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Ranjit Singh

March 09, 2023

For other uses, see Ranjit Singh (disambiguation).
"Sher-e-Punjab" redirects here. For the hockey team, see Sher-e-Punjab (field hockey team). For the radio station, see KRPI. For the Doordarshan television series, see Maharaja Ranjit Singh (TV series).

Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839),[5] popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10. After his father died, he fought several wars to expel the Afghans in his teenage years and was proclaimed as the "Maharaja of Punjab" at age 21.[6][7] His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839.[8][9] Maharaja Ranjit Singh is mentioned as Jat in many contemporary sources.[10][11][12][13]

Ranjit Singh
Maharaja of Punjab
Maharaja of Lahore
Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab)
Sher-e-Hind (Lion of Hind)
Sarkar-i-Wallah (Head of State)[1]
Sarkar Khalsaji (Head of State)
Lord of Five Rivers
Singh Sahib[2]
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
1st Maharaja of the Sikh Empire
Reign12 April 1801 – 27 June 1839
Investiture12 April 1801 at Lahore Fort
SuccessorMaharaja Kharak Singh
3rd Chief of Sukerchakia Misl
ReignApril 1792 – 11 April 1801
PredecessorMaha Singh
BornBuddh Singh
13 November 1780[3]
Gujranwala, Sukerchakia Misl, Sikh Confederacy (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died27 June 1839(1839-06-27) (aged 58)
Lahore, Sikh Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Burial
Cremated remains stored in the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh, Lahore
SpouseMaharani Mehtab Kaur
Maharani Datar Kaur
Maharani Jind Kaur
IssueMaharaja Kharak Singh
Ishar Singh
Rattan Singh
Maharaja Sher Singh
Tara Singh
Fateh Singh[4]
Multana Singh
Kashmira Singh
Peshaura Singh
Maharaja Duleep Singh
FatherSardar Maha Singh
MotherRaj Kaur
ReligionSikhism
Signature (handprint)

Prior to his rise, the Punjab region had numerous warring misls (confederacies), twelve of which were under Sikh rulers and one Muslim.[7] Ranjit Singh successfully absorbed and united the Sikh misls and took over other local kingdoms to create the Sikh Empire. He repeatedly defeated invasions by outside armies, particularly those arriving from Afghanistan, and established friendly relations with the British.[14]

Ranjit Singh's reign introduced reforms, modernisation, investment into infrastructure and general prosperity.[15][16] His Khalsa army and government included Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Europeans.[17] His legacy includes a period of Sikh cultural and artistic renaissance, including the rebuilding of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar as well as other major gurudwaras, including Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Bihar and Hazur Sahib Nanded, Maharashtra under his sponsorship.[18][19] Ranjit Singh was succeeded by his son Kharak Singh.

In 2020, Ranjit Singh was named as "Greatest Leader of All Time" in a poll conducted by 'BBC World Histories Magazine'.[20][21][22]

Early years

 
Birthplace of Ranjit Singh in Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan.

Ranjit Singh was born in a Jat family on 13 November 1780 to Maha Singh and Raj Kaur in Gujranwala, Punjab region (present-day Punjab, Pakistan). His mother Raj Kaur was the daughter of Sikh Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind.[23] Upon his birth, he was named Buddh Singh after his ancestor who was first in line to take Amrit Sanchaar. The child's name was changed to Ranjit (literally, "victor in battle") Singh ("lion") by his father to commemorate his army's victory over the Chatha chieftain Pir Muhammad.[6][24]

 
Ranjit Singh as a young boy, detail from a late 18th century painting of a diplomatic meeting between Sikh Misls

Ranjit Singh contracted smallpox as an infant, which resulted in the loss of sight in his left eye and a pockmarked face.[6] He was short in stature, never schooled, and did not learn to read or write anything beyond the Gurmukhi alphabet.[25] However, he was trained at home in horse riding, musketry and other martial arts.[6]

At age 12, his father died.[26] He then inherited his father's Sukerchakia Misl estates and was raised by his mother Raj Kaur, who, along with Lakhpat Rai, also managed the estates.[6] The first attempt on his life was made when he was 13, by Hashmat Khan, but Ranjit Singh prevailed and killed the assailant instead.[27] At age 18, his mother died and Lakhpat Rai was assassinated, and thereon he was helped by his mother-in-law from his first marriage.[28]

According to the chronicles of Ranjit Singh's court historians and the Europeans who visited him, Ranjit Singh took to alcohol and opium, habits that intensified in the later decades of his life.[29][30][31] However, he neither smoked nor ate beef,[6] and required all officials in his court, regardless of their religion, to adhere to these restrictions as part of their employment contract.[30]

 

Personal life

Wives

 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh's family genealogy

In 1789, Ranjit Singh married his first wife Mehtab Kaur,[32] the muklawa happened in 1796.[26] She was the only daughter of Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya and his wife Sada Kaur, and the granddaughter of Jai Singh Kanhaiya, the founder of the Kanhaiya Misl.[6] This marriage was pre-arranged in an attempt to reconcile warring Sikh misls, wherein Mehtab Kaur was betrothed to Ranjit Singh in 1786. However, the marriage failed, with Mehtab Kaur never forgiving the fact that her father had been killed in battle with Ranjit Singh's father and she mainly lived with her mother after marriage. The separation became complete when Ranjit Singh married Datar Kaur of the Nakai Misl in 1797 and she turned into Ranjit's most beloved wife.[33] Mehtab Kaur had three sons, Ishar Singh who was born in 1804 and twins Sher Singh and Tara Singh born in 1807. According to historian Jean-Marie Lafont, she was the only one to bear the title of Maharani. She died in 1813, after suffering from a failing health.[34]

His second marriage was to, Datar Kaur (Born Raj Kaur) the youngest child and only daughter of Ran Singh Nakai, the third ruler of the Nakai Misl and his wife Karmo Kaur. They were betrothed in childhood by Datar Kaur's eldest brother, Sardar Bhagwan Singh, who briefly became the chief of the Nakai Misl, and Ranjit Singh's father Maha Singh. The anand karaj took place in 1792[35] and the muklawa happened in 1797;[36] this marriage was a happy one. Ranjit Singh always treated Raj Kaur with love and respect.[37] Since Raj Kaur was also the name of Ranjit Singh's mother, she was renamed Datar Kaur. In 1801, she gave birth to their son and heir apparent, Kharak Singh.[28] Datar Kaur bore Ranjit Singh two other sons, Rattan Singh and Fateh Singh.[38][39][40] Like his first marriage, the second marriage also brought him strategic military alliance.[28] She was exceptionally intelligent and assisted him in affairs of the State.[41] During the expedition to Multan in 1818, she was given command alongside her son, Kharak Singh.[42][43][4]Throughout her life she remained Ranjit Singh's favorite [44] and for no other did he have greater respect for than Datar Kaur, who he affectionately called Mai Nakain.[45][46][47] Even though she was his second wife she became his principal wife and chief consort.[48][49] During a hunting trip with Ranjit Singh, she fell ill and died on 20 June 1838.[50][51]

 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh with some of his wives.

Ratan Kaur and Daya Kaur were wives of Sahib Singh Bhangi of Gujrat (a misl north of Lahore, not to be confused the state of Gujarat).[52] After Sahib Singh's death, Ranjit Singh took them under his protection in 1811 by marrying them via the rite of chādar andāzī, in which a cloth sheet was unfurled over each of their heads. The same with Roop Kaur, Gulab Kaur, Saman Kaur, and Lakshmi Kaur, looked after Duleep Singh when his mother Jind Kaur was exiled. Ratan Kaur had a son Multana Singh in 1819, and Daya Kaur had two sons Kashmira Singh and Pashaura Singh in 1821.[53][54]

Jind Kaur, the final spouse of Ranjit Singh. Her father, Manna Singh Aulakh, extolled her virtues to Ranjit Singh, who was concerned about the frail health of his only heir Kharak Singh. The Maharaja married her in 1835 by 'sending his arrow and sword to her village'. On 6 September 1838 she gave birth to Duleep Singh, who became the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.[55]

His other wives included, Mehtab Devi of Kangara also called Guddan or Katochan and Raj Banso, daughters of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra.

He was also married to Rani Har Devi of Atalgarh, Rani Aso Sircar and Rani Jag Deo According to the diaries, that Duleep Singh kept towards the end of his life, that these women presented the Maharaja with four daughters. Dr. Priya Atwal notes that the daughters could be adopted.[32] Ranjit Singh was also married to Jind Bani or Jind Kulan, daughter of Muhammad Pathan from Mankera and Gul Bano, daughter of Malik Akhtar from Amritsar.

Ranjit Singh married many times, in various ceremonies, and had twenty wives.[56][57] Sir Lepel Griffin, however, provides a list of just sixteen wives and their pension list. Most of his marriages were performed through chādar andāz.[58] Some scholars note that the information on Ranjit Singh's marriages is unclear, and there is evidence that he had many concubines. Dr. Priya Atwal presents an official list of Ranjit Singh's thirty wives.[43] The women married through chādar andāzī were noted as concubines and were known as the lesser title of Rani (queen).[59] While Mehtab Kaur and Datar Kaur officially bore the title of Maharani (high queen), Datar Kaur officially became the Maharani after the death of Mehtab Kaur in 1813. Throughout her life was referred to as Sarkar Rani.[60] After her death, the title was held by Ranjit's youngest widow Jind Kaur.[61] According to Khushwant Singh in an 1889 interview with the French journal Le Voltaire, his son Dalip (Duleep) Singh remarked, "I am the son of one of my father's forty-six wives."[34] Dr. Priya Atwal notes that Ranjit Singh and his heirs entered a total of 46 marriages.[62] But Ranjit Singh was known not be a "rash sensualist" and commanded unusual respect in the eyes of others.[63] Faqir Sayyid Vaḥiduddin states: "If there was one thing in which Ranjit Singh failed to excel or even equal the average monarch of oriental history, it was the size of his harem."[64][63] George Keene noted, "In hundreds and in thousands the orderly crowds stream on. Not a bough is broken of a wayside tree, not a rude remark to a woman".[63]

Punishment by the Akal Takht

 
Akali Phula Singh addressing Maharaja Ranjit Singh about his transgressions
 
Miniature painting of Moran Sarkar, a Muslim nautch dancer of the court Ranjit Singh and a claimed wife of his
See also: Prohibitions in Sikhism

In 1802, Ranjit Singh married Moran Sarkar, a Muslim nautch girl. This action, and other non-Sikh activities of the Maharaja, upset orthodox Sikhs, including the Nihangs, whose leader Akali Phula Singh was the Jathedar of the Akal Takht.[65] When Ranjit Singh visited Amritsar, he was called outside the Akal Takht, where he was made to apologise for his mistakes. Akali Phula Singh took Ranjit Singh to a tamarind tree in front of the Akal Takht and prepared to punish him by flogging.[65] Then Akali Phula Singh asked the nearby Sikh pilgrims whether they approved of Ranjit Singh's apology. The pilgrims responded with Sat Sri Akal and Ranjit Singh was released and forgiven. An alternative holds that Ranjit went to visit Moran on his arrival in Amritsar before paying his respects at Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara, which upset orthodox Sikhs and hence was punished by Akali Phula Singh. Iqbal Qaiser and Manveen Sandhu make alternative accounts on the relationship between Moran and the Maharaja; the former stating they never married, while the latter state that they married. Court chronicler, Sohan Lal Suri makes no mention Moran's marriage to the Maharaja or coins being struck in her name. Bibi Moran spent the rest of life in Pathankot.[66] Duleep Singh makes a list of his father's queens which also does not mention Bibi Moran.

