NIHĀL SIṄGH ĀHLŪVĀLĪĀ (d. 1852), son of Fateh Siṅgh Āhlūvālīā, succeeded to the Āhlūvālīā chieftaincy on the death, in 1836, of his father. In his youth he was a favourite of Mahārājā Raṇjit Siṅgh and was the recipient of the towns of Nūr Mahal and Kalāl Mājrā and other occasional bounties. Upon succession, however, he was subjected to a fee of 1,000,000 Rupees. His younger brother, Amar Siṅgh, who lived in Lahore, conspired to usurp the gaddī and was encouraged in his ambition by the Mahārājā as well as by his minister, Dhiān Siṅgh. Nihāl Siṅgh had some respite after the death of Amar Siṅgh in a boat accident in the Rāvī.
In the first Anglo-Sikh war, his sympathies lay with the Khālsā Darbār. In spite of treaty obligations with the British, he afforded them little assistance. On the contrary, the Āhlūvālīā troops fought on the side of the Sikhs both at Baddovāl and 'Alīval. He was penalized by the British by the confiscation of his territories south of the Sutlej, yielding an annual revenue of 5,65,000 rupees. Nihāl Siṅgh died on 13 September 1852.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
B. J. Hasrat