Jagatjit Singh, Maharaja of Kapurthala

This is a portrait of Jagatjit Singh, Maharaja of Kapurthala from the album Delhi Coronation Durbar, 1st January 1903 by Wiele and Klein.

Jagatjit Singh (1872-1949) carried his royal Sikh heritage with pride. He was the descendant of Sardar Jassa Singh, founder of the Ahluwalia dynasty, who led the various misls or ancestral warrior clans of the Sikh Confederacy in battle in the 18th century. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia established Kapurthala State on the banks of the Beas river. His descendants continued to rule there through the rise of Ranjit Singh, aggression from Maratha forces and upheavals of the Anglo-Sikh wars.

Jagatjit Singh, a fourth-generation descendant of Jassa Singh, ascended the throne in 1877. He brought the most spectacular architectural influences from around the globe to Punjab and the leading ateliers of Paris. He introduced the finest of Indian gemstones and design traditions.