Harnam Singh

Who was Harnam Singh?

Raja Sir Harnam Singh, KCIE was the second son of Raja Sir Randhar Singh Bahadur, GCSI, Raja of Kapurthala and younger brother of Raja Karak Singh Bahadur, Raja of Kapurthala.

Kharak Singh succeeded to the Kapurthala throne and died without any issue. Harnam Singh should have succeeded him as his younger brother but due to the dirty politics in connivance with the bribed British resident and a corrupt Civil Surgeon who declared the Maharani to be pregnant when his husband was on the death bed, an unrelated child was smuggled into the palace and became heir to the Kapurthala throne with the name of JAGATJIT SINGH. Thus Harnam Singh was deprived of the throne but as a corrective measure the British Govt made Harnam Singh a hereditary Raja, awarded a Knighthood, KCSI, gave administration of his Awadh properties for his lifetime, an move which was objected by Jagatjit Singh but in vain.

Although raised a Sikh from birth, Sir Harnam later became a pious Christian and missionary, eventually becoming President of the National Missionary Society of India.

In 1875, he married Rani Kaur Sahiba, and had eight children, seven sons and one daughter: