Maharaja Ranjit Singh

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Maharaja Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 20 June 1839) was the first Maharaja

of the Sikh Empire.

Early life

Maharaja Ranjit Singh's family genealogy

Ranjit Singh belonged to aSikhclan of Northern India.[4][5]

. He was born inGujranwala, now in

modern Pakistan, according to some historians, into aJatt Sikhfamily[6][7][8][9][10][11]

and some that he

was born into aSansiSikh family[5][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

who wereSukerchakiamisldars[5]

. As a

child he suffered from smallpox which resulted in the loss of one eye. At the time, much of Punjab was

ruled by theSikhsunder a ConfederateSarbat Khalsasystem, who had divided the territory among

factions known asmisls. Ranjit Singh's fatherMaha Singhwas the Commander of theSukerchakia

misland controlled a territory in the westPunjabbased around his headquarters atGujranwala. After

his father's death he was raised under the protection ofSada Kaurof theKanheya Misl.[21]

Ranjit Singh

succeeded his father at the age of 18.[22]

After several campaigns, he conquered the othermislsand

created theSikh Empire.

The Maharaja

Ranjit Singh was crowned on 12 April 1801 (to coincide withBaisakhi). Sahib Singh Bedi, a

descendant ofGuru Nanak Dev, conducted the coronation[23]

.Gujranwalaserved as his capital from

1799. In 1802 he shifted his capital toLahore. Ranjit Singh rose to power in a very short period, from aleader of a single Sikh misl to finally becoming the Maharaja (Emperor) of Punjab.

He then spent the following years fighting theAfghans, driving them out of the Punjab. He also

capturedPashtunterritory includingPeshawar(now referred to asNorth West Frontier Provinceand

theTribal Areas). This was the first time that Peshawari Pashtuns were ruled byPunjabis. He captured

the province ofMultanwhich encompassed the southern parts of Punjab,Peshawar(1818),JammuandKashmir(1819). Thus Ranjit Singh put an end to more than a thousand years of Muslim rule. He also

conquered the hill states north ofAnandpur Sahib, the largest of which wasKangra.

When the Foreign Minister of the Ranjit Singh's court,Fakir Azizuddin, met the British Governor-General of India,Lord Auckland, inSimla, Lord Auckland asked Fakir Azizuddin which of the

Maharaja's eyes was missing, Azizuddin replied: "The Maharaja is like the sun and sun has only one

eye. The splendor and luminosity of his single eye is so much that I have never dared to look at his

other eye."The Governor General was so pleased with this reply that he gave his gold watch to

Azizuddin.

Ranjit Singh's Empire wassecular, none of the subjects were discriminated against on account of their

religions.[24]

The Maharaja never forcedSikhismon his subjects.
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Secular Sikh Rule

The Kingdom of the Sikhs was most exceptional in that it allowed men from religions other than their

own to rise to commanding positions of authority. Besides the Singh (Sikh), the Khan (Muslim) and the

Misr (Hindu Brahmin) feature as prominent administrators. The Christians formed a part of the militia

of the Sikhs. In 1831, Ranjit Singh deputed his mission to Simla to confer with the British GovernorGeneral, Lord William Bentinck. SardarHari Singh Nalwa,Fakir Aziz-ud-dinand DiwanMoti Ram

a Sikh, a Muslim and a Hindu representative were nominated at its head.

Externally, everyone in the Sikh kingdom looked alike; they supported a beard and covered their head,

predominantly with a turban. This left visitors to thePunjabquite confused. Most foreigners arrivedthere after a passage throughHindustan, where religious and caste distinctions were very carefully

observed. It was difficult for them to believe that though everyone in the Sarkar Khalsaji looked

similar, they were not all Sikhs. The Sikhs were generally not known to force either those in their

employ or the inhabitants of the country they ruled to convert to Sikhism. In fact, men of piety from all

religions were equally respected by the Sikhs and their ruler. Hindusadhus,yogis, saints and bairagis;

Muslimfaqirs andpirs; and Christian priests were all the recipients of Sikh largess. There was only

one exceptionthe Sikhs viewed the Muslim clergy with suspicion. Mullahs were not looked upon

kindly, as they were known to fan fanaticism[26].

In their conquests, the Sikhs never perpetrated atrocities as by invaders into the sub-continent. It was

true that the Sikhs held a grudge against theAfghansfor the atrocities they had perpetrated, overdecades, against them. Before them, the Mughals had hunted down the Sikhs like animals in the field.

