Sada Kaur

Rani Sada Kaur (Punjabi: ਸਦਾ ਕੌਰ; 1762 – 1832) was a Sikh leader. She served as the chief of the Kanhaiya Misl from 1789 to 1821, following the death of her husband Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya, the heir to Jai Singh Kanhaiya, the leader of the Kanhaiya Misl. She is sometimes referred to as Sardarni Sada Kaur.

Described as intelligent and ambitious, Rani Sada Kaur was instrumental in guiding a young Ranjit Singh to found the Sikh Empire. She played an important role in the rise and consolidation of Sikh power in Punjab. Later, she fell out with Ranjit, who imprisoned her and confiscated her estates. She was married to the 7-year-old Gurbaksh Singh, the eldest son and heir of Jai Singh, the head of the Sandhu Jat ruler of 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.

She eventually 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.