Maharani Khem Kaur Dhillon ( Punjabi ਬੀਬੀ ਖੇਮ ਕੌਰ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ) was a Sikh queen and the second wife of

Maharaja Kharak Singh Kharak Singh (22 February 1801 – 5 November 1840) was the second Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was the eldest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire and his consort, Maharani Datar Kaur. He succeeded his father on 27 Jun ...

, the second Maharaja of the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

. She was the daughter of Jodh Singh Kalalvala and granddaughter of Sahib Singh Dhillon. In July 1815 she was married

Kharak Singh Kharak Singh (22 February 1801 – 5 November 1840) was the second Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was the eldest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire and his consort, Maharani Datar Kaur. He succeeded his father on 27 June ...

, the oldest son of

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

, the founder of the

and his queen consort,

Maharani Datar Kaur Maharani Datar Kaur (born Bibi Raj Kaur Nakai; (c. 1784– 20 June 1838) was the queen consort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire and the mother of his successor, Maharaja Kharak Singh. She was the daughter of Sardar Ran ...

. Also with her brother, Gurdit Singh and Chanda Singh she aided the

Khalsa Army The Sikh Khalsa Army (), also known as Khalsaji or simply Sikh Army, was the military force of the Sikh Empire. With its roots in the Khalsa founded by Guru Gobind Singh, the army was later modernised on Franco-British principles by Maharaja Ran ...

in the rebellion on 1848. Due to her role in the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...

in 1849, her Jagirs (land) were considerably reduced; as the British deemed her anti- British.

References

"Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon", URL accessed 11/16/06
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhillon, Bibi Khem Kaur Year of birth missing Year of death missing Indian Sikhs Indian princesses Indian women in war People of the Second Anglo-Sikh War Women in 19th-century warfare 19th-century Indian women 19th-century Indian people