Issue

  • Kharak Singh (22 February 1801 – 5 November 1840) was the eldest and the favorite of Ranjit Singh from his second and favorite wife, Datar Kaur.[67] He succeeded his father as the Maharaja.
  • Ishar Singh son of his first wife, Mehtab Kaur. This prince died in infancy in 1805.
  • Rattan Singh (1805–1845) was born to Maharani Datar Kaur.[68][69] He was granted the Jagatpur Bajaj estate as his jagir.
  • Sher Singh (4 December 1807 – 15 September 1843) was elder of the twins of Mehtab Kaur. He briefly became the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.
  • Tara Singh (4 December 1807 – 1859) younger of the twins born of Mehtab Kaur.
  • Multana Singh (1819–1846) son of Ratan Kaur.
  • Kashmira Singh (1821–1844) son of Daya Kaur.
  • Pashaura Singh (1821–1845) younger son of Daya Kaur.
  • Duleep Singh (4 September 1838 – 22 October 1893), the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. Ranji Singh's youngest son, the only child of Jind Kaur.
 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Darbar with sons and officials. Signed by Imam Bakhsh

According to the pedigree table and Duleep Singh's diaries that he kept towards the end of his life mention another son Fateh Singh was born to Mai Nakain, who died in infancy.[4] According to Henry Edward only Datar Kaur and Jind Kaur's sons are Ranjit Singh's biological sons.[70][71]

It is said that Ishar Singh was not the biological son of Mehtab Kaur and Ranjit Singh, but only procured by Mehtab Kaur and presented to Ranjit Singh who accepted him as his son.[72] Tara Singh and Sher Singh had similar rumors, it is said that Sher Singh was the son of a chintz weaver, Nahala and Tara Singh was the son of Manki, a servant in the household of Sada Kaur. Henry Edward Fane, the nephew and aide-de-camp to the Commander-in-Chief, India, General Sir Henry Fane, who spent several days in Ranjit Singh's company, reported, "Though reported to be the Maharaja's son, Sher Singh's father has never thoroughly acknowledged him, though his mother always insisted on his being so. A brother of Sher, Tara Singh by the same mother, has been even worse treated than himself, not being permitted to appear at court, and no office given him, either of profit or honour." Five Years in India, Volume 1 Henry Edward Fane, London, 1842[full citation needed][page needed]

Multana Singh, Kashmira Singh and Pashaura Singh were sons of the two widows of Sahib Singh, Daya Kaur and Ratan Kaur, that Ranjit Singh took under his protection and married. These sons, are said to be, not biologically born to the queens and only procured and later presented to and accepted by Ranjit Singh as his sons.[73]

Establishment of the Sikh Empire

Main article: Sikh Empire
 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
circa 1816–29

Historical context

After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal Empire fell apart and declined in its ability to tax or govern most of the Indian subcontinent. In the northwestern region, particularly the Punjab, the creation of the Khalsa community of Sikh warriors by Guru Gobind Singh accelerated the decay and fragmentation of the Mughal power in the region.[74] Raiding Afghans attacked the Indus river valleys but met resistance from both organised armies of the Khalsa Sikhs as well as irregular Khalsa militias based in villages. The Sikhs had appointed their own zamindars, replacing the previous Muslim revenue collectors, which provided resources to feed and strengthen the warriors aligned with Sikh interests.[74] Meanwhile, colonial traders and the East India Company had begun operations in India on its eastern and western coasts.[74]

By the second half of the 18th century, the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent (now Pakistan and parts of north India) were a collection of fourteen small warring regions.[7] Of the fourteen, twelve were Sikh-controlled misls (confederacies), one named Kasur (near Lahore) was Muslim controlled, and one in the southeast was led by an Englishman named George Thomas.[7] This region constituted the fertile and productive valleys of the five rivers – Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Bias and Sutlej.[52] The Sikh misls were all under the control of the Khalsa fraternity of Sikh warriors, but they were not united and constantly warred with each other over revenue collection, disagreements, and local priorities; however, in the event of external invasion such as from the Muslim armies of Ahmed Shah Abdali from Afghanistan, they would usually unite.[7]

Towards the end of 18th century, the five most powerful misls were those of Sukkarchakkia, Kanhayas, Nakkais, Ahluwalias and Bhangi Sikhs.[7][26] Ranjit Singh belonged to the first, and through marriage had a reliable alliance with Kanhayas and Nakkais.[7] Among the smaller misls, some such as the Phulkias misl had switched loyalties in the late 18th century and supported the Afghan army invasion against their Khalsa brethren.[7] The Kasur region, ruled by Muslim, always supported the Afghan invasion forces and joined them in plundering Sikh misls during the war.[7]

Military campaigns

Rise to fame, early conquests

 
Portrait of a young Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh's fame grew in 1797, at age 17, when the Afghan Muslim ruler Shah Zaman, of the Ahmad Shah Abdali dynasty, attempted to annex Panjab region into his control through his general Shahanchi Khan and 12,000 soldiers.[6][7] The battle was fought in the territory that fell in Ranjit Singh controlled misl, whose regional knowledge and warrior expertise helped resist the invading army. This victory gained him recognition.[6] In 1798, the Afghan ruler sent in another army, which Ranjit Singh did not resist. He let them enter Lahore, then encircled them with his army, blocked off all food and supplies, burnt all crops and food sources that could have supported the Afghan army. Much of the Afghan army retreated back to Afghanistan.[6]

In 1799, Raja Ranjit Singh's army of 25,000 Khalsa, supported by another 25,000 Khalsa led by his mother-in-law Rani Sada Kaur of Kanhaiya misl, in a joint operation attacked the region controlled by Bhangi Sikhs centered around Lahore. The rulers escaped, marking Lahore as the first major conquest of Ranjit Singh.[7][75] The Sufi Muslim and Hindu population of Lahore welcomed the rule of Ranjit Singh.[6] In 1800, the ruler of Jammu region ceded control of his region to Ranjit Singh.[76]

In 1801, Ranjit Singh proclaimed himself as the "Maharaja of Punjab", and agreed to a formal investiture ceremony, which was carried out by Baba Sahib Singh Bedi – a descendant of Guru Nanak. On the day of his coronation, prayers were performed across mosques, temples and gurudwaras in his territories for his long life.[77] Ranjit Singh called his rule as "Sarkar Khalsa", and his court as "Darbar Khalsa". He ordered new coins to be issued in the name of Guru Nanak named the "NanakShahi" ("of the Emperor Nanak").[6][78][79]

Expansion

 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh on horseback (with black hairs still visible in his beard), circa 1830–1839

In 1802, Ranjit Singh, aged 22, took Amritsar from the Bhangi Sikh misl, paid homage at the Harmandir Sahib temple, which had previously been attacked and desecrated by the invading Afghan army, and announced that he would renovate and rebuild it with marble and gold.[80]

 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne, c. 1820–1830, Hafiz Muhammad Multani, now at V & A Museum.

On 1 January 1806, Ranjit Singh signed a treaty with the British officials of the East India Company, in which he agreed that his Sikh forces would not attempt to expand south of the Sutlej river, and the Company agreed that it would not attempt to militarily cross the Sutlej river into the Sikh territory.[81]

In 1807, Ranjit Singh's forces attacked the Muslim ruled Kasur and, after a month of fierce fighting in the Battle of Kasur defeated the Afghan chief Qutb-ud-Din, thus expanding his empire northwest towards Afghanistan.[6] He took Multan in 1818, and the whole Bari Doab came under his rule with that conquest. In 1819, he successfully defeated the Afghan Sunni Muslim rulers and annexed Srinagar and Kashmir, stretching his rule into the north and the Jhelum valley, beyond the foothills of the Himalayas.[6][82]

The most significant encounters between the Sikhs in the command of the Maharaja and the Afghans were in 1813, 1823, 1834 and in 1837.[9] In 1813, Ranjit Singh's general Dewan Mokham Chand led the Sikh forces against the Afghan forces of Shah Mahmud led by Fateh Khan Barakzai.[83] The Afghans lost their stronghold at Attock in that battle.

In 1813–14, Ranjit Singh's first attempt to expand into Kashmir was foiled by Afghan forces led by General Azim Khan, due to a heavy downpour, the spread of cholera, and poor food supply to his troops.[citation needed]

In 1818, Darbar's forces led by Kharak Singh and Misr Dewan Chand occupied Multan, killing Muzaffar Khan and defeating his forces, leading to the end of Afghan influence in the Punjab.[84]

In July 1818, an army from the Punjab defeated Jabbar Khan, a younger brother of governor of Kashmir Azim Khan, and acquired Kashmir, along with a yearly revenue of Rs seventy lacs. Dewan Moti Ram was appointed governor of Kashmir.[85]

 
Coins issued under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

In 1823, Yusufzai Pashtuns fought the army of Ranjit Sing north of the Kabul River.[86]

In 1834, Mohammed Azim Khan once again marched towards Peshawar with an army of 25,000 Khattak and Yasufzai tribesmen in the name of jihad, to fight against infidels. The Maharaja defeated the forces. Yar Mohammad was pardoned and was reinvested as governor of Peshawar with an annual revenue of Rs one lac ten thousand to Lahore Darbar.[87]

In 1837, the Battle of Jamrud, became the last confrontation between the Sikhs led by him and the Afghans, which displayed the extent of the western boundaries of the Sikh Empire.[88][89]

On 25 November 1838, the two most powerful armies on the Indian subcontinent assembled in a grand review at Ferozepore as Ranjit Singh, the Maharajah of the Punjab brought out the Dal Khalsa to march alongside the sepoy troops of the East India Company and the British troops in India.[90] In 1838, he agreed to a treaty with the British viceroy Lord Auckland to restore Shah Shoja to the Afghan throne in Kabul. In pursuance of this agreement, the British army of the Indus entered Afghanistan from the south, while Ranjit Singh's troops went through the Khyber Pass and took part in the victory parade in Kabul.[5][91]

Geography of the Sikh Empire

 
Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire at its peak

The Sikh Empire, also known as the Sikh Raj and Sarkar-a-Khalsa,[92] was in the Punjab region, the name of which means "the land of the five rivers". The five rivers are the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum, all of which are tributaries of the river Indus.[93]

The geographical reach of the Sikh Empire under Singh included all lands north of Sutlej river, and south of the high valleys of the northwestern Himalayas. The major towns at time included Srinagar, Attock, Peshawar, Bannu, Rawalpindi, Jammu, Gujrat, Sialkot, Kangra, Amritsar, Lahore and Multan.[52][94]

Muslims formed around 70%, Hindus formed around 24%, and Sikhs formed around 6–7% of the total population living in Singh's kingdom.[95]: 2694 

Governance

 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh with two British officers, artist unknown, 19th century, gouache and gold on paper
 
Darbar (royal court) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh behind held outdoors using a large tent

Ranjit Singh allowed men from different religions and races to serve in his army and his government in various positions of authority.[96] His army included a few Europeans, such as the Frenchman Jean-François Allard, though Singh maintained a policy of refraining from recruiting Britons into his service, aware of British designs on the Indian subcontinent.[97] Despite his recruitment policies, he did maintain a diplomatic channel with the British; in 1828, he sent gifts to George IV and in 1831, he sent a mission to Simla to confer with the British Governor General, William Bentinck;[98] while in 1838, he cooperated with them in removing the hostile Islamic Emir in Afghanistan.[89]

Religious Policies

 
In 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated 1 tonne of gold for plating the Kashi Vishwanath Temple's dome.[99][100]

As consistent with many Punjabis of that time, Ranjit Singh was a secular king[101] and followed the Sikh path.[102] His policies were based on respect for all communities, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim.[77] A devoted Sikh, Ranjit Singh restored and built historic Sikh Gurdwaras – most famously, the Harmandir Sahib, and used to celebrate his victories by offering thanks at the Harmandir. He also joined the Hindus in their temples out of respect for their sentiments.[77] The veneration of cows was promoted and cow slaughter was punishable by death under his rule.[103][104] He ordered his soldiers to neither loot nor molest civilians.[105]

He built several gurdwaras, Hindu temples and even mosques, and one in particular was Mai Moran Masjid, built on the behest of his beloved Muslim wife, Moran Sarkar.[106] The Sikhs led by Singh never razed places of worship to the ground belonging to the enemy.[107] However, he did convert Muslim mosques into other uses. For example, Ranjit Singh's army desecrated Lahore's Badshahi Mosque and converted it into an ammunition store,[108] and horse stables.[109] Lahore's Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) was converted into "Moti Mandir" (Pearl Temple) by the Sikh army,[109][110] and Sonehri Mosque were converted into a Sikh Gurdwara, but upon the request of Sufi Fakir (Satar Shah Bukhari), Ranjit Singh restored the latter back to a mosque.[111] Lahore's Begum Shahi Mosque was also used as a gunpowder factory, earning it the nickname Barudkhana Wali Masjid, or "Gunpowder Mosque."[112]

Singh's sovereignty was accepted by Afghan and Punjabi Muslims, who fought under his banner against the Afghan forces of Nadir Shah and later of Azim Khan. His court was ecumenical in composition: his prime minister, Dhian Singh, was a Dogra; his foreign minister, Fakir Azizuddin, was a Muslim; and his finance minister, Dina Nath, was a Brahmin. Artillery commanders such as Mian Ghausa were also Muslims. There were no forced conversions in his time. His wives Bibi Mohran, Gilbahar Begum retained their faith and so did his Hindu wives. He also employed and surrounded himself with astrologers and soothsayers in his court.[113]

Ranjit Singh had also abolished the gurmata and provided significant patronage to the Udasi and Nirmala sect, leading to their prominence and control of Sikh religious affairs.[118]

 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh listening to Guru Granth Sahib being recited near the Akal Takht and Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India.

