Daily Times

Have you ever been to the Haveli of Kharak Singh? Well, the name Kharak Singh might sound strange to you. But it is believed that he was known as an important personality during the Sikh rule in Lahore. So let me first take you to the breathtaking Haveli of Kharak Sigh and later I will describe this famous character of history to you.

Right in the middle of grand Royal Fort of Lahore, the Haveli of Kharak Singh is located on the southeast corner of Jahangir’s Quadrangle. The quadrangle is a symbol of Mughal era and was built by Jahangir and his father Akbar. Later during the Sikh rule, structures were added in most of the places inside the fort and so one was added in this quadrangle. This structure was of the Haveli by Kharak Singh. He used this Haveli as his living chamber. This use of this haveli was changed during the British Raj. They turned the embellished Haveli into the ‘Commander’s Quarters’ while the ground floor was used as a godown and servant house.

Within six months of slow poisoning he was bedridden, and died five months later. The official announcement by the government said a mysterious illness was the cause of his death

Presently, the first floor of this haveli is being used by the Archeology Department for Archeological Survey office and ground floor has the Archeology’s Library which is a remarkable house of antique books. The library is worth visiting as it is open for all and you can surf through the ages old books there. The whole southern periphery of the quad would also have been lined with suites similar to the porticoes lining the eastern and western edges of the quad. Today, the surviving red stone sehdara (a building with three entrances) alone provides the clue to the ancient lineage of the structure. The structure of the haveli is intact but still needs attention for restoration and conservation. There are several rooms inside the Haveli and one can see the old fresco work on the walls and ceilings. The interior structure is a typical Sikh style of architecture with arches in it. Few rooms are closed and others have staff sitting in them.

Now let’s come to who Kharak Singh was. Maharaja Kharak Singh was the eldest son of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, a Sikh ruler of the Punjab and the Sikh Empire. He was born in Lahore in 1801 and his mother was Raj Kaur. In 1812, at the age of 11 he was married to Chand Kaur, daughter of Sardar Jaimal Singh, chief of the Kanhaiya Misl. Their son Nau Nihal Singh was born in 1821, whose Haveli is still located inside Bhatti gate and being used as Victoria School.

Kharak Singh at a young age got into the military of his father. At a small age of six, Kharak Singh was given the minor command of the Sheikhupura expedition (1807); he was placed in charge of the Kanhaiya estates in 1811; and was deputed in 1812 to punish the recalcitrant chiefs of Bhimbar and Rajauri.

In 1818, together with Misr Diwan Chand, he commanded an expedition against the Afghan ruler of Multan Nawab Muzaffar Khan, achieving a decisive victory at the Battle of Multan. He was also sent on similar campaigns undertaken by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh for the conquest of Peshawar and against the Mazaris of Shikarpur. Three months before his death, Ranjit Singh awarded Kashmir to Kharak Singh, which was seen as a check on the ambitions of Gulab Singh.

Right in the middle of grand Royal Fort of Lahore, the Haveli of Kharak Singh is located on the southeast corner of Jahangir’s Quadrangle. The quadrangle is a symbol of Mughal era and was commisioned by Jahangir and his father Akbar. Later during the Sikh rule, structures were added in most of the places inside the fort and so one was added in this quadrangle

Maharaja Kharak Singh ascended the throne in June 1839 on the death of his father. He didn’t know that this throne would bring death to him. From the very first day after ascending the throne, Kharak Singh encountered the jealousy of his powerful minister, Dhian Singh Dogra. That was the time when the Dogras started a whispering campaign against the Maharaja Kharak Singh. This game was something interesting. The Dogras spread the news that both the Maharaja and his favourites were secretly planning to present Punjab to the British and surrender to them six annas (penny) in every rupee of the state revenue and that the Sikh army would be disbanded. To make these rumours sound true, some fake letters were prepared. Gulab Singh Dogra, Dhian Singh’s elder brother, was given the task to poison the son of Kharak Singh Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh against his father. So while traveling from Peshawar to Lahore, Gulab Singh Dogra narrated all the fabricated tales to Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh and thus misled by those fictitious tales, the young prince got on to bad terms with his father. It is amazing how clever those courtiers were and how the things were manipulated. This incident shows how the addiction of power separated relations and destroyed dynasties. That’s not the end of this story; the climax was in October 1839 when the favourite minister of Kharak Singh, Chet Singh Bajwa, was murdered. History states that the conspirators entered the Haveli of Kharak Singh in the Fort and assassinated Chet Singh in the presence of their royal master who did not bother saving his life.

That was the time when Maharaja Kharak Singh was isolated from the Lahore Fort and remained like a prisoner with Dhian Singh. His son Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh took over the government into but he was helpless against the intrigues. Dogras kept father and son separated and misunderstandings between them grew. It is said by the historians that Kharak Sigh was being given the doses of slow poison, white lead and mercury. Within six months of this slow poisoning he was bedridden, and 11 months after the poisoning he died on 5 November 1840 in Lahore. The official announcement by the government said it was a mysterious illness. Though never proven, most contemporaries believed Raja Dhian Singh poisoned him. At his funeral, three of his wives committed sati, along with eleven slave girls. A monument adjacent to the Gurdwara Dera Sahib (Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh) in Lahore was built to commemorate Maharaja Kharak Singh.

The writer is a media professional and can be reached at
heritagechroniclestq@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, February 22^nd 2018.