Remembering MahaRaja Ranjit Singh

Today is the 231st birth anniversary of Ranjit Singh, first MahaRaja of the Sikh Empire in north India. He was born on 13th November in 1780 at Gujranwala (now in Pakistan) and had his first taste of battle when he was barely ten! At the time of his birth, much of the land in the region of five rivers was split amongst various Sikh confederates (misl). There was no central authority, no dominant misl and little coordination amongst the various confederates.  By the time he was in his late teens,  the foundations of the Sikh Empire were laid.

On his 21st birthday, Ranjit Singh was crowned a MahaRaja of the Sarkar Khalsa. Yet, he had little respite from wars and campaigns through much of his life. In the ensuing years, he fought the Afghans, recaptured Peshawar, gained control of Multan and subsequently Jammu & Kashmir. By the time of his death, the region that had suffered the brunt of invading armies over centuries, finally found peace.

The expansion of his kingdom in the north & west (Kashmir, Sind Sagar Doab, Pothohar and trans-Indus regions right up to the foothills of the Sulaiman and Hindu Kush mountains) was followed by Multan and consolidated by making deep inroads into Pashtun territory, marked by numerous battles with the Afghan (including at least four major wars in 1813, 1823, 1834 and in 1837). By 1837,  the empire extended to the Khyber Pass in the west, to Kashmir in the north, to Sindh in the south, and Tibet in the east [link].

Amongst the most notable of his campaigns were the conquest of Lahore (read an account of it here) and his wars with the Afghan (chronicled here). The Afghan Wars were brutal and prolonged and it is during these years that MahaRaja Ranjit Singh proved himself to be not just an inspiring general but also a master strategist. Here is a map of the extent of the Empire at its peak.

Images: Map and Portrait, both via Wikipedia

Sadly, the Sarkar-i-Khalsa did not last very long. After his death, internal dissensions, political mismanagement and a series of wars led to its disintegration in a bare decade. By 1849, the region had been split into a few princely states and the province of Punjab. Over the next few decades, it was gradually drawn into the British Empire. The Sikh Empire unfortunately did not survive the death of Sher-e-Punjab.

Most of you would know that MahaRaja Ranjit Singh is also associated with the story of Koh-i-noor, the famed diamond (read the story here). It had come into Ranjit Singh’s possession via Shah Shuja (who had received it from Ahmed Shah Abdali who in turn had got it fro Nadir Shah). But how many of you knew that he had willed the Koh-i-noor to the Jagannath Temple in Orissa? Unfortunately, the will was never executed. In 1849, the British finally got control of Lahore and along with it the treasures of the Sarkar Khalsa.  Amongst them was the Koh-i-noor – which was surrendered to the Queen of England – in whose control, it remains till date.

Somewhat related post: Remembering Guru Tegh Bahadur-ji, Part I and Part II

B Shantanu

Political Activist, Blogger, Advisor to start-ups, Seed investor. One time VC and ex-Diplomat. Failed mushroom farmer; ex Radio Jockey. Currently involved in Reclaiming India - One Step at a Time.

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5 Responses

  1. B Shantanu says:

    In response to a question raised on the fb page re. the donation of Koh-i-noor by MahaRaja Ranajit Singh to Shri Jagannath Puri Dham, I dug up the following information.
    The connections between Sikhism, Sikh Gurus and Shri Jagannath Puri Dham stretch back to centuries...(I was not aware of the extent & depth of these)…Here is more information and background (emphasis added):

    Similar is the tradition of “Guru Ka Langar” at Bauli and Mangu monasteries set up to commemorate Nanak’s visit to Puri. A universal mode of spirituality and religious tradition irrespective of time, clime and country, being craved for by Nanak, was at last found by jim in the Jagannath Dharma during his visit to Puri. This tradition of the founder of Sikhism was so rich that devout sikhs continue to adore the Triad. Even Maharaj Ranjit Singh wanted to present the Koh-i-noor diamond to Lord Jagannath. [link]

    and

    Legend shows that Nanak arrived at Puri with his disciple ‘Mardana’. Nanak reached Puri beach in the evening near the present Swargadwar. He sat down in meditation. Mardana was hungry but as he was a Muslim he was not allowed to enter into the Jagannath temple for the Mahaprasad. So the disciple of Nanak blamed Nanak for selecting such a place where they had to face starvation. Suddenly at that time somebody appeared and offered food and drink carrying in utensils of gold. In the early hours of morning however there was a commotion in Jagannath temple that the gold utensils of the Lord were missing. The news was given to Raja. Nanak appeared to Raja in his dream that night. So when Raja knew regarding the occurence of theft, he gave a broad smile and marched towards sea-beach in a procession to welcome the saint. Raja found that the saint was in meditation and the gold utensils were lying close by. Then the king and his party gave a hearty reception to the saint who had come to Puri to pay his homage to the Lord Jagannath. Nanak was invited to pay his visit to the temple at the time of Arati in the evening. During the day as water was required he advised the disciples to dig a hole in the sandy surface of sea-beach and to their surprise sweet water came out.

    A well was constructed around this hole. Near that well a Gurudwar called Bauli Saheb came into existence. This is now called ‘Baulimath’. It is said that it was constructed by Nanak. This is a very sacred place for the Sikhs. One day while Raja and all other devotees were assembled to pay homage to Lord Jagannath, Nanak explained the real meaning of God. He told the crowd that God is present everywhere and does not belong to any individual or community. By saying so he showed both his palms on which Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra had rested.