Every Sikh carried a price on his head. The Afghans had caused havoc and mayhem in the Punjab

during the lifetime of both Ranjit Singh's father and grandfather. Despite that, during the rule of the

Sikhs there were no reports of torture of the kind routinely inflicted upon the Sikhs by some of the

Muslim rulers of Hindustan and subsequently by the Afghan invaders. The Sikhs were reportedly amost tolerant nation.

At present, flushed by a series of victories, they (the Sikhs) have a zeal and buoyancy of spirit

amounting to enthusiasm; and with the power of taking the most exemplary revenge, they have beenstill more lenient than the Mahomeddan were ever towards them"[27][28][29]

Masson, a deserter from the British India Army,later a political agent for the East India Company

and stationed in the Kingdom of Kabul , 1842

The horses were attacked with an epidemic disease from which a Mohammedan, who resides in a

neighboring sanctuary, is believed to have cured them. Though a Mohammedan the Sikhs repaired and

beautified his temple, which is now a conspicuous white building that glitters in the sun. I have always

observed the Sikhs to be most tolerant in their religion[30]

Alexander Burnes, British Agent , narrating an incident at Royal Stud-Farm , Putte

The Sikhs were never accused of the routine inhuman behavior attributed to the Muslims. In fact, they

made every attempt not to offend the prejudices of Muslims noted Baron vonHgel, the famous

German traveler[31]

, yet the Sikhs were referred to as being harsh. In this regard, Masson's explanation

is perhaps the most pertinent:

"Though compared to the Afghans, the Sikhs were mild and exerted a protecting influence, yet noadvantages could compensate to their Mohaomedan subjects, the idea of subjection to infidels, and the

rohibition to slay kine, and to repeat the azan, or summons to prayer"[32]

.

Hinduism emphasizes the sanctity of cows[33]

, which has carried over into Sikhism.The ban on cow

slaughter was universally imposed in the Sarkar Khalsaji.[34].
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The Sikhs never razed places of worship to the ground belonging to the enemy. The Sikhs were

utilitarian in their approach. Marble plaques removed fromJahangir's tomb atShahderawere used to

embellish the Baradari inside the Fort of Lahore, while most of the mosques were left intact. Forts weredestroyed however, these too were often rebuilt the best example being theBala HissarinPeshawar,

which was destroyed by the Sikhs in 1823[35]

and rebuilt by them in 1834[36]

.

Gurdwaras built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh

At theHarmandir Sahib, much of the present decorative gilding and marblework date back from the

early 19th century. The gold and intricate marble work were conducted under the patronage of

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of thePunjab. The Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of the Punjab) was agenerous patron of the shrine and is remembered with much affection by theSikhs. Maharaja Ranjit

Singh deeply loved and admired the teachings of the Tenth Guru of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh, thus

he promoted the teachings of the Dasam Granth (the Tenth Granth) and built two of the most sacred

temples in Sikhism. These areTakht Sri Patna Sahib, the birth place of Guru Gobind Singh, andTakht

Sri Hazur Sahib, the place where Guru Gobind Singh took his final rest or mahasamadhi, inNanded,

Maharashtra in 1708.

Conquests

Ranjit Singh's earliest conquests as a young misldar(baron) were effected by defeating his

coreligionists, the heads of other Sikh Sardaris (popularly known as theMisls). By the end of his reign,

however, he had conquered vast tracts of territory strategically juxtaposed between the limits of British

India to the left and the powerful Afghan Empire to the right. The land that eventually became theKingdom of the Sikhs had been ruthlessly subjected to the worse kind of atrocities by invading armies

coming through theKhyber Passinto the Indian sub-continent, over eight centuries.

In 1799, Ranjit Singh capturedLahoreand made it his Capital. After the capture of Lahore, Ranjit

Singh rapidly annexed the rest of the Punjab, the land of the five rivers. Having accomplished this, he

extended his empire further north and west to include the Kashmir mountains and other Himalayankingdoms, the Sind Sagar Doab, thePothoharPlateau and trans-Indus regions right up to the foothills

of theSulaimanandHindu Kushmountains.

Ranjit Singh took Amritsar from the Bhangi Sardari and followed this with the more difficult conquestofKasur, the fabled twin city of Lahore, from the Pathans.

[40]With the conquest ofMultanthe whole

Bari Doab came under his sway.[41]

In the year 1819, Ranjit Singh successfully annexedKashmir[42]

.

