Sardarni Sada Kaur was chief of the Kanhaiya Misl from 1789 to 1821. She was the wife of Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya, the heir of Jai Singh Kanheya, the leader of the Kanhaiya Misl. After her husband's death in 1785 and her father-in-law's death in 1789, she became the chief of the Kanhaiya Misl. An intelligent and ambitious woman, she was also the mother-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and played an important role in his rise to power in Punjab.
Early life and marriage
Sada Kaur was born into a Dhaliwal Jat family in 1762 to Sardar Daswandha Singh Dhaliwal. She was married to the 7 year-old Gurbaksh Singh, the eldest son and heir of Jai Singh, the head of the Kanhaiya Misl. They were married in 1768 and had one child together, a daughter named Mehtab Kaur, who was born in 1782.
Leadership of the Kanhaiya Misl
Gurbaksh Singh died fighting in the Battle of Batala against the Sukerchakia Misl, the Ramgarhia Misl as well as the Sansar Chand Katoch. In 1785, Sada Kaur, along with Jai Singh Kanhaiya, then got her daughter married to Ranjit Singh, the Sukerchakia Misl's chief's son, and they were married in 1786. In 1789, her father-in-law, Jai Singh Kanheya, also died. Sada Kaur then assumed the leadership of the Kanhaiya Misl as well as the loyalty of its 8,000 cavalrymen. After the death of his father, Mahan Singh, in 1792 Ranjit Singh was made the chief of the Sukerchakia Misl and Sada Kaur became his regent. Sada Kaur used both Kanheya and Sukerchakia misals to push Ranjit forward. The people of Lahore who were tired of the rule of Bhangimisl requested Sada Kaur and Ranjit Singh to take over Lahore. Sada Kaur advised Ranjit that whoever controls Lahore controls Punjab. On 7 July 1799 Ranjit Singh and Sada Kaur attacked Lahore with 25,000 troops. The people of Lahore opened the city gates for them. Ranjit entered the city through Lohari gate and Sada Kaur entered through Delhi gate. Sada Kaur made Ranjit Singh the king of Lahore in 1801. In the battles for Amritsar, Chiniot, Kasur, Attock and Hazara she was with Ranjit Singh. In 1807 Ranjit Singh remarried. Sada Kaur did not approve of it. She broke with Ranjit. Then Sada Kaur thought of ruling her own state but Ranjit Singh restricted her movements. She retained the majority of her estates until 1820. Sada Kaur died in Lahore in 1832.