    Guru Nanak undertook four Udasis i.e. long journeys, in four different directions. The first one was of longest duration and the destination was Jagan Nath Puri.
    This destination was carefully chosen. Puri was one of the four Dhams established by Shankracharya in 7th century, and later on it had become the prominent centre of Vampanthis. During the times of Guru Nanak, this philosophy of salvation had degenerated into the pleasures of flesh. Guru Nanak after touring the ‘Kamrup Desh’, which comprised the areas of Assam, Bengal and Orissa, reached Jagan Nath Puri in June, 1510 A.D. What happened there during Guru Jee’s visit is recorded in detail in every Janam Sakhi (biography of the Guru). Guruji stayed there for about one and half month, recited two important shabads(Aarti) like, “Gagan Mein Thal…….. Bhav Khandana Teri Aarti Hoai.” which are part of Guru Granth Sahib ,and are recited by the Sikhs everywhere during Akhand Path. The historical context in which those shabads were recited is very important to project the philosophy of Guru Nanak.
    Bhagat Jaidev’s hymns, which he composed in his well known composition Gita Govinda at Puri, are also incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib. Puri, therefore, has a place of pride in the mind of the Sikhs.

    Guru Tegh Bahadur stayed at Bauli Math, which was said to be dug by Guru Nanak, for about fortnight and got the same repaired. Guru Tegh Bahadur opened a free kitchen i.e., Langar for the pilgrims of all faiths and further explained to the people the principles of Guru Nanak’s mission and philosophy.

    Bhai Himmat Singh of Jagan Nath Puri, in the same traditions, came and offered his head to Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib in 1699 AD, at the time of creation of Khalsa Panth as one of the Panj Piaras. The thread of historical connection from Guru Nanak’s first visit to the creation of Khalsa Panth is continuous in one way or the other. …

    It was only in 1838 AD, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his last illness offered to donate the famous Kohinoor diamond to the Temple of Jagan Nath at the suggestion of his astrologer, that the place finds mention in the Sikh history again. The royal custodian Beli Ram refused to acced to the royal wish of Maharaja Ranjit Singh ,and Kohinoor Diamond could not find its way to the temple of Jagan Nath Puri. [link]

    P.S. I see this as one more example of the underlying cultural unity of India…It reminds me of the note I wrote on the occasion of Onam on the facebook page: I learnt today that Mahabali carried out his Ashwamedha Yagyam near the banks of river Narmada(!)…another pointer to the cultural unity and civilisational unity of India

  2. froginthewell says:

    Another point that had impressed me about Maharaja Ranjit Singh was this excerpt from the wikipedia article on him, that

    Captain William Murray’s memoirs on Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s character::

    Ranjit Singh has been likened to Mehmet Ali and to Napoleon. There are some points in which he resembles both; but estimating his character with reference to his circumstances and positions, he is perhaps a more remarkable man than either. There was no ferocity in his disposition and he never punished a criminal with death even under circumstances of aggravated offence. Humanity indeed, or rather tenderness for life, was a trait in the character of Ranjit Singh. There is no instance of his having wantonly infused his hand in blood.”[62][63]

  3. Sandeep says:

    “Guru Nanak undertook four Udasis i.e. long journeys, in four different directions. The first one was of longest duration and the destination was Jagan Nath Puri. This destination was carefully chosen. Puri was one of the four Dhams established by Shankracharya in 7th century, and later on it had become the prominent centre of Vampanthis.”
    “P.S. I see this as one more example of the underlying cultural unity of India…It reminds me of the note I wrote on the occasion of Onam on the facebook page: ….…another pointer to the cultural unity and civilisational unity of India”

    Guru Nanak visited Sree PadmanabhaSwami temple too.(http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/m.d.-nalapat-on-kerala-padmanabhaswamy-temple-treasure/1/144102.html)

    “Bhagat Jaidev’s hymns, which he composed in his well known composition Gita Govinda at Puri, are also incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib. Puri, therefore, has a place of pride in the mind of the Sikhs.”

    Bhagat Jaidev must be Jayadeva (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayadeva)

    It is interesting to note that in temples of Kerala, Gita Govindam compositions are sung as a part of daily rituals. ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopana_Sangeetham ;

    http://books.google.co.in/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&pg=PA1417&lpg=PA1417&dq=gita+govinda+in+kerala+temples&source=bl&ots=OB_UZ0Wt_Z&sig=slbxH3MCiyPt8MJv8gnKrtIZ3bY&hl=en&ei=U7_ATuHdBYmnrAfQkLCoBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false )

  4. B Shantanu says:

    Amazing!…Thanks Sandeep for the links and for sharing this…

  5. B Shantanu says:

    Somewhat related to this post is this thread by @MumukshuSavitri: https://twitter.com/MumukshuSavitri/status/1402601613928263686
    It has some interesting nuggets such as
    “…Did you know India was the source of all the world’s known diamonds, until the discovery of diamonds in Brazil in 1726.”
    “…In Chanakya’s Arthashastra the Superintendent of treasury was an expert of “Ratna Pariksha” to test the quality of gems like diamonds. The fame of India’s invaluable diamonds lured greedy invaders from Central Asia, Arabia & Europe.”
    “Ancient Indian knowledge of diamonds was so advanced that there was a separate class of professionals called “Mandalins”, or diamond experts. These artisans were the first to use diamond tipped tools to cut & polish diamonds as there is no other material as hard as diamond.”
    “…Andhra Kakatiya king Prataparudra and queen Rudramadevi owned this massive diamond which was 793 carats when it was uncut . It adorned the Gyan Chakshu (Third eye) of their Kul Devi Goddess Bhadrakali in her temple….”

    “…Aurangzeb was not happy with its shine & got a lapidary to shape it. But in the process the weight was reduced to 186 carats from 793 carats. Aurangzeb, who had heard of the misery of his predecessors possessing it, cleverly gave it to the Badshahi Mosque.”