PREDECESSORS AND SHORT
HISTORY: The Majithia Sardars are a set of
three related families from the area of Majitha, a town 26
kilometres north of the Punjab city of Amritsar. The town
was founded by one Madho, a Jat of the Gill clan. He was
'jetha' (the eldest son) of his father and hence the place
was 'Madho-Jetha', which became in time, Majitha. They
rose to prominence in the early 19th century by throwing
in their lot with the rising star of the Sikh misls, viz.
that of Ranjit Singh, during the late 18th century. As
Ranjit Singh established the Sikh Empire around the turn
of the 19th century, the Majithia sirdars gained
prominence and became very influential in the Maharaja's
army. Ten different Majithia generals can be counted
amongst the Sikh army during the period of 1800 to 1849,
and they became one of the three most powerful families in
Punjab under the Maharaja. Members were ....
Sardar Dayal Singh and Sardar Mahtab Singh were fifth
cousins, but Sardar Umrao Singh is very remote, with a
common ancestor 16 generations back. First in rank and
influence was the family of Sardar Gajendra Singh (see
below).
MAJITHIA OF JADAH
- Manna Singh [Mahna Singh], Jagirdar of Jadah -/1802;
he served under Sardar Charhat Singh Sukerchukia, and
his son, Sardar Mahan Singh Sukerchukia, and received
jagirs for his loyal services; he was granted the
jagir of Jadah, which was resumed on his death;
married and had issue. He was killed in a battle to
take Chiniot Fort in 1802.
- Dasaunda Singh, died 1806.
- Jajji Singh
- Sardar Amar Singh (qv)
- Sardar Amar Singh
Khurd,
Jagirdar of Jadah 1819/1848 and Jagirdar of Talanwala
and Sheikhupura and Majrah 1818/1848; he entered army
service in the Dera Khas. a regiment of irregular
cavalry composed of the sons of the Sikh nobility, he
was granted the villages of Talanwala and Sheikhupura
in jagir by Maharaja Ranjit Singh; he received the
Ilaqa of Majrah in recognition of his bravery at the
siege of Multan in 1818, and after the Kashmir
campaign in 1819, he was granted his fathers old
estate of Jadah; in 1834, he accompanied the army
under Prince Nau Nihal Singh and General Hari Singh
Nalwa to Peshawar, when the province was formally
annexed to the Sikh kingdom; he fought with
distinction at the battle of Jamrud on 30th April
1837; in 1847, he left the Punjab on a pilgrimage to
Hardwar where he died a year later, married and had
issue. He died 1848 at Hardwar.
- General Sardar Mahtab Singh (qv)
- General Sardar Gurdit Singh, he entered military
service under Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1834, and
rose to command three infantry battalions and a wing
of light artillery, he was in command of the Lahore
troops at Peshawar in September 1845; married the
daughter of Nanak Chand, and niece of Diwan Sawan
Mall, the governor of Multan. He died sp in
1853 at Majitha.
- Colonel Mith Singh, he served as Colonel in the
Sikh army from 1844; married and had issue. He died
1857.
- Bachattar Singh, Jamadar, he died of cholera in
1858 at Cawnpore.
- Sardar Bijja Singh (qv)
- Sardar Bishan Singh, born 1856, a Risaldar in
the 16th Bengal Cavalry; married 1stly, Bibiji (name unknown)
Kaur, a daughter of Risaldar Lehna Singh of Mogalchak, married
2ndly, Bibiji (name
unknown) Kaur, a sister of Col. Jiwan
Singh of Shahzadpur
(relative of the Patiala and Dholpur rulers), and
had issue, an only son.
- General Kahan Singh, born 1826, he succeeded his
father in command of the regiment; Honorary
Magistrate; married and had issue, two sons. He died
1888.
- Pritam Singh, educated at Aitchison College,
Lahore; he rose to the rank of Subedar, and served
in WWI; married and had issue. He was killed in
action in 1914.
- Arjan Singh
- Niranjan Singh, he obtained the King's
Commission in 1925, and served as Captain in the
10th Battalion of the 19th Hyderabad Regiment;
- Pargart Singh, educated at Aitchison College,
Lahore; member of the Town Committee of Majitha.
- General Sardar Hardit Singh, born 1836, married
and had issue. He died 1882.
- Partap Singh, born 1855, a jagirdar and brick
contractor at Amritsar.
- Bhup Singh, born 1858, he was given a direct
commission in the 22nd Punjabis, but resigned
after two years and became an adjutant in the
Jammu forces for seven years.
