Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh
A man who,two hundred years ago, found the Punjab a warring confederacy, a prey to its factions and chiefs pressed, on the one hand, by the Afghans and, on the other, by Marathas ready to submit to the English supremacy, who consolidated the numerous petty states into a vast empire extending from Tibet to the deserts of Sindh and from the Khyber Pass to the Sutlej, extraordinary in administration, courageous in battle, magnanimous in victory, Machiavellian in diplomacy, secular to the core, the first and the only Sikh ruler of the Punjab, was none other than the Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of the Punjab), Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Ranjit Singh (A.D. 1780-1839) was by far the greatest Indian of his generation. He rose from the status of petty chieftain of a few villages to become the monarch of a vast empire by dint of his courage, determination, farsight, bold resolve and timely action, coupled with his invincible commonsense. He had a knack of picking up the right people for the right jobs which stood him in good stead throughout his life. He did not allow his judgement to be clouded with pettiness of caste, creed or religion. Of slander build, with a wrinkled face pitted with small pox, he lost his left eye in early age owing to smallpox, careless in his dress, but once on his horse back, riding at the head of his army, with a small black shield slung over his shoulder, he did appear the man of greatness he was. His government was strict but just. He himself used to tour extensively, and punished officers who abused their powers. It was not easy to rule the haughty and martial races of the Punjab with kid gloves on; he not only tamed them to submission by his unbiased just rule, but also commanded unprecedented love and respect for his innumerable acts of generosity and kindness irrespective of caste or creed.
Affable and unassuming as he was, Ranjit Singh was every inch a king. He conquered a great many powerful enemies. Inspite of being an oriental despot, he hardly ever took a life in cold blood. Despite his unimpressive countenance, he was very fond of all the good things of life and loved to be surrounded by beautiful women and had a great passion for guns, horses, strong liquor, nautch girls and precious stones.
Ranjit Singh was born on the 13th November, 1780, to Mahan Singh of Gujranwala, the leader of Sukerchakia mist by his wife, Raj Kaur, daughter of Gajpat Singh of the Jind family. He was but a boy of ten when his father died in A.D. 1790. He was then the head of small confederacy with a small territory and very limited military resources. The Indian invasions of Zaman Shah of Kabul, a scion of Ahmad Shah Abdali, during A.D. 1795-98 exercised a decisive influence on the career of Ranjit Singh. In return for the services rendered to Zaman Shah, Ranjit Singh was appointed Governor of Lahore at the age of nineteen with the title of Raja in A.D. 1798. The bestowal of governorship by Zaman Shah marked the beginning of an extremely successful military career whose exploits resulted, on the one hand, in extinction of Afghan supremacy, and, on the other, build-up a strong Sikh national monarchy.
In A.D. 1801, Ranjit Singh appeared in Amritsar, the sacred city of the Sikhs, which was then held by a rival misl, known as Bhangis, and demanded the surrender of the famous Zam Zama cannon considered to be the lucky omen of the Sikh nation. The famous cannon had been a legacy of Ahmad Shah Abdali and, at one time, in the possession of Ranjit Singh’s grandfather, Charhat Singh, subsequently played an important role in the siege of Multan, now stands outside the Lahore museum. Ranjit Singh’s master passions were guns and horses. If he learnt that there were guns in any fort, he never missed the opportunity of obtaining those guns by capturing the forts: so also his passion for horses remained insatiable inspite of his having the very best breeds in his stables.
The Bhangis put up poor resistance, and with the capture of Amritsar and its coveted weapons, Ranjit Singh became the leading chief in the Punjab and on the 1st of Baisakh A.D. 1801, he was proclaimed Maharajah of the Punjab. Although crowned Maharajah, he refused to wear an emblem of royalty on his simple turban: he refused to sit on a throne and continued holding his durbar, as hithertofore, seated crossed-legged in his chair. The consequence of his assuming the title of "Maharajah of the Punjab" was that he not only assumed the right over all Sikhs but also over all the people who lived in the ill deflned geographical boundaries of the Punjab and gave him a legal right to demand such territories as Jammu, Kashmir, Rajput Hill States. Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ismail Khan. Dera Ghazi Khan and other areas which had at any time paid revenue to Lahore, and that they should pay tribute to him and owe allegiance to Lahore Durbar.
