Raja Nihal Singh Of Kapurthala was succeeded by his eldest son, Randhir Singh, who was born in Mach 1831, and was then in his twenty-second year. He was an accomplished ruler. He sided with the British during the Mutiny of 1857. In Jalandhar his troops guarded the civil station, the treasury and the jail. Both in Jalandhar Doab and cis-Satluj he and his brother Bikarma Singh rendered important services to the British who acknowledging the same, remitted a full year’s tribute of Rs. 1,23,000 payable by the Raja and also reduced the annual sum by Rs. 25,000. He got the honorary title of “Farzand Dikhane” and Prince Bikrama Singh was honoured with the title of ‘Bahadur.’ In 1858, both the Raja and his brother rendered valuable service to the British government in Oudh. For his services the Raja was given two estates called Boundi and Bithouli in Oudh, which yielded government one lakh of rupees per annum on istimrari tenure, at half rate. Prince Bikrama Singh received an estate worth Rs. 45,000, a year, in the Baraich district.
After the annexation of the Punjab by the British the position of the Ahluwalia chief, although not strictly sovereign, had yet independent power, which had been confirmed to him by the English. The districts in the Jalandhar Doab, “will be maintained in the independent possession of the Sardar.” This was in perpetuity, and the government had no right to take away the police jurisdiction from the Raja.
On 17′ October, 1864, Randhir Singh was invested with the insignia of the most exalted order of the ‘Star of India’ at a Durbar held at Lahore which was attended by the rulers of Kashmir, Patiala, Jind, Faridkot and many others.
Randhir Singh bad for a long time been desirous of paying a visit to England. He left Kapurthala for Bombay on the 15 th of March, 1870. When the ship reached Aden he became seriously ill and died there on the 2 nd of April. His body was brought to Bombay and handed over to his son, Prince Kharak Singh, who took it to Nasik where the ceremony of cremation was performed.
Randhir Singh was a good scholar of English. He was interested in the promotion of education in the state.
By his first wife, who died in 1853, Randhir Singh had two sons, Kanwar Kharak Singh, born in August 1850, and Harnam Singh, born in November 1852. His only daughter, born in 1851, was married in 1863. His second wife bore him one son who died two months after his birth.
References :-
- bid., pp. 526-28; Muhammad Latif, op. tit., p. 320; Gian Singh, op. tit., p. 760.
- Ibid., p. 529; Muhammad Latif, op. tit., p. 320; Gian Singh, op. tit, p. 760.
- Lepel Griffin, op. tit, pp. 510-11.
- Ibid., p. 535; Gian Singh, op. tit., p. 763.
- Ibid., pp. 537-38; Gian Singh, op. tit, p. 764.
- Ibid., p. 504