Maharani Chand Kaur was the wife of Kharak Singh the eldest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Maharani Datar Kaur. She was the misl Kanhiaiya Sardar Jaimal Singh’s daughter. She was born in Fateghar in 1802. At the age of 10, she married Prince Kharak Singh in February 1812.
In November 1840, following the passing of her husband, the marginalized Maharaja of Punjab (even by his son), she staked her claim to the throne of Lahore. A freak accident injured her son, Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh (Kanvar=heir designate) (Nau Nihal-new Branch), when he was returning from his father's cremation. He was supposed to get better, but a few days later, his body was found. Atar Singh, Lahina Singh, and Ajit Singh, as well as several other powerful courtiers like Bhai Ram Singh, Bhai Gobind Ram, Gulab Singh Dogra, and Jamadar Khushal Singh, had given her their support.
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Sher Singh, the second son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was challenged by Sahib Kaur, a co-daughter of Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh, who claimed that Sahib Kaur should assume regency on behalf of the unborn child who would inherit her husband's crown.
Chand Kaur's bravery and drive were a perfect combination. She would remove her veil, leave the zenana, put on a Sardar-style turban, and watch the Khalsa troops' parades as their ruler.
Sher Singh marched on and besieged Lahore after gaining the backing of a competing party at the court, which included the strong Rajput Wazir Dhian Singh (the brother of Gulab Singh Dogra) and a portion of the army. Raja Dhian Singh was reinstated as the principal minister of the State and Chand Kaur was appointed regent as a result of a compromise reached between the two groups. The cease-fire, however, was brief.
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In order for Hira Singh to be the next person to sit on Ranjit Singh's golden Gaddi, Dhian Singh Dogra pressured Chand Kaur into adopting his son. When his plotting was rejected, he became enraged. He openly backed Sher Singh's claims in January 1841 because he saw little chance of his ambition being realized and because Sher Singh was also well-liked by the soldiers. Sher Singh, who had the appropriate appearance, was made ruler of the Punjab. Chand Kaur received a pension of 9,00,000 rupees per year as her jagir. Her Sandhanvalia supporters retreated into British territory over the Sutlej. In the metropolis of Lahore, Chand Kaur gently retired to the seclusion of her late son's palace. Behind the scenes, Gulab Singh, who looked after her property, absconded from the Fort with cartloads of gold and silver. the eldest brother of Dhian Singh and the future Maharaja of J&K.
Sahib Kaur, the widow of Nau Nihal Singh, gave birth to a stillborn son in July 1841. Any chances Chand Kaur had of having her claims accepted were dashed by this. But courtly intrigue was still going on. The Dowager Maharani's maids were replaced by hill women from Dhian Singh's own country. The latter attempted to kill her by poisoning her food, but on June 11, 1842, she was finally put to death by having her head bashed in with wooden pikes from the kitchen (other accounts claim a stone was dropped from a balcony and crushed her skull).
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However, Dhian Singh amputated their mouths to stop them from discussing the plot. In the end, Dhian Singh ordered them put to death after realizing there were other methods for them to testify of his acts and that their rage at being unable to speak might prompt them to do so.
The Sandhanvalia family would come back after her passing to exact revenge on Maharaja Sher Singh, his young son, and the cunning Dhian Singh Dogra. Their victory will not last long.
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