Kathgarh

Information

Dynasty

Mahal

Jagir

Kathgarh

Hindi Name

काढगढ़

Time Period

1760 – 1947

History

Jhanda Singh of Sultan Wind, Amritsar, like many other Manjha Jats of his time, took advantage of the break-up of the Mughal power to secure an estate for himself in semi-independence. Having seized certain villages in Sialkot which he made over to his younger brother, he turned east-wards to the rich country between the Satlaj and Bias. This was in 1759. He acquired sixteen villages in Ilakas Basi , Kalan and Singriwala, Tahsil Hushiarpur, forty villages in Katgarh, and seventeen in Ilaka Jamiatgarh, Tahsil Garh-shankar, yielding an annual revenue of about one lakh. He died in 1797 and was succeeded in his Hushiarpur estates by his son Tara Singh, who built five small forts, still in existence, for the protection of the patrimony. But he had to admit the supremacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh; his acknowledgment taking the usual form of a supply of horse-men, fixed according to the extent of his holdings. He was succeeded in 1831 by his only surviving son Khushal Singh, who became a favourite of the Maharaja, accompanying him on many of his expeditions. He was connected by marriage with Sardar Lahna Singh Majithia, Amritsar. When the turn of the British came, he was given a jagir of eighteen villages, yielding Rs. 10,371, in Hushiarpur, while holding that of Sultan Wind in the Amritsar district, valued at Rs. 2,031. He died early in 1854, and one of his sons Indar Singh followed him with in six months, leaving the present incumbent, Sardar Rajindar Singh, then seven years old, as the sole surviving member of the family. He was placed under charge of the Deputy Commissioner of Hushiarpur, and received a good education at the District School. The family jagir, reduced to Rs. 3,000 per annum, was spread over four villages in Tahsil Hushiarpur, seven in Tahsil Garh shankar and one (Sultan Wind) in Amritsar. His proprietary holdings aggregate one thousand six hundred ghumaos of land in the Tahsils mentioned. He lives at Katgarh, Garhshankar and Hushiarpur; is Circle Zaildar, Honorary Magistrate, Sub-Registrar and Civil Judge within the limits of the Balachaur Police Thana. He is President of the Local Garhshankar Board and member of the Hushiarpur District Board. He has also recently been appointed a member of the Committee of the Aitchison College, Lahore. The title of Sardar Bahadar was conferred upon him in January 1888. He is a Viceregal Darbari. The Sardar is connected by marriage with the houses of Sardar Nahar Singh of Ahmad Kalan, Amritsar; Sardar Shib Deo Singh of Ladhran, Ludhiana ; and Sardar Lahna Singh (uncle of Sardar Gurdayal Singh, District Judge) of Harpargarh, Nabha, and Chief of Manimajra, Ambala. Sardar Rajindar Singh is described as a man of great personal worth, a fine sportsman, and a good rider, having great influence in his own part of the country.He is one of the few members of the old Sikh aristocracy who have accommodated themselves to the changed spirit of the times. He has, for instance, taken a prominent part in the movement for the reduction of marriage expenditure amongst the Jats. Mention may here be made of the elder branch of the family, descended from Jhanda Singh’s son Sham Singh, who succeeded to the Amritsar, Sialkot and Jamu properties, said to have yielded over a lakh of rupees income. Harsa Singh, son of Sham Singh, was a distinguished soldier in the Khalsa army, and commanded one of the regiments of the French brigade. He had the rank of General under Maharaja Sher Singh. In 1849 he espoused the national cause and fought on the wrong side at Multan, thus forfeiting a jagir of twenty-five thousand rupees. In 1857 he took service in the Bengal Lancers as a Rasaldar and proved himself agallant soldier. He retired in 1860 with the rank of Sardar, and a pension of Rs. 600 per annum. One-half of this has been continued to his son Gulab Singh, at the head of the family since Sardar Harsa Singh’s death in 1887. The Sardar was a Viceregal Darbari of the Amritsar district, and resided at Sultan Wind. Gulab Singh is Chief Lambardar of the village. He is a man of good presence, high intelligene, and possesses considerable local influence. His brother Jaswant Singh is a Rasaldar in the rith Bengal Lancers, and for his services in connection with the Afghan Boundary Commission received the Order of Merit Jaswant Singh’s son Narain Singh is serving as a Dafadar in his father’s Regiment. The family owns about two hundred and fifty acres of land.

