Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Why in news?

• A bronze statue of the first ruler of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was recently vandalised by an activist of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) at the Lahore Fort in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

About Ranjit Singh:

• He was born in 1780 in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan)
• At that time, Punjab was ruled by powerful chieftains who had divided the territory into Misls
  • Misls refers to the sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, that rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region after the collapse of the Mughal Empire).
• Ranjit Singh overthrew the warring Misls and established a unified Sikh empire.
• He was given the title Lion of Punjab (Sher-e-Punjab) for his success in freeing Lahore (his capital) from the Afghan invaders.
• At their height, his domains extended from the Khyber Pass in the northwest to the Sutlej River in the east and from the Kashmir region at the northern limit of the Indian subcontinent southward to the Thar (Great Indian) Desert.
• Although he was uneducated, he was a shrewd judge of people and events, free from religious bigotry, and were mild in the treatment of his adversaries.
• He turned Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar into the Golden Temple by covering it with gold and also credited with funding Hazoor Sahib gurudwara.

Modernization of Army

• He combined the strong points of the traditional Khalsa army with western advances in warfare to raise Asia’s most powerful indigenous army of that time.
• He also employed a large number of European officers, especially French, to train his troops.
• He appointed French General Jean Franquis Allard to modernize his army.

His relationship with the British:

• Ranjit Singh preferred peaceful terms with the English.
• In 1809 the English compelled him to sign the Treaty of Amritsar, which fixed the Sutlej River as the eastern boundary of his territories.
• This prevented his expansion to east towards Delhi.
• He died in 1839 and by 1845 the Sikh empire collapsed, and Punjab was taken over by the English.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

‘Treaty of Amritsar’ of 1809 was signed between:

(a) Mughal Empire and Sikh Kingdom

(b) Durrani Empire and Maratha Empire

(c)  French East India Company and Sikh Kingdom

(d) British East India Company and Sikh Kingdom

Answer