JIND STATE (history):
One Gajpat Singh, a great grandson of Phul, the founder of the Phulkian Misl, one of the 12 confederacies of the Sikhs in the 18th century. He took part in the attack of the Sikhs on the province of Sirhind in 1763 in which Zain Khan, The Afghan governor of the province was killed. Gajpat Singh occupied a large tract of the country including Jind and Safidon as his share of the spoil. He made Jind his headquarters and built a large brick fort there.
In 1772, Emperor Shah Alam conferred upon Gajpat Singh the title of Raja. From this time onward, the Sikh chief ruled as an independent prince and coined money in his own name The Delhi authority failed several times to bring him under its control. In 1774 a serious quarrel arose between Gajpat Singh and Himir Singh , the then ruler of Nabha . Gajpat singh used force and took possession of Amloh Bhadson and Sangrur ,by the intervention of the ruler of Patiala and other friends . The first two places were restored to Nabha but Sangrur then a village was retained.

Raja Gajpat Singh

Raja Gajpat Singh's Daughter Bibi Kaur married Sardar Mahan Singh Sukrachakla and became the mother of famous Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This must have enhanced Gajpat Singh's prestige. Moreover his strategic position in the North-Western corner of the Rohtak region made it easy for him to have his hold over some parts of Haryana -Gohana, Hisar etc. which he and his successors held until the beginning of the last century.
Raja Gajpat Singh died in 1786 and was succeeded by his son Bhag Singh at a very tough time. But he overcame this serious menace with the help of his brother chief of the Cis-Satluj tract and the Marathas.
Bhag Singh was a shrewd man. He was the first of all the Cis-Satluj princes to seek an alliance with the British . In 1803 he assisted Lord Lake in his way against the Marathas and received confirmation of the Gohana estate. He also prevented his nephew Maharaja Ranjit Singh from espousing the cause of Jaswant Rao Holkar,.The British recognised in him a great friend and ally and showed him many marks of favour and regard.
Raja Bhag Singh suffered a severe paralytic attack in March 1813. Unfit to run the administration of his state, the ailing chief wished to appoint Prince Pratap Singh the ablest and wisest of all his sons as his regent to do his work . But the British government to whom the anti-British bearing of the prince was known stood in his way and got Rani Sobrahi appointed in place of the prince in 1814. This was unbearable for Partap Singh and he raised the standard of revolt on June 23, 1814. He being a popular figure the state forces also revolted and joined him forth with. With their help the prince lost no time in occupying the Jind fort and established his government after putting the Rani the puppet of the British government to the sword.

Maharaja Partap Singh with aides and a British Officer

This alarmed the British authorities very much and the British resident at Delhi sent his force against Pratap Singh , the prince thinking that he would not be able to give a fight to this force from the Jind fort, retired to a relatively stronger position at Balanwati , a fort in the wild country about Bhatinda. The British attacked him with full force and after a fierce fighting for some time Pratap Singh had to leave this fort and take his position in the country on the other bank of the Satluj after crossing it at Makhowal . Here he was joined by Phula Singh Akali.
Pratap Singh remained with Phula Singh at Nanpur Mokhowal for two months and persuaded the latter to assist him actively at Balanwali. When the British came to know that Phula Singh had crossed the Satluj, they directed Nabha and Malerkotla rulers to attack him. Balanwali was then invaded by Patiala troops and was almost prepared to surrender when its defenders heard the approach of Phula Singh. They at once broke the negotiations while Pratap Singh went in advance and with a few men threw himself into the fort. The Patiala troops marched to intercept Phula Singh who was unable to relieve the fort and retired towards the Satluj. The British directed Nabha and Kaithal chiefs to help Patiala troops. Balanwali Surrendered and Pratap Singh was taken a prisoner and was placed under merely a nominal restraint. Pratap Singh later fled to Lahore. Maharaja Ranjit Singh refused to give a shelter to Pratap Singh and gave him up to the British who placed him in confinement at Delhi where he died in 1816.
The administration of Jind was entrusted to prince Fateh Singh. Though Raja Bhag Singh did not like the arrangement, yet he did not oppose it. In fact, he had neither the will nor the means to do it. Bhag Singh died in 1819, and Fateh Singh succeeded him. He ruled for a short time only and died three years later (1822). Now Sangat Singh, (11 years old) succeeded him.

