Raja Surat Singh (1810–1881) was a Punjabi Jagirdar, a military officer in the Khalsa Army, and a member of the renowned Majithia family.Rebels Against the British Rule: Bhai Maharaj Singh, 1810-1857, died in Singapore jail, 5 July 1857. India, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 1989.
Biography He was born in Majitha to Sardar Attar Singh of the Sher-Gill Jat clan. With his father, he participated in many campaigns under Ranjit Singh.Samra, Mandeep Kaur. Modern Sikh Historiography: Analysis of Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh by Baba Prem Singh Hoti. India, K.K. Publications, 2004. In 1843 he succeeded his father. During the First Anglo-Sikh War he was responsible for maintaining order in Naushera.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890.
He was a notable advocate of rebellion prior to the start of the Second Anglo-Sikh War.Gazetteer of the Amritsar District, 1883-84. Pakistan, Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2000. On Sher Singh leaving Multan, he was placed in command of one division of his army, consisting of two thousand men and two guns. He led a march to Jalalpur which was noted for its excesses, including the defilement of mosques at Chiniot and Jhang, and plundering two lakhs of government money.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. After the Battle of Gujrat, his jagirs were confiscated and he was banished to Benares on a pension of Rs. 720 per annum.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890.
At the start of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Surat Singh remained in exile in Banaras. In June 1857 a corps of Ludhiana Sikhs serving in the 37th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in Benares was accused of disloyalty and had guns directed at them. This incensed the corps who charged at the guns, suffering many loses. Nearby a Sikh regiment was guarding the Benares treasury, and on hearing the treatment of the Ludhiana Sikhs, threatened to mutiny. Surat Singh visited the regiment and using his personal influence discouraged them from rebelling.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. Later in the rebellion he commanded troops on various occasions in the field, and on 6 July was wounded by a sabre to the thigh by a body of Rajputs who had attacked Benares.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890.
For his services in 1857, he was awarded a pension of Rs. 4,800 per annum, and awarded a jagir in perpetuity in Dumri, Gorakhpur. He was also allowed to return to the Punjab.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890. In 1875 he was made an Honorary Magistrate and granted civil-judicial powers in Majithia. In 1877 he was awarded the title of Raja and made a Companion of the Star of India.Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Pakistan, Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1890.
He died in 1881 and was succeeded by his eldest son Umrao Singh Sher-Gil. His granddaughter through Umrao Singh was the artist Amrita Sher-Gil. His younger son Sundar Singh Majithia became a prominent politician in the Punjab.Lethbridge, Roper. The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire. United Kingdom, Macmillan, 1893.
References