Ranjit Singh

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

Ranjit Singh
Maharaja of Punjab
Maharaja of Lahore
Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab)
Sher-e-Hind (Lion of India)
Sarkar-i-Wallah (Head of Government)[1]
Sarkar Khalsaji
Lord of Five Rivers
Singh Sahib[2]
Company School portrait painting of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lucknow, Awadh, ca.1810–20
Maharaja of Punjab
Reign12 April 1801 – 27 June 1839
Investiture12 April 1801 at Lahore Fort
PredecessorPosition established
SuccessorKharak Singh
WazirKhushal Singh Jamadar (1801 – 1818)
Dhian Singh Dogra (1818 – 1839)
Maharaja of Kashmir
Reign3 July 1819 – 27 June 1839
PredecessorPosition established
(Ali Shah as the Emir of Kashmir)
SuccessorKharak Singh
Governor
List
Maharaja of Jammu
Reign1808 – 27 June 1839
PredecessorPosition established
(Ajit Singh as the Raja of Jammu)
SuccessorKharak Singh
Raja
List
Sardar of Sukerchakia Misl
Reign15 April 1792 – 11 April 1801
PredecessorMaha Singh
SuccessorPosition abolished
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
SpouseMehtab Kaur
Datar Kaur
Jind Kaur
See list for others
Issue
among others...		Kharak Singh
Sher Singh
Duleep Singh
HouseSukerchakia
FatherMaha Singh
MotherRaj Kaur
ReligionSikhism
Signature (handprint)Ranjit Singh's signature
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Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. He 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 around Ranjit's early teenage years, Ranjit subsequently fought several wars to expel the Afghans throughout his teenage years. At the age of 21, he was proclaimed the "Maharaja of Punjab".[4][5] His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839.[6][7]

Before his rise, the Punjab region had numerous warring misls (confederacies), twelve of which were under Sikh rulers and one Muslim.[5] Ranjit Singh successfully absorbed and united the Sikh misls and took over other local kingdoms to create the Sikh Empire.[8] He repeatedly defeated invasions by outside armies, particularly those arriving from Afghanistan, and established friendly relations with the British.[9]

Ranjit Singh's reign introduced reforms, modernisation, investment in infrastructure and general prosperity.[10][11] His Khalsa army and government included Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Europeans.[12] 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 gurdwaras, including Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Bihar and Hazur Sahib Nanded, Maharashtra under his sponsorship.[13][14] Ranjit Singh was succeeded by his son Kharak Singh. Ranjit Singh also founded the Order of the Propitious Star of Punjab in 1837. Singh is known by several titles such as Sher-e-Punjab ("Lion of Punjab") and Sarkar-e Wallah (Head of Government).

  1. ^ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0#:~:text=%2Fsarak%C4%81ra%2F,are%20responsible%20for%20governing%20it. [bare URL]
  2. ^ A history of the Sikhs by Kushwant Singh, Volume I (p. 195)
  3. ^ 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 & Sons, New Delhi. p. 2. ISBN 978-81-7625-738-1.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference eos-rs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Singh2008p9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Chisholm 1911.
  7. ^ 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. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  8. ^ Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1960). Military History of India. Orient Longmans. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-86125-155-1.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference tejasingh65 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference kaushikroyp143 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Kaushik Roy (2011). War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740–1849. Routledge. pp. 143–147. ISBN 978-1-136-79087-4.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference lafontp95 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Kerry Brown (2002). Sikh Art and Literature. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-134-63136-0.