Administration

Khalsa Army

For the army commanders, see List of generals of Ranjit Singh.
Main articles: Sikh Khalsa Army, Fauj-i-Ain, and Fauj-i-Khas
 
 
Ranjit Singh's army included Europeans. Left: Jean-François Allard, Right: Alexander Gardner

The army under Ranjit Singh was not limited to the Sikh community. The soldiers and troop officers included Sikhs, but also included Hindus, Muslims and Europeans.[119] Hindu Brahmins and people of all creeds and castes served his army,[120][121] while the composition in his government also reflected a religious diversity.[119][122] His army included Polish, Russian, Spanish, Prussian and French officers.[16] In 1835, as his relationship with the British warmed up, he hired a British officer named Foulkes.[16]

However, the Khalsa army of Ranjit Singh reflected regional population, and as he grew his army, he dramatically increased the Rajput and Jat Sikhs who became the predominant members of his army.[15] In the Doaba region his army was composed of the Jat Sikhs, in Jammu and northern Indian hills it was Hindu Rajputs, while relatively more Muslims served his army in the Jhelum river area closer to Afghanistan than other major Panjab rivers.[123]

Reforms

 
2009 portrait of Ranjit Singh wearing the Koh-i-noor diamond as a armlet.

Ranjit Singh changed and improved the training and organisation of his army. He reorganised responsibility and set performance standards in logistical efficiency in troop deployment, manoeuvre, and marksmanship.[122] He reformed the staffing to emphasise steady fire over cavalry and guerrilla warfare, improved the equipment and methods of war. The military system of Ranjit Singh combined the best of both old and new ideas. He strengthened the infantry and the artillery.[15] He paid the members of the standing army from treasury, instead of the Mughal method of paying an army with local feudal levies.[15]

While Ranjit Singh introduced reforms in terms of training and equipment of his military, he failed to reform the old Jagirs (Ijra) system of Mughal middlemen.[124][125] The Jagirs system of state revenue collection involved certain individuals with political connections or inheritance promising a tribute (nazarana) to the ruler and thereby gaining administrative control over certain villages, with the right to force collect customs, excise and land tax at inconsistent and subjective rates from the peasants and merchants; they would keep a part of collected revenue and deliver the promised tribute value to the state.[124][126][127] These Jagirs maintained independent armed militia to extort taxes from the peasants and merchants, and the militia prone to violence.[124] This system of inconsistent taxation with arbitrary extortion by militia, continued the Mughal tradition of ill treatment of peasants and merchants throughout the Sikh Empire, and is evidenced by the complaints filed to Ranjit Singh by East India Company officials attempting to trade within different parts of the Sikh Empire.[124][125]

According to historical records, states Sunit Singh, Ranjit Singh's reforms focused on military that would allow new conquests, but not towards taxation system to end abuse, nor about introducing uniform laws in his state or improving internal trade and empowering the peasants and merchants.[124][125][126] This failure to reform the Jagirs-based taxation system and economy, in part led to a succession power struggle and a series of threats, internal divisions among Sikhs, major assassinations and coups in the Sikh Empire in the years immediately after the death of Ranjit Singh;[128] an easy annexation of the remains of the Sikh Empire into British India followed, with the colonial officials offering the Jagirs better terms and the right to keep the system intact.[129][130][131]

Infrastructure investments

 
A lithograph by Emily Eden showing one of the favourite horses of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his collection of jewels, including the Koh-i-Noor

Ranjit Singh ensured that Panjab manufactured and was self-sufficient in all weapons, equipment and munitions his army needed.[16] His government invested in infrastructure in the 1800s and thereafter, established raw materials mines, cannon foundries, gunpowder and arm factories.[16] Some of these operations were owned by the state, others operated by private Sikh operatives.[16]

However, Ranjit Singh did not make major investments in other infrastructure such as irrigation canals to improve the productivity of land and roads. The prosperity in his Empire, in contrast to the Mughal-Sikh wars era, largely came from the improvement in the security situation, reduction in violence, reopened trade routes and greater freedom to conduct commerce.[132]

Muslim accounts

The mid 19th-century Muslim historians, such as Shahamat Ali who experienced the Sikh Empire first hand, presented a different view on Ranjit Singh's Empire and governance.[133][134] According to Ali, Ranjit Singh's government was despotic, and he was a mean monarch in contrast to the Mughals.[133] The initial momentum for the Empire building in these accounts is stated to be Ranjit Singh led Khalsa army's "insatiable appetite for plunder", their desire for "fresh cities to pillage", and eliminating the Mughal era "revenue intercepting intermediaries between the peasant-cultivator and the treasury".[128]

According to Ishtiaq Ahmed, Ranjit Singh's rule led to further persecution of Muslims in Kashmir, expanding[clarification needed] the previously selective persecution of Shia Muslims and Hindus by Afghan Sunni Muslim rulers between 1752 and 1819 before Kashmir became part of his Sikh Empire.[82] Bikramjit Hasrat describes Ranjit Singh as a "benevolent despot".[135] The Muslim accounts of Ranjit Singh's rule were questioned by Sikh historians of the same era. For example, Ratan Singh Bhangu in 1841 wrote that these accounts were not accurate, and according to Anne Murphy, he remarked, "when would a Musalman praise the Sikhs?"[136] In contrast, the colonial era British military officer Hugh Pearse in 1898 criticised Ranjit Singh's rule, as one founded on "violence, treachery and blood".[137] Sohan Seetal disagrees with this account and states that Ranjit Singh had encouraged his army to respond with a "tit for tat" against the enemy, violence for violence, blood for blood, plunder for plunder.[138]

Decline

 
Fresco of Maharaja Ranjit Singh meeting with his potential heirs

Singh made his empire and the Sikhs a strong political force, for which he is deeply admired and revered in Sikhism. After his death, empire failed to establish a lasting structure for Sikh government or stable succession, and the Sikh Empire began to decline. The British and Sikh Empire fought two Anglo-Sikh wars with the second ending the reign of Sikh Empire.[139] Sikhism itself did not decline.[140]

Clive Dewey has argued that the decline of the empire after Singh's death owes much to the jagir-based economic and taxation system which he inherited from the Mughals and retained. After his death, a fight to control the tax spoils emerged, leading to a power struggle among the nobles and his family from different wives. This struggle ended with a rapid series of palace coups and assassinations of his descendants, and eventually the annexation of the Sikh Empire by the British.[128]

Death and legacy

Death

 
Maharaja Ranjit Singh's funeral. ca. 1840
 
The Samadhi of Ranjit Singh is located in Lahore, Pakistan, adjacent to the iconic Badshahi Mosque.

In the 1830s, Ranjit Singh suffered from numerous health complications as well as a stroke, which some historical records attribute to alcoholism and a failing liver.[52][141] He died in his sleep on 27 June 1839.[56] Four of his Hindu wives- Mehtab Devi (Guddan Sahiba), daughter of Raja Sansar Chand, Rani Har Devi, the daughter of Chaudhri Ram, a Saleria rajput, Rani Raj Devi, daughter of Padma Rajput and Rani Rajno Kanwar, daughter of Sand Bhari along with seven Hindu concubines with royal titles committed sati by voluntarily placing themselves onto his funeral pyre as an act of devotion.[56][142]

Singh is remembered for uniting Sikhs and founding the prosperous Sikh Empire. He is also remembered for his conquests and building a well-trained, self-sufficient Khalsa army to protect the empire.[143] He amassed considerable wealth, including gaining the possession of the Koh-i-Noor diamond from Shuja Shah Durrani of Afghanistan, which he left to Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha in 1839.[144][145]

Gurdwaras

Perhaps Singh's most lasting legacy was the restoration and expansion of the Harmandir Sahib, the most revered Gurudwara of the Sikhs, which is now known popularly as the "Golden Temple".[146] Much of the present decoration at the Harmandir Sahib, in the form of gilding and marblework, was introduced under the patronage of Singh, who also sponsored protective walls and water supply system to strengthen security and operations related to the temple.[18] He also directed construction of two of the most sacred Sikh temples, being the birthplace and place of assassination of Guru Gobind Singh – Takht Sri Patna Sahib and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, respectively – whom he much admired.[citation needed] The nine-story tower of Gurdwara Baba Atal was constructed during his reign.[147]

 
The Harmandir Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple) was completely renovated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
 
Statue of Ranjit Singh in Amritsar.

Memorials and museums

  • Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore, Pakistan, marks the place where Singh was cremated, and four of his queens and seven concubines committed sati.[148][149]
  • On 20 August 2003, a 22-foot-tall bronze statue of Singh was installed in the Parliament of India.[150]
  • A museum at Ram Bagh Palace in Amritsar contains objects related to Singh, including arms and armour, paintings, coins, manuscripts, and jewellery. Singh had spent much time at the palace in which it is situated, where a garden was laid out in 1818.[151]
  • On 27 June 2019, a nine-feet bronze statue of Singh was unveiled at the Lahore Fort at his 180th death anniversary.[152] It has been vandalised several times since, specifically by members of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.[153][154]

Crafts

Main article: Thathera

In 1783, Ranjit Singh established a crafts colony of Thatheras near Amritsar and encouraged skilled metal crafters from Kashmir to settle in Jandiala Guru.[155] In the year 2014, this traditional craft of making brass and copper products got enlisted on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.[156] The Government of Punjab is now working under Project Virasat to revive this craft.[157]

In popular culture

See also

References

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Bibliography

  • Jacques, Tony (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-first Century. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 419. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
  • Heath, Ian (2005). The Sikh Army 1799–1849. Oxford: Osprey Publishing (UK). ISBN 1-84176-777-8.
  • Lafont, Jean-Marie Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lord of the Five Rivers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002 ISBN 0-19-566111-7
  • Marshall, Julie G. (2005), Britain and Tibet 1765–1947: a select annotated bibliography of British relations with Tibet and the Himalayan states including Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan (Revised and Updated to 2003 ed.), London: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-33647-5
  • Sandhawalia, Preminder Singh Noblemen and Kinsmen: history of a Sikh family. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1999 ISBN 81-215-0914-9
  • Waheeduddin, Fakir Syed The Real Ranjit Singh; 2nd ed. Patiala: Punjabi University, 1981 ISBN 81-7380-778-7 (First ed. published 1965 Pakistan).
  • Griffin, Sir Lepel Henry (1909). Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. The National Archives: Civil and Military Gazette Press. ISBN 978-8175365155. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

Further reading

  • Umdat Ut Tawarikh by Sohan Lal Suri, Published by Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar .
  • The Real Ranjit Singh by Fakir Syed Waheeduddin, published by Punjabi University, ISBN 81-7380-778-7, 1 January 2001, 2nd ed. First ed. published 1965 Pakistan.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh: First Death Centenary Memorial, by St. Nihal Singh. Published by Languages Dept., Punjab, 1970.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his times, by J. S. Grewal, Indu Banga. Published by Dept. of History, Guru Nanak Dev University, 1980.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by Harbans Singh. Published by Sterling, 1980.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by K. K. Khullar. Published by Hem Publishers, 1980.
  • The reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh: structure of power, economy and society, by J. S. Grewal. Published by Punjab Historical Studies Dept., Punjabi University, 1981.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh, as patron of the arts, by Ranjit Singh. Published by Marg Publications, 1981.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Politics, Society, and Economy, by Fauja Singh, A. C. Arora. Published by Publication Bureau, Punjabi University, 1984.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his Times, by Bhagat Singh. Published by Sehgal Publishers Service, 1990. ISBN 81-85477-01-9.
  • History of the Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by Shri Ram Bakshi. Published by Anmol Publications, 1991.
  • The Historical Study of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Times, by Kirpal Singh. Published by National Book Shop, 1994. ISBN 81-7116-163-4.
  • An Eyewitness account of the fall of Sikh empire: memories of Alexander Gardner, by Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner, Baldev Singh Baddan, Hugh Wodehouse Pearse. Published by National Book Shop, 1999. ISBN 81-7116-231-2.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The Last to Lay Arms, by Kartar Singh Duggal. Published by Abhinav Publications, 2001. ISBN 81-7017-410-4.
  • Fauj-i-khas Maharaja Ranjit Singh and His French Officers, by Jean Marie Lafont. Published by Guru Nanak Dev University, 2002. ISBN 81-7770-048-0.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by Mohinder Singh, Rishi Singh, Sondeep Shankar, National Institute of Panjab Studies (India). Published by UBS Publishers' Distributors with National Institute of Panjab Studies, 2002. ISBN 81-7476-372-4,.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Lord of the Five Rivers, by Jean Marie Lafont. Published by Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-19-566111-7.
  • The Last Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Lahore Durbar, by Amarinder Singh. Published by Roli Books, 2010.
  • Glory of Sikhism, by R. M. Chopra, Sanbun Publishers, 2001. Chapter on "Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh".

