Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

LURE - THRU THE AGES

SIKHS 1798-1849 A.D.

gratitude, Shah appointed Ranjit Singh the Governor of Lahore in 1799. In 1802, he made himself master of Amritsar. The Treaty of Amritsar was signed in 1809 between Ranjit Singh and the British. This treaty fixed the river Sutlej as “the boundary line between Maharaja Ranjit Singh's territory and that of the English Company. He died in 1839. Impact After the annexation of Punjab, Maharaja Duleep Singh was deposed and given a pension. Punjab was divided into 4 divisions - each of them under a com- missioner. The Sikh army Zaman

Overview * Sikh religion was originally founded by Guru Nanak, a saint preacher in early 16th C. * The fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Mai compiled the Adi Granth, the holy book of the Sikhs and built the Golden Temple at Amritsar. * The tenth and last Sikh Guru created the Khalsa, the military wing of the Sikh faith. * Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) was the founder of the first Sikh Kingdom. Advent * The Sikhs who were originally a religious sect were hammered into a military power by their conflict with the Mughals. * Ranjit singh wanted to extend his author- ity over the territory known as the Cis- Sutlej states. In 1806 he crossed the Sutlej and occupied Ludhiana. * In 1809 the treaty of Amritsar fixed the river Sutlej as the boundary line between Maharaja Ranjit Singh's territory and that of the English Company. Kharthak Singh (I Son of Ranjit Singh) came to throne in 1839; died in 1840. * Navnihal Singh (Son of Kharthak Singh) (1840-40). * Mai Chand Kaur (regent for son of Navnihal Singh). * Sher Singh ( II Son of Ranjit Singh) (1840- 43)(Viceroy of Mai Chand Kaur who usurped power and became Maharaja). * Duleep Singh (III Son of Ranjit Singh) (1843- 49) (since he was a minor his mother Rani Jundan was regent for him). Wars 1845-46 First Sikh War - Sikhs were de- feated; Treaty of Lahore; Lahore occupied by British; Kashmir sold to Dogra prince Gulab Singh for 75 lakh rupees. 1848-49 Second Sikh War - Sikhs were defeated; Punjab annexed by Brit- ish. Chronology * Ranjit Singh (1798-1849) the founder. *

was completely disarmed and disbanded. The Jagirs of Sikh nobles were confiscated. A strong police force was raised and put under supervision of English officers. A code of law was prepared; Roads, bridges and canals were constructed; Agriculture was improved; Law and Order was established in Punjab within a short period. Strengths * Ranjit Singh was a great warrior and statesman; his employment of Muslims and Europeans showed that he had no religious bias. * He was a great organiser; his deeds in- spired the masses of Punjab to resist the tyranny of the Mughals. Administration * Division of the financial transactions of the state among 5 departments. * Punjab was divided into four Subas, each Suba was divided into Paraganas, each Paragana into Taliqas. Each Suba was administered by a Nazim (Governor). * All legal disputes were settled by Pan- chayats. In towns justice was admini- stered by Kardars.

* He consolidated the numerous petty states into a kingdom. * To the Hindus and Sikhs he was a cham- pion of their faith. He took up cudgels against the tyranny of the Mughals. He took revenge for the murder of the sons of Guru Gobind at Sirhind. Weakness * He committed the grave blunder of al- lowing the acquisition of vast territorial power by Dogra chiefs. * He was a despot who concentrated all powers in himself. He failed on account of the desertion of the Sikh soldiers. * He created a Sikh nation within the Punjab but not a Punjabi nation. He took no steps to prevent British dominion. Decline * With the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, began the palace intrigues and civil wars in Punjab. Karthak Singh and Navnihal Singh died in 1840. Shersingh was assas- sinated in 1843. Ranjit's last son Duleep Singh, aged 5, was under the regency of queen-mother Jundan. In two Sikh wars, in 1846 and 1848, the rebel Sikhs were suppressed and in 1849 Punjab was an- nexed by the British and Duleep Singh was pensioned.

His military was a disciplined force.

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Achievements * The establishment of authority all over the Punjab, Kashmir and Peshawar was his greatest achievement.