Genealogy

  • Sardar Jhanda Singh, Founder Of Kathgarh, was originally from Amritsar, was the founder of the Kathgarh Estate in 1750s, also he captured several villages from Mughals in Sialkot, which he later transferred over to his younger brother, then he ventured towards east and acquired 16 villages in Bassi Kalan and Singriwala, Hoshiarpur ,40 Villages in Kathgarh and 17 Villages in Jamitgarh , Garhshankar Tehsil, total revenue was over 1 lakh rupees, was married had issues with four sons, he was died in 1797 -
    • Sham Singh, was married had issue with one son –
      • Harsha Singh (d.1887), was married had issues with two sons –
        • Gulab Singh (b.1846 - d.1897), was married had issue’s with two sons –
          • Dayal Singh (b.1864 - d.1922), was married had issues with four sons –
            • Balwant Singh (b.1883), was married had issue’s with two sons –
              • Amrik Singh (b.1912), was married had issue with one son –
                • Sukhraj Bahadur Singh (b.1935)
              • Harbhajan Singh (b.1918)
            • Amar Singh (b.1886)
            • Harbans Singh (b.1889)
            • Bakshish Singh (b.1886)
          • Mewa Singh (b.1878-d.1916), was married had issues with two sons –
            • Ranjit Singh
            • Karam Singh , was married had issue with one son –
              • Mohinderpal Singh, b 1933, was married had issues with four sons –
                • Gurbaksh Singh , was married had issues with one son and one daughter –
                  • Major Manmohan Singh
                  • Bibiji Ajamer Kaur Sahiba
                • Harbaksh Singh, was married had issue’s with four sons and daughter -
                  • Ajit Singh Mahal
                  • Sukhjit Singh
                  • Jagjit Singh Mahal
                  • Harjit Singh
                  • Bibiji Apjit Kaur Sahiba
                • Jaswant Singh b.1919, was married had issue’s with one son and daughter
                  • Anmol Rattan Singh (d.2010), was married had issues with one son and daughter –
                    • Bibiji Sukhmani
                    • Angad Singh
                  • Bibiji Dr. Inderjeet Kaur Sahiba
        • Jaswant Singh
    • Tara Singh
    • Asa Singh
    • Fateh Singh
  • Sardar Tara Singh, Jagirdar Of Kathgarh , was built five fort’s for the protection of his patrimony, with the fort of Kathgarh as it’s Headquarters.He had to submit to the rising supremacy of Bhatti Jat ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh Of Lahore, was married had issue’s with two sons , He was died in 1831.
    • Pratap Singh (d.1828)
    • Khushal Singh (d.1854)
  • Sardar Khushal Singh, (d.1854), Jagirdar Of Kathgarh, in 1831 he comes under the Lahore Durbar, Was married to the daughter of SardarLehna Singh Majithia and was married had issues with two sons , was died in 1854 -
    • Rajendra Singh (b.1847-d.1891)
    • Indar Singh, (d.1860)
  • Sardar Bahadur Sardar Rajendra Singh, Jagirdar Of Kathgarh – was born in 1847,his scattered Jagirs in the tehsils of Hoshiarpur, Harishankar and Sultanwind, in Amritsar, were drastically reduced in revenue, yielding a mere Rs.3000 per annum.He later become and Honorary Magistrate, Sub Registrar and Civil Judge, with in limits of the Balachaur Police Station, President of the Garhshankar Local Board and Member of the Hoshiarpur District Board, The Title Of “Sardar Bahadur” was conferred upon him in 1888.he held a seat in the Provisional Durbars, was married had issues with three sons –
    • Bakhtawar Singh
    • Mahendra Singh (b.1888), was married had issues with four sons –
      • Iqbal Singh (b.1911), was married had issues with two sons and three daughters-
        • Gurpreet Singh
        • Bibiji Gurdeep Kaur
        • Daljeet Singh
        • Bibiji Jaspal Kaur
        • Bibiji Jagjit Kaur
      • Sukhpal Singh (b.1920)
      • Colonel Harpal Singh (b.1922), was married had issues with three daughters and one son –