During his campaign at Amritsar, Ranjit Singh acquired the services of a remarkable soldier, Phula Singh. This plan belonged to the militant order o,f the Nihangs, who had formed the - suicide squads from the days of the Tenth Pontiff, Guru Gobind Singhji. Phula Singh had dedicated his life to safeguard the Sikh shrines and was a protagonist of a Khalsa kingdom. He brought with him over 3000 Nihangs to join the State Army. Ranjit Singh abhorred fanaticism of any kind. Nevertheless, he found Phula Singh and his retinue extremely useful and always pitted them against the Muslim crusaders (Ghazis) with laudable results.
By harnessing the dynamic energies of his people, and appointment of right people at the right places, with least or no ~regard to caste, creed and religion, where only merit counted, he convinced the people of his kingdom that he did not intend to set up a Sikh Kingdom but a Punjab State in which Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs will be equal before the law and enjoy identical privileges and duties. This electrifled the entire Punjabi nation and people of all denominations sought the patronage of this liberal monarch and joined his services.
Treaty with the English
It was about this time that Ranjit Singh came in contact with the English. Lord Lake defeated Holkar and brought British power to the banks of river Sutlej. Many Sikh rnisls, in Cis-Sutlej districts, out of rivalry, sought protection of the British. Ranjit Singh wished to bring all the Sikhs under one rule but his plans were thwarted by the British who wanted to utilise the Sikhs as a buffer between themselves and a possible invasion from the French or the Russians, from the north-west, and, at the same time, to check eastern advance of Ranjit Singh to the river Jamuna. After diplomatic moves and counter moves, the result was a treaty between Ranjit Singh and the East Indian Company according to the terms of which Ranjit Singh was left in possession of his territories south of the Sutlej, but was to leave the Cis-Sutlej chiefs alone while the Company undertook not to interfere north and west of the river.
During these negotiations, which were carried out with the Maharajah by a rising young political officer named Metcalfe, who was escorted on this mission by two companies of regular disciplined army, on behalf of the Company, Ranjit Singh could perceive - and was convinced of - the great advantage which the disciplined army, trained in the European manner, enjoyed. Ranjit Singh found the militia of his country a mass of horsemen, brave indeed, but actually ignorant of war as an art. He therefore decided to engage a number of foreign officers to train and build up a regular army. Amongst the most important were Generals Ventura and Allard, soldiers of fortune who had served under Napoleon, Bonaparte, and an Irish artillery officer named Gardner. Later they were.joined by a Neapolitan General Avitabile. Ranjit Singh built up a magniflcent force of over 50,000 men and over 300 guns which was steadily enlarged as his resources grew. The army was trained mostly by the French commanders, as he distrusted the British, perhaps, out of fear of their designs on his dominions. Ranjit Singh’s ambitions for eastern expansion having been foiled by the British and, now armed with a formidable army trained by the foreigners, he sought outlets in the north, the north-west and the west. His trained army was the flrst Indian force in over a thousand years to carry invasions into the homeland of the traditional invaders and conquerors of India - the Pathans and the Afghans.
He was successful in his conflicts in the north with the Gurkhas from A.D. 1809 to 1811 and captured Kangra district, including Chamba, Nurpur, Kulu and Datarpur. This victory enhanced the prestige of the Maharajah and Gurkha menace was ended for ever. It also spurred him on acquisition of territories further afield.
In A.D. 1813, he defeated the Afghans at Haidaru and captured Attock, the key to Frontier. This campaign was conducted under the able stewardship of Diwan Mohkam Chand, assisted by Hari Singh Nalwa and the battery commander, Mian Ghausa. The fort of Attock had been traditionally regarded as the sentinel of India. It was wrested from the Hindu Raja Jaipal in A.D. 1000 by Mahmud Ghazni and since then it had remained in the hands of the Muslims. Its recapture by the forces of Ranjit Singh meant the liberation of Northern India from the Afghan menace. He had the fort of Attock strongly garrisoned.
