RANJIT SINGH , FOUNDER OF SIKH EMPIRE BORN 1780 NOVEMBER 13

RANJIT SINGH , FOUNDER OF SIKH EMPIRE  BORN  1780 NOVEMBER 13

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the founder of the Sikh Empire based in the Punjab region. He came to power in the early half of the 19th century, and his empire existed from 1799 to 1849. Born as the son of Maha Singh, the Commander of the Sukerchakia Misl—one of 12 Sikh Misls in Punjab during the 18th century—Ranjit Singh followed in his courageous father’s footsteps to become an even greater leader. He was born in a period when much of Punjab was ruled by the Sikhs under a Confederate Sarbat Khalsa system and the territory was divided among factions known as misls. His father died when Ranjit was 12 years old following which he was raised in the care of his mother Raj Kaur, and later his mother-in-law Sada Kaur. He took over as misldar of the Sukerchakia Misl upon attaining the age of 18 and set about expanding his territory. An ambitious man and a courageous warrior, he started conquering all the others misls and the annexation of Lahore from the Bhangi Misl marked the first important step in his rise to power. Eventually he conquered the region of central Punjab from the Sutlej to the Jhelum, vastly expanded his territory and founded the Sikh Empire. Because of his bravery and courage he earned the title of "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of Punjab").
Childhood & Early Life

Ranjit Singh was born on 13 November, 1780, in Gujranwala, Sukerchakia Misl (present-day Pakistan) to Maha Singh and his wife Raj Kaur. His father was the Commander of the Sukerchakia Misl. As a child Ranjit Singh was afflicted with small pox which resulted in the loss of one eye.
Maha Singh died when Ranjit Singh was only 12 years old, leaving him to be raised by his mother.
He was married to Mehtab Kaur, the daughter of Sardar Gurbakash Singh Sandhu of the Kanhaiya Misl and Sada Kaur, in 1796, when he was 16 years old. Upon his marriage his mother-in-law also started taking active interest in his life.
Ascension & Reign
Ranjit Singh became the misldar of the Sukerchakia Misl at the age of 18. Upon assuming power he started campaigns to expand his territory.
He began his conquests by annexing the other misls and captured Lahore from the Bhangi Misl in 1799 and later made it his capital. He then captured the rest of the Punjab.
In 1801 he united all the Sikh factions into one state and assumed the title of “Maharaja” on 12 April—the day of Baisakhi. He was 20 years old at the time. Then he set forth further expanding his territory.
He conquered the holy city of Amritsar from the Bhangi Misl ruler Mai Sukhan in 1802. He continued his conquests by capturing Kasur from the Afghan chief Qutb ud-Din in 1807.

He went to the aid of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra in the Lesser Himalayas in 1809 against an advancing Ghurka force. After defeating the forces, he added Kangra to his empire.
In 1813, he joined a Bārakzay Afghan expedition into Kashmir but was betrayed by the Bārakzays. Nonetheless he went on to rescue Shah Shoja, the brother of the deposed Afghan king, and occupied the fort at Attock on the Indus River, southeast of Peshawar. Then he pressurized Shah Shoja to part with the famous Koh-i-noor diamond that was in his possession.
He spent several years fighting the Afghans and driving them out of the Punjab. Eventually he captured Pashtun territory including Peshawar, and in 1818, the province of Multan. He put an end to more than a hundred years of Muslim rule in Multan Area with these conquests. He also annexed Kashmir in 1819.
Ranjit Singh was a secular ruler who had tremendous respect for all religions. His armies included Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus and his commanders also hailed from different religious communities. In 1820 he began to modernize his army using several European officers to train the infantry and the artillery. The modernized army performed very well in the conquests in the North-West Frontier.
By the 1830s the British were beginning to expand their territories in India. They were intent on keeping the Sindh province for themselves and tried to make Ranjit Singh accept their plans. This was not acceptable to Ranjit Singh and he authorized an expedition led by Dogra commander Zorawar Singh that eventually extended Ranjit Singh’s northern territories into Ladakh in 1834.
In 1837, the last confrontation between the Sikhs and the Afghans took place in the Battle of Jamrud. The Sikhs were building up towards crossing the Khyber Pass and the Afghan forces confronted them at Jamrud. The Afghans attempted to retake Peshawar from the invading Sikhs but were unsuccessful.
Ranjit Singh was also much feared by the British and they did not dare to try to annex his territories for as long as he was alive. He died in 1839 and the Sikh army was defeated in the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846. By the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849, the Punjab was annexed by the British bringing an end to the glorious Sikh Empire.
Major Works

Maharaja Ranjit Singh founded the Sikh Empire, based around Punjab in 1799. It was a major power in the Indian subcontinent and at its peak, the Empire encompassed regions from the Khyber Pass in the west to western Tibet in the east, and from Mithankot in the south to Kashmir in the north.