This was followed by subduing the Kashmir mountains, west of the river Jhelum (today, Hazara in

Pakistan and Pakistan Adminstered Kashmir)[43]

. Ranjit Singh built his empire by making deep inroads

into the Kingdom of Kabul, defeating the Pashtun militia and the tribes inhabiting the Sindh Sagar

Doab and trans-Indus regions.[44]

The most significant encounters between the Sarkar Khalsaji and the Afghans were fought in 1813,

1823, 1834 and in 1837. In 1813, Ranjit Singh's generalDewan Mokham Chandled the Sikh forcesagainst the Afghan forces ofShah Mahmudled byFateh Khan Barakzai. Following this encounter, the

Afghans lost their stronghold at Attock. Subsequently, the Pothohar plateau, the Sindh Sagar Doab andKashmir came under Sikh rule. In 1823, Ranjit Singh defeated a large army of Yusafzai tribesmen

north of theKabul river, while the presence of his Sikh general,Hari Singh Nalwaprevented the entire

Afghan army from crossing this river and going to the aid of the Yusafzais atNowshera. This defeat

led to the gradual loss of Afghan power in the trans-Indus region. In 1834, when the forces of the

Sarkar Khalsaji marched into Peshawar, the ruling Barakzais simply fled the place without offering a

fight.[45]

. In April 1837, the real power of Maharaja Ranjit Singh came to the fore when his

commander-in-chief, Hari Singh Nalwa, kept the entire army of AmirDost Mohammad Khan, the Wali

of Kabul, at bay, with a handful of forces till reinforcements arrived from Lahore over a month after

they were requisitioned[46]

.

The Sikh Empire was also known as Punjab, the Sikh Raj, and Sarkar Khalsaji[47]

, was a region

straddling the border into modern-day People's Republic of China andIslamic Republic of Afghanistan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahangirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahangirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahangirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shahdera&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shahdera&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shahdera&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bala_Hissarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bala_Hissarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bala_Hissarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshawarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshawarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshawarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmandir_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmandir_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmandir_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Gobind_Singhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Gobind_Singhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Patna_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Patna_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Patna_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Hazur_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Hazur_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Hazur_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Hazur_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khyber_Passhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khyber_Passhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khyber_Passhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pothoharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pothoharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pothoharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulaimanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulaimanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulaimanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Kushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Kushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Kushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-39http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-39http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-39http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-40http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-40http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-40http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewan_Mokham_Chandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewan_Mokham_Chandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewan_Mokham_Chandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Mahmudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Mahmudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Mahmudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fateh_Khan_Barakzai&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fateh_Khan_Barakzai&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fateh_Khan_Barakzai&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kabul_river&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kabul_river&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kabul_river&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Singh_Nalwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Singh_Nalwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Singh_Nalwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowshera,_Khyber-Pakhtunkhwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowshera,_Khyber-Pakhtunkhwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowshera,_Khyber-Pakhtunkhwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-44http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-44http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-44http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dost_Mohammad_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dost_Mohammad_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dost_Mohammad_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-45http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-45http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-45http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-46http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-46http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-46http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Republic_of_Afghanistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Republic_of_Afghanistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Republic_of_Afghanistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Republic_of_Afghanistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-46http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-45http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dost_Mohammad_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-44http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowshera,_Khyber-Pakhtunkhwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Singh_Nalwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kabul_river&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fateh_Khan_Barakzai&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Mahmudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewan_Mokham_Chandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-40http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-39http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Kushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulaimanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pothoharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khyber_Passhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Hazur_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Hazur_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takht_Sri_Patna_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Gobind_Singhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmandir_Sahibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh#cite_note-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshawarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bala_Hissarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shahdera&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahangir


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then popularly referred to as the Kingdom of Cabul[48]

. The name of the region "Punjab" or "Panjab",

comprises two words "Punj/Panj" and "Ab", translating to "five" and "water" inPersian. When put

together this gives a name meaning "the land of the five rivers", coined due to the five rivers that runthrough the Punjab. Those "Five Rivers" areBeas,Ravi,Sutlej,ChenabandJhelum, all tributaries of

the riverIndus, home to theIndus Valley Civilizationthat perished 3000 years ago. Punjab has a long

history and rich cultural heritage. The people of the Punjab are called Punjabis and they speak a

language calledPunjabi. The following modern day political divisions made up the historical SikhEmpire:

Punjab regiontillMultanin south[49]o Punjab, Indiao Punjab, Pakistano Haryana, India. IncludingChandigarh.o Himachal Pradesh, India

Kashmir, conquered in 1818, India/Pakistan/China[50][51]o Jammu, Indiao Gilgit, Northern Areas, Pakistan (Occupied from 18421846)[52]

