ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MOHINDER SI&#7748GH MAH&#256R&#256J&#256 (1852-1876)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="MOHINDER,SIDGH,MAHRJ,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279MOHINDER SI&#7748GH, MAH&#256R&#256J&#256 (1852-1876), was born at Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 on 16 September 1852, the son of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Narinder Si&#7749gh. He ascended the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 throne on 29 January 1862 at the age of ten. The young Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 was fairly well educated and enlightened. He received good all-round education and was the first one in the line to learn English. He sponsored several works of public utility. A project he helped with a handsome contribution of 1,15,00,000 rupees was the construction of the Sirhind canal. The canal which was opened in 1882 irrigated large areas of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, N&#257bh&#257 and J&#299nd as well as those of Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 and F&#299rozpur districts in the British territory. Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Mohinder Si&#7749gh made a donation of seventy thousand rupees to the University College at Lahore, paid a lakh of rupees for the relief of the famine-stricken people of Bengal, and founded in 1875 the Mohindr&#257 College at Pati&#257l&#257 for the promotion of higher education in the state. This college, the oldest in the north-western region of India and initially affiliated to Calcutta University, imparted education without charging any fees right up to the postgraduate stage and attracted students from distant parts of the country.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Mohinder Si&#7749gh died at Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 on 12 April 1876.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i> The Rajas of the Punjab </i> [Reprint]. Delhi, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Ganda Singh, <i> The Patiala and the East Punjab States Union </i>. Patiala, 1951<BR> <li class="C1"> Fauja Singh, <i> Patiala and its Historical Surroundings </i>. Patiala, 1969<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Sard&#257r Si&#7749gh Bh&#257&#7789&#299&#257<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>