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Genealogical notes on Sikh emperors from the Lahore Durbar, focusing on their wives and children, from the personal notebook and copybook of Duleep Singh, ca.1855–60. The many wives of Ranjit Singh and their children are enumerated.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh had many wives, possibly around thirty.[1] Furthermore, he kept a company of around twenty-three concubines and a 150 dancing-girls, mostly from Kashmir and the Punjab Hills.[2][3] The numerous wives were of various ethnic backgrounds, such as Punjabi, Pashtun, and Pahari, and also various caste-backgrounds, such as Jatt, Rajput, and Gujjar. The marriages initially helped strengthen the Sukerchakia Misl and later the Sikh Empire, due to marital-alliances to various groups.[1][4] After Ranjit Singh provided help to Sansar Chand of Kangra against the invading Gurkhas, he married two of the Kangra ruler's daughters.[2] At-least two of his wives were Muslim.[5]

Four Rajput wives of Ranjit Singh perform sati, detail from a painting of the funeral of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ca.1840

Of his marriages, at-least ten of these marriages were by the traditional ceremony and included five Sikhs, three Hindus, and two Muslim ladies.[2][3] At-least a further ten of his marriages had taken place by the chaddar ceremony, which included seven Sikh and three Hindu ladies.[2][3] At the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death, four of his wives (two Rajputs) and seven of his slave-girls (concubines) committed sati on his funerary-pyre.[6]

History

[edit]

In 1789, Ranjit Singh married his first wife Mehtab Kaur,[7] the muklawa happened in 1796.[8] She was the only daughter of Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya and his wife Sada Kaur. She was the granddaughter of Jai Singh Kanhaiya, the founder of the Kanhaiya Misl.[9] This marriage was pre-arranged in an attempt to reconcile warring Sikh misls, Mehtab Kaur was betrothed to Ranjit Singh in 1786. The marriage, however, failed, with Mehtab Kaur never forgiving the fact that her father had been killed in battle with Ranjit Singh's father, and she mainly resided with her mother after marriage. The separation became complete when Ranjit Singh married Datar Kaur of the Nakai Misl in 1797 and she turned into Ranjit's most beloved wife.[10] Mehtab Kaur had three sons, Ishar Singh who was born in 1804 and died in infancy. In 1807 she had Sher Singh and Tara Singh. According to historian Jean-Marie Lafont, she was the only one to bear the title of Maharani. She died in 1813, after suffering from failing health.[11]

His second marriage was to, Datar Kaur (Born Raj Kaur) the youngest child and only daughter of Ran Singh Nakai, the third ruler of the Nakai Misl and his wife Karman Kaur. They were betrothed in childhood by Datar Kaur's eldest brother, Sardar Bhagwan Singh, who briefly became the chief of the Nakai Misl, and Ranjit Singh's father Maha Singh. They were married in 1797;[12] this marriage was a happy one and Ranjit Singh always treated Raj Kaur with love and respect.[13] Since Raj Kaur was also the name of Ranjit Singh's mother, his wife was renamed Datar Kaur. In 1801, she gave birth to their son and heir apparent, Kharak Singh.[14] Datar Kaur bore Ranjit Singh two other sons, Rattan Singh and Fateh Singh.[15][16][17] Like his first marriage, the second marriage also brought him a strategic military alliance.[14] Along with wisdom and all the chaste virtues of a noblewoman, Datar Kaur was exceptionally intelligent and assisted Ranjit Singh in affairs of the State.[18] During the expedition to Multan in 1818, she was given command alongside her son, Kharak Singh.[19][20][21] Throughout his life she remained Ranjit Singh's favorite[22] and for no other did he have greater respect for than Datar Kaur, who he affectionately called Mai Nakain.[23][24][25] Even though she was his second wife she became his principal wife and chief consort.[26][27] During a hunting trip with Ranjit Singh, she fell ill and died on 20 June 1838.[28][29]

Maharaja Ranjit Singh with some of his wives.

