The three women who ruled Punjab before Maryam Nawaz

Before Maryam Nawaz, who were the three women who have ruled the areas of present day Punjab?

Maharani Jindan Kaur, painted by George Richmond (died: 1896)

Maryam Nawaz Sharif was 15 years old when Benazir Bhutto got the honor of becoming the first woman Prime Minister of any Muslim country in 1988 .

Little did anyone know then that the girl who aspired to become a doctor would one day enter politics and become the first woman Chief Minister in the history of Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan.

Perhaps many people do not know that the honor of becoming the first female Prime Minister in modern democratic history is not held by a Western country, but by a South Asian country, Sri Lanka, where Srimava Bandaranaike was elected as the Prime Minister for five years in 1960.

According to the Pew Research Center, by December 2023, 13 of the 193 member states of the United Nations have female heads of government, seven of which are from Europe.

Apart from this, from 1960 to 2023 there are 59 countries where women have been the head of government. Among the countries where women have ruled for the longest time, Bangladesh is at the top with 29 years of female rule, followed by Sri Lanka with 22 years, Norway with 18 years, India, New Zealand and Germany with 16 years. , is fourth with 16 years.

Maryam Nawaz has definitely been blessed with the honor of becoming the first woman Chief Minister of Punjab after the establishment of Pakistan, and in this regard, this honor is also unique that she was elected through the democratic process in a province with a population of about 130 million. have arrived But even before Maryam Nawaz, there have been women in the history of Punjab who have had the honor of ruling their respective capitals. Among them are Rani Mangala, Rani Minghu and Maharani Jund Kaur.

Rani Mangala who became the first female ruler of Punjab

It was the year May 326 BC when the conqueror scholar Alexander the Great faced the ruler of Punjab, Raja Porus, on the banks of the Jhelum River. No other historical reference exists. According to Greek historians, Alexander was victorious. Alexander was so impressed by Porus' bravery in this battle that he restored Porus' rule. What happened to Porus after that? In Dr. Buddhaprakash's book 'Maharaja Puras' it is written that the Puras who survived Alexander were killed by Kotlia Chanakya in a conspiracy.

Battle of Alexander the Great and Porus painted by Charles Le Brun in 1673

In the battle between Alexander and Porus, the son-in-law of Porus, Raja Ajay Dutt, who is said to be the ruler of the Jammu region, was also killed. After which Mangala Rani, the daughter of Porus, took over the reins of her father and husband's empire. Mangala was a beautiful, warrior and noble queen. His capital was at Mangla Fort on the banks of Mangla Dam which still exists today.

Rani Mangala ran the business government well, but then her life took a turn and she took the form of a Jogan. People seeking peace of mind would come to him from far and wide and find peace of heart. She would sing spiritual songs and people would dance in ecstasy.

There is also a tradition that he reserved Tuesday for darshan. Hence she was called Mangala Devi. Even today there are three temples in this fort.

Al-Biruni writes that he saw the idol of Rani Mangala in the temple in the fort. But perhaps people consider Mangala Rani and Mangala Devi to be the same even though they are two different characters. Mangala Devi, who is also mentioned in Maha Bharata, belonged to Malabar and her original name was Premala, who became a Jogan and received the status of Goddess in Hinduism.

The Indian city Mangaluru (formerly known as Bangalore) is named after the same Mangala Devi.

Mangala Rani, who was the daughter of Raja Porus, took over the government after the death of her father and husband and managed it well. Even today, more or less 2350 years later, her name has not faded from history and she has the honor of being the first woman ruler in the known history of Punjab.

Rani Minghu A Ghakhar Rani

Potohar whose borders are considered to lie between the river Indus and the Jhelum has historically been a tribal society ruled by the Gakhar clan from 1008 to 1765.

In some periods, there have been such Ghakhar rulers who had extended their empire to Lahore. The Gakhars call themselves the royal family of Kayan Iran who came to Hamrakab with Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi and then settled here.

On the other hand, many historians, including Tarikh Farishta, consider them to be a local tribe that came from the upper Himalayas to fight with Porus against Alexander and then settled here.

It may be disputed whether the Khakhas were indigenous or imported, but there is no dispute that whoever seized the throne of Delhi had the military support of the Khakhas. Among these Ghakhars was a Sultan Rajar Khan who built a fort on the top of a hill at Dan Gali on the banks of the Jhelum River,

Among the descendants of this Rajar Khan is Sultanullah Dad Khan, who was married to Rani Minghu, the daughter of Janjua chief of Mukhiyala state. It is said that due to the loss of many human lives in a battle, Raja Allah Dad Khan lost control, so he handed over the power to his wife Rani Manghu due to the minor age of his son Sultan Dilawar Khan. And went out into the forests themselves.

