Maharaja Ranjit Singh was popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or “Lion of Punjab”. He was the first maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was proclaimed the “Maharaja of Punjab” at age 21.
Till the first half of the 19th century, the Northwest Indian subcontinent was ruled by the Sikh Empire. Up to 1893, the Sher e Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh Empire expanded under his leadership skills.
During childhood, he bravely fought with smallpox but he lost his sight of left eye. From the age of 10, he started accompanying his father on battlefields and fought alongside his father. After his father died and during his teenage, he fought several wars to expel the Afghans.
During his rule, the empire was introduced with reforms and modernisation. He also invested in infrastructure and general prosperity. He has a Khalsa army which has Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Europeans.
During his inheritance, the Sikh culture and artistic renaissance were developed. He also sponsored rebuilding the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, many major gurdwaras in Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Bihar and Hazur Sahib in Nanded Maharashtra.
Personal Life of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born on 13 November 1780. He was the son of Maha Singh Sukerchakia and Raj Kaur. Raj Kaur was the daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind, in Gujranwala, in the Majha region of Punjab, which is now in Pakistan.
Ranjit Singh’s birth name was Buddh Singh. His name was inspired by his ancestor who was a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, a Khalsa. His father changed his name to Ranjit, which meant victory in battle. This was to commemorate the victory of his army over Muslim Chatha chieftain Pir Muhammad.
Ranjit Singh contracted smallpox as an infant. Due to this smallpox, he lost sight in his left eye and a pockmarked face. He was short in physics. He never went to a school.
He never learned to read and write anything beyond the Gurmukhi alphabet but trained in horse riding, musketry and other martial arts at his residence.
At age 12, he lost his father. He then inherited his father’s Sukerchakia misl estates. His mother raised him while managing estates along with Lakhpat Rai.
At the age of 13, he faced the first attempt in his life which was by Hashmat Khan. He triumphed and killed the assailant. When he was 18 years old, his mother died and Lakhpat Rai was assassinated. His mother-in-law from his first marriage helped him with his rule.
In his teens, Ranjit Singh took to alcohol, which was intensified in the later decades of his life. But never smoked or ate beef. He also had all his officials in the court adhere to this rule as a part of the employment contract.
Ranjit Singh is said to have many queens. It is said that he had almost twenty queens, though the correct documentation is unclear. However, his favourite son was Maharaja Kharak Singh.
Sher e Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh Empire
Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the first Indian in a millennium to send back all the invaders such as Pashtuns or Afghans back to their homelands who tried to conquer India. Thus, he was known as the Lion of Punjab.
During the Sikh Empire peak, his empire extended from the Khyber Pass in the northwest to the Sutlej River in the east and from the Kashmir region on the Northside of the Indian subcontinent to Thar (Great Indian)
Desert on the southwestern side. He was uneducated, but he was a shrewd judge of people and events. He was free from religious bigotry and was mild in the treatment of his adversaries.
Ranjit Singh was said to be short and unattractive due to his pockmarks and being blinded by one eye. But he was in love with his life and liked to be with handsome men and women. He has a keen interest in hunting, horses, and strong liquor.
In July 1799 he conquered Lahore, the capital of Punjab, which is now the capital of Punjab province, Pakistan. Zaman Shah, an Afghan King, confirmed Ranjit Singh as governor of the city. By 1801, Ranjit Singh announced himself to be Maharaja of Punjab. He also imprinter coins in the name of Sikh Gurus and Sikh leaders.
He administered the state in the name of the Sikh Commonwealth. Almost a year later, he conquered Amritsar. Amritsar is the capital of Punjab state in India and a commercial capital apart from being the sacred city of Sikhs. After Amritsar, he proceeded to meet hands with small Sikh and Pashtun principalities which were scattered throughout Punjab.
He later marched eastward. However, he was checked by the English. In 1806, he signed a treaty with the English. As per the treaty, he agreed to remove the Maratha forces who were hiding in Punjab. The English prevented his ambition to bring all the Sikh territories extending up to the vicinity of Delhi.
In 1809 English compelled him to sign the Treaty of Amritsar according to which his empire’s eastern boundary was fixed to river Sutlej. Instead of the treaty, he turned his ambitions towards the north.
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In December 1809 he went to help Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra in the Lesser Himalayas. He helped to defeat the advancing Ghurka force and acquired Kangra for himself.
In 1813, he went on an expedition to Kashmir along with Bārakzay Afghan. The Bārakzays betrayed him and kept Kashmir for themselves. He settled scores with them by rescuing Shah Shojā, who was the brother of Zaman Shah.
In Lahore, Shah Shuja was compelled to give up the famous Koh-I-Noor diamond. By 1818 summers, Ranjit Singh conquered Multan and six months later captured Peshawar.
In mid-1819, he threw Pashtuns from the valley of Kashmir. By 1820, he had a rule over the whole of Punjab lying between the Sutlej and Indus rivers.
In the same year, he started modernising his army. He hired European officers who served Napoleon I’s army and asked them to train his army in infantry and artillery.
The well-trained and modern Punjab army fought on the North-West frontier, including. They quelled tribesmen in 1831 and repulsed the Afghan attack on Peshawar in 1837. In October 1831, Ranjit Singh met British officials.
He had a plan for the disposition of Sindh province, but the British compelled him to accept their plan. British had already begun their navigation to the Indus River and wanted to keep Sindh to themselves.
Ranjit Singh was annoyed by the British attempt to put a cordon around him and hence he opened negotiations with Afghans. He approved the expedition which was led by Dogra commander Zorawar Singh into Ladakh in 1834.
In 1838 he signed a treaty with British viceroy Lord Auckland to back the Afghan throne at Kabul to Shah Shuja. Instead of the agreement, the British Army of the Indus entered Afghanistan from the south while Ranjit Singh’s troops went through the Khyber Pass and were victorious.
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Death of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Shortly afterwards, Ranjit Singh was taken ill, and he died at Lahore in June 1839 exactly 40 years after he entered the city as a conqueror. Almost six years after Ranjit Singh’s death, the Sikh empire which he had created and expanded collapsed because of the internecine strife of rival chiefs.
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Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh: FAQ
Who was maharaja ranjit singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or “Lion of Punjab”. He was the first maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was proclaimed the “Maharaja of Punjab” at age 21. Till the first half of the 19th century, the Northwest Indian subcontinent was ruled by the Sikh Empire. Up to 1893, he expanded his empire under leadership skills.
How did maharaja ranjit singh died
Shortly afterwards, Ranjit Singh was taken ill, and he died at Lahore in June 1839 exactly 40 years after he entered the city as a conqueror. Almost six years after Ranjit Singh’s death, the Sikh empire which he had created and expanded collapsed because of the internecine strife of rival chiefs.
Did Maharaja Ranjit Singh donate gold to the mosque?
Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated 14 quintals of gold for gilding the Vishwanath temple in Benaras. Later Emperor Aurangzeb converted into a mosque.
Did Maharaja Ranjit Singh donate gold to the temple?
Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated 14 quintals of gold for gilding the Vishwanath temple in Benaras. Later Emperor Aurangzeb converted into a mosque.
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