Randhir Singh of Kapurthala

Sir Randhir Singh Sahib Bahadur (26 March 1831 – 2 April 1870) was the ruling Raja of the princely state of Kapurthala in the British Empire of India from 1852 until his death in 1870.

Sir Randhir Singh
Raja of Kapurthala
Photograph of Raja Randhir Singh of Kapurthala State, by Jean Baptiste Oscar Malitte, ca.1860
Raja of Kapurthala
Reign	13 September 1852 – 2 April 1870
Predecessor	Nihal Singh
Successor	Kharak Singh
Born	(1831-03-26)26 March 1831 Kapurthala Fort, Kapurthala State, Sikh Empire
Died	2 April 1870(1870-04-02) (aged 39) at sea onboard the SS Golconda, off the Gulf of Aden
Burial	Cremated at Nashik, on the banks of the Godavari River
Spouse	3 wives
Issue	3 sons and 4 daughters
Names Randhir Singh Bahadur Sahib
Dynasty	Ahluwalia dynasty
Father	Nihal Singh Sahib Bahadur
Mother	Pratap Kaur Sahiba
Religion	Sikh

Biography

Randhir Singh Sahib Bahadur succeeded his father Nihal Singh Sahib Bahadur as the ruler of Kapurthala on 13 September 1852. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Randhir Singh assisted the British, first at Jalandhar and later led a mixed force in Awadh where he fought against the rebel soldiers.^{[1][page needed]}

Randhir Singh died near the Gulf of Aden on 2 April 1870 on a visit to Europe on board the SS Golconda.

He had two sons and one daughter by his first wife, one son by his second, and three daughters by his third wife, Rajkumari Bibiji (née Henrietta Hodges and later Henrietta Melvina Oliver) (c. 1843-1893), who was the daughter of Robert Theodore Hodges, former tutor to Raja Randhir Singh when the latter was prince and heir apparent.^[2][3]

His sons included Raja Kharak Singh Sahib Bahadur, who succeeded him and Raja Harnam Singh. Among his grandsons were Maharaja Jagatjit Singh, who ruled Kapurthala for 67 years, Sardar Bhagat Singh, who was one of the few Indian justices of High Court during the British Raj, and Stuart Gilbert, the British translator. Among his daughters were Melvina Kaur Sahiba (Princess Melvina Rundheer Singh Ahloowalia) and Hellen Marion Ahluwalia (AKA Helen Marion Kaur Sahiba and Princess Helen Rundheer Singh Ahluwalia).^[4][5]

Honours

• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) (10 December 1864).