- Kirpal Singh, served in the Indian Army with
the rank of Jamadar.
- General Sardar
Mahtab Singh, Jagirdar of Jadah 1848/1865,
born 1811, appointed subedar while still a young boy
and later then to the rank of Colonel in 1831, and was
placed in charge of two regiments at Amritsar; he
accompanied his father in a campaign to Peshawar in
1834 where he served with distinction; he took part in
the Afridi expedition in 1839; he was promoted to the
rank of General in 1841 by Maharaja Sher Singh; he
served in the Sutlej campaign in 1846, and was
appointed a Sardar soon afterwards; appointed an
Honorary Magistrate at Amritsar in 1862, on the
annexation of the Punjab, all his personal jagirs were
released for two lives, and in 1862, one half of this
jagir was continued to his lineal descendants in
perpetuity; married 1stly, a daughter of Bhag Singh of
Kila Chunda, married 2ndly, a daughter of Oghar Singh
Lohianwala, married 3rdly, Bibiji (name unknown)
Kaur, a daughter of Sardar Gulab Singh Gujratia (see Bhangi), and had issue,
an only daughter. He died 1865 at Majitha.
- Bibiji (name
unknown) Kaur, married Sardar Bakhshish
Singh Sandhanwallia.
She died sp
in 1889.
- Sardar Bijja Singh,
Head of Family 1865/1930, born 1844, he succeeded his
brother as Jamadar in the force; married about 1859, a
daughter of General Sardar Kahan Singh Mann. He died
1930.
- Sardar Harnam Singh, manager of the family
properties in Amritsar and Gujranwala.
- Sardar Balbir Singh,
Head of Family 1930/-, a sufedposh and assessor in
Gujranwala.
THE MAJITHIA FAMILY OF SARDAR NAUDH SINGH (extinct in
the Senior Branch)
- Sardar Naudh Singh, Jagirdar -/1788, a feudal
retainer under Amar Singh Bagga of the Kanhaiya misl,
married a daughter of Akal, a Mann Jat Zamindar of the
village Bhagga in Amritsar district, and had issue. He
died 1788.
- Sardar Desa Singh, Jagirdar 1788/1832, born 1768,
commander of 400 sowars in 1804, appointed
commandant of the Fort of Kangra after Ranjit Singh
had occupied it driving away the Gurkha general,
Amar Singh Thapa in 1809, made the nazim
(administrator) of Kangra and hill districts of
Chamba, Nurpur, Kotla, Shahpur, Jasrota, Basohli,
Mankot, Jasvan, Siba, Guler, Mandi, Suket, Kulru and
Datarpur in 1811, participated in the campaigns
launched to capture Multan in 1818, Kashmir in 1819
and Naushera in 1823, he served as the nazim of
Amritsar and its adjoining territories, with
management of the Golden Temple as his special
charge, married 1stly, married 2ndly, a Kangra lady,
and had issue, three sons. He died 1832.
- General Sardar Lehna Singh Hasam ud-Daula
(by Sardarni Katochni), Jagirdar 1832/1854, was
commander, civil and military administrator, and
one of the principal sardars of the Sikh court,
succeeded his father in 1832 as the nazim
(governor) of Kangra and the hill districts, with
the title of Qaisar ul-Iqtidar, holding
the appointment until early 1844; he commanded 2
battalions of infantry, a topkhana of 10 light and
field guns, and 1,500 horse, took part in the Dera
Isma'il Khan expedition in 1831, and held charge
of the management of Sri Harimandar Sahib,
Amritsar; in March 1844, he fell foul of the Jalla
regime and left the Punjab for Haridwar and
settled in Banaras, he was arrested and kept under
surveillance by the British he returned to the
Punjab in 1851, but after two years went back to
Banaras where he died; he was a man of
considerable ability, a skilful mechanist and an
original inventor, he much improved the Sikh
ordinance, and also invented a clock which showed
the hour, the day of the month and the phases of
the moon, as an administrator, his assessments
were moderate and his decisions were essentially
just; married (amongst others), 1stly, a daughter
of Sardar Gulab Singh Aimahwala,
she died sp
six months after the marriage, married 2ndly, and
had issue, an only son. He died 25th July 1854 in
Banaras.
- Sardar Dayal Singh Majithia, Jagirdar
1854/1898, born 1848 at Banaras, educated at the
Mission School at Amritsar and later privately
by English tutors, he served as a member of the
managing committee of the Darbar Sahib (Golden
Temple), Amritsar for nearly thirty years; he
accepted to be president of the standing
committee of the Indian National Congress; he
was founder of the Dyal Singh College and Dyal
Singh Library; he was the first president of the
Indian Asociation of Lahore continuing till his
death; he was Chairman, Board of Directors of
the Punjab National Bank. He died sp on
9th September 1898.
