Mahendra Singh of Patiala
| Mahendra Singh | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja of Patiala (more) | |
 Photograph of Maharaja Mohinder Singh of Patiala State, Bourne & Shepherd, ca.1875–76 | |
| Maharaja of Patiala | |
| Reign | 1862-1876 |
| Predecessor | Narinder Singh |
| Successor | Rajinder Singh |
| Born | 16 September 1852 |
| Died | 13 April 1876 (aged 23) Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala |
| Issue | Rajinder Singh Ranbir Singh |
| Dynasty | Phulkian |
| Father | Narinder Singh |
| Religion | Sikhism |
Mahendra Singh GCSI (1852-1876), also spelt as Mohinder Singh, was the Maharaja of Patiala from 1862 to 1876.
Early life
[edit]Mahendra Singh was the son of Narinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala. He was a member of the Phulkian Dynasty and succeeded to the throne in 1862. Singh was still a minor when he became Maharaja and a council of regency ran the Patiala State government until he came of age in 1870.
Reign
[edit]
The project of the Sirhind Canal was sanctioned during his reign in 1867, and Singh contributed one crore and twenty lakhs towards the construction costs of the canal.[1][2] In the 1870 Birthday Honours, Singh was appointed a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI).[3]
Singh donated 70,000 rupees to University College, Lahore.[4] In 1873, during the Bihar famine of 1873–1874, he donated 10 lakh rupees to the British Raj government to help famine-stricken people in Bengal.[4] In 1875, Mohindra College was founded in Patiala and endowed with a palatial building. Mohindra College was established to promote higher education, and the college charged no fees.[5] Singh also supported Syed Ahmad Khan in establishing and developing Aligarh Muslim University.[6]
The telegraph line between Patiala and Ambala was also constructed during this reign.[7] During his reign, numerous artists and painters from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh would work at his court in Patiala.[8][9]
Personal life
[edit]Dying in 1876, Singh was succeeded as Maharaja by his four year old son Rajinder Singh, who was born in 1872.[10] His second son was Ranbir Singh, who was a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) and served on the Imperial Legislative Council.[11][12] In 1903, Ranbir Singh donated his estates and residences in Kasauli, now in Himachal Pradesh, for the Indian Pasteur Institute, which later became the Central Research Institute, Kasauli.[11]
Title
[edit]His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Mahendra Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala, GCSI.
References
[edit]- ^ The Feudatory and zemindari India. Vol. 27. 1946. p. 134. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Nijjar, Bakhshish Singh (1974). Punjab Under The British Rule. Vol. III. New Delhi: K.B. Publications. p. 4.
- ^ "No. 23620". The London Gazette. 31 May 1870. p. 2787.
- ^ a b Who's Who in India. Lucknow: Newal Kishore Press. 1911. pp. Part III - Page 5.
- ^ Yadav, Yojana (12 June 2018). "Patiala's Government Mohindra College: From a regal institution to rural feeder college". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Shirali, Aresh (10 August 2017). "The Enigma of Aligarh". Open The Magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ Singh, Chattar (2004). Social and Economic Change in Haryana. Patiala: National Book Organisation. p. 204. ISBN 978-81-87521-10-5. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Srivastava, R. P. (1983). Punjab Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications. p. 56. ISBN 978-81-7017-174-4.
- ^ Roopa-lekhā. Delhi: Printed at the I.M.H. Press, Chandri Chowk, Delhi, for the Fine Arts & Crafts Syndicate Limited, Delhi. 1982. p. 18. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Rajinder Singh Of Patiala: Maharaja Who Defied Colonial Rulers To Marry His Love And Made Her Embrace Sikhism". Times Now. 19 May 2024. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b Buckland, Charles Edward (1906). Dictionary of Indian Biography. Bloomsbury: S. Sonnenschein. p. 330.
- ^ Griffin, Lepel H. (1910). Chiefs and families of note in the Punjab. Vol. 2. Lahore: Government Printing. p. 397.