Rani Manghu ran the business of the government in an auspicious manner and started many welfare schemes for the subjects, constructed small dams and canals for the promotion of agriculture, dug water wells, reconstructed Dangali and Ramkot forts and under her authority Peace and justice were practiced in the affected area.

It is said that one of his daughters was married to Aurangzeb Alamgir's son Akbar Sani.

Haibat Khan, a chieftain of the Sati tribe, used to oppose Rani Manghu for being a woman, on which Rani Manghu chose him in the wall of the fort. Many incidents are attributed to Rani Manghu and her husband Sultanullah Dad Khan, for which there is no other reference available except the traditions of the Ghakhars, but it is a fact that she was the Ghakhar queen who ruled over northern Punjab. Ruled.

Jindan Kaur encouraging his soldiers in battle against the British

Maharani Jund Kaur is a symbol of resistance in Punjab

Maharani Jund Kaur was the youngest wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of Punjab. The borders of Ranjit Singh's kingdom were from Kabul to Delhi. He had 20 marriages. Last married at the age of 55 in 1835 to 18-year-old Jund Kaur of Gujranwala, who was known for her beauty and intelligence. A year before the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1838, a son Dilip Singh was born to him from Jund Kaur.

In 1843, when Dilip Singh was only five years old, he was installed on the throne of Lahore, thus the power actually came to Maharani Jund Kaur. She was the ruler of Punjab for two years who was also mentioned by the British as a brave and fearless warrior. When Maharani Jund Korku came to power, Punjab was surrounded by palace conspiracies. The army was severely depleted and the treasury was depleted.

Azizuddin Ahmad writes in his book 'Punjab and Foreign Invaders' that Maharani Jund Kaur saw the only solution to this crisis was to launch an army against the British so that the Punjabi army and the people would unite against an enemy that was hers. He was sitting on the borders waiting for a suitable opportunity.

At the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Khalsa army vowed to kill the British. On December 11, 1845, the Punjab army crossed the Sutlej River and entered British territory. The top leadership of the army was mixed with the British, so despite the defeat, he killed two generals of the British army.

The second battle of the Punjabi army took place at Ferozepur where Lord Hardinge was leading the English army, he wrote that 'Never before had the English been so fiercely fought in India.'

A Brigadier and a Major were also killed in this battle. In the third battle, Major General Sir Robert Dick was killed, but due to the treachery of General Teja Singh, eight thousand soldiers of the Punjabi army were killed and the British army entered Punjab on February 12, 1846.

On March 8, an agreement was reached between the British army and the Lahore court, according to which, in return for a ransom of one and a half million rupees, the British recognized Maharaja Dilip Singh as an independent ruler, his mother Maharani Jund Kaur as an agent and Lal Singh as a minister.

Punjab had no money, so as a ransom, the British took the two waters between Sutlej and Beas and Kashmir and made Maharaja Gulab Singh

Meanwhile, the British held a Durbar in Lahore for the purpose of extending the interim period of stay in Punjab, in which 52 Sardars of Punjab signed and handed over the powers of Maharani Jindan to the British Resident.

It was decided that when Maharaja Dilip Singh turned 16 in 1854, power would be handed over to him.

Governor-General Lord Hardinge felt threatened by Maharani Jund Kaur in his efforts to strengthen his hold over Punjab, so she was accused of conspiring against the British government, for which she was imprisoned.

The atrocities on Maharani Jund Kaur enraged the people of Punjab and they revolted against the British which spread to Multan, Gujarat and Hazara. The British army suffered a humiliating defeat at Chalianwala but won victory in Gujarat. Thus the British got an excuse to occupy Punjab.

Sher Singh, the last general of the Punjabi army, laid down his arms on March 14, 1848, at Mankiala, Rawalpindi, upon which an old Sikh chief kissed his sword and placed it at General Gilbert's feet, saying, 'Ranjit Singh actually died today. Is.'

Maharani escaped from Jind Kor Jail and reached Nepal in 1849. The British sent Maharaja Dilip Singh to London for education where he converted to Christianity.

In 1861 Dilip Singh returned and met his mother in Calcutta. He was allowed to return to London with his mother. The London authorities considered her a threat due to the influence of Maharani Jandkur and wanted to send her back to India, while the British administration of India wanted her to remain in London so that she would not become the cause of a new rebellion. He died in London on August 1, 1863 in this conflict.

Four years ago, an auction of Maharani Jandkur's jewelery was held in London.

She is seen as a rebellious female ruler against the British in Indian history.