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Mahendra Singh of Patiala

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Mahendra Singh
Maharaja of Patiala (more)
Mahendra Singh in 1870
Maharaja of Patiala
Reign1862-1876
PredecessorNarinder Singh
SuccessorRajinder Singh
Born(1852-09-16)16 September 1852
Died13 April 1876(1876-04-13) (aged 23)
Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala
IssueRajinder Singh
DynastyPhulkian
FatherNarinder Singh
ReligionSikhism

Mahendra Singh GCSI (1852-1876) was the Maharaja of Patiala from 1862 to 1876.

Early life

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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

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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.[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 and endowed with a palatial building. Mohindra College was established to promote higher education, and the college charged no fees.[5]

The telegraph line between Patiala and Ambala was also constructed during this reign.[6] During his reign, numerous artists and painters from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh would work at his court in Patiala.[7][8]

Personal life

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Dying in 1876, Mohinder Singh was succeeded as Maharaja by his four year old son Rajinder Singh, who born in 1872.[9]

Title

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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

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  1. ^ The Feudatory and zemindari India. Vol. 27. 1946. p. 134. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  2. ^ Nijjar, Bakhshish Singh (1974). Punjab Under The British Rule. Vol. III. New Delhi: K.B. Publications. p. 4.
  3. ^ "No. 23620". The London Gazette. 31 May 1870. p. 2787.
  4. ^ a b Who's Who in India. Lucknow: Newal Kishore Press. 1911. pp. Part III - Page 5.
  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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Srivastava, R. P. (1983). Punjab Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications. p. 56. ISBN 978-81-7017-174-4.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.