Because of internecine conflicts, the Afghan king, Shah Shuja, was driven from Afghanistan and sought shelter at the Lahore Durbar in A.D. 1813-14. Ranjit Singh gave Shah Shuja shelter in Lahore but also took from him the world famous diamond Koh-i-Noor. Shah Shuja succeeded in escaping from Lahore to Ludhiana and sought protection from the British in A.D. 1815.
After several attempts, under the command of Misr Diwan Chand and heir apparent, Kharak Singh, Multan capitulated in June 1818. It was here that the famous Zam Zarna cannon wrought havoc and extensive damage to the almost impregnable fort of Multan. Conquest of Multan marked the end of Afghan influence in the Punjab and subdued the Muslim chiefs of Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan and Mankera.
In A.D. 1819, the troops of Maharajah Ranjit Singh led by Prince Kharak Singh and Misr Diwan Chand, supported by Akali Phula Singh and his Nihangs, defeated Jabbar Khan, brother of Azim Khan, Afghan governor of Kashmir and occupied the valley. Capture of Kashmir was of a great sign)flcance for Lahore Durbar; besides fetching considerable revenue, it extended the frontiers of the state to the borders of China and Tibet.
With the loss of Attock fort and Kashmir, the Afghans were seething with revenge. Further armed conflict was inevitable and battle of Naushera ensued. In the battle of Naushera, a crushing defeat was inflicted upon the Afghans; however, Akali Phula Singh, Commander of the Nihangs, and Gurkha Commander Balbhadra lost their lives. Peshawar was occupied and became a dependency of the Lahore Durbar in A.D. 1923. Thus Ranjit Singh’s conquest had reached the farthest geographical limit of the Punjab in the north and north-west. By the year A.D. 1824 the largest part of the Indis Valley was included within Ranjit Singh’s dominions.
It is said that one of Ranjit Singh’s reasons for attacking Peshawar was in order to get possession of Laili, a celebrated mare. of gray colour and the flnest steed in Asia. Maharajah’s passion for horses was proverbial. She was obtained only when the Afghan general was arrested and told that he would stay in prison till Laili was given up. Ranjit Singh boasted that the mare cost him a fabulous sum of sixty lakhs of rupees, and 12000 good men. According to some historians, no horse since the fall of legendary Troy, perhaps, had been the source of so much conflict and suffering.
Renewal of Treaties with the English
When Lord William Bentick came out to India in 1831, British Government was still perturbed about the bogey of Russian advance in Central Asia. The new Governor General was specially instructed to enter into negotiations with the Lion of Punjab. The two met at Roopar, on the banks off the river Sutlej, where a grand Durbar was held for several days. After the usual pleasantries, sports and tourneys, exchange of gifts, a treaty of amity between the two was signed generally maintaining the status quo. Seven years later, the treaty was renewed by the Maharajah and Bentick’s successor, Lord Auckland. Ranjit Singh was determined to make his meeting with Auckland an even bigger tamasha (funfare) than the one held at Roopar. Both of them met at Firozepur and exchanged the usual pleasantries and gifts. After lavish entertainment, the Aucklands with their retinue, including Emily Eden, Governor General’s sister, were taken to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple and thereafter to Lahore where more entertainment and hospitality followed. Emily Eden has given a graphic account of these visits and the esteem in which the Maharajah was held by his subjects. Tripartite Treaty between Maharajah Ranjit Singh, Lord Auckland and Shah Shuja was signed by which the latter was to be installed at Kabul. The whole plan was unsound and the Maharajah viewed it sceptically. Nevertheless, he supported his English allies. At this juncture, his health was rapidly deteriorating and he died in June 1839 at the age of fiftynine.
