| Ala Singh | |
|---|---|
| Raja ofPatiala | |
 | |
| Maharaja of Patiala | |
| Reign | 1763 – 7 August 1765 |
| Investiture | 1763 |
| Successor | Amar Singh |
| Born | 1691 Phul,Punjab, India |
| Died | (1765-08-07)7 August 1765 |
| Spouse | Fateh Kaur |
| Issue | Sardaul Singh, Bumian Singh and Lal Singh |
| Dynasty | Phulkian dynasty |
| Father | Chowdari Ram Singh |
| Mother | Sabi Kaur |
| Religion | Sikhism |
Ala Singh (1691–1765) was the founder and first ruler ofPatiala. Singh was born into theSikhPhulkian dynasty, rising to power through key battles in his early life, Singh expanded his territory inPunjab.[1][2] As an adult, Singh was constantly engaged in battles and war.[3] Through warfare and diplomacy, Singh began to acquire territory that would form the foundations ofPatiala State.[4] In 1763, he established the city ofPatiala and founded Patiala State.[5] Singh, at various times, had both adversarial and allied relations theAfghanDurrani Empire.[6]Ahmed Shah Durrani, theKing of the Durrani Empire, granted Singh the title ofRaja and other royal powers.[7] After being granted the title of Raja, Singh became the firstSikh monarch in history.[8]
Singh was praised and criticised, both by his contemporaries and historians, for his shrewd and cunning policies and strategies.[1][4][8] Many in theDal Khalsa recognized his strength and pragmatism; however, they found him to be an unworthy Sikh, and clashes with the Dal Khalsa persisted throughout Singh's adult life.[9] Singh's reign ended with his death in 1765, and he was succeeded by his grandson,Amar Singh.
Ala Singh was born into thePhulkian dynasty, named after Chaudhary Phul Sidhu-Brar, Singh's paternal grandfather, who was also the common ancestor of the rulers ofNabha,Jind andFaridkot.[1][10] Singh is claimed to be a direct descendant ofRawalJaisal Singh, the founder and first ruler of theKingdom of Jaisalmer from 1156 to 1168,[1][10][11] Jaisal Singh, is further said to be a descendant ofRao Bhatti, a3rd-centuryHindu king.[11][12][13]
Descendants ofRao Bhatti, including the former and historical Patiala royal family, also claim to be direct descendants ofYadu, amythological Hindu monarch from whom Bhatti claimed descent.[11][14][12] According toHindu mythology, Yadu was the founder of the mythologicalYadu dynasty, a branch of thelegendaryLunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa).[11][15]
Ala Singh was born in 1691 inPhul, in the present-dayBathinda district ofPunjab. He was born into theJatSikh Phulkian dynasty to Chaudhary Ram Singh of thePhulkian Misl.[16] Singh's mother was Sabi Kaur.[17] His father had six children, from eldest to youngest: Dunna, Sabha, Ala, Bakhta, Buddha, Laddha.[17]
At the age of 16, Singh married Fateh Kaur.[17] Kaur's cousin, Gurbaksh Singh Kaleke, later helped Singh foundPatiala State.[17] Singh's father Ram, was killed by the sons of Chain Singh. He and his brother Subha later avenged their father by killing two of Chain Singh's sons.[17]
During his life, Singh engaged in many battles and conflicts in thePunjab region. The Battle of Barnala in 1731 was a significant turning point in Singh's life. In the battle, Singh, along with theMajha Sikhs led by Kapur Singh, faced off against a confederacy of neighboring Muslim chiefs.[18] His victory in this conflict established him as one of the prominent chiefs in theCis-Sutlej region.[18] Between the last 1730s and the early 1740s, Singh was in conflict with theMuslimBhattis.[3] In 1749, he built a fortress inBhawanigarh and led an expedition to Bhatinda where he conquered territory for himself and his then expanding domain.[1] In 1759, Singh, along with his son Lal Singh, managed to break the stalemate with the Muslim Bhattis and defeated them in a battle at Dharsul.[3]
Singh had numerous conflicts with theAfghanDurrani Empire. In 1748, Singh plunderedAhmed Shah Durrani, theKing of the Durrani Empire, and in 1757, he plundered Ahmed Shah Durrani's son,Taimur Shah Durrani.[6] In 1760, he supplied grain to theMaratha Confederacy during their conflicts against the Durrani Empire.[6]
During theVadda Ghalughara in April 1762, Singh did not assist other Sikhs during the massacre by the Durrani Empire.[2] He stayed neutral during the events and did not initiate hostilities against the Durrani Empire.[2] However, Singh's neutrality did not benefit him as Ahmed Shah Durrani, who was told that Singh was secretly an ally of the Majha Sikhs by Zain Khan and Bikhan Khan, would later burn the city ofBarnala and advances uponBhawanigarh, where Singh had fortified himself.[2] Singh sought the help ofNajib-ud-Daula, the Mughal Empire's Administrator of Delhi, and was forced to pay a humiliating fee of five lakh rupees as a tribute and an additional twenty-five thousand rupees for permission to appear before Ahmed Shah Durrani with hislong hair intact.[2] Singh was later detained for a short period of time but was released on the promise that his territory would pay an annual tribute to the Durrani Empire.[2]
