Raja Hira Singh Dogra

Raja Hira Singh Dogra was wazir, or prime minister, of the Lahore Darbar for fifteen months, from 17 September 1843 to 21 December 1844, in the years when the Sikh state came apart after Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death. He was born in 1816 at Ramgarh, about 25 km from Jammu, the eldest son of Raja Dhian Singh. Ranjit Singh made him a Raja in 1828, called him Farzand-i-Khas (the favoured son) and gave him jagirs worth nearly five lakh rupees a year (Encyclopaedia of Sikhism).

Rise. On 15 September 1843 the Sandhanwalia sardars Ajit Singh and Lahina Singh killed Maharaja Sher Singh and his heir Partap Singh outside Lahore, and Ajit Singh killed Dhian Singh in the fort. Two days later Hira Singh became wazir, as the child Duleep Singh was proclaimed Maharaja.

Why he lost the court. He made Pandit Jalla his deputy, which made him unpopular. He sent troops against the stronghold of Baba Bir Singh, a former soldier turned saint near Amritsar, where some of the royal princes had taken refuge. He imprisoned Jawahar Singh, the brother of Maharani Jind Kaur. Jalla later tried to poison the Maharani, which angered the army. Under Hira Singh and Jalla, Jamadar Khushal Singh, the old chamberlain of Ranjit Singh, was humiliated and lost part of his jagirs.

Fall. On 21 December 1844 Hira Singh left Lahore with about 4,000 trusted troops and cartloads of gold and silver taken from the treasury. A Sikh force led by Jawahar Singh and Sham Singh Attariwala overtook him and killed him together with Pandit Jalla.

Key moments

• 1816: born at Ramgarh near Jammu.
• 1828: made a Raja by Ranjit Singh.
• 17 September 1843: becomes wazir (prime minister).
• 21 December 1844: killed while fleeing Lahore.

What he is remembered for. Hira Singh is remembered as the Dogra wazir whose fifteen-month rule ended when a Sikh force killed him.