Raja Sangat Singh (1822 -1834)

He hated the authority of the British which the latter noted with grave concern. But, before they could think of dealing with him he died a sudden death on November 2, 1834. Annoyed as the British Government was with the deceased Raja, they forfeited a number of his estates in Ludhiana, Mudki, etc. (about 150 villages) and in the trans-Satluj region (Halwara, Talwandi, etc.). The latter estates were given to Ranjit Singh.
Since the deceased Raja left no male heir behind him, Sarup Singh, his cousin succeeded him. He was very friendly and loyal to British, but not to his people, especially of Balanwali. They did not relish the change and organised themselves to oppose him. Gulab Singh Gill, formerly a Risaldar in Jind army and Dal Singh, brother-in-law of Prince Pratap Singh, were their leaders. The rebels got a good deal of inspiration from Mai Sul Rai, the widow of Prince Pratap Singh. A British force was dispatched against the rebels in early 1835. By March the ranks of the rebels had swelled a good deal. The people of the neighboring villages like Bhai Chakian, etc. and the Akalis of Gurusar, a place of pilgrimage had joined hands with them. The villagers fought well, but being inferior to their enemy in military knowledge, strategy and tactics, arms and ammunitions, they lost the day. Their casualties in the action were quite heavy, Gulab Singh being one of them. Dal Singh and Mai Rai were apprehended and put behind the bars, along with their supporters. And thus ended a popular revolt after much bloodshed and cruelty on the part of the British government.
Raja Sarup Singh gave great help to the British government for his selfish motives. In 1857, immediately on learning of the outbreak, he conducted his troops to Karnal by forced marches and undertook the defence of the city and cantonment. He then sent a detachment of his troops to north of Delhi, thus enabling the Meerut force to cross the Yamuna and join Sir H. Barnard's column. The Jind forces marched in advance of the British army recovering Samalkha and Rai, securing the road and collecting supplies for the army. They were complimented on the field by the Commander-in-Chief, who sent one of the captured guns to the Raja as a present. In the assault of Delhi also the Jind troops took a prominent part. Resultingly Dadri and Kularan were made over to the Raja, privileges of full sovereignty were granted to him and his successors in perpetuity and honorary titles were conferred on him
Raja Sarup Singh died in 1864. He was succeeded by his son Raghbir Singh. Immediately after his installation, Raghbir Singh was faced with a serious revolt of the peasantry in the newly acquired territory of Dadri. In May 1874, the poor exploited peasants of about 50 villages in this tract led by their local Chaudharis and Hakim and Kasim Ali rose en- masse captured police station arrested Thanedar and proclaimed the end of the Raja's rule. This was a big challenge to Raja who immediately marched in person at the head of a big army. His first attack was on Charkhi (14 May), where 1500-2000 persons of the rebellious villages had collected and entrenched themselves. They resisted the Raja to the last but ultimately they were defeated and their village was burnt. Next, Mankawas was attacked, captured and destroyed. However the two defeats did not dishearten the brave villagers who gave a tough battle to the Raja at Jhauju (16 May). But here also they shared the same fate and defeat quelled the rebellion once for all. The Raja punished the leaders but permitted the Zamindar to return and rebuild their ruined villages.
The Raja also took side of the British Government on the occasion of the Kuka outbreak in 1872. Again when the second Afghan war broke out six years later he gave help to the British with man, money, and material. The British government conferred the title of Raja-i-Rajgan on Raghbir Singh.

Raja i-Rajgan Raghbir Singh

Raghbir Singh died in 1887.

Raja-i-Rajgan Raghbir Singh (1832-1887)

His only son Balbir singh had died during his own lifetime and therefore his grandson, Ranbir Singh, Then only 8 years of age, succeeded him. During the period of his minority, a council of regency administered the state, during this regime the state troops took part in the Tirah campaign of 1897. He was interested in full ruling powers in November 1899.

