Ranjit Singh

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjabi: ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ), also called "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of the Punjab") (1780-1839) was a Punjabi of the sovereign nation of Punjab. His samadhi is located in Lahore, Pakistan.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Maharaja 3 Gurudwaras built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh 4 Abolition of Capital Punishment 5 Generals of Maharaja 6 Character 7 Conquests 8 The Guru's Prophecy 9 Legacy 10 References 11 See also 12 Literature 13 External links

Early life

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was from the Punjabi people born in 1780 in the Punjabi town of Gujranwala (now in Pakistan), into the Sansi family.^[1][2][3][4] At the time much of Punjab was ruled by the Sikhs as well as Afghans, who had divided the territory among factions known as misls. Ranjit Singh's father Maha Singh was the commander of the Sukerchakia misl and controlled a territory in west Punjab based around his headquarters at Gujranwala.

Ranjit Singh succeeded his father at the young age of 12. After several campaigns, his rivals accepted him as their leader, and he united the Sikh factions into one large state.

Maharaja

Ranjit Singh took the title of Maharaja on April 12, 1801 (to coincide with Baisakhi day). Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh religion, conducted the coronation ceremony ^[5]. Lahore served as his capital from 1799. In 1802 he took the holy city of Amritsar.

He then spent the following years fighting the Afghans, driving them out of western Punjab. He also captured Pashtun territory including Peshawar that is now Pakistan. This was the first time that Peshawar Pashtuns were ruled by Sikhs. In a historical perspective, this event was very important because for more than a thousand years invaders coming down from the Khyber pass had been able to rule eastern lands; the capture of Pashtun territory put a stop to this. He captured the province of Multan which encompassed the southern parts of Punjab, Peshawar (1818), Jammu and Kashmir (1819) and the hill states north of Anandpur, the largest of which was Kangra.

Singh created the first modern Indian Army -- the Sikh Khalsa Army, a powerful military force whose presence delayed the eventual British colonization of Punjab. He created a powerful and heavily armed state; at this point, Punjab was the only state not controlled by the British. He brought law and order, but never used the death penalty. He stopped Indian non-secular style practices by treating Hindus and Muslims equally. He banned the discriminatory "jizya" tax on Hindus and Sikhs.

The majority of Ranjit Singh's subjects were Muslim and had an intense loyalty towards him and his Sikhs. This was once highlighted when the foreign minister of the Sikh Empire, a Muslim named Fakir Azizuddin, had a meeting with the British Governor-General. When Lord Auckland asked Fakir Azizuddin which of the Maharaja's eyes was missing, he replied: "The Maharaja is like the sun and sun has only one eye. The splendour and luminosity of his single eye is so much that I have never dared to look at his other eye." The Governor General was so pleased with the reply that he gave his golden wrist-watch to the Maharaja's Minister at Simla.

His Empire was secular as it did not discriminate against Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus or even atheists^[6]. Compared to other states at the time, it was quite modern and treated all religions and non-religious traditions with great respect. The only prominent religious symbols of the empire were the Maharaja and royal family being Sikh (but not Khalsa) and the Army being dominated by Sikh nobles and the Khalsa. The Maharaja never forced Sikhism on his subjects, in contrast to mass conversions conducted by Mughal rulers of the past. Ranjit Singh created a state based upon Sikh traditions, with all citizens receiving equal treatment from the government, regardless of religious or ethnic background.

Ranjit Singh died in 1839.

Gurudwaras built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh

At the Golden temple much of the present decorative gilding and marblework date from the early 1800s. All the gold and exquisite marble work were conducted under the patronage of Emperor Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of the Punjab) was a heavy donor of wealth and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Punjabi people. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, having a deep love for the teachings of the tenth Guru of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh, also built two of the other most sacred temples in Sikhism. These are Takht Sri Patna Sahib, (intiation or birth place of Guru Gobind Singh), and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, the place of Guru Gobind Singh's Sikh ascension into heaven.

Abolition of Capital Punishment

Maharaja Ranjit Singh abolished capital punishment during his rule^[7].

Generals of Maharaja

Maharaja was known for his equal treatment of religions. He had both Hindu and Sikh generals in his army.

Sham Sota 810 men^[8]

Dewa Singh 839 men

Character

Maharaja Ranjit Singh once punished one of his Generals for killing a nightingale when she was warbling, which had annoyed the General. Maharaja Ranjit Singh also awarded his Generals with land for bravery in battles. Sangatpur, a small village in Batala, Gurdaspur district is named after one of his Generals;Sangat Singh Saini who was a highly ranked General in his army.^[9]. Maharaja Ranjit Singh would help old men with their labour during his afternoon walks through Lahore with his ministers. One incident was of an elderly man who could not lift a heavy sack. Maharaja Ranjit Singh asked the old man "Night is approaching, old man, why are you sitting here in darkness?". The elderly man answered that the sack is too heavy for me to carry home. The Maharaja carried the heavy sack all the way to the old man's house and was blessed by him^[10].

Captain Murray's memoirs on Maharaja Ranjit Singh's character:

Ranjit Singh has been likened to Mehmet Ali and to Napoleon. There are some points in which he resembles both; but estimating his character with reference to his circumstances and positions, he is perhaps a more remarkable man than either. There was no ferocity in his disposition and he never punished a criminal with death even under circumstances of aggravated offence. Humanity indeed, or rather tenderness for life, was a trait in the character of Ranjit Singh. There is no instance of his having wantonly imbused his hand in blood." ^[11][12]

A Leader

Many famous folk stories about Maharaja portray a leader and the inspiration Maharaja Ranjit Singh was. In one famous incident, when Maharaja was about to cross the badly flooded river near Attock (now in Pakistan and called Kabul_River}. One of Maharaja's generals reported this fact to Maharaja, saying that the river cannot be crossed and it is now an Atak (an obstacle in Hindi) for us. Maharaja retorted "eh Attock uhna lai atak hai, jehna de dillan wich atak hai" or "This river Attock is an obstacle for those, who have obstacles in their hearts", then crossed the river successfully. The army and other generals followed his lead.