Ratan Kaur and Daya Kaur were wives of Sahib Singh Bhangi of Gujrat (a misl north of Lahore, not to be confused with the state of Gujarat).[30] After Sahib Singh's death, Ranjit Singh took them under his protection in 1811 by marrying them via the rite of chādar andāzī, in which a cloth sheet was unfurled over each of their heads. The same with Roop Kaur, Gulab Kaur, Saman Kaur, and Lakshmi Kaur who looked after Duleep Singh when his mother Jind Kaur was exiled. Ratan Kaur had a son Multana Singh in 1819, and Daya Kaur had two sons Kashmira Singh and Pashaura Singh in 1821.[31][32]

Jind Kaur, the final spouse of Ranjit Singh. Her father, Manna Singh Aulakh, extolled her virtues to Ranjit Singh, who was concerned about the frail health of his only heir Kharak Singh. The Maharaja married her in 1835 by 'sending his arrow and sword to her village'. On 6 September 1838 she gave birth to Duleep Singh, who became the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.[33]

In the 1830s toward the end of Ranjit Singh's life, his number of marriages increased substantially as many new women were wedded to him.[34] His other wives included, Mehtab Devi of Kangra, also called Guddan or Katochan, and Raj Banso, daughters of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra.[35] He was also married to Rani Har Devi of Atalgarh, Rani Aso Sircar, and Rani Jag Deo. According to the diaries, that Duleep Singh kept towards the end of his life, these women presented the Maharaja with four daughters. Dr. Priya Atwal notes that the daughters could be adopted.[7] Ranjit Singh was also married to Jind Bani or Jind Kulan, daughter of Muhammad Pathan from Mankera, presented to him in 1824, and Gul Bano, daughter of Malik Akhtar from Amritsar. Another Pashtun woman, named Zebo, was also married to him, who was originally sent as a concubine from Kashmir in 1832 after being given by her father.[35] The marriages to Pashtun women happened as the Sikh Empire conquered Kashmir and former Afghan territory on its western-border.[35]

Ranjit Singh married many times, in various ceremonies, and had twenty wives.[36][37] Sir Lepel Griffin, however, provides a list of just sixteen wives and their pension list. Most of his marriages were performed through chādar andāz.[38] Some scholars note that the information on Ranjit Singh's marriages is unclear, and there is evidence that he had many concubines. Dr. Priya Atwal presents an official list of Ranjit Singh's thirty wives.[20] The women married through chādar andāzī were noted as concubines and were known as the lesser title of Rani (queen).[21] While Mehtab Kaur and Datar Kaur officially bore the title of Maharani (high queen), Datar Kaur officially became the Maharani after the death of Mehtab Kaur in 1813. Throughout her life was referred to as Sarkar Rani.[39] After her death, the title was held by Ranjit's youngest widow Jind Kaur.[40] According to Khushwant Singh in an 1889 interview with the French journal Le Voltaire, his son Dalip (Duleep) Singh remarked, "I am the son of one of my father's forty-six wives."[11] Dr. Priya Atwal notes that Ranjit Singh and his heirs entered a total of 46 marriages.[41] But Ranjit Singh was known not to be a "rash sensualist" and commanded unusual respect in the eyes of others.[42] Faqir Sayyid Vaḥiduddin states: "If there was one thing in which Ranjit Singh failed to excel or even equal the average monarch of oriental history, it was the size of his harem."[43][42] George Keene noted, "In hundreds and in thousands the orderly crowds stream on. Not a bough is broken off a wayside tree, not a rude remark to a woman".[42]

Titles

[edit]
Lithograph titled 'Dancing Girls', from 'The Court and Camp of Runjeet Sing' by William Godolphin Osborne, depicting dancing-girls at the camp of Ranjit Singh, published in 1840[44]

There were various khitab (titles) given to the women depending on their status.[34] In the period of the Sikh Misls, high-status women, such as Sada Kaur and Raj Kaur, were given the title sardarni and the more-general term musammat.[34] However, by the time of the 1830s when many new women were wed to Ranjit Singh, the wives were given the more prestigious title of sarkarat, a plural term referring to the multiple women who took-on the sarkar title after their marriage to Ranjit Singh.[34] As per the writings of the court-historians, there were different terms used to differentiate between royal-women, such as wives, versus concubines and other women of the court (servants, dancers, courtesans, slaves, etc.), with royal-women being known through the titles of maharani, rani sahiba, sarkar, and were described as purdahnashin, for their practice of purdah.[34] However, there were cases where non-royal women, such as dancing-girls, managed to elevate themselves to the position of being wives, such as the case of Gul Begum.[34] Maharaja Ranjit Singh would go-on to bestow Gul Begum with the maharani title.[34] The wives' families would often benefit from these marriages, with their brothers and other members of their family often being gifted jagirs and prestigious titles/positions.[35]