Maharaja Ranbir Singh

During the first world war, Jind maintained its loyal tradition by placing all the resources of his state at the disposal of the government .The Jind Imperial Service Regiment was on active service for about three and half years in East Africa; States war gift amounted to over 24 lacs ; while the total loan raised in the state amounted to eleven and half lacs.The British Government thanked the Maharaja very heartily after the war .

PRAJA MANDAL MOVEMENT :
The Raja as indicated above was very loyal to the British but indifferent toward the prosperity of his subjects. Instead of looking after their welfare, he effected their economic exploitation. The poor and ignorant masses groaned under the exploitation by the Raja.
In the first quarter of the present century when winds of political awakening and enlightenment reached even the remotest corners of the country , the people of Jind were also affected . They became conscious of their pitiable conditions and began to ponder over has to how to get over these difficulties . The formation of all India state pepole's conference in 1927 at the Punjab state Riyasti Paraja Mandal the following years showed them the way . They too , established the Jind state Parja Mandal however in the condition which were then in vogue , No open memberhip drive of the Mandal was possible . Members were recruited secretly . Parja Mandal would appear to have been established at Narwana . and other places in sport of National movement The Sikh peasants joined the Paraja Mandal Movement and they launched the stir against the Raja . The agitators as they were called then led their main attack on the enhanced revenue rates., corruption and high- handedness of the Chief Minister of the State Raja Ranbir Singh took a stiff attitude and the stir does not seem to have achieved any big success but this did not dishearten the people.

Maharaja Ranbir Singh

In the late Thirties the Parja Mandal Movement sepread to almost all parts of the state, the branches of Parja Mandal were opened at Sangrur, Dadri, Jind and at several big villages in the region.
The Praja Mandalist waged a long stubborn struggle for the reduction of taxes, abolition of begar and popular representation in the Government. Their efforts bore fruits, through belated and the Raja accepted their demand for an elected assembly and formed a representative government on 18th January, 1947 with five ministers; two Praja Mandalists, two Akalies, and one Muslim. The Raja had power to veto any decision of his cabinet.
This arrangement did not satisfy the people especially in the Dadri region, where they rose in revolt in February, 1947. They courted arrests in large number and formed a parallel government of their own. This compelled the Jind authorities to invite the president of the All India State Peoples Conference for negotiations. On his advice the people withdrew the movement. The state authorities promised to look into their grievances and released all the Praja Mandalists who had been arrested.
When India got independence (August, 1947), a non-official poll was taken by the Jind State Praja Mandal in Jind and Dadri to ascertain the views of the people about their future whether they wanted to merge with Punjab or stood for a separate state. The majority of people voted for the former proposal . But the government merged the state with the newly- created state of Patiala and East Punjab State Union(PEPSU) on July 15, 1948
With the formation of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) in 1948, the state was grouped into eight districts namely, Patiala, Barnala, Bhatinda, Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Mahendragarh and Kohistan(Kandaghat). In 1953, the number of districts was reduced to five, by merging Barnala with Sangrur and Kandaghat and Fatehgarh Sahib with Patiala. Thus the Sangrur district comprised five tahsils, namely, Barnala, Malerkotla, Sangrur, Narwana and Jind.

H.H.Farzand-i-Dilband Rasikh-ul-Daulat-i-Inglishia Raja-i-Rajagan Raja Ranbir Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Jind (1879-1948) with an unidentified English Gentleman. Photo taken 25th Sept. 1906 (photo courtesy The Lafayette studio-Russel Harris)

During the reorganization of the Punjab in 1966, the Sangrur district was bifurcated and Jind and Narwana tahsils were allocated to Haryana and were constituted into Jind district. The Jind tahsil was bifurcated into two tahsils of Jind and Safidon in 1967. In January 1973, 54 villages of Kaithal tahsil were transferred to Jind district, 43 going to Jind tahsil, 5 to Safidon tahsil and 6 to Narwana tahsil. One village namely, Barsola was transferred to Jind tahsil from Hansi tahsil of Hisar district in 1974.

Picture of the procession of His Highness the Maharaja Ragbir Singh Raja-I-Rajgan of Jeend accompanying Ahulkars on the occasion of Worship of Jwalamukhi on 3rd April 1878

Maharaja Ranbir Singh with his Romanian wife, Olive.

Raja Ranbir Singh