Sandhawalia

Sandhawalia
Jat Clan
Location	Amritsar, Pathankot [1]^[page needed][2]
Language	Punjabi
Religion	Sikhism
Surnames	Sandhawalia

Sandhawalia is a Jat clan of present-day India and Pakistan.^{[note 1][3]}

History

The members of one particular Sandhanwalia Jat Sikh family occupied important positions in the Sikh Confederacy. The progenitor of this family was Choudhary Chanda Singh, who settled at the Sandhu wala village in present-day Pakistan, and consequently, came to be known as Sandhanwalia. His sons migrated to Rajasansi.^[4] The names of some of the Sandhawalia brothers included Lehna Singh, Basawa Singh, Budh Singh, Attar Singh, and Jaimal Singh.^[5]

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of Punjab, has been described as "Jats" in records. This has led to the view that he belonged to the Jat.^[6] According to W. H. McLeod, however, it is more likely that he belonged to the Jat Clan got as the Sandhanwalias.^[7] Author Preminder Singh Sandhawalia believes that Ranjit Singh shared lineage with the Sandhawalias, although he did not share a direct line of descent with them.^{[8][9][need quotation to verify]}

After the assassination of Nau Nihal Singh, the Sandhawalia clan supported Chand Kaur to become the ruler.^[10] But, when Sher Singh forced Chand Kaur to abdicate the throne, Sandhawalias felt cheated and refused to accept his rule.^[11] Sandhawalias were banished from the Khalsa empire and fled to Calcutta in British India.^[12]

Sikh chieftain Ajit Singh Sandhawalia, who had served as Prime Minister first for Ranjit Singh then for Sher Singh's brother Kharak Singh and Karak Singh's son Nau Nihal, assassinated on 15 September 1843 Sher Singh, Maharaja of Sikh Empire, his son and heir apparent Pratap Singh and Sher Singh's wazir (prime minister) Dhian Singh. Sher Singh was killed as he was asked to inspect a new shotgun brought by Sandhawalia. Sandhawalia then pulled the trigger and later beheaded the wounded Sher Singh with his sword.^[13]

Notes

1. Multiple spelling varations of the clan name exists, such as 'Sindhanwalia', 'Sandhanwalia', 'Sandhavalia', and 'Sandhanvalia'.

References

1. Preminder Singh Sandhawalia (1999). Noblemen and Kinsmen History of a Sikh Family: History of a Sikh Family. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. ISBN 8121509149.
2. Chattopadhyaya, Kamaladevi (1978). Tribalism in India by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya. p. 160. ISBN 9780706906523. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
3. "Braving the ravages of time". The Tribun. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
4. Hari Ram Gupta (2001). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh commonwealth or Rise and fall of Sikh misls. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. ISBN 978-81-215-0165-1.
5. Sharma, Harish C. “Political Change and Social Readjustment Case of the Sandhawalia Family.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 49, 1988, pp. 484–87. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44148434. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.
6. Marenco, Ethne K. (1976). The Transformation of Sikh Society (Heritage Publisher). Indiana University. p. 61. OCLC 609454054. OL 26561376M. Archived from the original on 2019-08-03. and members of the Sindhanwalia family, a Jat Sikh family to which Ranjit Singh himself belonged
7. W. H. McLeod (2009). The A to Z of Sikhism. Scarecrow. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-8108-6344-6. Ranjit Singh was a Sansi and this identity has led some to claim that his caste affiliation was with the low-caste Sansi tribe of the same name. A much more likely theory is that he belonged to the Jat got that used the same name. The Sandhanvalias belonged to the same got.
8. "We, the Sandhawalias". The Tribute. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
9. Preminder Singh Sandhawalia (1999). Noblemen and Kinsmen History of a Sikh Family: History of a Sikh Family. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 81-215-0914-9.
10. Khalid, Haroon (2016-05-13). "In Lahore, overflowing garbage marks the spot where the final blow was dealt to the Sikh Empire". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
11. Singh, Gavin (2020-12-21). The Butcher of Sobraon: A Fake War and the Genocide of Khalsa. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-6641-1385-5.
12. Singh, Khushwant. The Fall of the Kingdom of the Punjab (PDF). Penguin.
13. Khalid, Haroon (2016-05-13). "In Lahore, overflowing garbage marks the spot where the final blow was dealt to the Sikh Empire". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2024-06-14.