A humble human being

Another famous folk story about Maharaja is that he was accidentally hit by a stone thrown by a 5 year old boy, who actually wanted to hit a fruit tree to knock down some of its fruit. When he was brought before Maharaja, Ranjit Singh gave him a gold coin. He said, "How can I punish him for hitting me with a stone, when this tree will give him fruit for the same?"

Conquests

Ranjit Singh and his generals were capable of conquering a great expanse of land for many reasons, varying from their Sikh discipline to their modern weaponry. Ranjit Singh's early conquests were minor and forgettable when he was a young misldar (baron) but by the end of his reign he had conquered vast tracts of territory, and in 1799, he even captured Lahore, Pakistan.

After the capture of Lahore, he rapidly annexed the rest of the Punjab. The war rose to a climax at the battle of Multan. Thereafter he was the undisputed ruler of northern India and the Land of the Five Rivers. And even then, to secure his empire, he defeated the Pashtun militias and tribes. The tables having been turned on the Muslim Mughals and Afghans, Ranjit Singh conquered yet more territory. In the year 1802, Ranjit Singh successfully invaded Kashmir.

The Guru's Prophecy

The tenth Guru of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh had ordered his Sikhs not to build any monument on the place where he ascended into heaven^[13]. The place where Guru Gobind Singh made ascension and left the earth was Nanded in current Maharashtra in 1708. Anyone who dared to build any monument on this place would make his living male progeny and blood lineage die and become extinct- their name would be wiped off the earth. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was renowned for his love of the tenth Guru of Sikhism. Scholars of the time recorded that he often used to refer to himself as "Guru Gobind Singh's Drum". His devotion for the Guru would bring him into conflict with the prophecy; he defied it, and built one of the five holiest sights in Sikhism, Takht Sri Hazur Sahib. This temple was built as a monument and sacred place of worship to honour the place where Guru Gobind Singh left the earth and made ascension. It was completed in 1839 and that same year Maharajah Ranjit Singh died. All of his sons, except Dalip Singh, died within 5 years of his death and the temple's completion. His only remaining infant son Maharajah Dalip Singh was made kingdomless as a child by the British, within 10 years of Maharajah Ranjit Singh's death. He died penniless^{[citation needed]}, in a hotel room in Paris, after spending most of his life trying to return to Punjab, to his people and to regain his lost Empire^[14]. Much has been written about the ending of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's empire, family and the Guru Prophecy, the most recent being The Maharajah's Box^[15].

Legacy

After Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839 rulership of the state went to his unfit eldest son Kharak Singh. Most historians believe competent political heirs would have forged a highly durable, independent and powerful state, as Ranjit Singh had done during his rule. However, the Kingdom began to crumble due to poor governance and political mismanagement by his heirs. His successors died through accidents and murder, while the nobility and army struggled for power.

In 1845 after the First Anglo Sikh War The State of Punjab was defeated and all major decisions were made by the British Empire. The Army of the Maharaja was reduced, under the peace treaty with the British Empire, to a tiny skeleton force. Massive punishing war compensation destroyed any meaningful, independent fiscal policy. In 1849 at the end of the Second Anglo Sikh War, it was annexed by the British from Ranjit Singh's youngest son Duleep Singh.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh is remembered for uniting the Punjab as a strong state and his possession of the Koh-i-noor diamond. Ranjit Singh willed the Koh-i-noor to Jagannath Temple in Orissa while on his deathbed in 1839. His most lasting legacy was the beautification of the Harmandir Sahib, holiest site of the Sikhs, with marble and gold, from which the popular name of the "Golden Temple" is derived.

He was also known as Sher-e-Punjab, the Lion of Punjab and is considered one of the 3 Lions of India, the most famous and revered heroes in North Indian history. While Emperor Rajaraja Chola and Ashoka were the 2 most powerful Indian kings of history, they are not named among the 3 Lions. The other 2 Lions are Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar and Chhatrapati Shivaji, the legendary Maratha ruler. The title of Sher-e-Punjab is still widely used as a term of respect for a powerful man.

After his death, the British took his heir, the young prince Maharaja Duleep Singh, to England where he was put under the protection of the Crown. He converted to Christianity, before re-converting to Sikhism later in his life.

Preceded by Sikh Confederacy	Sikh Empire 1799 –1849	Succeeded by British Empire
Preceded by None	Maharaja of the Sikh Empire 1801 –1839	Succeeded by Kharak Singh

References

See also

• History of Punjab
• Sikh Empire
• Baradari of Ranjit Singh
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Generals
• Tarn Taran

Literature

• Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lord of the Five Rivers, By Jean-Marie Lafont. (Oxford University Press. Date:2002, ISBN 0195661117).
• Noblemen and Kinsmen History of a Sikh Family: History of a Sikh Family, By Preminder Singh Sandhawalia (Author), (Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. Date:1999, ISBN 8121509149).

External links

• Official government of Pakistan cultural history article on Maharaja Ranjit Singh
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh family history
• Ranjit Singh profile from sikh-history.com
• Ranjit Singh military career profile
• Extra profile from sikh-history.com
• Foreign officers in Ranjit Singh's Court
• Detailed article on Ranjit Singh's Army
• Ajitweely: http://www.ajitweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=833&Itemid=76
• Article on Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum

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