External links

  •   Quotations related to Ranjit Singh at Wikiquote
  •   Media related to Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab at Wikimedia Commons
  • Ranjit Singh profile from sikh-history.com
  • Ranjit Singh 23 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  • Foreign officers in Ranjit Singh's Court 2 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  • Detailed article on Ranjit Singh's Army
  •   Runjeet-Singh, and his Suwarree of Seiks., painted by W Harvey and engraved by G Presbury for Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838, with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.
Biographies
  • Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ranjit Singh" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 892.
Preceded by Leader of the Sukerchakia Misl
1792–1839 		Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
 Maharaja of the Sikh Empire
1801–1839 		Succeeded by

March 09, 2023
ranjit, singh, other, uses, disambiguation, sher, punjab, redirects, here, hockey, team, sher, punjab, field, hockey, team, radio, station, krpi, doordarshan, television, series, maharaja, series, november, 1780, june, 1839, popularly, known, sher, punjab, lio. For other uses see Ranjit Singh disambiguation Sher e Punjab redirects here For the hockey team see Sher e Punjab field hockey team For the radio station see KRPI For the Doordarshan television series see Maharaja Ranjit Singh TV series Ranjit Singh 13 November 1780 27 June 1839 5 popularly known as Sher e Punjab or Lion of Punjab was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10 After his father died he fought several wars to expel the Afghans in his teenage years and was proclaimed as the Maharaja of Punjab at age 21 6 7 His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839 8 9 Maharaja Ranjit Singh is mentioned as Jat in many contemporary sources 10 11 12 13 Ranjit SinghMaharaja of PunjabMaharaja of LahoreSher e Punjab Lion of Punjab Sher e Hind Lion of Hind Sarkar i Wallah Head of State 1 Sarkar Khalsaji Head of State Lord of Five RiversSingh Sahib 2 Maharaja Ranjit Singh1st Maharaja of the Sikh EmpireReign12 April 1801 27 June 1839Investiture12 April 1801 at Lahore FortSuccessorMaharaja Kharak Singh3rd Chief of Sukerchakia MislReignApril 1792 11 April 1801PredecessorMaha SinghBornBuddh Singh13 November 1780 3 Gujranwala Sukerchakia Misl Sikh Confederacy present day Punjab Pakistan Died27 June 1839 1839 06 27 aged 58 Lahore Sikh Empire present day Punjab Pakistan BurialCremated remains stored in the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh LahoreSpouseMaharani Mehtab Kaur Maharani Datar Kaur Maharani Jind KaurIssueMaharaja Kharak Singh Ishar Singh Rattan Singh Maharaja Sher SinghTara Singh Fateh Singh 4 Multana Singh Kashmira SinghPeshaura SinghMaharaja Duleep SinghFatherSardar Maha SinghMotherRaj KaurReligionSikhismSignature handprint Prior to his rise the Punjab region had numerous warring misls confederacies twelve of which were under Sikh rulers and one Muslim 7 Ranjit Singh successfully absorbed and united the Sikh misls and took over other local kingdoms to create the Sikh Empire He repeatedly defeated invasions by outside armies particularly those arriving from Afghanistan and established friendly relations with the British 14 Ranjit Singh s reign introduced reforms modernisation investment into infrastructure and general prosperity 15 16 His Khalsa army and government included Sikhs Hindus Muslims and Europeans 17 His legacy includes a period of Sikh cultural and artistic renaissance including the rebuilding of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar as well as other major gurudwaras including Takht Sri Patna Sahib Bihar and Hazur Sahib Nanded Maharashtra under his sponsorship 18 19 Ranjit Singh was succeeded by his son Kharak Singh In 2020 Ranjit Singh was named as Greatest Leader of All Time in a poll conducted by BBC World Histories Magazine 20 21 22 Contents 1 Early years 2 Personal life 2 1 Wives 2 2 Punishment by the Akal Takht 2 3 Issue 3 Establishment of the Sikh Empire 3 1 Historical context 4 Military campaigns 4 1 Rise to fame early conquests 4 2 Expansion 4 2 1 Geography of the Sikh Empire 4 3 Governance 5 Religious Policies 6 Administration 6 1 Khalsa Army 6 1 1 Reforms 6 1 2 Infrastructure investments 6 2 Muslim accounts 6 3 Decline 7 Death and legacy 7 1 Death 7 2 Gurdwaras 7 3 Memorials and museums 7 4 Crafts 8 In popular culture 9 See also 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 Further reading 13 External linksEarly years Birthplace of Ranjit Singh in Gujranwala Punjab Pakistan Ranjit Singh was born in a Jat family on 13 November 1780 to Maha Singh and Raj Kaur in Gujranwala Punjab region present day Punjab Pakistan His mother Raj Kaur was the daughter of Sikh Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind 23 Upon his birth he was named Buddh Singh after his ancestor who was first in line to take Amrit Sanchaar The child s name was changed to Ranjit literally victor in battle Singh lion by his father to commemorate his army s victory over the Chatha chieftain Pir Muhammad 6 24 Ranjit Singh as a young boy detail from a late 18th century painting of a diplomatic meeting between Sikh Misls Ranjit Singh contracted smallpox as an infant which resulted in the loss of sight in his left eye and a pockmarked face 6 He was short in stature never schooled and did not learn to read or write anything beyond the Gurmukhi alphabet 25 However he was trained at home in horse riding musketry and other martial arts 6 At age 12 his father died 26 He then inherited his father s Sukerchakia Misl estates and was raised by his mother Raj Kaur who along with Lakhpat Rai also managed the estates 6 The first attempt on his life was made when he was 13 by Hashmat Khan but Ranjit Singh prevailed and killed the assailant instead 27 At age 18 his mother died and Lakhpat Rai was assassinated and thereon he was helped by his mother in law from his first marriage 28 According to the chronicles of Ranjit Singh s court historians and the Europeans who visited him Ranjit Singh took to alcohol and opium habits that intensified in the later decades of his life 29 30 31 However he neither smoked nor ate beef 6 and required all officials in his court regardless of their religion to adhere to these restrictions as part of their employment contract 30 Personal lifeWives Maharaja Ranjit Singh s family genealogy In 1789 Ranjit Singh married his first wife Mehtab Kaur 32 the muklawa happened in 1796 26 She was the only daughter of Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya and his wife Sada Kaur and the granddaughter of Jai Singh Kanhaiya the founder of the Kanhaiya Misl 6 This marriage was pre arranged in an attempt to reconcile warring Sikh misls wherein Mehtab Kaur was betrothed to Ranjit Singh in 1786 However the marriage failed with Mehtab Kaur never forgiving the fact that her father had been killed in battle with Ranjit Singh s father and she mainly lived with her mother after marriage The separation became complete when Ranjit Singh married Datar Kaur of the Nakai Misl in 1797 and she turned into Ranjit s most beloved wife 33 Mehtab Kaur had three sons Ishar Singh who was born in 1804 and twins Sher Singh and Tara Singh born in 1807 According to historian Jean Marie Lafont she was the only one to bear the title of Maharani She died in 1813 after suffering from a failing health 34 His second marriage was to Datar Kaur Born Raj Kaur the youngest child and only daughter of Ran Singh Nakai the third ruler of the Nakai Misl and his wife Karmo Kaur They were betrothed in childhood by Datar Kaur s eldest brother Sardar Bhagwan Singh who briefly became the chief of the Nakai Misl and Ranjit Singh s father Maha Singh The anand karaj took place in 1792 35 and the muklawa happened in 1797 36 this marriage was a happy one Ranjit Singh always treated Raj Kaur with love and respect 37 Since Raj Kaur was also the name of Ranjit Singh s mother she was renamed Datar Kaur In 1801 she gave birth to their son and heir apparent Kharak Singh 28 Datar Kaur bore Ranjit Singh two other sons Rattan Singh and Fateh Singh 38 39 40 Like his first marriage the second marriage also brought him strategic military alliance 28 She was exceptionally intelligent and assisted him in affairs of the State 41 During the expedition to Multan in 1818 she was given command alongside her son Kharak Singh 42 43 4 Throughout her life she remained Ranjit Singh s favorite 44 and for no other did he have greater respect for than Datar Kaur who he affectionately called Mai Nakain 45 46 47 Even though she was his second wife she became his principal wife and chief consort 48 49 During a hunting trip with Ranjit Singh she fell ill and died on 20 June 1838 50 51 Maharaja Ranjit Singh with some of his wives Ratan Kaur and Daya Kaur were wives of Sahib Singh Bhangi of Gujrat a misl north of Lahore not to be confused the state of Gujarat 52 After Sahib Singh s death Ranjit Singh took them under his protection in 1811 by marrying them via the rite of chadar andazi in which a cloth sheet was unfurled over each of their heads The same with Roop Kaur Gulab Kaur Saman Kaur and Lakshmi Kaur looked after Duleep Singh when his mother Jind Kaur was exiled Ratan Kaur had a son Multana Singh in 1819 and Daya Kaur had two sons Kashmira Singh and Pashaura Singh in 1821 53 54 Jind Kaur the final spouse of Ranjit Singh Her father Manna Singh Aulakh extolled her virtues to Ranjit Singh who was concerned about the frail health of his only heir Kharak Singh The Maharaja married her in 1835 by sending his arrow and sword to her village On 6 September 1838 she gave birth to Duleep Singh who became the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire 55 His other wives included Mehtab Devi of Kangara also called Guddan or Katochan and Raj Banso daughters of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra He was also married to Rani Har Devi of Atalgarh Rani Aso Sircar and Rani Jag Deo According to the diaries that Duleep Singh kept towards the end of his life that these women presented the Maharaja with four daughters Dr Priya Atwal notes that the daughters could be adopted 32 Ranjit Singh was also married to Jind Bani or Jind Kulan daughter of Muhammad Pathan from Mankera and Gul Bano daughter of Malik Akhtar from Amritsar Ranjit Singh married many times in various ceremonies and had twenty wives 56 57 Sir Lepel Griffin however provides a list of just sixteen wives and their pension list Most of his marriages were performed through chadar andaz 58 Some scholars note that the information on Ranjit Singh s marriages is unclear and there is evidence that he had many concubines Dr Priya Atwal presents an official list of Ranjit Singh s thirty wives 43 The women married through chadar andazi were noted as concubines and were known as the lesser title of Rani queen 59 While Mehtab Kaur and Datar Kaur officially bore the title of Maharani high queen Datar Kaur officially became the Maharani after the death of Mehtab Kaur in 1813 Throughout her life was referred to as Sarkar Rani 60 After her death the title was held by Ranjit s youngest widow Jind Kaur 61 According to Khushwant Singh in an 1889 interview with the French journal Le Voltaire his son Dalip Duleep Singh remarked I am the son of one of my father s forty six wives 34 Dr Priya Atwal notes that Ranjit Singh and his heirs entered a total of 46 marriages 62 But Ranjit Singh was known not be a rash sensualist and commanded unusual respect in the eyes of others 63 Faqir Sayyid Vaḥiduddin states If there was one thing in which Ranjit Singh failed to excel or even equal the average monarch of oriental history it was the size of his harem 64 63 George Keene noted In hundreds and in thousands the orderly crowds stream on Not a bough is broken of a wayside tree not a rude remark to a woman 63 Punishment by the Akal Takht Akali Phula Singh addressing Maharaja Ranjit Singh about his transgressions Miniature painting of Moran Sarkar a Muslim nautch dancer of the court Ranjit Singh and a claimed wife of hisSee also Prohibitions in Sikhism In 1802 Ranjit Singh married Moran Sarkar a Muslim nautch girl This action and other non Sikh activities of the Maharaja upset orthodox Sikhs including the Nihangs whose leader Akali Phula Singh was the Jathedar of the Akal Takht 65 When Ranjit Singh visited Amritsar he was called outside the Akal Takht where he was made to apologise for his mistakes Akali Phula Singh took Ranjit Singh to a tamarind tree in front of the Akal Takht and prepared to punish him by flogging 65 Then Akali Phula Singh asked the nearby Sikh pilgrims whether they approved of Ranjit Singh s apology The pilgrims responded with Sat Sri Akal and Ranjit Singh was released and forgiven An alternative holds that Ranjit went to visit Moran on his arrival in Amritsar before paying his respects at Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara which upset orthodox Sikhs and hence was punished by Akali Phula Singh Iqbal Qaiser and Manveen Sandhu make