Administration under Ranjit Singh:
It is significant to note that the period of military inactivity was used in carrying out public works and reorganisation or general administration and, in particular, administration of justice. Roads were constructed to link major townships. Gardens were laid out in important cities such as Lahore and Amritsar. Customary law was administered by a succession of courts beginning from Panchayats in villages to Nazims in towns and Adalat-i-Aala in Lahore. Crime was punished by generally accepted penalties. Violence and theft were punished with a fine of corporal punishment. Justice was crude, nevertheless, expeditious and usually in conformity with the prevalent tradition.
One festival which was celebrated by the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs alike was Basant which is the harbinger of the spring season. Maharajah Ranjit Singh used to pay homage at the tombs of Madho Lal Husain, - one a Hindu and the other a Muslim developed a unique love between them, formed a corporate personality, and were Punjabi Sufi poets of renown. Both are buried in a musoleum at Baghbanpura, near Shalimar Gardens, Lahore. Ranjit Singh, on the occasion of Basant, dressed in yellow silk robes accompanied by his bodyguards all dressed in yellow silks, the colour associated with Basant festival, used to visit the mausoleum and partake in the festivities in the traditional manner.
On first of Vaisakh, which marks the onset of harvest season and Punjabi new year, and is celebrated by all the communities, Ranjit Singh used to join his co-religionists in commemoration of the formation of the Khalsa on this day in 1699 by the Tenth pontiff, Guru Gobind Singhji, by bathing at Amritsar or Taran Tarn and, thereafter, offering prayers at the Gurdwaras.
It was on the orders of Ranjit Singh that goldplated coverings were provided to Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar, Taran Tarn Gurdwara, Dera Baba Nanak Gurdwara, Jwala Mukhi Mandir and Vishwanath temple at Banaras. He is also known to have participated in Muslim festivals of Shah-e-Barat, Id and Urs Sharif at different Sufi shrines.
Councillors of Ranjit Singh:
Although Maharajah Ranjit Singh had no formal education, yet hewas enlightened and, with an inquiring mind, had a remarkable knack of picking the right men for the right jobs. He was most secular in his outlook and his court was adorned by a galaxy of luminaries from all classes, religions and nationalities.
His Chief councillor was a Muslim from Bokhara named Faqir Azizuddin, a physician by profession, whom Ranjit Singh consulted on all important occasions and left in-charge of the government when he went on his campaigns. Azizuddin was an adherent of Sufi sect. He was an accomplished Persian and Arabic scholar. Ranjit Singh had lost an eye from smallpox early in life. Azizuddin was once asked which eye it was. "such is the splendour of his face," replied the diplomatic Minister, "that I have never dared to look close enough to discover." Azizuddin was an able minister and served the Maharajah loyally till the last day.
Diwan Mohkam Chand, who had earlier ably served the Bhangis, joined Ranjit Singh’s service in about A.D. 1806. Diwan Mohkam Chand had impressed Maharajah with his knowledge of military strategy. He was appointed commander of cavalry and infantry and served Ranjit Singh as one of his ablest generals in his campaigns in Cis-Sutlet, Attock and Kashmir. To the Maharajah, he was a father figure. He died in A.D. 1814 and his son, Moti Ram, was recognised as successor to the Diwan who also rendered exemplary services to the Lahore Durbar.
Misr Diwan Chand was a new officer who had rapidly risen as a military commander in Maharajah’s estimation before, during and after Multan campaign. He was much needed to fill the void created by the death of Diwan Mohkam Chand, comrade-in-arms of Ranjit Singh. In the conquest of Kashmir and in the battle of Naushera, Misr Diwan Chand played a pivotal role. He was also responsible for sequestering the estates of Sada Kaur, mother-in-law of Ranjit Singh when she became troublesome. He died in July 1825. He was honoured by the Maharajah with the title of Zafar Jang Bahadur - Brave Victor of battles.
