Majithia Sirdars
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This term refers to a set of three related families of Sikh sirdars (chiefs) that came from the area of Majitha - a town 10 miles north of the Punjab city of Amritsar and rose to prominence in the early 1800s. The Majithia clans threw in with the rising star of the Sikh misls - Ranjit Singh - during the latter 1700s. As Ranjit Singh established the Sikh Empire around the turn of the 19th century, the Majithia sirdars gained prominence and became very influential in the Maharaja's army. Ten different Majithia generals can be counted amongst the Sikh army during the period of 1800-1849. According to the English historians, the Majithia family was one of the three most powerful families in Punjab under the Maharaja. Best known of the Majithia generals were General Lehna Singh, General Surat Singh and General Amar Singh - each representing one of the three main branches of the family.
The son of General Lehna Singh, Sirdar Dyal Singh, was perhaps the most significant Sikh of the late 1800s in the British Punjab. He was the main force behind the founding of Punjab University; was the founder and the owner of The Tribune newspaper - the most respected English-language newspaper in north-western India to this day; and the founder and owner of the Punjab Bank - also the most powerful bank in north-western India until nationalized by Indira Gandhi in the early 1970s. He was also one of the charter members of the Indian National Congress party - which later became the main Indian nationlist political party and the party of Nehru and Gandhi.
The son of General Surat Singh, Sirdar Sundar Singh Majithia, also had tremendous impact on the early 20th century Punjab. He was a main force in the Sikh revivalist movement and was one of the founders of the "Chief Khalsa Diwan Society". Amongst his accomplishments can be counted the establishment of the Khalsa College, Amritsar and the founding of the Punjab and Sind Bank. He was knighted by the British - thus often referred to as Sir Sundar Singh Majithia.
Sirdar Sundar Singh's brother, Sirdar Umrao Singh, was the father of Amrita Sher-Gil - considered by many to be first great female artist of the Indian subcontinent.
The Majithia family, although referred to by the name of their village Majitha - which is common in Punjab, in actuality belong to the "Shergill" clan of the Jat Sikhs - itself a subset of the "Gill" clan.
Some Prominent Majithia's include: Majithia Families of Leicester, United Kingdom,Sardar Parkash Singh Majitha (Punjab Minister) and Sardar Rajmohinder Singh Majitha (MP)
