DESAN, MAI

DESAN, MAI (d. 1778), daughter of Amir Singh of Gujrariwala, was married to Charhat Singh Sukkarchakkia in 1756. When her husband died in 1770, their eldest son, Mahan Singh, was barely ten years old. Mai Desan took the control of the Sukkarchakkia misi or chiefship into her own hands, and showed uncommon sagacity and courage in administering its affairs. She had the advantage of the advice other brothers, Gurbakhsh Singh and Dal Singh, and of the support of Jai Singh of the Kanhaiya misi.

One of the first tasks she undertook was the rebuilding of the fort at Gujrariwala which had been destroyed by Ahmad Shah Durrani. She renamed the new fort Mahan Singh ki Garhi. She brought further strength to the misi by securing influential matrimonial alliances for her children. She married off her daughter, Raj Kaur, to Sahib Singh, of the Bharigi mis, and her son, Mahan Singh, to the daughter of the Raja of Jind. She died in 1778.

References :

1. Griffin, Lepel, Ranjit Singh, Oxford, 1905
2. Harbans Singh, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Delhi, 1980
3. Sital, Sohan Singh, Sikh Mislan. Ludhiana, 1952