Lord Curzon (Viceroy), Maharjah Sir Hira Singh, Sir James Robert Dunlop Smith, Khan Bahadur Bakhshi Wali Mohammed Khan (standing behind Lord Curzon), Nabha State, 1903

The Raja of Nabha

The Chief of Nabha is descendent from the same stock as the Maharajas of Patiala and Jind (hence the name Phulkian States from the common ancestor named Phul), but like the latter belongs to the elder branch of the family. Nabha State was part of the the treaty of 1809 for the protection of the Kingdom from the Maharaja of Lahore, Ranjit Singh (the lion of Punjab). Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Nabha died in 1840 and was succeeded by his son Devinder Singh. In 1845, during the Sikh war, Devinder Singh withheld supplies from the British, and as punishment was deposed in 1846 (died in confinement in 1865). Devinder's son, Bharpur Singh, had been installed as the Maharaja in 1847.

Bharpur Singh died in 1863, leaving no heir. The Maharajas of Patiala and Jind were called upon to select a new heir to the throne. They chose the younger brother of Bharpur Singh, Bhagwan Singh, who was installed in 1864 but later died in 1871 without heirs. Again the rulers of Patiala and Jind were summoned to select another relative as heir, and they selected a collateral relative, Hira Singh. During Sir Hira Singh's time, the Kingdom saw its greatest recognition and growth. A Rajput Nobles of the State, Khan Bahadar Sardar Bakhshi Wali Mohammed Khan and his ancestors, were recognized as one of the few leading personalities of these princely Kingdoms. The famous Bakhshi family had rendered service at all three states of Jind, Patiala, and Nabha.

Maharaja Nabha, Sketched at Khalsa Sikh College, Amritsar, December 11th (1903?), Sketch by G.P. Jacomb-Hood (sketch, courtesy of Ralph Lake)