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Bibi Sahib Kaur (1771-1801)
was a warrior and leader of men who
played a prominent part in the history
of the cis-Sutlej states from 1793 to
1801, was the elder sister of Raja Sahib
Singh of Patiala. Born in 1771, Sahib
Kaur was married at an early age to
Jaimal Singh of the Kanhaiya clan, who
resided at Fatehgarh and was master
of a greater part of the Bari Doab above
Dina Nagar in present-day Gurdaspur
district of the Punjab. In 1793, Raja
Sahib Singh, in view of mounting dissensions
within his state, recalled his sister
Bibi Sahib Kaur to Patiala and entrusted
to her the office of prime minister.
She had not been long in Patiala when
she had to return to Fatehgarh at the
head of a large Patiala army to rescue
her husband who had been captured by
Fateh Singh, a rival chief. Back in
Patiala she faced a large Maratha force
marching towards the town in 1794 under
the command of Anta Rao and Lachhman
Rao.
Raja Bhag Singh of Jind,Jodh Singh
of Kalsia and Bhanga Singh of Thanesar
joined hands n with her while Tara Singh
Ghaiba sent a detachment of troops.
The joint force, numbenng about 7,000
men, met the enemy at Mardanpur near
Ambala where a fierce engagement took
place. The Sikhs were severely outnumbered
and would have retreated had not Sahib
Kaur, alighting from her rath, i.e.
chariots made a brave call with a drawn
sword in hand for them to stay firm
in their ranks. The next morning they
made a sudden charge on the Marathas
who, taken by surprise, retired towards
Karnal in utter confusion.
Bedi Sahib Singh of Una charged the
Pathan chief of Malerkotla with cow-killing
and attacked him. He was saved by the
timely succour given him hy Sahib Kaur.
In 1796, in response to the request
of the Raja of Nahan who had sought
help from Raja Sahib Singh of Patiala
to quell a revolt in his state, Sahib
Kaur proceeded to the hills with a strong
force and soon reduced the insurgents
to submission. The Raja was reinstalled
on the gaddi and, at the time of Sahib
Kaur's departure, he presented her with
many rich andvaluahle gifts in token
of his gratitude. In the summer of l799,
George Thomas, an English adventurer,
who had become very powerful and who
ruled the country in the neighbourhood
of Hansi and Hissar, turned his attention
to the Sikh territories on his northern
frontier and reached upon Jind. Sahib
Kaur led out a strong contingent to
relieve the besieged town and, assisted
by the troops of other Sikh chiefs,
she forced George Thomas to withdraw.
Owing to differences with her brother,
Blbi Sahib Kaur had to leave Patiala
to take up residence in Bherlan, near
Sunam, which fell within her jagir and
where she had built a fort changing
the name of the village to Ubheval.
She died there in 1801 in the prime
of her life.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
encyclopedia of Sikhism. "
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