alternative accounts on the relationship between Moran and the Maharaja the former stating they never married while the latter state that they married Court chronicler Sohan Lal Suri makes no mention Moran s marriage to the Maharaja or coins being struck in her name Bibi Moran spent the rest of life in Pathankot 66 Duleep Singh makes a list of his father s queens which also does not mention Bibi Moran Issue Kharak Singh 22 February 1801 5 November 1840 was the eldest and the favorite of Ranjit Singh from his second and favorite wife Datar Kaur 67 He succeeded his father as the Maharaja Ishar Singh son of his first wife Mehtab Kaur This prince died in infancy in 1805 Rattan Singh 1805 1845 was born to Maharani Datar Kaur 68 69 He was granted the Jagatpur Bajaj estate as his jagir Sher Singh 4 December 1807 15 September 1843 was elder of the twins of Mehtab Kaur He briefly became the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire Tara Singh 4 December 1807 1859 younger of the twins born of Mehtab Kaur Multana Singh 1819 1846 son of Ratan Kaur Kashmira Singh 1821 1844 son of Daya Kaur Pashaura Singh 1821 1845 younger son of Daya Kaur Duleep Singh 4 September 1838 22 October 1893 the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire Ranji Singh s youngest son the only child of Jind Kaur Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Darbar with sons and officials Signed by Imam BakhshAccording to the pedigree table and Duleep Singh s diaries that he kept towards the end of his life mention another son Fateh Singh was born to Mai Nakain who died in infancy 4 According to Henry Edward only Datar Kaur and Jind Kaur s sons are Ranjit Singh s biological sons 70 71 It is said that Ishar Singh was not the biological son of Mehtab Kaur and Ranjit Singh but only procured by Mehtab Kaur and presented to Ranjit Singh who accepted him as his son 72 Tara Singh and Sher Singh had similar rumors it is said that Sher Singh was the son of a chintz weaver Nahala and Tara Singh was the son of Manki a servant in the household of Sada Kaur Henry Edward Fane the nephew and aide de camp to the Commander in Chief India General Sir Henry Fane who spent several days in Ranjit Singh s company reported Though reported to be the Maharaja s son Sher Singh s father has never thoroughly acknowledged him though his mother always insisted on his being so A brother of Sher Tara Singh by the same mother has been even worse treated than himself not being permitted to appear at court and no office given him either of profit or honour Five Years in India Volume 1 Henry Edward Fane London 1842 full citation needed page needed Multana Singh Kashmira Singh and Pashaura Singh were sons of the two widows of Sahib Singh Daya Kaur and Ratan Kaur that Ranjit Singh took under his protection and married These sons are said to be not biologically born to the queens and only procured and later presented to and accepted by Ranjit Singh as his sons 73 Establishment of the Sikh EmpireMain article Sikh Empire Maharaja Ranjit Singhcirca 1816 29 Historical context After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 the Mughal Empire fell apart and declined in its ability to tax or govern most of the Indian subcontinent In the northwestern region particularly the Punjab the creation of the Khalsa community of Sikh warriors by Guru Gobind Singh accelerated the decay and fragmentation of the Mughal power in the region 74 Raiding Afghans attacked the Indus river valleys but met resistance from both organised armies of the Khalsa Sikhs as well as irregular Khalsa militias based in villages The Sikhs had appointed their own zamindars replacing the previous Muslim revenue collectors which provided resources to feed and strengthen the warriors aligned with Sikh interests 74 Meanwhile colonial traders and the East India Company had begun operations in India on its eastern and western coasts 74 By the second half of the 18th century the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent now Pakistan and parts of north India were a collection of fourteen small warring regions 7 Of the fourteen twelve were Sikh controlled misls confederacies one named Kasur near Lahore was Muslim controlled and one in the southeast was led by an Englishman named George Thomas 7 This region constituted the fertile and productive valleys of the five rivers Jhelum Chenab Ravi Bias and Sutlej 52 The Sikh misls were all under the control of the Khalsa fraternity of Sikh warriors but they were not united and constantly warred with each other over revenue collection disagreements and local priorities however in the event of external invasion such as from the Muslim armies of Ahmed Shah Abdali from Afghanistan they would usually unite 7 Towards the end of 18th century the five most powerful misls were those of Sukkarchakkia Kanhayas Nakkais Ahluwalias and Bhangi Sikhs 7 26 Ranjit Singh belonged to the first and through marriage had a reliable alliance with Kanhayas and Nakkais 7 Among the smaller misls some such as the Phulkias misl had switched loyalties in the late 18th century and supported the Afghan army invasion against their Khalsa brethren 7 The Kasur region ruled by Muslim always supported the Afghan invasion forces and joined them in plundering Sikh misls during the war 7 Military campaignsRise to fame early conquests Portrait of a young Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh s fame grew in 1797 at age 17 when the Afghan Muslim ruler Shah Zaman of the Ahmad Shah Abdali dynasty attempted to annex Panjab region into his control through his general Shahanchi Khan and 12 000 soldiers 6 7 The battle was fought in the territory that fell in Ranjit Singh controlled misl whose regional knowledge and warrior expertise helped resist the invading army This victory gained him recognition 6 In 1798 the Afghan ruler sent in another army which Ranjit Singh did not resist He let them enter Lahore then encircled them with his army blocked off all food and supplies burnt all crops and food sources that could have supported the Afghan army Much of the Afghan army retreated back to Afghanistan 6 In 1799 Raja Ranjit Singh s army of 25 000 Khalsa supported by another 25 000 Khalsa led by his mother in law Rani Sada Kaur of Kanhaiya misl in a joint operation attacked the region controlled by Bhangi Sikhs centered around Lahore The rulers escaped marking Lahore as the first major conquest of Ranjit Singh 7 75 The Sufi Muslim and Hindu population of Lahore welcomed the rule of Ranjit Singh 6 In 1800 the ruler of Jammu region ceded control of his region to Ranjit Singh 76 In 1801 Ranjit Singh proclaimed himself as the Maharaja of Punjab and agreed to a formal investiture ceremony which was carried out by Baba Sahib Singh Bedi a descendant of Guru Nanak On the day of his coronation prayers were performed across mosques temples and gurudwaras in his territories for his long life 77 Ranjit Singh called his rule as Sarkar Khalsa and his court as Darbar Khalsa He ordered new coins to be issued in the name of Guru Nanak named the NanakShahi of the Emperor Nanak 6 78 79 Expansion Maharaja Ranjit Singh on horseback with black hairs still visible in his beard circa 1830 1839 In 1802 Ranjit Singh aged 22 took Amritsar from the Bhangi Sikh misl paid homage at the Harmandir Sahib temple which had previously been attacked and desecrated by the invading Afghan army and announced that he would renovate and rebuild it with marble and gold 80 Maharaja Ranjit Singh s throne c 1820 1830 Hafiz Muhammad Multani now at V amp A Museum On 1 January 1806 Ranjit Singh signed a treaty with the British officials of the East India Company in which he agreed that his Sikh forces would not attempt to expand south of the Sutlej river and the Company agreed that it would not attempt to militarily cross the Sutlej river into the Sikh territory 81 In 1807 Ranjit Singh s forces attacked the Muslim ruled Kasur and after a month of fierce fighting in the Battle of Kasur defeated the Afghan chief Qutb ud Din thus expanding his empire northwest towards Afghanistan 6 He took Multan in 1818 and the whole Bari Doab came under his rule with that conquest In 1819 he successfully defeated the Afghan Sunni Muslim rulers and annexed Srinagar and Kashmir stretching his rule into the north and the Jhelum valley beyond the foothills of the Himalayas 6 82 The most significant encounters between the Sikhs in the command of the Maharaja and the Afghans were in 1813 1823 1834 and in 1837 9 In 1813 Ranjit Singh s general Dewan Mokham Chand led the Sikh forces against the Afghan forces of Shah Mahmud led by Fateh Khan Barakzai 83 The Afghans lost their stronghold at Attock in that battle In 1813 14 Ranjit Singh s first attempt to expand into Kashmir was foiled by Afghan forces led by General Azim Khan due to a heavy downpour the spread of cholera and poor food supply to his troops citation needed In 1818 Darbar s forces led by Kharak Singh and Misr Dewan Chand occupied Multan killing Muzaffar Khan and defeating his forces leading to the end of Afghan influence in the Punjab 84 In July 1818 an army from the Punjab defeated Jabbar Khan a younger brother of governor of Kashmir Azim Khan and acquired Kashmir along with a yearly revenue of Rs seventy lacs Dewan Moti Ram was appointed governor of Kashmir 85 Coins issued under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh In 1823 Yusufzai Pashtuns fought the army of Ranjit Sing north of the Kabul River 86 In 1834 Mohammed Azim Khan once again marched towards Peshawar with an army of 25 000 Khattak and Yasufzai tribesmen in the name of jihad to fight against infidels The Maharaja defeated the forces Yar Mohammad was pardoned and was reinvested as governor of Peshawar with an annual revenue of Rs one lac ten thousand to Lahore Darbar 87 In 1837 the Battle of Jamrud became the last confrontation between the Sikhs led by him and the Afghans which displayed the extent of the western boundaries of the Sikh Empire 88 89 On 25 November 1838 the two most powerful armies on the Indian subcontinent assembled in a grand review at Ferozepore as Ranjit Singh the Maharajah of the Punjab brought out the Dal Khalsa to march alongside the sepoy troops of the East India Company and the British troops in India 90 In 1838 he agreed to a treaty with the British viceroy Lord Auckland to restore Shah Shoja to the Afghan throne in Kabul In pursuance of this agreement the British army of the Indus entered Afghanistan from the south while Ranjit Singh s troops went through the Khyber Pass and took part in the victory parade in Kabul 5 91 Geography of the Sikh Empire Ranjit Singh s Sikh Empire at its peak The Sikh Empire also known as the Sikh Raj and Sarkar a Khalsa 92 was in the Punjab region the name of which means the land of the five rivers The five rivers are the Beas Ravi Sutlej Chenab and Jhelum all of which are tributaries of the river Indus 93 The geographical reach of the Sikh Empire under Singh included all lands north of Sutlej river and south of the high valleys of the northwestern Himalayas The major towns at time included Srinagar Attock Peshawar Bannu Rawalpindi Jammu Gujrat Sialkot Kangra Amritsar Lahore and Multan 52 94 Muslims formed around 70 Hindus formed around 24 and Sikhs formed around 6 7 of the total population living in Singh s kingdom 95 2694 Governance Maharaja Ranjit Singh with two British officers artist unknown 19th century gouache and gold on paper Darbar royal court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh behind held outdoors using a large tent Ranjit Singh allowed men from different religions and races to serve in his army and his government in various positions of authority 96 His army included a few Europeans such as the Frenchman Jean Francois Allard though Singh maintained a policy of refraining from recruiting Britons into his service aware of British designs on the Indian subcontinent 97 Despite his recruitment policies he did maintain a diplomatic channel with the British in 1828 he sent gifts to George IV and in 1831 he sent a mission to Simla to confer with the British Governor General William Bentinck 98 while in 1838 he cooperated with them in removing the hostile Islamic Emir in Afghanistan 89 Religious Policies In 1835 Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated 1 tonne of gold for plating the Kashi Vishwanath Temple s dome 99 100 As consistent with many Punjabis of that time Ranjit Singh was a secular king 101 and followed the Sikh path 102 His policies were based on respect for all communities Hindu Sikh and Muslim 77 A devoted Sikh Ranjit Singh restored and built historic Sikh Gurdwaras most famously the Harmandir Sahib and used to celebrate his victories by offering thanks at the Harmandir He also joined the Hindus in their temples out of respect for their sentiments 77 The veneration of cows was promoted and cow slaughter was punishable by death under his rule 103 104 He ordered his soldiers to neither loot nor molest civilians 105 He built several gurdwaras Hindu temples and even mosques and one in particular was Mai Moran