Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The story of real Sher-e-Punjab (the lion of Punjab)

Digital News Guru Historical Desk: On 13 November every year we celebrate the birth anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a man of great wisdom and courage who had founded the Sikh Empire. He is also referred as the ‘Sher-e-Punjab’ or ‘Lion of Punjab’.

The former Chief Minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal has announced the installation of statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Sangrur Residents of Badrukhan village, which is said to be the birth place of Maharaja Ranjit Singh but the statue have not installed yet for which the people of that district have been waiting for the past twenty-four years.

Personal life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh:-

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born on 13 November 1780, in Gurjanwala present-day Pakistan. According to some historians he was born in Badrukhan. His father’s name was Mahan Singh Sukerchakia and mother’s name was Raj Kaur. Ranjit Singh belonged to Sukerchakia misl because his father was the head of that misl. It is said that when he was child he had suffered smallpox which caused him lost of eye sight of the left eye.

According to historians he had twenty wives in which prominent were-

Jind Kaur, his first wife then Gul Bahar Begum, Gulab Kaur and Datar Singh. The son of Ranjit Singh was Kharak Singh, Sher Singh, and Dilip Singh. But after the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839 he was succeeded by his son Kharak Singh.

Political Life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh:-

Ranjit was the subedar of the Lahore. At that time an Afghani ruler Zaman Shah was attempted to capture the Punjab but Maharaja Ranjit Singh defeated him which gave him fame and recognition. In 1799, Ranjit Singh conquered over Lahore from the Afghans and declared himself as independent ruler of Lahore and he became the ‘Maharaja of Punjab’ in 1801.

His whole empire was divided into the four provinces-

Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Kashmir. In 1809, the ruler of Patiala and Nabha requested to British to provide protection against Ranjit Singh then British forces forced Ranjit Singh to conclude ‘treaty of Amritsar’ in 1809 in which according to treaty Sutlej river was accepted as the eastern boundary of empire of Ranjit Singh.

Kohinoor granted to the Ranjit Singh:-

Kohinoor diamond currently the second largest diamond in the world which was passed to many dynasties. In 1813 this pricious diamond was gifted by Shah Shuja Durrani to Maharaja Ranjit Singh which he wanted to donate to the Jagannath Temple in Orissa when he was in deathbed in 1839 but Britishers never made it happen and the young successor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Dilip Singh gave this diamond to the Queen of England.

Some important facts about Maharaja Ranjit Singh:-

In the the golden temple or Sri Harimandir Sahib Gurudwara, Maharaja Ranjit Singh after founding the Sikh Empire he renovated the golden temple and donated gold to the temple in 1830.

According to some historians it is also said that he was alcoholic and a womaniser for his illicit affair with a dance girl Moran.

Under his rule people were free to profess any religion they want to that means he was a secular ruler.

According to historian Matthew Lockwood, “The reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is marked the golden age of Punjab”.

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