Kahn Singh Nabha (30 August 1861 – 24 November 1938) was a Punjabi Sikh scholar, writer, anthologist, lexicographer , and encyclopedist . His most influential work, Mahan Kosh , inspired generations of scholars after him. He also played a role in the Singh Sabha movement .
24-580: He was born into a Sikh family to Narain Singh and Har Kaur at the village of Sabaz Banera, located in what was then Patiala State . His father, Narain Singh succeeded to the charge of Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh at Nabha , after the death of his grandfather Sarup Singh in 1861. Kahn Singh was the eldest of three brothers (the other two being Meehan Singh and Bishan Singh) and one sister (Kahn Kaur). He did not attend any school or college for formal education, but studied several branches of learning on his own. By
48-572: A burden", denoting the head of a community or caste. It was a title awarded to persons of eminence, including both Muslims and Hindus, during the Mughal Empire . It was also used as a title by military commanders responsible for four separate forces, including the cavalry, navy, infantry and elephant corps. These people belonged to the zamindar families in British India . Later, the Mughals and
72-654: A community traditionally connected with toddy tapping . In Rajasthan , Haryana , Delhi , Uttar Pradesh , Chaudhary surname is mainly used by Jat community while some other caste also using it are Gurjars , Ahirs , etc. This surname is popular in North India and it conveys honour and strength. It is typically used as a prefix before the given name, often represented by the prefix 'Ch' such as Ch. Charan Singh , 5th prime minister of India and Ch. Devi Lal , 6th deputy prime minister of India. Deshastha Brahmins and Kammas from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who got this as
96-481: A lifelong friendship as well as scholarly collaboration between the two. When Max Arthur Macauliffe was researching his six volume work entitled "The Sikh Religion", Macauliffe depended a great deal on his advice and guidance in the work he was then doing on Sikh scriptures and the history of early Sikhism; such was his admiration for Kahn Singh that when it was published by the Clarendon Press Kahn Singh
120-546: A title during Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Nizams of Hyderabad also use Chowdhari or Chowdhury as their surnames. Its alternate spellings include: Chaudhary, Chaudri, Chaudhri , Choudhary, Chaudhry, Chowdary, Chowdhary, Chaudry, Choudary, Choudhry, Chaudhuri, Chaudhari, Chudhry, Choudhari, Choudhury, Chowdhuri and Chowdury. The female equivalent is Chaudhurani and alternate spellings include: Choudhurani, Chowdhurani, Chowdhrani, Choudhrani, Chaudhrani. Chaudhari ( Hindi : चौधरी , Punjabi : ਚੌਧਰੀ , Marathi : चौधरी )
144-587: Is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent . It is an adaption from Sanskrit . During the Mughal rule , it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule , the term was associated with zamindars and social leaders. The common female equivalent was Chowdhurani. "Chowdhury" is a term adapted from the Sanskrit words čatus "four-way, all-round" and dhurīya "undertaking
168-734: Is also a common last name among the Tharu community of Nepal. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts , the titular Rajas of the Bohmong Circle and Mong Circle have the surname Chowdhury. The Bengali Muslim Mirashdars living in the former Kachari Kingdom were given titles by the Kachari Raja, which in modern-day acts as a surname for them. In Bihar, the Pasi are also known as the Chaudhary ,
192-459: Is seen as bestowing a special accord onto the family. In 1702, Rama and Tiloka underwent the pahul ceremony at Damdama Sahib , with their Khalsa baptism being conducted by Guru Gobind Singh himself. Thus-after, the family started appending the Singh title to their name. Out of the six sons of Rama, two of them also appended their name with Singh (with one of these two being Ala Singh). Rama Chand
216-494: The Nawabs conferred the same title in great numbers. Chaudharies were local magnates responsible for land taxes alongside an amil (revenue collector) and a karkun (accountant) in the local-level administrative units known as parganas . In modern times, the term is a common South Asian surname for both males and females. In Odisha "Choudhury" surname holders are mostly Zamindar Karanas and Utkal Brahmins . Chaudhary
240-723: The accession of Patiala State into the independent Dominion of India . Members and descendants of the Patiala royal family maintained their princely titles until they were abolished in India in 1971 through the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India . Patiala State's historical territory is in the Indian states of Punjab , Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. 31°07′N 77°38′E / 31.117°N 77.633°E / 31.117; 77.633 Chaudhary Chowdhury (also: Choudhuri, Chaudhuri, Choudhury, Chaudhri, Chaudhary)
264-514: The 12th century. At some point, their ancestors moved from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to Phul in Punjab. Between 1526–1560, the ancestral family of the later Patiala rulers was headed by chaudhary Bariam. In 1560, custodianship over the family was then led by Mehraj, who was followed by Pukko. Pukko was followed by Mohan, who led the family until 1618. From 1618 onwards, the family was led by Kala. Kala
