Raja

Tej Singh
Miniature painting of a seated Raja Tej Singh with a sword on his lap and shield on his back
Birth nameTej Ram
Born1799
Died4 December 1862
RankGeneral
Commands heldDiwan of Peshawar
ChildrenNarinder Singh
RelationsMisr Niddha (father) Harbans Singh (brother)

Tej Singh (1799 – 4 December 1862; or Raja Teja Singh) was a Sikh commander in the Sikh Empire.[1] He was appointed as Commander in chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army during the First Anglo-Sikh War.[2][3][4][5][6]

Biography

Early life

Tej Singh was born as Tej Ram in 1799 into a Gaur Brahmin family.[7][1] His father was Misr Niddha of Meerut district, who was commander of the Sikh Khalsa Army.[7][1] He was a relative of Jamadar Khushal Singh.[1] He first began working in the court of the Lahore Durbar in 1812.[1] In 1816, he underwent the Pahul and was rechristened as Tej Singh.[1]

Military and administrative career

After proving his worth as a soldier during the invasions of Kashmir in 1813, 1814, and 1819, alongside the operations against Mankera, Leiah, and Derajat, he was promoted to the rank of general in the Sikh army in 1818.[1] He played a role in the Peshawar operation of 1823, where he served as operational commander.[1] During this campaign, he took part in the battle of Teri.[1] By 1831, twenty-two battalions of the regular Sikh army came under his order.[1] In 1839, he assisted with a Colonel Wade's joint-invasion of Afghanistan and was based in Peshawar.[1]

Court politics and alleged betrayal

After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh court became fractious and the various agents acted at cross purposes to each other.

He had a considerable deal of influence over Nau Nihal Singh.[1] He endorsed Chand Kaur's regency after the premature death of Nau Nihal Singh.[1]

Maharaja Duleep Singh in durbar on a terrace with Labh Singh and Tej Singh and an attendant Lahore, circa 1850

Tej Singh appears to have had loyalties to the Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu and he, along with Gulab Singh, believed it to be a mistake to be warring with the British. However, Rani Jindan, the Regent acting on behalf of the anointed prince Duleep Singh, ordered him to march the troops against the British. He did so reluctantly.[5]

According to Harbans Singh writing in The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, his actions and commands during both Anglo-Sikh Wars was "marked by duplicity" and that he had "established secret liaison with the British".[1] An instance revealing this duplicity is said to be his lack of action when two Sikh divisions under his command were near the vicinity of Firozpur and could have overwhelmed the locality's tiny British garrison but Tej Singh never gave the command to do so.[1] Another example given is his conduct during the Battle of Ferozeshah fought on 21–22 December 1845, where the force he commanded had clear opportunities to strike a victory over British forces but he stopped them from doing so, ordering his forces to cease fire when the British were in a vulnerable position.[1] He would abandon the battlefield for Lahore.[1]

In the Battle of Sobraon fought on 10 February 1846, General Tej Singh crossed a pontoon bridge on the Sutlej river and ordered its destruction. According to historian Amar Pal Sidhu, this incident led to the defeat of the Sikh Army, possibly as intended by Tej Singh.[8][1] Harbans Singh illustrates that Tej Singh also fled from the battle alongside Lal Singh, even though the tide of the battle was still up in the air and either side could still win.[1] He instructed Sham Singh Attariwala to do the same but the latter refused and fought til the end.[1] Whilst in retreat, he ordered troops under his command to destroy boats and a tete de pont (bridgehead) to hamper the withdrawal of Sikh forces and dooming them.[1]

After the defeat of Sikhs, the Treaty of Lahore was signed by which Kashmir was sold to Gulab Singh to pay war indemnities to the British as well as the army was regulated.[9]

Later life

Watercolour on paper depicting Tej Singh with his son and nephew, by William Carpenter, ca.1850–57

After the demise of the Sikh Empire in 1849, he enjoyed special benefits in the new colony that the British bestowed upon him, including all "rights and privileges" he enjoyed during the rule of the Sikh Empire.[1] He was bestowed the power of a magistrate in his estate and was given a high position with full powers for management of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.[1] He supported the British plight during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and sent cavalry troops to assist his British colonial masters.[1] He was awarded the title of Raja of Batala after his dispersed jagirs were amalgamated.[1] He died on 4 December 1862 and was succeeded by his adopted son (whom was actually his brother) Harbans Singh.[1] He also had a biological son named Narindar Singh.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Singh, Harbans (2004). Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. 4: S-Z (2nd ed.). Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 343–344.
  2. ↑ "Heroes and Villains of Sikh Rule". Archived from the original on 1 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Singh, Amarpal (2010). The First Anglo-Sikh War. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445620381.
  4. ↑ "'Sikh generals' betrayal opened door for British' |". Times of India. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018.
  5. 1 2 Bawa Satinder Singh (January 1971). "Raja Gulab Singh's Role in the First Anglo-Sikh War". Modern Asian Studies. 5: 35–59. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00002845.
  6. ↑ "'Teja' the traitor who became Raja of Sialkot". Dawn. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018.
  7. 1 2 Singha, H.S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 196. ISBN 9788170103011. TEJ SINGH: After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839 AD, the Sikh empire quickly disintegrated largely because of the palace conspiracies and the role played by Dogra-Brahmins occupying high positions in the court. One of these Dogra-Brahmins was Tej Singh son of Nidhe Misr who had risen to the post of the Commander-in-Chief of the Sikh forces. The first Anglo-Sikh War in 1845-46 AD was lost among other things because Tej Singh deliberately directed the Sikh forces to advance towards those targets where they could easily fall into the enemy's trap. According to J.D Cunningham, he was in league with the British. Tej Singh died in 1862 AD.
  8. ↑ "'Had generals not betrayed Sikh army, British would have left in 1857... there would be no Pakistan' | punjab &#124". Hindustan Times. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "Treaty of Lahore | Indian history". Encyclopedia Britannica.
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