Maharaja Ranjit Singh, also known as the “Lion of Punjab” or “Sher-e-Punjab,” was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which governed the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early part of the nineteenth century. The weakness of Mughal authority and Afghans invasions created confusion and anarchy in the Punjab. Ranjit Singh fully exploited this political situation to his advantage and by following the policy of “blood and iron “carved out a kingdom which included the provinces of Multan, Kashmir, and Peshawar till 1839.
Ranjit Singh – Early Life
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born on November 13, 1780, in Gujranwala, Punjab, to Maha Singh and Raj Kaur.
- Raj Kaur, his mother, was the daughter of Jind’s Sikh Raja Gajpat Singh. Buddh Singh was the name given to him at birth, after his ancestor who was the first in line to receive Amrit Sanchaar.
- To commemorate his army’s victory over Chatha chieftain Pir Muhammad, the child’s name was changed to Ranjit (literally, “victory in battle”) Singh (“lion”).
- His father died when he was 12 years old. He inherited his father’s Sukerchakia Misl estates and was raised by his mother Raj Kaur, who co-managed the estates with Lakhpat Rai.
- Hashmat Khan made the first attempt on his life when he was 13, but Ranjit Singh prevailed and killed the assailant instead.
- When his mother died when he was 18, and Lakhpat Rai was assassinated, he was aided by Sadda Kaur (his mother-in-law)from his first marriage.
- He was the only child of Maha Singh, and after his father’s death in 1792, he became the Shukerchakias’ chief.
- Gujranwala town and the surrounding villages, now in Pakistan, were part of his inheritance.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh – Reign
- By overthrowing Misls, he established the Sikh Empire.
- Punjab was ruled at the time by powerful chieftains warlords who had divided themselves into Misls.
- Misls refers to the sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which arose in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent after the Mughal Empire fell apart in the 18th century.
- In the early half of the nineteenth century, he ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent.
- For his success in liberating Lahore (his capital) from Afghan invaders, he was given the title Lion of Punjab (Sher-e-Punjab).
- He combined the best features of the traditional Khalsa army with modern warfare advances to create Asia’s most powerful indigenous army at the time.
- He also used a large number of European officers to train his troops, particularly French officers.
- To modernize his army, he appointed a French General.
- The former Mughal provinces of Lahore and Multan, as well as a portion of Kabul and all of Peshawar, were all part of Ranjit Singh’s trans-regional empire (which spanned several states).
- His state’s boundaries extended from Ladakh in the northeast to the Khyber Pass (the route used by foreign rulers to invade India) in the northwest, and from Panjnad in the south to the Indus at Panjnad.
- Ranjit Singh’s rule was marked by reforms, modernization, infrastructure investment, and overall prosperity. Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and Europeans served in his Khalsa army and government.
- His legacy encompasses a time of Sikh cultural and artistic rebirth, including the reconstruction of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar as well as other significant gurudwaras, including Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Bihar and Hazur Sahib Nanded in Maharashtra.
- In his army, he had troops of many ethnicities and beliefs.
- His army was very efficient in terms of fighting, logistics, and infrastructure.
- There was a fight for succession among his numerous relatives after his death in 1839. This signified the beginning of the Empire’s demise.
- Ranjit Singh died in June 1839, and the process of his empire’s downfall began with his death.
- In June 1839, he died in Lahore, almost exactly 40 years after he conquered the city.
- Kharak Singh, his eldest legitimate son, succeeded him.
- Due to rival chiefs’ internecine strife, the Sikh state he had established collapsed just over six years after his death.
Religious Policies
- He built a number of gurdwaras, Hindu temples, and even mosques, including Mai Moran Masjid, which he built at the request of his Muslim wife, Moran Sarkar.
- The Sikhs led by Singh never burned enemy-owned places of worship to the ground.
- He did, however, convert Muslim mosques for other purposes.
- Ranjit Singh’s army, for example, desecrated the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore and turned it into an ammunition store and horse stables.
- Ranjit Singh also gave the Udasi and Nirmala sects a lot of support, which helped them gain prominence and control over Sikh religious affairs.
Khalsa Army
- Under Ranjit Singh’s command, the army was not just for Sikhs. Sikhs were among the soldiers and troop officers, but there were also Hindus, Muslims, and Europeans.
- His army was composed of Hindu Brahmins and people of all creeds and castes, and his government was also religiously diverse.
- Polish, Russian, Spanish, Prussian, and French officers served in his army.
- He hired a British officer named Foulkes in 1835 as his relationship with the British improved.
- Ranjit Singh’s Khalsa army, on the other hand, reflected regional population, and as his army grew, he dramatically increased the number of Rajput and Jat Sikhs, who became the majority of his army’s members.
- His army was made up of Jat Sikhs in the Doaba region, Hindu Rajputs in Jammu and the northern Indian hills, and Muslims in the Jhelum river area, which was closer to Afghanistan than the other major Panjab rivers.
First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46)
- The action of the Sikh army crossing the Sutlej River on December 11, 1845, has been ascribed to the start of the first Anglo-Sikh war.
- This was viewed as an aggressive manoeuvre that gave the English cause to declare war.
- The turmoil that erupted in the Lahore kingdom upon the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, culminating in a power struggle for dominance between the Lahore court and the ever-powerful and more local army
- Treaty of Lahore – On March 8, 1846, the Sikhs were compelled to accept a humiliating peace at the conclusion of the First Anglo-Sikh War.
- The English were to be given a war indemnity of more than one crore rupee.
- The Jalandhar Doab (between the Beas and the Sutlej) was to be annexed to the Company’s dominions.
- Bhairowal Treaty – the Sikhs were dissatisfied with the Treaty of Lahore on the question of Kashmir, they revolted.
- The Treaty of Bhairowal was signed in December 1846. According to the terms of the treaty, Rani Jindan was deposed as regent, and a council of regency for Punjab was established.
Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49)
- The Sikhs were severely humiliated by their defeat in the First Anglo-Sikh War and the conditions of the treaties of Lahore and Bhairowal.
- The inhuman treatment meted out to Rani Jindan, who was transported to Benares as a pensioner, fueled Sikh fury.
- In 1849, Sher Singh and his army surrendered.
- For the role in Annexation of Punjab, the Earl of Dalhousie was given the thanks of the British Parliament and promotion in the peerage, as Marquess
- War resulted in the establishment of a three-member board to govern Punjab, consisting of the Lawrence brothers (Henry and John) and Charles Mansel.
- The board was abolished in 1853, and Punjab was given to a chief commissioner.
- John Lawrence was appointed as the first Chief Commissioner.
Ranjit Singh is known for bringing Sikhs together and establishing the prosperous Sikh Empire. The Maharaja was known for governing in a just and secular manner. In his darbar, both Hindus and Muslims were given powerful positions. By covering Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar in gold, he transformed it into the Golden Temple. He is also credited with establishing the Hazoor Sahib gurudwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, where Guru Gobind Singh breath his last.