Masjid built on the behest of his beloved Muslim wife Moran Sarkar 106 The Sikhs led by Singh never razed places of worship to the ground belonging to the enemy 107 However he did convert Muslim mosques into other uses For example Ranjit Singh s army desecrated Lahore s Badshahi Mosque and converted it into an ammunition store 108 and horse stables 109 Lahore s Moti Masjid Pearl Mosque was converted into Moti Mandir Pearl Temple by the Sikh army 109 110 and Sonehri Mosque were converted into a Sikh Gurdwara but upon the request of Sufi Fakir Satar Shah Bukhari Ranjit Singh restored the latter back to a mosque 111 Lahore s Begum Shahi Mosque was also used as a gunpowder factory earning it the nickname Barudkhana Wali Masjid or Gunpowder Mosque 112 Singh s sovereignty was accepted by Afghan and Punjabi Muslims who fought under his banner against the Afghan forces of Nadir Shah and later of Azim Khan His court was ecumenical in composition his prime minister Dhian Singh was a Dogra his foreign minister Fakir Azizuddin was a Muslim and his finance minister Dina Nath was a Brahmin Artillery commanders such as Mian Ghausa were also Muslims There were no forced conversions in his time His wives Bibi Mohran Gilbahar Begum retained their faith and so did his Hindu wives He also employed and surrounded himself with astrologers and soothsayers in his court 113 Ranjit Singh had also abolished the gurmata and provided significant patronage to the Udasi and Nirmala sect leading to their prominence and control of Sikh religious affairs 118 Maharaja Ranjit Singh listening to Guru Granth Sahib being recited near the Akal Takht and Golden Temple Amritsar Punjab India AdministrationKhalsa Army For the army commanders see List of generals of Ranjit Singh Main articles Sikh Khalsa Army Fauj i Ain and Fauj i Khas Ranjit Singh s army included Europeans Left Jean Francois Allard Right Alexander Gardner The army under Ranjit Singh was not limited to the Sikh community The soldiers and troop officers included Sikhs but also included Hindus Muslims and Europeans 119 Hindu Brahmins and people of all creeds and castes served his army 120 121 while the composition in his government also reflected a religious diversity 119 122 His army included Polish Russian Spanish Prussian and French officers 16 In 1835 as his relationship with the British warmed up he hired a British officer named Foulkes 16 However the Khalsa army of Ranjit Singh reflected regional population and as he grew his army he dramatically increased the Rajput and Jat Sikhs who became the predominant members of his army 15 In the Doaba region his army was composed of the Jat Sikhs in Jammu and northern Indian hills it was Hindu Rajputs while relatively more Muslims served his army in the Jhelum river area closer to Afghanistan than other major Panjab rivers 123 Reforms 2009 portrait of Ranjit Singh wearing the Koh i noor diamond as a armlet Ranjit Singh changed and improved the training and organisation of his army He reorganised responsibility and set performance standards in logistical efficiency in troop deployment manoeuvre and marksmanship 122 He reformed the staffing to emphasise steady fire over cavalry and guerrilla warfare improved the equipment and methods of war The military system of Ranjit Singh combined the best of both old and new ideas He strengthened the infantry and the artillery 15 He paid the members of the standing army from treasury instead of the Mughal method of paying an army with local feudal levies 15 While Ranjit Singh introduced reforms in terms of training and equipment of his military he failed to reform the old Jagirs Ijra system of Mughal middlemen 124 125 The Jagirs system of state revenue collection involved certain individuals with political connections or inheritance promising a tribute nazarana to the ruler and thereby gaining administrative control over certain villages with the right to force collect customs excise and land tax at inconsistent and subjective rates from the peasants and merchants they would keep a part of collected revenue and deliver the promised tribute value to the state 124 126 127 These Jagirs maintained independent armed militia to extort taxes from the peasants and merchants and the militia prone to violence 124 This system of inconsistent taxation with arbitrary extortion by militia continued the Mughal tradition of ill treatment of peasants and merchants throughout the Sikh Empire and is evidenced by the complaints filed to Ranjit Singh by East India Company officials attempting to trade within different parts of the Sikh Empire 124 125 According to historical records states Sunit Singh Ranjit Singh s reforms focused on military that would allow new conquests but not towards taxation system to end abuse nor about introducing uniform laws in his state or improving internal trade and empowering the peasants and merchants 124 125 126 This failure to reform the Jagirs based taxation system and economy in part led to a succession power struggle and a series of threats internal divisions among Sikhs major assassinations and coups in the Sikh Empire in the years immediately after the death of Ranjit Singh 128 an easy annexation of the remains of the Sikh Empire into British India followed with the colonial officials offering the Jagirs better terms and the right to keep the system intact 129 130 131 Infrastructure investments A lithograph by Emily Eden showing one of the favourite horses of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his collection of jewels including the Koh i NoorRanjit Singh ensured that Panjab manufactured and was self sufficient in all weapons equipment and munitions his army needed 16 His government invested in infrastructure in the 1800s and thereafter established raw materials mines cannon foundries gunpowder and arm factories 16 Some of these operations were owned by the state others operated by private Sikh operatives 16 However Ranjit Singh did not make major investments in other infrastructure such as irrigation canals to improve the productivity of land and roads The prosperity in his Empire in contrast to the Mughal Sikh wars era largely came from the improvement in the security situation reduction in violence reopened trade routes and greater freedom to conduct commerce 132 Muslim accounts The mid 19th century Muslim historians such as Shahamat Ali who experienced the Sikh Empire first hand presented a different view on Ranjit Singh s Empire and governance 133 134 According to Ali Ranjit Singh s government was despotic and he was a mean monarch in contrast to the Mughals 133 The initial momentum for the Empire building in these accounts is stated to be Ranjit Singh led Khalsa army s insatiable appetite for plunder their desire for fresh cities to pillage and eliminating the Mughal era revenue intercepting intermediaries between the peasant cultivator and the treasury 128 According to Ishtiaq Ahmed Ranjit Singh s rule led to further persecution of Muslims in Kashmir expanding clarification needed the previously selective persecution of Shia Muslims and Hindus by Afghan Sunni Muslim rulers between 1752 and 1819 before Kashmir became part of his Sikh Empire 82 Bikramjit Hasrat describes Ranjit Singh as a benevolent despot 135 The Muslim accounts of Ranjit Singh s rule were questioned by Sikh historians of the same era For example Ratan Singh Bhangu in 1841 wrote that these accounts were not accurate and according to Anne Murphy he remarked when would a Musalman praise the Sikhs 136 In contrast the colonial era British military officer Hugh Pearse in 1898 criticised Ranjit Singh s rule as one founded on violence treachery and blood 137 Sohan Seetal disagrees with this account and states that Ranjit Singh had encouraged his army to respond with a tit for tat against the enemy violence for violence blood for blood plunder for plunder 138 Decline Fresco of Maharaja Ranjit Singh meeting with his potential heirs Singh made his empire and the Sikhs a strong political force for which he is deeply admired and revered in Sikhism After his death empire failed to establish a lasting structure for Sikh government or stable succession and the Sikh Empire began to decline The British and Sikh Empire fought two Anglo Sikh wars with the second ending the reign of Sikh Empire 139 Sikhism itself did not decline 140 Clive Dewey has argued that the decline of the empire after Singh s death owes much to the jagir based economic and taxation system which he inherited from the Mughals and retained After his death a fight to control the tax spoils emerged leading to a power struggle among the nobles and his family from different wives This struggle ended with a rapid series of palace coups and assassinations of his descendants and eventually the annexation of the Sikh Empire by the British 128 Death and legacyDeath Maharaja Ranjit Singh s funeral ca 1840 The Samadhi of Ranjit Singh is located in Lahore Pakistan adjacent to the iconic Badshahi Mosque In the 1830s Ranjit Singh suffered from numerous health complications as well as a stroke which some historical records attribute to alcoholism and a failing liver 52 141 He died in his sleep on 27 June 1839 56 Four of his Hindu wives Mehtab Devi Guddan Sahiba daughter of Raja Sansar Chand Rani Har Devi the daughter of Chaudhri Ram a Saleria rajput Rani Raj Devi daughter of Padma Rajput and Rani Rajno Kanwar daughter of Sand Bhari along with seven Hindu concubines with royal titles committed sati by voluntarily placing themselves onto his funeral pyre as an act of devotion 56 142 Singh is remembered for uniting Sikhs and founding the prosperous Sikh Empire He is also remembered for his conquests and building a well trained self sufficient Khalsa army to protect the empire 143 He amassed considerable wealth including gaining the possession of the Koh i Noor diamond from Shuja Shah Durrani of Afghanistan which he left to Jagannath Temple in Puri Odisha in 1839 144 145 Gurdwaras Perhaps Singh s most lasting legacy was the restoration and expansion of the Harmandir Sahib the most revered Gurudwara of the Sikhs which is now known popularly as the Golden Temple 146 Much of the present decoration at the Harmandir Sahib in the form of gilding and marblework was introduced under the patronage of Singh who also sponsored protective walls and water supply system to strengthen security and operations related to the temple 18 He also directed construction of two of the most sacred Sikh temples being the birthplace and place of assassination of Guru Gobind Singh Takht Sri Patna Sahib and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib respectively whom he much admired citation needed The nine story tower of Gurdwara Baba Atal was constructed during his reign 147 The Harmandir Sahib also known as the Golden Temple was completely renovated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh Statue of Ranjit Singh in Amritsar Memorials and museums Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore Pakistan marks the place where Singh was cremated and four of his queens and seven concubines committed sati 148 149 On 20 August 2003 a 22 foot tall bronze statue of Singh was installed in the Parliament of India 150 A museum at Ram Bagh Palace in Amritsar contains objects related to Singh including arms and armour paintings coins manuscripts and jewellery Singh had spent much time at the palace in which it is situated where a garden was laid out in 1818 151 On 27 June 2019 a nine feet bronze statue of Singh was unveiled at the Lahore Fort at his 180th death anniversary 152 It has been vandalised several times since specifically by members of the Tehreek e Labbaik Pakistan 153 154 Crafts Main article Thathera In 1783 Ranjit Singh established a crafts colony of Thatheras near Amritsar and encouraged skilled metal crafters from Kashmir to settle in Jandiala Guru 155 In the year 2014 this traditional craft of making brass and copper products got enlisted on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO 156 The Government of Punjab is now working under Project Virasat to revive this craft 157 In popular cultureMaharaja Ranjit Singh a documentary film directed by Prem Prakash covers his rise to power and his reign It was produced by the Government of India s Films Division 158 In 2010 a TV series titled Maharaja Ranjit Singh aired on DD National based on his life which was produced by Raj Babbar s Babbar Films Private Limited He was portrayed by Ejlal Ali Khan Maharaja The Story of Ranjit Singh 2010 is an Indian Punjabi language animated film directed by Amarjit Virdi 159 A teenage Ranjit was portrayed by Damanpreet Singh in the 2017 TV series titled Sher e Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh It aired on Life OK produced by Contiloe Entertainment See alsoBaradari of Ranjit Singh History of Punjab Charat Singh Hari Singh Nalwa List of generals of Ranjit Singh Koh i Noor Battle of Balakot 160 161 162 References The Sikh Army 1799 1849 By Ian Heath Michael Perry Page 3 and in April 1801 Ranjit Singh proclaimed himself Sarkar i wala or head of state A history