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#1732852465985288-586: The British Empire, whereby the state was given internal autonomy with certain restrictions, and the rulers of Patiala state recognised the British Empire as their suzerains . During the British Raj , the rulers of Patiala State were entitled to a 17- gun salute and held precedence over every other princely state in the Punjab Province . In 1947, Yadavindra Singh , the last Maharaja of Patiala, agreed to
312-681: The Punjab Province during the British Raj . The state was ruled by Jat Sikhs of the Sidhu gotra (clan). The state's name came from the name of its principal city and capital, Patiala , which itself comes from the roots patti and ala . The word patti means "strip of land" in Punjabi , and 'ala ' comes from the name of the founder of the city and Patiala state, Ala Singh , thus meaning ‘the land of Ala Singh’. The Patiala ruling family ultimately claimed origins from Bhatti Rajputs of Jaisalmer in
336-559: The age of 10 he was able to quote freely from the Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth . In Nabha , he studied Sanskrit classics with local pandits and studied under the famous musicologist Mahant Gajja Singh. In Delhi , he studied Persian with Mawlawis . In 1883, he continued his study of Persian for two years and assisted Gurmukh Singh, a leader in the Singh Sabha Movement , in publishing Sudhararak . In 1887, he
360-505: The hill states, extending Patiala State's territory to areas in what is now Himachal Pradesh , including Shimla and Chail . After the First Anglo-Sikh war , which took place between 1845 and 1846, the state expanded again when, in return for its support during the war, the British Empire confiscated land from Nabha State and rewarded it to Patiala State. After 1857 and during the rule of Narinder Singh , Patiala State's territory
384-555: The initial territories of the Patiala state. Also in 1763, Ala Singh constructed a mud-fortress around a mound, known as the Qila Mubarak (meaning "blessed fort"). Ala Singh established the rules for the right of succession based on primogeniture. Ala Singh's successor, Amar Singh, took-on the Raja-i-Rajagan Bahadur title in 1767. Patiala State became a British protectorate in 1809. Patiala State continued to expand during
408-515: The rule of Ala Singh's two successors, Raja-Rajgan Amar Singh and Maharaja Sahib Singh (the first ruler to hold the title of Maharaja); however, the next major expansion of Patiala State's territory occurred during and after 1814, under Karam Singh . For Karam Singh's support during the Anglo-Nepalese War , which took place between 1814 and 1816, the British Empire awarded him territory in
432-598: Was a kingdom and princely state in British India , and one of the Phulkian States , that acceded to the Union of India upon Indian independence and partition in 1947. The state was founded by Ala Singh in 1762. Patiala State was the largest and most important princely state in the Punjab Province . The state's ruler, the Maharaja of Patiala , was entitled to a 17- gun salute and held precedence over all other princes in
456-480: Was appointed the tutor to Ripudaman Singh , heir apparent to Nabha State . He continued to serve Nabha State in several capacities, from Deputy Commissioner in 1896, to Foreign Minister in 1911, to the personal secretary of Maharaja Hira Singh , to judge of the High Court in 1912. Between 1915-17, he served the neighbouring Patiala State . In 1885, he had a chance meeting with Max Arthur Macauliffe which led to
480-491: Was assigned the copyright of the work. His books Gurmat Prabhakar and Gurmat Sudhakar are the standard guide books for understanding Sikhism . His work, Mahan Kosh (known as the Sikh encyclopedia), is his magnum opus . He published magazine Khalsa Gazette and is also regarded as one of the founders of the weekly newspaper, Khalsa Akhbar . Works from the period 1882–1911 include: Patiala State Patiala State
504-528: Was expanded for the final time. Narinder Singh's services and the support to the British Empire resulted in Patiala State gaining sovereign rights in the Narunal division of Jhajjar , in modern Haryana , and he purchased the taluka of Khamanu. Narinder Singh was also granted administrative jurisdiction over Bhadaur and the annual revenue from the area. In 1809, Patiala State entered into an alliance with
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#1732852465985528-631: Was founded by Ala Singh as a chiefship slightly later in March 1762 after Ahmad Shah Abdali bestowed Ala Singh with the raja title, gifting him with a robe-of-honour, nagadas (war drums), and an embrace. In 1763, after the Battle of Sirhind , the Sikh Confederation partitioned the Sirhind area and gave the territory to Ala Singh. The areas in Sirhind, along with Ala Singh's other conquered territories, formed
552-451: Was succeeded as head of the family by Ala Singh in 1714. The locality of Patiala was founded by sardar Ala Singh in 1752. In 1761, the Afghans defeated the forces of Ala Singh at Barnala. Ala Singh was captured by the Afghans and taken to Ahmad Shah Abdali. The Afghans demanded a four lakh rupee ransom to secure Ala Singh's release. Ala Singh was a vassal of the Afghans. Patiala State
576-440: Was succeeded by Phul Sidhu-Brar. Phul headed the family until 1652, being succeeded by Rama Chand. In 1696, Guru Gobind Singh is believed to have blessed the family, having issued a hukamnama edict on 2 August 1696 addressed to Rama Chand and Tiloka Chand of the family urging them to visit the guru's court and bring with them men and horses. The Sikh guru also gifted Rama and Tiloka a battle-standard and eleven weapons, which
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