PARTAP SINGH, KANVAR

PARTAP SINGH, KANVAR (1831-1843), born in 1831 to Prem Kaur, second wife of Maharaja Sher Singh, to whom he had been married in 1822, after the death of his first wife. He grew up to be a handsome boy, with extremely graceful manners. He had gained good command of Persian by the time he was seven years old. His precociousness was noticed by everyone who met him. He was a great favourite of the French officers at the Sikh court. His father doted on him and could not bear to be parted from him even for a short while. Several foreign visitors to the court have left written accounts of how they were impressed by his engaging manners and intelligence.

His marksmanship and knowledge of all sorts of contrivances for making bullets amazed everyone in the camp of Lord Auckland when the governor general visited Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1838. But the life of the promising young man was tragically cut short in his twelfth year. Both he and his father fell victims to intrigue. Maharaja Sher Singh was assassinated in the Shalamar Bagh by Ajit Singh Sandharivalia on 15 September 1843. The shots that killed Sher Singh were a signal for Lahina Singh Sandharivalia to pounce upon his son, Partap Singh, then being weighed in a garden near by against grain and silver to be given away in charity. Lahina Singh seized the young prince by the hair and cut him to pieces.

References :

1. Suri, Sohan Lal, Umdat -ut-Twankh. Lahore, 1885-89
2. Bhagat Singh, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Delhi, 1990
3. Harbans Singh, The Heritage of the Sikhs. Delhi, 1983
4. Chopra, Barkat Rai, Kingdom of the Punjab. Hoshiarpur, 1969