of the Sikhs by Kushwant Singh Volume I Page 195 S R Bakshi Rashmi Pathak 2007 1 Political Condition In S R Bakshi Rashmi Pathak ed Studies in Contemporary Indian History Punjab Through the Ages Volume 2 Sarup amp Sons New Delhi p 2 ISBN 978 81 7625 738 1 a b c Postscript Maharaja Duleep Singh Emperor of the Five Rivers I B Tauris 2017 doi 10 5040 9781350986220 0008 ISBN 978 1 78673 095 4 a b Ranjit Singh Encyclopaedia Britannica Khushwant Singh 2015 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Singh Kushwant 2011 Ranjit Singh 1780 1839 In Singh Harbans ed The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism Vol III M R Third ed Punjabi University Patiala pp 479 487 ISBN 8 1 7380 349 8 a b c d e f g h i j k Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books pp 9 14 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 Chisholm 1911 a b Grewal J S 1990 Chapter 6 The Sikh empire 1799 1849 The Sikh empire 1799 1849 The New Cambridge History of India Vol The Sikhs of the Punjab Cambridge University Press Tod James 1829 Annals and Antiquities of Rajast han Or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India Smith Elder and Company The Athenaeum J Lection 1846 Tod James 1884 Annals and Antiquities of Rajastʼhan Or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India S K Lahiri Metcalfe Charles Theophilus 1982 The Rajpoot Tribes Cosmo Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen pp 113 124 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 a b c d Teja Singh Sita Ram Kohli 1986 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Atlantic Publishers pp 65 68 a b c d e f Kaushik Roy 2011 War Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia 1740 1849 Routledge pp 143 144 ISBN 978 1 136 79087 4 Kaushik Roy 2011 War Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia 1740 1849 Routledge pp 143 147 ISBN 978 1 136 79087 4 a b Jean Marie Lafont 2002 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Lord of the Five Rivers Oxford University Press pp 95 96 ISBN 978 0 19 566111 8 Kerry Brown 2002 Sikh Art and Literature Routledge p 35 ISBN 978 1 134 63136 0 Maharaja Ranjit Singh named greatest world leader in BBC Poll The Economic Times Sikh warrior Maharaja Ranjit Singh beats Winston Churchill as the greatest leader of all time Sikh warrior voted greatest leader of all time in BBC poll Singh Patwant Rai Jyoti M 2008 Empire of the Sikhs the life and times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh London Peter Owen p 69 ISBN 978 0720613230 Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen pp 58 59 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen pp 56 57 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 a b c Jean Marie Lafont 2002 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Lord of the Five Rivers Oxford University Press pp 33 34 15 16 ISBN 978 0 19 566111 8 Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books p 6 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 a b c Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books pp 7 8 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books pp 6 253 254 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 a b Ben Macintyre 2008 The Man Who Would Be King The First American in Afghanistan Macmillan pp 154 157 ISBN 978 1 4668 0379 4 Das Aditya 2016 Defending British India Against Napoleon The Foreign Policy of Governor General Lord Minto 1807 13 Boydell amp Brewer p 133 ISBN 978 1 78327 129 0 a b Atwal Priya 1 November 2020 Royals and Rebels Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 oso 9780197548318 001 0001 ISBN 978 0 19 754831 8 Bhatia Sardar Singh 2011 Mahitab Kaur d 1813 In Singh Harbans ed The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism Vol III M R Third ed Punjabi University Patiala p 19 ISBN 8 1 7380 349 8 a b Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books pp 300 301 footnote 35 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 Hugel Karl Alexander Freiherr von 1845 Travels in Kashmir and the Panjab Containing a Particular Account of the Government and Character of the Sikhs J Petheram Atwal Priya 24 September 2020 Royals and Rebels The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire C Hurst Publishers Limited ISBN 978 1 78738 308 1 Vaḥiduddin Faqir Sayyid 2001 The real Ranjit Singh Publication Bureau Punjabi University ISBN 81 7380 778 7 OCLC 52691326 Mahanian Koharan Tehsil Amritsar District AmritsarState Punjab via www youtube com Yudhvir Rana 1 May 2015 Descendants of Maharaja Ranjit Singh stakes claim on Gobindgarh Fort India News Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 22 September 2021 Yudhvir Rana 18 August 2021 Seventh generation descendent of Maharaja Ranjit Singh writes to Imran India News Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 22 September 2021 Tuberculosis Poor Awareness Leads to Poor Control Journal of Sheikh Zayed Medical College 11 3 1 2 2021 doi 10 47883 jszmc v11i03 158 ISSN 2305 5235 S2CID 236800828 Journal of Sikh Studies Department of Guru Nanak Studies Guru Nanak Dev University 2001 a b Atwal Priya 15 January 2021 Royals and Rebels The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 756694 7 Tibbetts Jann 2016 50 Great Military Leaders of All Time VIJ Books India PVT Limited ISBN 9386834197 Bhatia Sardar Singh 2011 Raj Kaur d 1838 In Singh Harbans ed The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism Vol III M R Third ed Punjabi University Patiala p 443 ISBN 8 1 7380 349 8 Khushwant Singh 1962 Ranjit Singh Maharajah Of The Punjab 1780 1839 Servants of Knowledge George Allen amp Unwin Ltd Fakir Syed Waheeduddin Vaḥiduddin Faqir Sayyid 1965 The Real Ranjit Singh Lion Art Press Sood D R 1981 Ranjit Singh National Book Trust OCLC 499465766 Singh Patwant 2013 Empire of the Sikhs the life and times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen Publishers ISBN 978 0 7206 1524 1 OCLC 841311234 Khurana Gianeshwar 1985 British Historiography on the Sikh Power in Punjab Allied Publishers ISBN 978 0 8364 1504 9 Lal Suri Lala Sohan 1961 Umdat ut tawarikh Umdat at tawarih engl An outstanding original source of Panjab history by Lala Sohan Lal Suri OCLC 163394684 a b c d Vincent Arthur Smith 1920 The Oxford History of India From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911 Oxford University Press pp 690 693 Bhatia Sardar Singh 2011 Daya Kaur Rani died 1843 In Singh Harbans ed The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism Vol I A D Third ed Punjabi University Patiala p 539 ISBN 8 1 7380 100 2 Bhatia Sardar Singh 2011 Ratan Kaur Rani In Singh Harbans ed The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism Vol III M R Third ed Punjabi University Patiala p 491 ISBN 8 1 7380 349 8 Hasrat B J 2011 Jind Kaur Maharani 1817 1863 In Singh Harbans ed The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism Vol II E L Third ed Punjabi University Patiala pp 381 384 ISBN 8 1 7380 204 1 a b c Anita Anand 2015 Sophia Princess Suffragette Revolutionary Bloomsbury Academic p 13 ISBN 978 1 63286 081 1 Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen p 69 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 Griffin Lepel Henry 1865 The Panjab Chiefs Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Territories Under the Panjab Government T C McCarthy Postscript Maharaja Duleep Singh Emperor of the Five Rivers I B Tauris 2017 doi 10 5040 9781350986220 0008 ISBN 978 1 78673 095 4 Lal Suri Lala Sohan Umdat Ul Tawarikh Lafont Jean Marie 2002 Maharaja Ranjit Singh lord of the five rivers New Delhi Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 566111 7 OCLC 49618584 Atwal Priya 2020 Royals and Rebels a b c Duggal Kartar Singh 2001 Maharaja Ranjit Singh the Last to Lay Arms Abhinav Publications ISBN 978 81 7017 410 3 Vaḥiduddin Faqir Sayyid 1965 The Real Ranjit Singh Lion Art Press a b Singh Kartar 1975 Stories from Sikh History Book VII New Delhi Hemkunt Press p 160 Graham Ian 26 January 2016 Scarlet Women The Scandalous Lives of Courtesans Concubines and Royal Mistresses Macmillan ISBN 978 1 250 06263 5 Singh Khushwant 24 March 2009 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books India ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 Yudhvir Rana 1 May 2015 Descendants of Maharaja Ranjit Singh stakes claim on Gobindgarh Fort India News Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 17 September 2021 Yudhvir Rana 18 August 2021 Seventh generation descendent of Maharaja Ranjit Singh writes to Imran India News Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 10 September 2021 Fane Henry Edward 1842 Five Years in India Volume 1 Chapter VII page 120 Henry Colburn Retrieved 4 August 2016 Lady Login s Recollections Chapter VII page 85 Smith Elder amp Co London 1916 Retrieved 4 August 2016 Griffin Lepel Henry 1890 The Panjab chiefs historical and biographical notices of the principal families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi divisions of the Panjab Civil and Military Gazette Press OCLC 777874299 Griffin Lepel Henry 1898 Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Barrier Between Our Growing Empire and Central Asia Clarendon Press a b c Sunit Singh 2014 Pashaura Singh and Louis E Fenech ed The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies Oxford University Press pp 60 61 ISBN 978 0 19 100411 7 Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen pp 73 76 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 Jean Marie Lafont 2002 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Lord of the Five Rivers Oxford University Press p 64 ISBN 978 0 19 566111 8 a b c Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh 15 March 2011 Sikhism An Introduction I B Tauris pp 129 ISBN 978 1 84885 321 8 Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books p 35 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 Harjot Oberoi 1994 The Construction of Religious Boundaries Culture Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition University of Chicago Press pp 114 115 ISBN 978 0 226 61593 6 Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen pp 18 177 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 Anita Anand 2015 Sophia Princess Suffragette Revolutionary Bloomsbury Academic p 12 ISBN 978 1 63286 081 1 a b Ishtiaq Ahmed 1998 State Nation and Ethnicity in Contemporary South Asia Bloomsbury Academic pp 139 140 ISBN 978 1 85567 578 0 Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen pp 113 116 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 Singh Khushwant 11 October 2004 A History of the Sikhs 1469 1838 2nd ed Oxford University Press p 252 ISBN 978 0 19 567308 1 Retrieved 1 April 2011 Lee Jonathan 2019 Afghanistan A History from 1260 to the Present Reaktion Books pp 170 190 ISBN 9781789140101 Patwant Singh 2008 Empire of the Sikhs The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Peter Owen pp 120 124 ISBN 978 0 7206 1323 0 Singh Khushwant 11 October 2004 A History of the Sikhs 1469 1838 2nd ed Oxford University Press p 265 ISBN 978 0 19 567308 1 Retrieved 1 April 2011 Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books pp 227 231 246 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 a b Kaushik Roy Peter Lorge 2014 Chinese and Indian Warfare From the Classical Age to 1870 Routledge pp 100 103 ISBN 978 1 317 58710 1 Perry James Arrogant Armies Edison CastleBooks 2005 pp 109 10 Kenneth Pletcher 2010 The History of India Britannica Educational Publishing ISBN 9781615302017 Singh Ganda 2011 Khalsa In Singh Harbans ed The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism Vol II E L Third ed Punjabi University Patiala p 473 ISBN 8 1 7380 204 1 Jean Marie Lafont 2002 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Lord of the Five Rivers Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 566111 8 Marshall 2005 p 116 Puri Harish K June July 2003 Scheduled Castes in Sikh Community A Historical Perspective Economic and Political Weekly Economic and Political Weekly 38 26 2693 2701 JSTOR 4413731 Kartar Singh Duggal 2001 Maharaja Ranjit Singh The Last to Lay Arms Abhinav Publications pp 125 126 ISBN 978 81 7017 410 3 Kuiper Kathleen 2010 The culture of India Rosen Publishing Group p 136 ISBN 978 1615301492 Henry Thoby Prinsep 2011 Origin of the Sikh Power in the Punjab and Political Life of Muha Raja Runjeet Singh Cambridge University Press pp 152 161 ISBN 978 1 108 02872 1 Matthew Atmore Sherring 1868 The Sacred City of the Hindus An Account of Benares in Ancient and Modern Times Trubner amp co p 51 Madhuri Desai 2007 Resurrecting Banaras Urban Space Architecture and Religious Boundaries ISBN 978 0 549 52839 5 Duggal K S 1993 Ranjit Singh A Secular Sikh Sovereign Abhinav Pubns ISBN 8170172446 McLeod W H 1976 The evolution of the Sikh community five essays Oxford Clarendon Press ISBN 0 19 826529 8 OCLC 2140005 The Tribune Windows This Above All www tribuneindia com Polk William Roe January 2018 Crusade and Jihad The Thousand year War Between the Muslim World and the Global North Yale University Press p 263 ISBN 9780300222906 Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books pp 25 26 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 Hari Ram Gupta 2001 History of the Sikhs Munshirm Manoharlal Pub Pvt Ltd ISBN 8121505402 K S Duggal 1989 Ranjit Singh A Secular Sikh Sovereign Abhinav Publications ISBN 81 7017 244 6 Sidhwa Bapsi 2005 City of Sin and Splendour Writings on Lahore Penguin Books ISBN 9780143031666 Retrieved 7 January 2017 In Lahore just as he had grasped its historic citadel and put it to his own hardy use or desecrated the Badshahi Mosque and converted it into a functional ammuniation store a b Amin Mohamed Willetts Duncan Farrow Brendan 1988 Lahore Ferozsons p 95 ISBN 9789690006943 Latif Syad Muhammad 1892 Lahore Its History Architectural Remains and Antiquities Printed at the New Imperial Press p 125 Latif Syad Muhammad 1892 Lahore Its History Architectural Remains and Antiquities Printed at the New Imperial Press pp 221 223 339 Maryam Zamani Mosque Journal of Central Asia Centre for the Study of the Civilizations of Central Asia Quaid i Azam University 19 97 1996 Singh Khushwant 11 October 2004 A History of the Sikhs 1469 1838 2nd ed Oxford University Press p 295 ISBN 978 0 19 567308 1 Retrieved 1 April 2011 Mandair Arvind 4 July 2013 Teachings of the Sikh Gurus Selections from the Sikh Scriptures Routledge pp xxxv 35 ISBN 9781136451089 Mann Gurinder Singh January 1993 Studying the Sikhs Issues for North America State University of New York Press p 150 ISBN 9780791414255 Van Die Marguerite January 2001 Religion and Public Life in Canada Historical and Comparative Perspectives University of Toronto Press p 348 ISBN 9780802082459 Mandair Arvind Pal S 22 October 2009 Religion and the Specter of the West Sikhism India Postcoloniality and the Politics of Translation Columbia University Press p 264 ISBN 978 0 231 51980 9 As Khalsa Sikhs became more settled and as Ranjit Singh s rule became more autocratic the Gurumata was effectively abolished thereby ensuring that the doctrine of the Guru Panth would lose its efficacy At the same time however Ranjit Singh continued to patronize Udasi and Nirmala ashrams The single most important result of this was the more pronounced diffusion of Vedic and Puranic concepts into the existing Sikh interpretive frameworks 114 115 116 117 a b Teja Singh Sita Ram Kohli 1986 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Atlantic Publishers pp 56 67 Khushwant Singh 2008 Ranjit Singh Penguin Books p 128 ISBN 978 0 14 306543 2 Kaushik Roy 2011 War Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia 1740 1849 Routledge p 147 ISBN 978 1 136 79087 4 a b Singh Khushwant 2008 Ranjit Singh Maharaja of the Punjab New Delhi Penguin Books ISBN 978 0 143 06543 2 Teja Singh Sita Ram Kohli 1986 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Atlantic Publishers pp 83 85 a b c d e Sunit Singh 2014 Pashaura Singh and Louis E Fenech ed The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies Oxford University Press pp 62 65 ISBN 978 0 19 100411 7 a b c Kate Brittlebank 2008 Tall Tales and True India Historiography and British Imperial Imaginings Monash University Press p 65 ISBN 978 1 876924 61 4 a b J S Grewal 1998 The Sikhs of the Punjab Cambridge University Press pp 114 119 ISBN 978 0 521 63764 0 Harjot Oberoi 1994 The Construction of Religious Boundaries Culture Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition University of Chicago Press pp 85 87 ISBN 978 0 226 61593 6 a b c Clive Dewey 1991 D A Low ed Political Inheritance of Pakistan Palgrave Macmillan pp 263 265 ISBN 978 1 349 11556 3 Sunit Singh 2014 Pashaura Singh and Louis E Fenech ed The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies Oxford University Press pp 65 68 ISBN 978 0 19 100411 7 Nicola Mooney 2011 Rural Nostalgias and Transnational Dreams Identity and Modernity Among Jat Sikhs University of Toronto Press pp 68 69 ISBN 978 0 8020 9257 1 Major Andrew J 1991 The Punjabi Chieftains and the Transition from Sikh to British Rule In DA Low ed The Political Inheritance of Pakistan Springer Cambridge University Commonwealth Series pp 53 85 doi 10 1007 978 1 349 11556 3 3 ISBN 978 1 349 11558 7 Sunit Singh 2014 Pashaura Singh and Louis E Fenech ed The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies Oxford University Press pp 62 63 ISBN 978 0 19 100411 7 a b Christopher Alan Bayly 1996 Empire and Information Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India 1780 1870 Cambridge University Press p 233 ISBN 978 0 521 66360 1 Chitralekha Zutshi 2004 Languages of Belonging Islam Regional Identity and the Making of Kashmir Oxford University Press pp 39 41 ISBN 978 0 19 521939 5 Bikramajit Hasrat 1977 Life and Times of Ranjit Singh A Saga of Benevolent Despotism V V Research Institute pp 83 198 OCLC 6303625 Anne Murphy 2012 The Materiality of the Past History and Representation in Sikh Tradition Oxford University Press pp 121 126 ISBN 978 0 19 991629 0 Gardner Alexander 1898 Chapter XII Memoirs of Alexander Gardner Colonel of Artillery in the Service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh William Blackwood amp Sons p 211 Sohan Singh Seetal 1971 Rise of the Sikh Power and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Dhanpat Rai p 56 OCLC 6917931 note the original book has 667 pages the open access version of the same book released by Lahore Publishers on archive com has deleted about 500 pages of this book see the original Harjot Oberoi 1994 The Construction of Religious Boundaries Culture Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition University of Chicago Press pp 207 208 ISBN 978 0 226 61593 6 Harjot Oberoi 1994 The Construction of Religious Boundaries Culture Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition University of Chicago Press pp 208 216 ISBN 978 0 226 61593 6 Kartar Singh Duggal 2001 Maharaja Ranjit Singh the Last to Lay Arms Abhinav Publications pp 107 108 ISBN 978 81 7017 410 3 Altekar Anant S 1956 The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization From Prehistoric Times to the Present Day Motilal Banarsidass p 132 ISBN 978 8120803244 Ian Heath 2005 The Sikh Army 1799 1849 Bloomsbury pp 5 8 ISBN 978 1 84176 777 2 The Real Ranjit Singh by Fakir Syed Waheeduddin published by Punjabi University ISBN 81 7380 778 7 1 January 2001 2nd ed Isabel Burton 2012 Arabia Egypt India A Narrative of Travel Cambridge University Press p 168 ISBN 978 1 108 04642 8 Eleanor Nesbitt 2016 Sikhism A Very Short Introduction Oxford University Press pp 64 65 ISBN 978 0 19 874557 0 Teja Charanjit Singh 29 March 2021 Guru s legacy muralled on wall in Gurdwara Baba Attal Rai Tribuneindia News Service Retrieved 7 January 2023 Sati choice before Maharaja Ranjit s Ranis Tribuneindia News Service Nishan Sahib Khanda Sikh Symbols Sikh Museum History Heritage Sikhs www sikhmuseum com Singh Ranjit 20 August 2003 Parliament to get six more portraits two statues The Times of India Archived from the original on 12 May 2013 Retrieved 11 August 2012 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum Amritsar Punjab Museums Retrieved 11 August 2012 Statue of Ranjit Singh unveiled on his 180th death anniversary 28 June 2019 Retrieved 29 June 2019 Statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore vandalised by a man because Singh had converted a mosque into a horse stable 12 December 2020 Retrieved 13 December 2020 Kumar Anil Maharaja Ranjit Singh s statue in Pakistan vandalised by activist of banned far right outfit India Today Retrieved 17 August 2021 Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making from Punjab gets inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO 2014 pib nic in Retrieved 1 July 2019 UNESCO Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru Punjab India ich unesco org Retrieved 1 July 2019 Rana Yudhvir 24 June 2018 Jandiala utensils Age old craft of thatheras to get new life Chandigarh News Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 1 July 2019 MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH Films Division filmsdivision org Retrieved 12 June 2021 Maharaja The Story of Ranjit Singh Netflix Shah Ismail Shaheed Rekhta Shaheed Shah Ismail Strengthening the Faith English Shah Ismail Shaheed IslamHouse com Profile of Dehlvi on books google com website Retrieved 16 August 2018BibliographyJacques Tony 2006 Dictionary of Battles and Sieges A Guide to 8 500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty first Century Westport Greenwood Press p 419 ISBN 978 0 313 33536 5 Heath Ian 2005 The Sikh Army 1799 1849 Oxford Osprey Publishing UK ISBN 1 84176 777 8 Lafont Jean Marie Maharaja Ranjit Singh Lord of the Five Rivers Oxford Oxford University Press 2002 ISBN 0 19 566111 7 Marshall Julie G 2005 Britain and Tibet 1765 1947 a select annotated bibliography of British relations with Tibet and the Himalayan states including Nepal Sikkim and Bhutan Revised and Updated to 2003 ed London Routledge ISBN 978 0 415 33647 5 Sandhawalia Preminder Singh Noblemen and Kinsmen history of a Sikh family New Delhi Munshiram Manoharlal 1999 ISBN 81 215 0914 9 Waheeduddin Fakir Syed The Real Ranjit Singh 2nd ed Patiala Punjabi University 1981 ISBN 81 7380 778 7 First ed published 1965 Pakistan Griffin Sir Lepel Henry 1909 Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab The National Archives Civil and Military Gazette Press ISBN 978 8175365155 Retrieved 8 April 2015 Further readingUmdat Ut Tawarikh by Sohan Lal Suri Published by Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar The Real Ranjit Singh by Fakir Syed Waheeduddin published by Punjabi University ISBN 81 7380 778 7 1 January 2001 2nd ed First ed published 1965 Pakistan Maharaja Ranjit Singh First Death Centenary Memorial by St Nihal Singh Published by Languages Dept Punjab 1970 Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his times by J S Grewal Indu Banga Published by Dept of History Guru Nanak Dev University 1980 Maharaja Ranjit Singh by Harbans Singh Published by Sterling 1980 Maharaja Ranjit Singh by K K Khullar Published by Hem Publishers 1980 The reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh structure of power economy and society by J S Grewal Published by Punjab Historical Studies Dept Punjabi University 1981 Maharaja Ranjit Singh as patron of the arts by Ranjit Singh Published by Marg Publications 1981 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Politics Society and Economy by Fauja Singh A C Arora Published by Publication Bureau Punjabi University 1984 Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his Times by Bhagat Singh Published by Sehgal Publishers Service 1990 ISBN 81 85477 01 9 History of the Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh by Shri Ram Bakshi Published by Anmol Publications 1991 The Historical Study of Maharaja Ranjit Singh s Times by Kirpal Singh Published by National Book Shop 1994 ISBN 81 7116 163 4 An Eyewitness account of the fall of Sikh empire memories of Alexander Gardner by Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner Baldev Singh Baddan Hugh Wodehouse Pearse Published by National Book Shop 1999 ISBN 81 7116 231 2 Maharaja Ranjit Singh The Last to Lay Arms by Kartar Singh Duggal Published by Abhinav Publications 2001 ISBN 81 7017 410 4 Fauj i khas Maharaja Ranjit Singh and His French Officers by Jean Marie Lafont Published by Guru Nanak Dev University 2002 ISBN 81 7770 048 0 Maharaja Ranjit Singh by Mohinder Singh Rishi Singh Sondeep Shankar National Institute of Panjab Studies India Published by UBS Publishers Distributors with National Institute of Panjab Studies 2002 ISBN 81 7476 372 4 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Lord of the Five Rivers by Jean Marie Lafont Published by Oxford University Press 2002 ISBN 0 19 566111 7 The Last Sunset The Rise and Fall of the Lahore Durbar by Amarinder Singh Published by Roli Books 2010 Glory of Sikhism by R M Chopra Sanbun Publishers 2001 Chapter on Sher e Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh External links Quotations related to Ranjit Singh at Wikiquote Media related to Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab at Wikimedia Commons Ranjit Singh profile from sikh history com Ranjit Singh Archived 23 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Foreign officers in Ranjit Singh s Court Archived 2 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine Detailed article on Ranjit Singh s Army Runjeet Singh and his Suwarree of Seiks painted by W Harvey and engraved by G Presbury for Fisher s Drawing Room Scrap Book 1838 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon BiographiesChisholm Hugh ed 1911 Ranjit Singh Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 22 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 892 Preceded byCharat Singh Leader of the Sukerchakia Misl1792 1839 Succeeded byNonePreceded byNone Maharaja of the Sikh Empire1801 1839 Succeeded byKharak Singh Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ranjit Singh amp oldid 1143281374, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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