Personal Life & Legacy
Ranjit Singh was married multiple times and had Sikh, Hindu, as well as Muslim wives. Some of his wives were Mehtab Kaur, Rani Raj Kaur, Rani Rattan Kaur, Rani Chand Kaur, and Rani Raj Banso Devi.
He also had several children including sons Kharak Singh, Ishar Singh, Sher Singh, Pashaura Singh and Duleep Singh. However he acknowledged only Kharak Singh and Duleep Singh as his biological sons.
He died on 27 June 1839 in Lahore, Punjab, Sikh Empire. He was cremated and his remains are stored in the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore, Punjab. He was succeeded by his son Kharak Singh.
He is remembered for being an able and just ruler with a magnificent personality. His empire was secular where all religions were respected and no one was discriminated against because of their religious beliefs. He also played a major role in the golden beautification of the Harmandir Sahib. He was much respected throughout the world for his courage and valor and was known as "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of Punjab").

ரஞ்சித் சிங் (Ranjit Singh; பஞ்சாபி: ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ); 1780-1839) பஞ்சாபி மக்களின் சீக்கிய பேரரசின் மன்னர். பஞ்சாப் சிங்கம் என அழைக்கப்பட்டவர். இவரது சமாதி பாகிஸ்தானின் லாகூர் நகரில் உள்ளது.

கோகினூர் வைரத்தை ரஞ்சித் சிங் பிரித்தானியா அரசுக்கு அன்பளிப்பாக வழங்கினார் என இந்திய அரசு உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் உறுதி மொழி அளித்துள்ளது. [1]

வாழ்க்கைக் குறிப்பு[மூலத்தைத் தொகு]

ராஜா ரஞ்சித் சிங்
ரஞ்சித் சிங் பஞ்சாபிகளின் இனத்தவர். குஜ்ரன்வாலா (தற்போது பாகிஸ்தானில்) என்ற இடத்தில் 1780 இல் பிறந்தார்[2]. அக்காலத்தில் பஞ்சாப் முழுவதும் சீக்கியரினால் ஆளப்பட்டு வந்தது. ரஞ்சித் சிங்கின் தந்தை "மகா சிங்" மேற்கு பஞ்சாபின் ஒரு பகுதியை தனது கட்டுப்பாட்டில் வைத்திருந்தார்.

ரஞ்சித் சிங் தனது 12வது அகவையில் தந்தையின் மறைவிற்குப் பின்னர் ஆட்சிப் பொறுப்பை ஏற்றார். பல ஆண்டுகளின் பின்னர் இவர் சீக்கியர்களின் தலைவராக ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளப்பட்டார். சீக்கிய இனத்தின் ஆளுகைக்குட்பட்ட பல பகுதிகளை இவர் ஒன்றிணைத்தார்.

மகாராஜா[மூலத்தைத் தொகு]

ஏப்ரல் 12, 1801 இல் ரஞ்சித் சிங் மகாராஜா என்ற பதவிப் பெயரைப் பெற்றார்[3]. 1799 முதல் லாகூர் நகரம் இவரது தலைநகராக விளங்கியது. 1802 இல் புனித நகரான அம்ரித்சர் நகரையும் கைப்பற்றினார்.


பாகிஸ்தான், லாகூரில் ரஞ்சித் சிங்கின் சமாதி
அடுத்தடுத்த ஆண்டுகளில் மேற்கு பஞ்சாபில் இருந்து ஆப்கானிய மக்களைத் துரத்தும் பணியில் ஈடுபட்டார். பெஷாவர் உட்படப் பல பகுதிகளைக் கைப்பற்றினார்.

1839 இல் மகாராஜா ரஞ்சித் சிங் இறந்த பின்னர் அவரது மூத்த மகன் கராக் சிங் மகாராஜா பொறுப்பை ஏற்றான். இவனது ஆட்சியில் சீக் பேரரசு உடைய ஆரம்பித்தது. ரஞ்சித் சிங் இறந்து ஐந்தாண்டுகளில் டுலீப் சிங் என்பவனைத் தவிர அவரது அனைத்துப் பிள்ளைகளும் இறந்தனர்.

1845 இல் இரண்டாம் ஆங்கில-சீக்கிய போரைக்கு அடுத்து பஞ்சாப் அரசு பிரித்தானியரின் கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்குள் வந்தது. மகாராஜாவின் படையினரின் எண்ணிக்கை வெகுவாகக் குறைக்கப்பட்டது. 1849 இல் இரண்டாம் ஆங்கில-சீக்கியப் போரின் முடிவில் பஞ்சாப் பிரித்தானியாவுடன் இணைக்கப்பட்டது.

இளவரசர் டுலீப் சிங்கை பிரித்தானியர் இங்கிலாந்துக்குக் கொண்டு சென்று அங்கு அரசின் நேரடிக் கண்காணிப்பில் வைக்கப்பட்டான். கிறிஸ்தவத்துக்கு மதம் மாற்றப்பட்டான். எனினும் அவன் தனது கடைசிக் காலத்தில் சீக்கியத்துக்கு மதம் மாறினான்.