Akali Phula Singh belonged to the order pf Nihangs who formed the suicide squads of the Khalsa armies. He was an ardent protagonist of a Khalsa kingdom. Although Ranjit Singh disliked fanaticism of any kind, he found Akali Phula Singh and his Nihangs very handy to combat the fanaticism of Afghan Muslim crusaders who declared wars against the Lahore Durbar as Jihad (holy wars). Ranjit Singh owed many of his most celebrated victories to the desparate valour of the Nihangs under Akali Phula Singh who became a martyr in the battle of Naushera, not far from Peshawar.
Fateh Singh Ahluwalia was successor of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. He was an able leader who was held in his esteem by the Sikhs and became a close confidant and Dharam Bhai of Ranjit Singh. He conducted ably and successfully many campaigns on behalf of the Durbar and his counsel was highly respected by the Maharajah.
Hari Singh Nalwa was a great general who loyally served Ranjit Singh in almost all of his major campaigns. His name is inextricably linked with Ranjit Singh. He distinguished himself in taming the semi-savage tribes inhabiting the neighbourhood of Peshawar. His methods were ruthless. Within a few months of his taking over Peshawar’s Governorship, the name of Hari Singh Nalwa became a terror in the tribal territory. By his adversaries, he was alone considered worth a hundred and twentyfive thousand men. Till this day, the Pathan women, when they want their children to behave well, say "chup shau. Hari raghaley" - Hush child, Haria is coming." Hari Singh Nalwa was grievously wounded while fighting valiantly and routing the Afghans beyond Khyber Pass. He died at Jamrud, a fortress near Khyber Pass. When the news of Nalwa’s death was brought to him, the Maharajah broke down and, it is said, he wept bitterly for the loss of this brave, loyal, courageous and distinguished general.
Among others who ably served the Maharajah were Dina Nath, a Kashmiri Pundit, who distinguished himself as one of Ranjit Singh’s ablest and most loyal administrators. He was made Diwan and later invested with the title of Raja. He was responsible for organising the revenue system which supplied Ranjit Singh with the funds for building up his army - by no means a light matter in a fierce and lawless country. Dhian Singh Dogra, a man of great charm and courtesy, was given the title of Raja and, later on, became the Chief of Council of Ministers, exercised a great influence in the Lahore Durbar. He introduced two other brothers in the Court, the elder, Gulab Singh, who was a smooth spoken man, and the younger, Sachet Singh, who was strikingly handsome and extremely courteous. The Dogra family thenceforward, exercised considerable influence in the Lahore Durbar.
Another outstanding figure of Ranjit Singh’s times was Lehna Singh Majithia, the Master of Ordnance, who was responsible for casting the artillery of the Khalsa and was a mechanical inventor of distinction. It was to him that Ranjit Singh turned whenever he saw a new and powerful weapon and it was Lehna Singh who invariably succeeded in producing something better.
Amongst other Punjabi generals of Ranjit Singh’s army, who played a significant role, mention may be made of the names of Fateh Singh Kalianwala, Hukam Singh Chimni, Desa Singh Majithia, Budh Singh Sandhanwalia, Meeth Singh Bharania, Jodh Singh Kalsia, the master gunner Mian Ghausa and Ram Dayal, grandson of the Diwan Mohkam Chand and son of Motiram, who was killed at a very young age by tribesmen when he was in the process of pacification of Hazara and its periphery.
By arranging his councillors, courtiers, civil and military administrators from widely divergent communities and nationalities, classes and creeds, keeping in view their merits only, Ranjit Singh demonstrated his uncanny genius and shrewdness and, in a reign spanning over forty years, prevented any plotting against his authority.
