Lehna Singh Majithia

Lehna Singh Majithia (died 1854), also romanized as Lahina or Lahna, was a polymath, inventor, warrior, and statesman. He had an interest in statecraft, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, firearms, mechanics, languages, art, and ordnance. He was a courtier of the Lahore Darbar of the Sikh Empire. Lehna Singh was the father of famous businessman and philanthropist, Dyal Singh Majithia.

Biography

Family background Lehna Singh belonged to the Majithia family and was the son of Desa Singh Majithia, a feudal chief who had sworn allegiance to Ranjit Singh in 1809, later serving in the military expedition to Kangra, which pushed the Gurkhas out of the Punjab Hills region. Skilled in language-learning, it is purported that Lehna had translated works of Euclid into Punjabi.

He had been awarded the titles of Kasir-ul-Iktidar ('Chief of Exalted Dignity') and Hasam-udaula ('the Sword of the State') by Ranjit Singh.

Later life He left Punjab in March 1844 for Haridwar, eventually settling in Banaras. He was arrested and kept under surveillance by the British from 23 January 1846 until the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War. He returned to Punjab in 1851 and stayed for two years before returning again to Banaras where he died in 1854.

Inventions

Compass Sikh calendar Construction projects Supervised the renovation of the Golden Temple and the reconstruction of Amritsar during Sikh-rule Assisted with the construction of the Summer Palace of Ranjit Singh (known as Ram Bagh'') A garden that spread over 84 acres surrounded by a high wall and a moat. It contained rare plant species

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