List

[edit]

A list prepared by Priya Atwal of the known wives of Ranjit Singh, using contemporary documents and other sources, is as follows:[45]

List of wives of Maharaja Ranjit Singh[45]
No. Name(s) Portrait Religion Background Marriage date Death date Pension value Property Dependents, issues, or heirs
1. Mehtab Kaur (1) Sikh Daughter of the Kanhaiya Misl 1789 1813 Jagir of Batala Maharaja Sher Singh and Kunwar Tara Singh
2. Mai Nakain (Datar Kaur) Sikh Daughter of Nakai Misl 1797 1838 Jagir of Sheikhupura Maharaja Kharak Singh
3. Moran (Mai Mohran) Muslim Dancing-girl from Amritsar 1802 1839? Unknown Multiple residences, gardens, and public-buildings in Lahore
4. Rattan Kaur Sikh Widow of Sahib Singh Bhangi 1811 ? Rs. 1,000 Kunwar Multana Singh
5. Daya Kaur Sikh Widow of Sahib Singh Bhangi (Rattan Kaur’s sister) 1811 ? Unknown Kunwars Kashmira Singh and Pashaura Singh
6. Unknown name Zamindar’s daughter from Vainiki 1812 ? Unknown
7. Roop Kaur Sikh Daughter of Jai Singh of Kot Said Mehmood 1815 ? Rs. 1,980 Adopted her nephew’s son
8. Jumrul Beebee Daughter of a shawl weaver, given to Ranjit Singh by the governor of Kashmir 1816 ? Rs. 1,800
9. Luchmee Kaur Vudpuggun Sikh Adopted daughter of a sardar of Kartarpur 1820 ? Rs. 11,200 Took-care of Duleep Singh when Jind Kaur was exiled. Adoped a girl named Ram Kaur.
10. Jind Kulan (Jind Bani) Daughter of a Pathan/Pashtun of Mankera[34] 1824 ? Rs. 1,800
11. Jind Kaur Sikh Daughter of Manna Singh Aulakh, a kennel-keeper at Lahore 1825? 1863 Rs. 30,000 Duleepgarh, jewellery Maharajah Duleep Singh
12. Doulee Khoond Hindu Daughter of Jammuite Rajputs 1826 ? Rs. 1,563
13. Chund Kaur Sikh Daughter of Jatt zamindars of Duska, Sialkot 1827 ? Initially Rs. 2,520, later reduced to Rs. 1,260 after she eloped in 1852 Residence in Sialkot
14. Dukhno Hindu Daughter of a Rajput family from Kangra 1827 ? Rs. 1,908 Residence in Kangra
15. Katochan (Mehtab Devi/Guddan) Hindu Daughter of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra 1829 1839 (death by sati)
16. Raj Banso Hindu Daughter of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra 1829 1830s, possibly 1835[6] (death by suicide through overdosing on opium after Ranjit Singh compared her beauty to that of a dancing-girl[46])
17. Medno Daughter of a Suleria zamindar named Oochul Singh from Gurdaspur 1829 ? Rs. 7,291
18. Mehtab

Kaur (2)

Sikh Daughter of Soojana Singh, a Jatt zamindar from Sialkot 1829 ? Rs. 1,930
19. Zebo Presented to Ranjit Singh by the governor of Kashmir. From a Pathan/Pashtun-background.[34] 1830 1855? Rs. 1,620 Possibly a son of a Kashmiri pundit named Buksheesh Singh, who was later adopted by Sher Singh when Zebo became his concubine
20. Gul Begum Muslim Dancing-girl from Amritsar 1830 1863? Rs. 12,380 A jagir during the life of Ranjit Singh, in-addition to a haveli, mosque, and garden in Lahore Adopted a Muslim boy
21. Bhooree Daughter of a Gujjar family from Mandi 1831 ? Rs. 10,096 Adopted Bhoop Singh, the son of a slave-girl
22. Deokee Khoord Former slave-girl from Jasrota 1832 ? Rs. 2,465 Residence in possibly Jammu, where she moved
23. Suman Kaur Daughter of a Jatt zamindar from Ferozepore 1832 ? Rs. 1,440 Residence in possibly Ferozepore, where she later moved back to
24. Chainpurwala Unknown ?
25. Hardavi Hindu Daughter of Bavee and

