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  7. ^ Ray, Jayanta Kumar (2 October 2017). Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World. Pearson Education India. ISBN 9788131708347 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ The Sikh Review, Volume 58, Issues 673-678. Sikh Cultural Centre. 2010. p. 23. Kaithal state was one of the original states whose chief Sirdar Lal Singh had sought English protection in the year 1808.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Mittal, Satish Chandra (1986). "Revolt of Mehtab Kaur of Kaithal 1842–43". Haryana: A Historical Perspective. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 40.
  10. ^ a b Sagar, Sabinderjit Singh (1993). "1. Bhai Santokh Singh and His Times". Historical Analysis of Nanak Prakash by Bhai Santokh Singh. Vol. 61 (1st ed.). Amritsar, India: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. pp. 10–20. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00016165.
  11. ^ Sharma, Suresh K (2006). Haryana: Past and Present. Mittal Publications. p. 144. ISBN 81-8324-046-1.
  12. ^ Hoiberg, Dale; Indu Ramchandani (2000). Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan. p. 161. ISBN 0-85229-760-2.
  13. ^ Kaithal Town The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 14, p. 288-289.
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