        • Bibiji Kiran Kaur
        • Bibiji Simrat Kaur
        • Bibiji Raman Kaur
        • Ajaypal Singh
      • Rajpal Singh (b.1924), was married had issue’s with four sons –
        • Jasinderpal Singh (b.1949)
        • Rupinderpal Singh (b.1951), was married had issues with two childrens –
          • Hargun
          • Captain Himmat Singh Mahal
        • Harinder pal Singh (b.1954)
        • Nirmaljit Singh (b.1960)
    • Gajendra Singh (b.1892 - d.1928), was married had issues with two sons –
      • Tejpal Singh , was married had issues with two sons –
        • Yadvinder Singh
        • Harvinder Singh , was married had issue with one son –
          • Sandeep Singh
      • Rampal Singh
  • Sardar Bakhtawar Singh, (b.1886), Jagirdar Of Kathgarh- he become an Honorary Magistrate and Zaildar and was also elected member of the Punjab Legislative Council in 1920, for the next 6 years.He become a member of the Hoshiarpur District Board, and was a Divisional Durbari, while being awarded eight squares of land in the Nili Bar Colony in 1930 , was married to the daughter of Sardar Tek Singh Doggal Of Patiala – had issues four sons –
    • Gurbaksh Singh
  • Sardar Sukhpal Singh, (b.1920), Jagirdar Of Kathgarh–he become IPS Officer and served for 38 years in the Police Force.He was also actively involved in the anti-naxalitesoperations in Punjab, was later awarded a Police Medal for his outstanding services. He was married to Sardarni Sukhbans Kaur Of Wichhoa, had issues with three sons and two daughters –
    • Gurparampal Singh (b.1943)
    • Babuji Amol Inder Kaur , born 1945, was married to Sardar Kuldip Singh Sidhu, who was Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department in Punjab,Now settled in the USA.
    • Jaspal Singh (b.1947 - d.1971)
    • Surinderpal Singh (b 1949 - d.1969)
    • Bibiji Simran Kaur, (b.1952) was married to Brigadier Sardar Charanjiv Singh Harika.
  • Sardar Gurparampal Singh (b.1943), Jagirdar Of Kathgarh–was born in Amritsar, was studied up to metric level, from Sukha Singh Khalsa Senior School and SSS Modern High School, Amritsar.He was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in 1964.and was posted as a Pilot in the helicopter division.where he served for the next 21 year’s and retired in 1987. he took premature retirement from the Air Force, to join commercial flying as a Pilot for the oil industry based in Mumbai, for next 10 year’s and retied 1996, He lives at Kathgarh Fort, In 1964 he married to Rubina Singh from Darjeeling and had issues with one son and three daughters –
    • Lieutenant General Surinder Singh Mahal (b.1962), AVSM VSM is a serving general officer in the Indian Army, and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) since April 2022.
    • Bibiji Sabrina Kaur (b.1964)
    • Bibiji Ramnique Kaur (b.1972)
    • Bibiji Amrita Kaur (b.1980)

Personalities

Lieutenant General Sardar Surinder Singh Mahal AVSM VSM Of Kathgarh

Lieutenant General Sardar Surinder Singh Mahal AVSM VSM Of Kathgarh, Was born into a Mahal Jat family , he was the direct descendant of Sardar Jhanda Singh , who was the founder of Kathgarh Estate…

Sardar Bahadur Rajendra Singh Of Kathgarh

Sardar Bahadur Rajendra Singh Of Kathgarh was born in1847 into a Mahal Jat family, was the eldest son of Khushal Singh. He became the sole surviving member of the family, aged just seven years. The…

Khushal Singh Of Kathgarh

Khushal Singh Of Kathgarh was son of Sardar Tara Singh and grandson of Jhanda Singh , who was founder of  Kathgarh Estate Khushal Singh became a favourite of the Maharaja, and accompanied him on many…

Jhanda Singh Of Kathgarh

Jhanda Singh of Sultan Wind, Amritsar,also know as Jhanda Singh Of Kathgarh was born into Mahal Jat family , like many other Manjha Jats of his time, took advantage of the break-up of the Mughal…

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