Singhasno of Utulgarh, zillah Gurdaspur

? 1839 (death by sati)
26. Deokee Kulan Unknown ? 1854 Unknown
27. Doulee Kulan Former slave-girl of Rani Kishno (?) ? 1859 Rs. 3,015
28. Durooptee From Nurpur ? 29 December 1852 Rs. 1,782
29. Gulab Kaur From Sialkot ? July 1856 (died at the age of 47) Rs. 1,620
30. Unknown 30th wife

References

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  1. ^ a b Sharma, Manimugdha S. (21 February 2021). "Sikh history shows that Punjabi women have been active in politics for centuries, says British historian Priya Atwal". Times of India. Retrieved 2 August 2025. The Maharaja had at least 30 wives — according to my estimate! My book includes a 'marriage map' which plots where these women came from. Ranjit Singh's queens were Sikh, Hindu and Muslim; his marriages to them helped cement Sukerchakia dynastic ties throughout the different classes and ethnic groups of its growing empire within and beyond the Punjab.
  2. ^ a b c d Singh, Amarinder (7 March 2010). "The man with 20 wives". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Maharaja Ranjit Singh's 20 wives and 23 concubines". The Canadian Bazaar. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  4. ^ Gupta, Diya (7 January 2021). "Book Review: Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire by Priya Atwal". London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved 2 August 2025. By taking on wives who came from across the regions and communities of the Punjab, Ranjit Singh was able to broaden his kinship ties and establish his ruling base – similar, Atwal argues, to the practices of the Mughal emperor Akbar before him.
  5. ^ Mahmood, Parvez (28 February 2020). "Queen of Takht-e-Lahore". The Friday Times. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b Kang, Kanwarjit Singh (Jun 28, 2015). "'Sati' choice before Maharaja Ranjit's Ranis". The Tribune. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and Rebels. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197548318.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-754831-8.
  8. ^ Jean Marie Lafont (2002). Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Lord of the Five Rivers. Oxford University Press. pp. 33–34, 15–16. ISBN 978-0-19-566111-8.
  9. ^ Singh, Kushwant (2011). "Ranjit Singh (1780–1839)". In Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism. Vol. III M–R (Third ed.). Punjabi University Patiala. pp. 479–487. ISBN 978-8-1-7380-349-9.
  10. ^ Bhatia, Sardar Singh (2011). "Mahitab Kaur (d, 1813)". In Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism. Vol. III M–R (3rd ed.). Punjabi University Patiala. p. 19. ISBN 978-8-1-7380-349-9.
  11. ^ a b Khushwant Singh (2008). Ranjit Singh. Penguin Books. pp. 300–301 footnote 35. ISBN 978-0-14-306543-2.
  12. ^ Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. C. Hurst (Publishers) Limited. ISBN 978-1-78738-308-1.
  13. ^ Vaḥīduddīn, Faqīr Sayyid (2001). The real Ranjit Singh. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. ISBN 81-7380-778-7. OCLC 52691326.
  14. ^ a b Khushwant Singh (2008). Ranjit Singh. Penguin Books. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0-14-306543-2.
  15. ^ "Mahanian Koharan Tehsil .Amritsar District .AmritsarState .Punjab". 17 December 2020 – via www.youtube.com.
  16. ^ Yudhvir Rana (1 May 2015). "Descendants of Maharaja Ranjit Singh stakes claim on Gobindgarh Fort". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  17. ^ Yudhvir Rana (18 August 2021). "Seventh generation descendent of Maharaja Ranjit Singh writes to Imran". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Tuberculosis: Poor Awareness Leads to Poor Control". Journal of Sheikh Zayed Medical College. 11 (3): 1–2. 2021. doi:10.47883/jszmc.v11i03.158 (inactive 1 July 2025). ISSN 2305-5235. S2CID 236800828.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
  19. ^ Journal of Sikh Studies. Department of Guru Nanak Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University. 2001.
  20. ^ a b Atwal, Priya (2021). Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-756694-7.