Ranjit Singh was a born ruler of men and is entitled to fame mainly for his success in effecting the marvellous transformation of the warring Sikh misls into a compact national monarchy. Although his ideal for Pan-Sikhism could not be realized due to the intervention of the British on behalf of Cis-Sutlej states, nevertheless, he succeeded in establishing a kingdom large in extent and rich in fame well before he died. In his versatility, religious and racial tolerance, organising ability, liberal outlook, inquisitive mind, he came close to Akbar the Great. In events of natural calamities such as famines, floods and epidemics, remission of revenue were made to give relief to the afflicted. He took from the farmers as much as the land could comfortably yield after providing for the tillers of the land, and from the merchants, as much as they could profitably give. During his reign, with peace having been restored, the granaries were always full, trade and industry flourished and there was general prosperity. He never arrogated to himself title or powers of a despot or a tyrant. His political acumen is well illustrated in the compromise he made between becoming a king of Punjab and remaining a peasant leader. Although crowned Maharajah of the Punjab, he refused to wear an emblem of royalty on his turban. He ordered new coins to be struck. The coins did not bear his likeness but the portrait of Guru Nanak and were named the Nanak Shahi coins. The seal of the Government, likewise, bore no reference to him but to the Sarkar Khalsaji. The title by which he preferred to be addressed was the plain and simple Singh Sahib. There are innumerable instances of his acts of charity, generosity and kindness to people of all classes and creeds. The anecdotes related to his acts of munificence are simply galore and are intertwined in the Punjabee folk-lore. They amply demonstrate that his approach to the problems of his subjects was always humane. These wise decisions were a complete departure from the accepted traditions of oriental courts. They kept Ranjit Singh closer to the masses from whom emanated the true and real strength of the Maharajah.
Glowing tributes have been paid to him by his biographers, contemporary historians and many travellers who visited his court at Lahore. Victor Jacquemont, a French traveller to Ranjit’s court, described him as "an extraordinary man - a Bonaparte in miniature."
As early as A.D. 1812, Metacalfe, who was appointed as Resident in Delhi, reported to the Governor General: "Ranjit Singh’s flourishing and vigorous power forms a contrast with the distracted, weak and the troubled state of the rival kingdoms of his neighbours..... He is irresistably supreme in the Punjab. Faced at home and respected abroad, he manages his government with ability and free from all cares and apprehensions." Ranjit Singh radically changed the feudal levies into a strong and efficient, national army under his command which, according to Hunter, for steadiness and religious fervour (referring to the Nihangs) has had no parallel. His artillery was extremely powerful and efficient and was greatly feared by his enemies. Though a great conqueror, he was not stern by nature; he always showed great magnanimity towards his fallen foes. A German traveller, Baron von Hugel, who visited Ranjit Singh’s court in 1835, tells us that he never "wantonly imbued his hands in blood. Never perhaps so large an empire was founded by one man with so little criminality." A contemporary British officer reports: "In a territory compactly situated, he has applied himself to those improvements which spring only from great minds and here we find despotism without its rigour, a despot without cruelty and a system of government far beyond the native institutions of the East."
He was, writes Cunningham, "assiduous in his devotions; he honoured men of reputed sanctity, and enabled them to practise an enlarged charity; he attributed every success to the favour of God, and he styled himself and his people collectively the "Khalsa", or commonwealth of Govind."
One of his biographers, Sir Lapel Griffin, has rightly observed about Ranjit Singh, "We only succeed in establishing him as a hero, as a ruler of men and as worthy of a pedestal in that innermost shrine where history honoured the few human beings to whom may be indisputably assigned the palm of greatness, if we free our minds of prejudice and, discounting conventional virtue, only regard those rare qualities which raise a man supreme above his fellows. There we shall at once allow that, although sharing in full measure the commonplace and worse vices of his time and education, he yet ruled the country which his military genius had conquered with vigour of will and ability which placed him in the front rank of the statesmen of the Century."
Perhaps no man captured the imagination of his own and following times as did Ranjit Singh. By his force of personality, clear thinking, military genius and dominating ambition, he made himself monarch of a vast empire. His secular approach, con<%-2>structive and administrative work as a ruler and lawgiver, which is often eclipsed by his more spectacular and dazzling military conquests, more enduring. His just and unbiased rule of over forty long years left a remarkable legacy of communal harmony for the entire Punjabi nation for posterity which dominated the scenario for over a century after his death - until its disruption by the holocaust in the wake of the partition of the country in A.D. 1947.