Khyber Pass,Afghanistan/Pakistan

[53][54]

o Peshawar, Pakistan[55](taken in 1818, retaken in 1834)[56]o North-West Frontier ProvinceandFATA, Pakistan (documented from Hazara (taken

in 181822)[57]

toBannu)[58]

Parts ofWestern Tibet(1841), China[59] Legacy and aftermath

TheSamadhi of Emperor Ranjit SinghinLahore, Pakistan Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839, after a reign of nearly forty years, leaving seven sons by

different queens. He was cremated. His ceremony was performed by both Sikh and Hindu

priests, his wife Maharani Mahtab Devi Sahiba, the Princess of Kangra, daughter of Maharaja

Sansar Chand, the Empress of Punjab, committedSatiwith Ranjit's body as Ranjit's head layin her lap, some of the other wives also joined her and committedSati.

[60]The throne went to

his eldest sonKharak Singh, who was not entirely fit and prepared for ruling such a vast

empire. Some historians[who?]

believe that the other heirs would have forged an even more

durable, independent and powerful empire, had they come to the throne before Kharak Singh.

However, the empire began to crumble due to poor governance and political infighting among

his heirs. The princes died through internal plots and assassinations, while the nobility

struggled to maintain their power.[61]

.

In 1845 after theFirst Anglo-Sikh War, Ranjit Singh's Empire was defeated and all majordecisions were managed by theBritish East India Company. The Army of Ranjit Singh was

reduced, under the peace treaty with the British, to a nominal force. Those who gave the

stiffest resistance to the British were severely punished and their wealth confiscated.

Eventually, Ranjit Singh's youngest sonDalip Singh, was crowned Maharaja of Punjab in1843 succeeding his brother, MaharajaSher Singh. In 1849, at the end of theSecond Anglo

Sikh War, it was annexed byBritish IndiafromDalip. Thereafter, the British tookMaharaja
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Dalip Singhto England in 1854, where he was put under the protection of the Crown. Dalip

Singh's mother, MaharaniJind Kaur, escaped and made her way to Nepal where she was

given refuge by Sri Teen MaharajaJung BahadurRanaof Nepal, who then negotiated on herbehalf to allow her to be reunited with her son. Maharani Jind Kaur and her son met at

Spence's Hotel, Calcutta, on 16 January 1861, after some thirteen and half years apart. She

was granted permission to come to England. A residence was taken up at No. 1Lancaster

Gate(now No. 23).

Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne, c. 18201830, Hafiz Muhammad Multani, now at V & A

Museum

Jind Kaur stayed for a short while atMulgrave Castle, later she was placed in the charge of anEnglish lady at Abingdon House,Kensington. On the morning of 1 August 1863, Maharani

Jind Kaur died peacefully. Her body was temporarily housed at London'sKensal Green

Cemetery, and in the spring of 1864, Duleep Singh left for India and arranged for the

cremation of her body.

Portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh In the spring of 1864, Maharani Jind Kaur was cremated at Nasik in Bombay on the Panchvati

side of the river. The authorities would not allow Dalip Singh to cremate his mother in the
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Punjab. On the left bank the Maharajah erected a small samadh built as a memorial in the

memory of his mother. For a number of years the Kapurthala State Authorities maintained the

memorial until 1924, when her remains were dug out and brought to Lahore by hergranddaughter,Princess Bamba Sutherland, and deposited at the Samadh of Maharajah Ranjit

Singh.

Dalip Singh was converted to Christianity in his youth, upon reuniting with his mother duringhis adult years, he reconverted to Sikhism, he then petitioned the Crown to have his kingdomreturned. He never received any justice or the respect he deserved. He died in 1893, in Paris,

France.

Maharajah Dalip Singh had three sons. The eldest Prince Victor was born on 10 July 1866,followed byPrince Frederickin 1868, and then Prince Albert Edward Alexander Dalip Singh

(died at the age of thirteen), who was born on 20 August 1879.

Prince Victor Albert Jay Dalip Singh was Maharajah Dalip Singh's eldest son. He washonourable A.D.C. to Lord Halifax, and was promoted to Captain in 1894, but his militarycareer, however, was a shambles, his interest lay in other things and he resigned in 1898.

During the First World War, he was ordered to remain in Paris and not to leave, but shortly

after the war ended, Prince Victor died on 7 June 1918, without any issue.
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Maharaja Ranjit Singh

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Transcript of Maharaja Ranjit Singh