- Sardar Gujar Singh, in 1834, he was selected to
take charge of a mission to Calcutta to convey
presents to the King of England, in order to
ascertain British intentions with regard to
Shikarpur, he fell in love with an European lady
and wanted to marry her, but only ended up taking
back home, English airs and graces as well as a
love for champagne, which killed him two years
later, when he walked over the parapet of his home
in Amritsar whilst under its influence and was
killed instantly (#1).
- General Sardar Ranjodh Singh (by Sardarni
Katochni), a military commander and jagirdar of
the Sikh Darbar, governor of Hazara and the
commander of Darbar troops in 1844, commanded a
division of the Khalsa army with 70 guns, took
part in the battle of 'Alival on 28th January
1846, made a member of the Council of Regency,
arrested in 1848 following interception of his
correspondence with Diwan Mal Raj of Multan, but
was released after the war, his jagir was
confiscated and he was given a pension of 2,500Rs
per annum; he married and had issue. He died 1872.
- Sardar Gajindar Singh Majithia, he died sp and this
branch of the family became extinct.
- Bibiji (name
unknown) Kaur, married Sardar Panjab Singh
Randhawah of Khundah,
and had issue.
OTHER MEMBERS:
- Sardar Harbans Singh Majithia (aged 97 in 2005),
married and had issue, six sons, and his grandson
Jagjit Singh.
- Sardar Harjit Singh
- Sardar Hardial Singh
- Sardar Harmohinder Singh
- Sardar Harjinder Singh
- Sardar Hardavinder Singh
- Sardar Harpartap Singh
- Sardar Iqbal Singh Majithia, married Sardarni
Harbans Kaur, and had issue. (9-A, Ranjit
Avenue, Amritsar, Punja, India)
- Sardar Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha B.A., born 7th
October 1939 in Majitha, Distt. Amritsar (Punjab),
educated at Khalsa College, Amritsar (Punjab);
1963-83 Sarpanch, Village Hardo Putli, Distt.
Amritsar1967-77 Member, Panchayat Samiti, Ajnala,
Distt. AmritsarJuly 1998 Elected to Rajya SabhaAug.
1998-2000 Member, Committee on Papers Laid on the
Table2001-02 Member, Punjab Vidhan SabhaJuly 2004
Elected to Rajya SabhaAug. 2004 onwards Member,
Committee on Chemicals and FertilizersOct. 2004
onwards Member, Consultative Committee for the
Ministry of Home Affairs; President, Governing
Council, Khalsa College, Amritsar, 1996-2004;
Chairman, The Majitha Cooperative
Marketing-cum-Processing Society Limited, Majitha,
1991-2000; Chancellor, Governing Council, Khalsa
College, Amritsar till date; Managing Director,
Central Cooperative Bank Limited, Amritsar, 1968-70;
Managing Director, (i) Central Cooperative Bank,
Amritsar for six years; Director, (i) Cooperative
Sugar Mills, Batala for six years and (ii) Punjab
Agriculture Land Development Bank, Amritsar for
three terms; Member, (i) Governing Council, Khalsa
College, Amritsar since 1971 and (ii) Managing
Committee Chief Khalsa Dewan since 1992; married
15th December 1969, Sardarni Gurpreet Kaur, and has
issue, two sons and one daughter.
- Sardar Parkash Singh Majithia, he was one of the
most prominent of the Akali leaders of the 70's, 80's
and 90's, and was popularly known as 'Majhe da
jarnail'; he remained cabinet minister in many Akali
governments holding important portfolios like
Irrigation, Transport, Revenue and Rehabilitation; he
was also a five-term elected M.L.A.; he served as the
acting President of Akali Dal; being the senior most
Akali leader in the 1990s, he was unanimously
appointed the patron of Shiromani Akali Dal, an honour
he retained till his last breath. His grandsons Sardar
Jagteshwar Singh Majithia, Sardar Ajay Singh Majithia
and Sardar Gurteshwar Singh Majithia have also been
serving the people of Majitha and have carried the
legacy of the family forward; married and had issue.
- Sardar Simarjit Singh Majithia (Ex. chairman
PUNSEED punjab), and his nephew Sardar Rajmohinder
Singh Majithia (MP and MLA) are also well-known
Akali leaders.
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