Miniature painting of Raja Swarup Singh of Jind

Raja Swarup Singh (30 May 1812 – 26 January 1864; his name is alt. spelt as Sarup Singh) was a

Sidhu Sidhu () is a Punjabi Jat clan found in Punjab.Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

Jind State Jind State (also spelled Jhind State) was a princely state located in the Punjab region of north-western India. The state was in area and its annual income was Rs.3,000,000 in the 1940s. Jind was founded and ruled by Jat Sikh rulers of Sidhu c ...

of the Phulkian dynasty who reigned from 1834 to 1864. He was noted for his bravery as a warrior.

Early life

Swarup Singh was born at Bazidpur, the only son of ''Sardar'' Karam Singh (d. 1818), who was himself a nephew to Raja Bagh Singh of Jind (1760-1819; r. 1789–1819) through his father, Rajkumar Bhup Singh (1771–1815). In his earlier years, Karam Singh had served under

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 ...

. In 1815, Karam Singh was granted the fief of Bazidpur after Bhup Singh's death. Through his father, Swarup Singh was a first cousin once removed to Hira Singh of Nabha. Karam Singh died in 1818, and Swarup Singh succeeded his father as Sardar of Bazidpur.

Raja and warrior

In 1834, Swarup Singh's second cousin, Raja Sangat Singh (1810–1834; r. 1822–1834) died of alcoholism after a profligate and repressive 12-year rule that had brought Jind to the brink of financial collapse; he left no sons. The Government of India (then the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

), selected Swarup Singh as the next ruler. During the Anglo-Sikh War, Swarup Singh fought on the side of the British, for which he was much honoured by them. During the First War of Independence, he sent his troops into battle against the rebels, personally fighting through many of the major battles clad in

armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

and

chain mail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

. He rushed his forces to defend the British cantonment at

Karnal Karnal ( is a city located in the state of Haryana, India and is the administrative headquarters of Karnal District. It was used by East India Company army as a refuge during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi. The Battle of Karnal between ...

, then served at Alipur and at the

Battle of Badli-ki-Serai The Battle of Badli-ki-Serai was fought early in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or ''First War of Indian Independence'' as it has since been termed in Indian histories of the events. A British and Gurkha force defeated a force of sepoys who had ...

. He fought alongside the British forces during the

siege of Delhi The siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass up ...

for which he was mentioned in despatches in 1858 and received the Indian Mutiny Medal. Also in 1858, he received several titles of honour from the British government. In 1860, he was granted a further title, a gun salute of 11-guns, 14 villages and the Delhi properties of a Mughal prince, Shahzada Mirza Abu Baqar. The following year, Swarup Singh received a further 11 villages as a reward. Not merely a warrior, but also a progressive and humane ruler, Swarup Singh issued several stern decrees outlawing infanticide, ''

sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

'' and slavery.

Last years and death

In 1863, Swarup Singh was appointed a Knight Companion of the

Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander ( GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointmen ...

. The following year, he unexpectedly died from acute

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

after a 30-year reign, aged 51. He was succeeded by his only surviving son, Raghubir Singh.

Family

Swarup Singh married twice, first to an unknown princess (d. 1877) and secondly to Rani Sri Nand Kaur Sahiba. He had two sons: *1. Tikka Sri Randhir Singh Sahib Bahadur (d. 1848). No issue. *2. Sri Tikka Sahib Raghubir Singh, who succeeded his father as Raja of Jind.

Titles

*1812-1818:

Kunwar Kunwar (also spelt Kanwar or Kaur or Kuar) is an Indian title denoting a prince. It is derived from the Sanskrit term Kumar. It was traditionally associated with the feudal Rajputs such as the son of a Rana or Thakur The following are notable ...

Sri Swarup Singh *1818-1834:

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...

Sri Swarup Singh *1834-1858:

Sri Swarup Singh,

Jind Jind is one of the largest and oldest city in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is administrative headquarter of Jind district. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists while Pandu-Pindara and Ramrai are the main reli ...

*1858-1860:

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adject ...

Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh-ul-Itiqad, Raja Sri Swarup Singh Bahadur, Raja of Jind *1860-1863: His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh-ul-Itiqad-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja Sri Swarup Singh Bahadur, Raja of Jind *1863-1864: His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh-ul-Itiqad-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja Sir Swarup Singh Bahadur, Raja of Jind,

KSI Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji (born 19 June 1993), known professionally as KSI, is an English YouTuber and rapper. He is a co-founder and member of the British YouTube group known as the Sidemen. He is the CEO of Misfits Boxing and ...

Honours

* Mentioned in Despatches-1858 *

Indian Mutiny Medal __NOTOC__ The Indian Mutiny Medal was a campaign medal approved in August 1858, for officers and men of British and Indian units who served in operations in suppression of the Indian Mutiny. The medal was initially sanctioned for award to troops ...

-1858 *Knight Companion of the

(KSI)-1863

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Swarup Indian Sikhs 19th-century Indian monarchs Knights Companion of the Order of the Star of India 1812 births 1864 deaths Jind Indian knights