Maharani Jind Kaur

 “Maharani Jind Kaur (1817-1863) - the last queen of Punjab, also known as the woman who terrified the British Empire.. Jind Kaur was the wife of Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Sikh Empire at the time. Rani Jindan was known for her beauty (which had caught the attention of Ranjit Singh before they married), and for her strength. Shortly after Jind Kaur gave birth to her son Duleep Singh, Raja Ranjit Singh passed away and his kingdom began to crumble..

Duleep Singh became the new sovereign at only 5 years of age and Jind Kaur fought hard to ensure she was regent for Duleep. With the instability of the kingdom, Britain became interested in taking over Punjab and acquiring the Kingdom’s enormous wealth. Jind encouraged the Sikh Empire to wage two wars against Britain. According to sources, “Jind was instrumental in organizing the Sikh resistance, rallying her generals to return to battle and plotting rebellion once the British finally took over Punjab in 1849.”

The British imprisoned Jind and falsely portrayed her as a seductress who was too rebellious to control. At just 9 years old, they took Duleep and he eventually ended up in England where he was influenced into shedding his Punjabi culture, became known as the Black Prince, and had gotten close to Queen Victoria. Maharani Jind Kaur eventually escaped prison and traveled 800 miles of forest to Nepal where she was given asylum by the Maharaja there.

After 13 years apart, Jind and Duleep were finally reunited when he came to India for a short trip. She was allowed to come back to England with him because Britain no longer saw her as a threat. However, it was her influence that made Duleep want to take back his Kingdom..

According to the director of Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail, Harbinder Singh, “In a way, she had the last laugh. When you look at the life of Duleep Singh the moment where he began to turn his back on Britain and rebel was immediately after meeting his mother. The British assumed that this frail-looking woman, who was nearly blind and had lost her looks, was no longer a force to be reckoned with. But she reminded her son of who he was and where his kingdom really lay."