Maharaja ranjit singh

Ever since the US announced its decision to pull out troops from Afghanistan, many reports have been resorting to that old cliché that states the country is a “graveyard of empires”. Over the years, Afghanistan has been notoriously difficult to govern, with the US now and erstwhile USSR in 1988 deciding to pull out their forces after having once established control in the region. Who was Hari Singh Nalwa? Hari Singh Nalwa was one of the most trustworthy commanders in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army. He was the Governor of Kashmir, Hazara and Peshawar. Nalwa shot to fame after defeating the Afghans and establishing control over various regions along the boundary of Afghanistan. He also prevented Afghans from entering Punjab through the Khyber Pass, which was the main route that foreign invaders used to enter India from 1000 AD till the early 19th century. “In Afghan folklore, mothers used to use Nalwar’s name to scare and quieten their unruly children. A common refrain among mothers would be: ‘If you don’t stop crying, Haria Ragle (Hari Singh Nalwa) will turn up’,” said former Guru Nanak Dev University vice-chancellor Dr S P Singh. Dr Singh further said that it was Nalwa who took control of several regions along the Afghanistan border and the Khyber Pass, thereby preventing the Afghans from making inroads into the northwest frontier. “For instance, in 1807, at the age of 16, Nalwa fought the battle of Kasur (which is now in Pakistan) and defeated Afghani ruler Kutab-ud-din Kha...

Ranjit Singh, also spelled Runjit Singh, byname Lion of the Punjab, (born November 13, 1780, Budrukhan, or Ranjit Singh was the first Indian in a millennium to turn the tide of invasion back into the homelands of the traditional conquerors of India, the Early life and conquests Ranjit Singh was reported to be short and unattractive. He was blind in one eye and had a face pitted with pockmarks. A lover of life, he liked to surround himself with handsome men and women, and he had a passion for hunting, horses, and strong liquor. He was the only child of Maha Singh, on whose death in 1792 he became chief of the Shukerchakias, a Sikh group. His inheritance included Gujranwala town and the surrounding villages, now in Pakistan. At 15 he married the daughter of a chieftain of the Kanhayas, and for many years his affairs were directed by his ambitious mother-in-law, the widow Sada Kaur. A second marriage, to a girl of the Nakkais, made Ranjit Singh In July 1799 he seized His later forays eastward, however, were checked by the English. By a treaty with them, signed in 1806, he agreed to expel a Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Consolidation of territory and later career Ranjit Singh then turned his ambitions in other directions. In December 1809 he went to the aid of Raja Sansar Chand of All Ranjit Singh’s conquests were achieved by Punjabi armies composed of Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus. His commanders were also drawn from different religi...

RANJIT SINGH RANJIT SINGH (1780-1839), Maharaja of the Punjab, popularly called Sheri Punjab, i.e. the Lion of the Punjab, was the most colourful, the most powerful and yet the most endearing figure in the history of the Sikhs. He ruled over a domain extending from the Khaibar Pass in the west to the River Sutlej in the east, from the northern extremity of Kashmir to the deserts ofSindh in the South, comprising the subds (provinces) of Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Kashmir, and their dependencies. It covered an area of 1,00,436 square miles with an estimated population of 53,50,000. Rising from a family of little political consequence and commanding no more than a small band of fighting horsemen, he was the first Indian in a thousand years to stem the tide of invasions from the northwest frontier and to carry his flag into the homeland of the traditional conquerors of Hindustan. Born on 13 November 1780 at Gujrariwala, now in Pakistan, Ranjit Singh was the only son of Mahari Singh Sukkarchakkia and Raj Kaur, daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind. He was given the name of Buddh Singh which, in commemoration of an armed victory his father had won, was changed into Ranjit (Victor in Battle) Singh. An attack of smallpox during infancy deprived Ranjit Singh of the sight of his left eye. He attended no school and spent most of his time riding and in chase. He developed a passionate love for horses and had his first encounter with steel at the age of ten when he fought beside his ...

When enslavement of the conquered was accepted as the standard during those dreary times of colonialism all around the world, Maharaja Ranjit Singh treated his governed populace with love and affection. He is known for his genius in politics, and his compassion for the various religions and sects of the people he ruled. Also known as the Sher-e-Punjab or ‘Lion of Punjab’, he was renowned for his love for humanity, and in-depth awareness and respect for human values. Indeed, Maharaja Ranjit Singh is a revered icon in Punjabi and Indian history. Beacon of goodness in times of colonialism Slavery was the very first outcome of colonisation. Men and women from African tribes were portrayed as animals or mysterious creatures in the West. This inhumane treatment of people started during the initial 19th century. Slaves were not citizens of the state in the eyes of the governing class. They had no legal standing. In the Judeo-Arabic culture, slave fidelity was one of the most essential attributes of the " ghulam." However, for Maharaja Ranjit Singh, there were no slaves. Under his reign, everyone had the same rights and duties to the state. This was the time when Khalsa Raj was entrenching its roots in the Indian subcontinent. Named the Greatest World Leader According to a BBC survey, Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been named the ‘greatest world leader’. The editor of BBC World Histories Magazine, Matt Elton wrote, ‘ Ranjit Singh’s overwhelming success in our poll suggests that the qua...

Around 32 years ago, Russian general Nikolai Ogarkov advised Leonid Brezhnev’s cabinet not to invade Afghanistan, saying that the country was unconquerable. Today US generals are asking Barack Obama to get the hell out of the place or else the Americans will have to leave the way they left Vietnam – in their underpants. Are the Afghans really 10 feet tall? Is subduing Afghanistan an impossible task? Ogarkov, the chief of the Soviet Defense Staff, was of course being cautious. He referred to the rout of several British armies in Afghanistan in the 19th century. (On one notable occasion in 1842 the Afghans massacred a British army numbering over 21,000, allowing one soldier, William Brydon, to go back and tell the story). Ogarkov was more concerned about the political fallout. An invasion would “align the entire Islamic East against us” he warned. In fact, with Pakistan as a fallback option, the Mujahideen (which was being supplied by the US, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China to name just a few) could operate with impunity. The bear’s failure was its failure to swat Pakistan. For the Russian generals, the temptation to create a second Vietnam in Afghanistan must be huge. However, despite Washington’s thanklessness for its valuable help in fighting the Afghans, Moscow is not interested in spoiling it for the US. Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, says: “In the event of NATO’s defeat in Afghanistan, fundamentalists who are inspired by...

In 1801 the Lahore Fort witnessed the investiture of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire in north western India and ruled it till his death in 1839. These 38 years witnessed the evolution of the Sikh army from a semi feudal and disorganized force to an efficient fighting machine that would have been able to hold its own against the best European armies. It not only drove the Afghans out of the Peshawar Valley, it was by far also the most potent force faced by the British East India Company. While Ranjit Singh was too astute to challenge the army of the East India Company, following his death, the Khalsa Fauj – that he had raised, organized and equipped – acquitted itself commendably in the two Anglo-Sikh Wars. Credit for the performance of the Khalsa Fauj to a great extent goes to its artillery. The gunners and their cannons were a direct legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who built it to an unprecedented level of efficiency with a genius which no other Indian ruler could match: except probably Tipu Sultan who is recognized as the father of rocket artillery. Alexander Gardener (centre), an American traveller who assisted General Auguste Court in developing the Maharaja’s artillery Four years after his investiture, Ranjit Singh started modernizing his army by raising regular units which included deserters/renegades from the army of the East India Company. They were lured into his service by higher wages and better opportunities. Ranjit Singh prescribed the most e...