Sardar Lehna Singh Majithia | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Sardar Lehna Singh Majithia, ca.1830 | |
| Died | 1854 (1855) Banaras (modern-dayVaranasi) |
| Known for | Sikh polymath: scientist, inventor, architect, engineer, mechanic, writer, warrior, and statesman |
| Title | Administrator (Nazim) of Amritsar Governor (Nazim) of Kangra and Hill Districts |
| Children | Dyal Singh Majithia |
| Parent | Desa Singh Majithia (father) |
| Relatives | Gujar Singh (brother) Ranjodh Singh Majithia (younger half-brother) |
| Family | Majithia |
| Honours | Kasir-ul-Iktidar (Chief of Exalted Dignity) Hasam-ud-Aula (the Sword of the State) |
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Lehna Singh Majithia (died 1854), alsoromanized asLahina orLahna, was apolymath,inventor, warrior, and statesman.[1][2] He had an interest in statecraft, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, firearms, mechanics, languages, art, and ordnance.[3] Lehna Singh was the father of famous businessman and philanthropist,Dyal Singh Majithia.
Sardar Lehna Singh of the renownedMajithia family was a Sardar ofLahore Darbar who earned the maximum number of bravery titles during his time. Lehna was the son ofDesa Singh Majithia, a feudal chief who had sworn allegiance to Ranjit Singh in 1809, later serving in the military expedition to Kangra, which pushed the Gurkhas out of the Punjab Hills region.[3] Thus, Desa was named the governor of Kangra and the city of Amritsar.[3] In 1818, Desa served in the Multan campaign.[3] Lehna was the eldest son of Desa.[3]
With the death of his father in 1832, Lehna inherited his father's administrative positions as governor of Kangra and Amritsar.[3] As the governor of the city of Amritsar, Lehna had purview over the governance of theGolden Temple in Amritsar, Sikhism's central shrine.[3] During the governance of Lehna, the Golden Temple underwent renovations, such as the laying of marble slabs around the innerparkarma (temple causeway) of the temple complex, with gardens being established elsewhere in the holy city.[3]
He was described as "the wisest man", "the best", "the purest", "the most cultured", "kind and benevolent man", "the most enlightened", "the most honest and able administrator of the Sikh Chiefs". In his book "Dyal Singh Majithia: Life and Achievements", Mr.Madan Gopal wrote, "Lehna Singh Majithia was the only Sardar with a scientific bent of mind atMaharaja Ranjit Singh's Darbar."[4] Skilled in language-learning, it is purported that Lehna had translated works ofEuclid into Punjabi.[3] Lehna assisted generalClaude Auguste Court in constructing cannons based on European models.[3]
He was also a skillful mechanic and inventor. He designed a mechanism resembling a clock, showing the hour, the date, the day of the week and the phases of moon and other constellations. At the request of the Maharaja, he also modified the calendar and made a name for himself among the Indian astronomers of the time.[5]
He had been awarded the titles ofKasir-ul-Iktidar ('Chief of Exalted Dignity') andHasam-udaula ('the Sword of the State') byRanjit Singh.[6]
He left Punjab in March 1844 for Haridwar, eventually settling inBanaras. He was arrested and kept under surveillance by the British from 23 January 1846 until the end of theFirst Anglo-Sikh War. He returned to Punjab in 1851 and stayed for two years before returning again to Banaras where he died in 1854.[7]
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Desa Singh died in 1832, and was succeeded in all his estates and honours by his eldest son, Lahina Singh Majithia.
His father, Sardar Lehna Singh, a great engineer of his time, was a pious person who had installed "Dhup Ghari" (sun clock) and contributed in the extension of Darbar Sahib with his great engineering skills.