By 1758, Singh's successful conquests of cities and villages had established him as a dominant figure in theMalwa region.[4] According to historianKaram Singh, this period marked his transition from aSardar chief tode facto kingship.[4] By the beginning of the 1760s, Singh had conquered a considerable amount of territory in Punjab, includingSunam,Samana,Banur,Ghuram, andSanaur, and his capital was located in Barnala.[18] In 1763, Ala Singh at the age of 57, founded of the city ofPatiala and laid the foundations ofPatiala State.[5][19] In Patiala, he also builtQila Mubarak in 1763, which was initially constructed as a mud fortress and later reconstructed with bricks.[20]
In 1764, while leading theSikh Confederacy against the Durrani Empire, heconquered Sirhind and the surrounding territories along with his close friendNanu Singh Saini.[5] Singh later purchased part of the Sirhind for 25,000rupees from the Sikh Confederacy, which enlarged his territory and formed the early territories of Patiala State.[8] He also shifted his capital from Barnala to the city of Patiala in 1764.[18] In 1765, Durrani granted Ala Singh the title ofRaja,robe of honour and the right tomint coinage.[7] According to historianRajmohan Gandhi, by accepting the title of Raja from Durrani, Ala Singh became the first Sikh monarch in history and, by 1765, the most powerful Sikh in Punjab.[8] During his time as the ruler of Patiala, Singh's territory also extended toKarnal andThanesar.[6]
Singh and other Sikh leaders were noted for forming beneficial alliances and gaining concessions from more powerful empires that were competing for dominance in Punjab.[7] However, Singh, during his time the as the Raja of Patiala, was particularly noted for particularly being shrewd and cunning in his foreign policy and military policy.[6][1] He managed to simultaneously maintain cordial relations with the Mughal Empire, Maratha Confederacy, Durrani Empire and theDal Khalsa, all whom were competing for power and dominance in Punjab.[18] However, Singh's foreign and military policies were criticised by and angered the Dal Khalsa. In early 1765, the Dal Khalsa, angered by Singh's relations with the Durrani Empire and his royal titles, attacked Patiala State.[21] Patiala's army and the Dal Khalsa's army clashed in Patiala State's northern territories; however, peace was quickly brokered byJassa Singh Ahluwalia, the leader of the Dal Khalsa.[21] Singh's military policies involved building and maintainingfortresses in strategic locations.[22] During Singh's ruler, the Patiala army consisted primarily ofhorsebackcavalry andartillery that was transported by camels.[22]
Singh's administration was secular, and he had Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims in high administrative positions.[22] Having seen several famines in his lifetime, Singh focused extensively onagriculture,land management and cultivation. His extensive cultivation efforts led to the founding, rehabilitation, resettlement, and reclamation of many villages, ultimately resulting in the conquest of other villages and significantly increasing agricultural output.[22] This not only boosted his finances and provided surplus grains for future emergencies but also secured the loyalty of the inhabitants of his territories.[22] Singh's agricultural success enabled him to support political allies with provisions during critical times, which included the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II in 1758 and the Maratha Confederacy during theThird Battle of Panipat in 1761.[22]
On 7 August 1765, Singh died of a fever at the age of 74.[6] He was succeeded by his grandsonAmar Singh, who later gained the title Raja-e Rajgan, his three sons having predeceased him.[23] Sardaul Singh the eldest died in 1753, Bhumian Singh died in 1742 and Lal Singh the youngest died in 1748.[23]
Singh's descendants were therulers of Patiala until 1947, whenIndia gained independence from theBritish Empire. His descendants who had royal titles retained them until 1971, when they were abolished through the26th Amendment to theConstitution of India.
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