Duleep Singh, the youngest son of the great Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the only son of the indomitable Maharani Jindan, was born in Lahore on September 6, 1838, in undivided India, at a time when the Sikh Empire was massive, wealthy and impregnable.
When Duleep was only nine months old, Maharaja Ranjit Singh passed away and his eldest half-brother, Kharak Singh, was appointed Maharaja of Lahore, but he was soon killed due to palace schemes and conspiracies.
One by one, the successors were removed and in 1843, the young five-year-old Duleep Singh ascended the throne with his mother beside him, who stepped out of the ‘parda’ to guide and rule the kingdom in his name.
The British army, long stationed at Punjab’s borders waiting for the perfect moment, seized their chance in 1846. The First Anglo-Sikh War ended with the Treaty of Bhyrowal, placing Punjab under a British-controlled council until Duleep Singh turned 16, provided he remained obedient.
Maharani Jindan, imprisoned in her palace, watched as heavy taxes were imposed on farmers in her son’s name. The people of Lahore still looked to her for leadership, and she worked tirelessly to unite the Sikh chiefs and Sardars in hopes of restoring an independent kingdom. But after the Second Anglo-Sikh War, Punjab was fully annexed, and Duleep Singh was left only with a small pension.
On August 14, 1847, nine-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh was forcibly taken from his mother by order of Lord Dalhousie and sent to Fatehgarh, where he came under the care of British surgeon John Login and his wife, Lena. The young prince, too naive to understand, was manipulated and coerced to abandon his Sikh
In England, Maharaja Duleep Singh was introduced to Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace, where she immediately took a liking to the young Maharaja. She invited him to stay at her estate for a week, during which he befriended Prince Albert. The Queen took a personal interest in his welfare, recommending teachers and professors for his education and commissioning her favourite artist to paint his portrait. Duleep soon became part of aristocratic life, attending royal social events, dinners, shooting parties and grand balls.
By the age of 16, Maharaja Duleep Singh longed to return to India and see his mother, but was advised to wait and in 1861, at his persistent requests, permission was granted for a reunion. On January 16, 1861, after 13 years apart, he met his half-blind mother at the Spencer Hotel in Calcutta (now Kolkata), with British officials present. News of their reunion spread quickly, drawing Sikh chiefs to gather outside the hotel. Fearing unrest, the British urged Duleep to leave, but Maharani Jindan refused to part from her son and was reluctantly allowed to accompany him to England.
In England, Duleep Singh spent long hours with his mother, listening to her recount the events of the past. The Palace, however, considered her a bad influence and believed she was having a negative effect on him. In 1862, his request to take her back to India was denied, and he was sent to Scotland instead.
On August 1, 1863, Maharani Jindan passed away. Honoring her wishes, Duleep Singh immersed her ashes in the River Godavari at Nasik, as her last remains were not permitted to be taken to Punjab.
In 1864, Duleep Singh married Bamba Muller and later settled at Elveden Hall, Suffolk, with their six children. His lavish lifestyle soon strained his pension, and his repeated pleas to reclaim his heritage and kingdom in India were ignored. He wrote numerous letters to the Indian Government, the Times, and other newspapers, staking his claim in the hope of gaining public support. Even a direct appeal to Queen Victoria’s secretary, Sir Henry Ponsonby, was met with silence.
Frustrated, in 1887 Duleep Singh boarded the SS Verona with his family, intending to return to India. However, he was arrested at Aden, and after two weeks of negotiations, he reluctantly sailed his family back to England.
At his request to the Government, his cousin Thakur Singh and a few other Sikhs visited him in Aden, and in their presence, on May 25,1886, Duleep Singh formally re-embraced Sikhism. Soon after, he left for Paris, seeking support from the Russian Government accompanied by Ada, a woman traveling with him who was a spy and eventually became his second wife.
In 1887, Maharani Bamba died in England, but Duleep Singh, then in Paris, was unable to attend her funeral. His campaign to reclaim his throne had brought him nothing but disappointment, and he turned to heavy drinking. His health deteriorated, and a stroke left him partially paralysed.
In 1893, the death of his youngest son Prince Edward, at age 13, dealt him another devastating blow. Weakened and broken, Duleep Singh suffered a fatal stroke later that year and on October 22, died quietly, alone in his small Paris hotel room at the age of 55. His body was laid to rest at St Andrew’s Church in Elveden, beside Maharani Bamba and Prince Edward.
Maharaja Duleep Singh, strikingly handsome and flamboyant, never stopped fighting, unsuccessfully for his land, title and the legacy of his father.
His life stands testament to one of the most tragic tales of India's colonial past. Born in the powerful Sikh Empire, he was systematically robbed of his childhood, his religion, his kingdom, separated from his mother and his spirit broken and manipulated.
His story shook the entire courageous community of Sikhs, and continues to resonate within the Sikh psyche, which fondly remembers the golden days of the Sikh Rule under the legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
(The author has written numerous articles on the lost Sikh Empire and its ill-fated descendants)