  21. ^ a b "Postscript: Maharaja Duleep Singh", Emperor of the Five Rivers, I.B. Tauris, 2017, doi:10.5040/9781350986220.0008, ISBN 978-1-78673-095-4
  22. ^ Tibbetts, Jann (2016). 50 Great Military Leaders of All Time. VIJ Books (India) PVT Limited. ISBN 978-9386834195.
  23. ^ Bhatia, Sardar Singh (2011). "Raj Kaur (d. 1838)". In Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism. Vol. III M–R (3rd ed.). Punjabi University Patiala. p. 443. ISBN 978-8-1-7380-349-9.
  24. ^ Khushwant Singh (1962). Ranjit Singh Maharajah Of The Punjab 1780–1839. Servants of Knowledge. George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
  25. ^ Fakir, Syed Waheeduddin; Vaḥīduddīn, Faqīr Sayyid (1965). The Real Ranjit Singh. Lion Art Press.
  26. ^ Sood, D. R. (1981). Ranjit Singh. National Book Trust. OCLC 499465766.
  27. ^ Singh, Patwant (2013). Empire of the Sikhs: the life and times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Peter Owen Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7206-1524-1. OCLC 841311234.
  28. ^ Khurana, Gianeshwar (1985). British Historiography on the Sikh Power in Punjab. Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8364-1504-9.
  29. ^ Lal Suri, Lala Sohan (1961). Umdat-ut-tawarikh ['Umdat at-tawārīh, engl.] An outstanding original source of Panjab history by Lala Sohan Lal Suri. OCLC 163394684.
  30. ^ Vincent Arthur Smith (1920). The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911. Oxford University Press. pp. 690–693.
  31. ^ Bhatia, Sardar Singh (2011). "Daya Kaur, Rani (died 1843)". In Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism. Vol. I A–D (3rd ed.). Punjabi University Patiala. p. 539. ISBN 978-8-1-7380-100-6.
  32. ^ Bhatia, Sardar Singh (2011). "Ratan Kaur, Rani". In Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism. Vol. III M-R (3rd ed.). Punjabi University Patiala. p. 491. ISBN 978-8-1-7380-349-9.
  33. ^ Hasrat, B. J. (2011). "Jind Kaur, Maharani (1817–1863)". In Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism. Vol. II E–L (3rd ed.). Punjabi University Patiala. pp. 381–384. ISBN 978-8-1-7380-204-1.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h i Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN 9780197548318.
  35. ^ a b c d Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN 9780197548318.
  36. ^ Anita Anand (2015). Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-63286-081-1.
  37. ^ Patwant Singh (2008). Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Peter Owen. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-7206-1323-0.
  38. ^ Griffin, Lepel Henry (1865). The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Territories Under the Panjab Government. T.C. McCarthy.
  39. ^ Lal Suri, Lala Sohan. Umdat Ul Tawarikh.
  40. ^ Lafont, Jean Marie (2002). Maharaja Ranjit Singh: lord of the five rivers. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-566111-7. OCLC 49618584.
  41. ^ Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and Rebels.
  42. ^ a b c Duggal, Kartar Singh (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978-81-7017-410-3.
  43. ^ Vaḥīduddīn, Faqīr Sayyid (1965). The Real Ranjit Singh. Lion Art Press.
  44. ^ Kapuria, Radha (19 May 2023). "Ephemeral Embodiments: The Materiality of Music and Dance in Colonial Punjab". Third Text. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  45. ^ a b Atwal, Priya. "Appendices: Queens of the Sikh Empire - Appendix II. List of All Known Queens of the Empire". Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 216–223. ISBN 9780197548318.
  46. ^ Singh, Patwant; Rai, Jyoti M. (Aug 1, 2013). Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (2nd ed.). Peter Owen Publishers. ISBN 9780720615241. The two who deserve mention here, both of whom he married in 1828, are Mahtab Devi and Raj Banso, daughters of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra: the first because of her deep devotion to him and the second because she committed suicide when Ranjit Singh compared her exceptionally beautiful looks to those of a dancing girl - coming from a ruling family of Rajputs, Raj Banso took this slight to heart and overdosed on opium.
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