MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH
-
In 1799, Ranjit Singh unified the Sikh Empire after capturing Lahore, defeating powerful chieftains who had divided the region into Misls. His victory over Afghan invaders earned him the title "Lion of Punjab" (Sher-e-Punjab), and he made Lahore his capital, where he ruled until his death.
-
Ranjit Singh's empire extended across multiple regions. It included the former Mughal provinces of Lahore and Multan, along with parts of Kabul and the entire Peshawar region. His empire stretched from Ladakh in the northeast—where his general Zorawar Singh conquered it—to the Khyber Pass in the northwest, and south to Panjnad, where the five rivers of Punjab merged with the Indus. During his reign, Punjab was often referred to as the land of six rivers, with the Indus as the sixth.
-
Ranjit Singh skillfully balanced his role as a Sikh ruler with his desire to be a protector of the empire’s Muslim and Hindu populations. He initiated a public effort to restore Sikh temples, most famously rebuilding the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in marble in 1809 and later in gold in 1830. Additionally, he donated a ton of gold to plate the Hindu Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
-
He supported Hindu temples, Muslim mosques, and Sufi shrines, and, showing respect for Hindu traditions, banned cow slaughter. Forced conversions were rare in his kingdom, and he allowed his Muslim and Hindu wives to freely practice their religions.
-
To counter the British, Ranjit Singh decided to modernize his army, adopting European military practices. Unusually for an Indian ruler at the time, he hired French and Italian mercenaries who had fought under Napoleon until his defeat in 1815.
-
The newly formed Fauj-i-Khas ("special army") was led by Ranjit Singh's trusted generals, Jean-Baptiste Ventura and Jean-Francois Allard, who received substantial salaries of Rs 30,000 annually. They were later joined by Auguste Court and Paolo Avitabile. These officers settled in Lahore, adapting to local culture, marrying Indian women, and employing court artists. In 2016, a bronze statue of the Maharaja was unveiled in St. Tropez in honor of his legacy
The Treaty of Amritsar was a significant agreement signed on March 25, 1846, between the British East India Company and Gulab Singh, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir. The treaty marked the formal annexation of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir into the British sphere of influence.
Under the terms of the treaty, Gulab Singh, who had been a prominent figure in the region, was required to pay a sum of 75 lakh rupees to the British in exchange for his sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir. The British, in return, relinquished their claims to the territory and recognized Gulab Singh as the independent ruler of Jammu and Kashmir.
This treaty had several significant consequences:
- Annexation of Kashmir: The British formally acknowledged Gulab Singh as the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, but they effectively gained control over the region by manipulating local rulers.
- Strategic Importance: The region, particularly Kashmir, held strategic value due to its location near the borders with Afghanistan, China, and Central Asia. The British sought to secure their interests in the northwest by controlling or influencing the region through this treaty.
- Political Impact: The Treaty of Amritsar was controversial, as it had long-lasting effects on the political landscape of Kashmir, leading to tensions and conflicts in the region over the years
-
Following Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, the British East India Company increased its military presence in areas neighboring Punjab. This led to inevitable conflict between the Khalsa (the Sikh army) and the British, sparking the Anglo-Sikh Wars.
-
The first of these wars, fought from late 1845 to early 1846, resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh Empire, leading to the cession of Jammu and Kashmir, which was made a separate princely state under British suzerainty.
-
In 1849, the British delivered a decisive and conclusive defeat to the Sikhs. After this, 10-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh was made a British pensioner and exiled to London for the rest of his life, where he surprisingly became a favorite of Queen Victoria.
-
One of the British's notable acquisitions was the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which remains a prominent part of the British crown to this day
|
For Prelims: Ranjit Singh’s Rise and Establishment of the Sikh Empire (1799), Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845–1849), Treaty of Amritsar (1846)
For Mains: Anglo-Sikh Wars and British Expansion, Impact of British Colonialism in Punjab
|
