Jodhbir Chand
| Jodhbir Chand | |
|---|---|
| Raja | |
| Raja of Nadaun | |
| Predecessor | Position established |
| Successor | Amar Chand |
| Born | c. 1815 |
| Died | c. 1873 |
| Dynasty | Katoch |
| Father | Sansar Chand |
| Mother | Gulab Dassi |
Sir Jodhbir Chand KCSI (1815 – 1873) was the Raja of Nadaun from 1823 until his death in 1873.
Early life and background
He was born in 1815 to Sansar Chand and a concubine of his by the name of Gulab Dassi.[1][2] He was a member of the Katoch dynasty.[3] His ancestors had ruled the Kangra for centuries.[3] He gave two of his sisters, Mehtab and Raj, in marriage to Ranjit Singh, the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.[3][4]
Reign
Ranjit Singh conferred on him the title of Raja and a jagir of Nadaun that yielded an annual revenue of Rs. 100,000 in 1823.[3][5] He initially acquired great influence at Lahore, being a personal favourite of Ranjit Singh.[3] However, over the years, their friendship lessened.[3] He was gradually stripped of the jagir lands until his income dropped to just Rs. 30,000.[3] From 9 March 1846 onward—when Kangra was ceded to the East India Company by his brother-in-law, Ranjit Singh—he pledged loyalty to the Company.[6] During the Katoch insurrection in Kangra (1848–49), he sided with the British.[6][7] As a reward, the British confirmed his jagir upon the annexation of Kangra.[8] During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he once again supported them and sent his second son to fight on their side.[6][7] His son was awarded the Order of Merit for his services.[6]
Death
He died in 1873 and was succeeded by Amar Chand as the Raja of Nadaun.[9][10] Upon his death, the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Robert Henry Davies, paid tribute to him in the following words:[11]
... whose upright and honourable character had secured the respect and esteem of all , while he had discharged the duties of his position to the entire satisfaction of Government.
Honours
In 1868, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India and was granted a salute of seven guns.[8]
References
- ^ Archer, William George (1973). Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills: Text. Sotheby Parke Bernet. pp. 59, 256. ISBN 978-0-85667-002-2.
- ^ The Illustrated Weekly of India. Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1962. p. 25.
- ^ a b c d e f g Massy, Charles Francis (1890). Chiefs and Families of Note in the Delhi, Jalandhar, Peshawar and Derajat Divisions of the Panjab. Printed at the Pioneer Press. pp. 373–375.
- ^ Griffin, Lepel Henry (1865). The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Territories Under the Panjab Government. T.C. McCarthy. p. 3.
- ^ Brentnall, Mark (2004). The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire: Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing. pp. 325–326. ISBN 978-81-7387-163-4.
- ^ a b c d Great Britain. India Office; Kaye, John William; Taylor, Meadows; Watson, J. Forbes (John Forbes) (1868). The people of India : a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan. Robarts - University of Toronto. London : India museum.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ a b Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series. Superintendent of Government Printing. 1908. p. 382.
- ^ a b Haryana District Gazetteers: Imperial gazetteer of India (provincial series), Punjab, 1908 (v. 1). Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department, Haryana. 1997. p. 382.
- ^ Lethbridge, Sir Roper (1893). The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire. Macmillan. pp. 24, 168, 420.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Kangra District, 1883-84. Sang-e-Publications. 2001. p. 138. ISBN 978-969-35-1116-1.
- ^ Chopra, Gulshan Lall (1940). Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. Government Printing. p. 87.