The
Sikh Empire was a state in the north-western part of the
Indian Subcontinent (present-day
India and
Pakistan) from 1799 to 1849.
It consisted of a collection of autonomous
Punjabi Sikh Misls, which were governed by Misldars,
[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, (Edition: Volume V22, Date: 1910-1911), Page 892.] mainly in the
Punjab region.
The
Sikh Khalsa armies were loosely and politically linked but strongly bounded together in the cultural and religious spheres.
The records for these were kept at capitals
Gujranwala (1799-1802) and
Lahore &
Amritsar (1802-1849).
History
The
Harmandir Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple) is the temple of worship of Sikhs.
Ranjit Singh was crowned on
April 12 1801 (to coincide with
Baisakhi). Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of
Guru Nanak Dev, conducted the coronation .
Gujranwala served as his capital from 1799. In 1802 he shifted his capital to
Lahore &
Amritsar. Ranjit Singh rose to power in a very short period, from a leader of a single Sikh misl to finally becoming the Maharaja (Emperor) of Punjab.
There was strong collaboration in defense against foreign incursions such as those initiated by
Ahmed Shah Abdali and
Nadir Shah. The city of
Amritsar was attacked numerous times. Yet the time is remembered by Sikh historians as the "Heroic Century". This is mainly to describe the rise of
Sikhs to political power against large odds. The circumstances were hostile religious environment against
Sikhs, a tiny
Sikh population compared to other religious and political powers, which were much larger in the region than the Sikhs. The
military power levels of the Sikh
Khalsa Army increased dramatically after 1762, this led to rapid increase in territory and power.
Khalsa Beginnings
The period from 1716 to 1799 was a highly turbulent time politically and militarily in the
Punjab. This was caused by the overall decline of the
Mughal Empire, the loss of
Mughal power in the Punjab was quite swift - as the Mughal power weakened it was challenged again and again by the
Sikhs resulting in further loss of territory. This left a power vacuum that was eventually filled by the
Punjab Army. The Sikh
Khalsa Army grew in the late 18th century, which led to be a Sikh Empire on the Indian Subcontient, and its influence would remain strong throughout the empire's history.
Sikh Empire
Portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
The Sikh Empire (from 1801-1849) was formed on the foundations of the Sikh Khalsa Army by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Empire extended from
Khyber Pass in the west, to
Kashmir in the north, to
Sindh in the south, and
Tibet in the east. The main geographical footprint of the empire was the
Punjab. The religious
demography of the Sikh Empire was
Muslim (60%),
Sikh (25%),
Hindu (15%),.
The foundations of the Sikh Empire, during the Sikh Khalsa Army, could be defined as early as 1707, starting from the death of
Aurangzeb and the downfall of the
Mughal Empire. The fall of the Mughal Empire provided opportunities for the Sikh army, known as the
Dal Khalsa, to lead expeditions against the
Mughals and
Afghans. This led to a growth of the army, which was split into different Khalsa Armies and then semi-independent misls. Each of these component armies were known as a
misl, each controlling different areas and cities. However, in the period from 1762-1799
Sikh rulers of their misls appeared to be coming into their own. The formal start of the Sikh Empire began with the disbandment of the Sikh
khalsa Army by the time of Coronation of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1801, creating the one unified political Empire. All the misldars who were affiliated with the Khalsa Army were nobility with usually long and prestigious family histories in Punjab's history.
End of Empire
thumb|Map showing expansion of Sikh empire from 1765 to 1805After
Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the empire was severely weakened by internal divisions and political mismanagement. This opportunity was used by the
British Empire to launch the
Anglo-Sikh Wars.
The
Battle of Ferozeshah in 1845 marked many turning points, the British encountered the Khalsa Army, opening with a gun-duel in which the Sikhs "had the better of the British artillery". But as the British made advancements, Europeans in their army were especially targeted, as the Sikhs believed if the army "became demoralised, the backbone of the enemy's position would be broken". The fighting continued throughout the night earning the nickname "night of terrors". The British position "grew graver as the night wore on", and "suffered terrible casualties with every single member of the Governor General's staff either killed or wounded"
[Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the last to lay arms, (Duggal,p.136-137)].
British General Sire
James Hope Grant recorded: "Truly the night was one of gloom and forbidding and perhaps never in the annals of warfare has a British Army on such a large scale been nearer to a defeat which would have involved annihilation"
The Sikhs ended up recovering their camp, and the British were exhausted. Lord Hardinge sent his son to Mudki with a sword from his Napoleonic campaigns. A note in
Robert Needham Cust's diary revealed that the "British generals decided to lay down arms: News came from the Governor General that our attack of yesterday had failed, that affairs were disparate, all state papers were to be destroyed, and that if the morning attack failed all would be over, this was kept secret by Mr.Currie and we were considering measures to make an unconditional surrender to save the wounded..."
.
However, a series of events of the Sikhs being betrayed by some prominent leaders in the
Khalsa Army, led to its downfall.
Maharaja Gulab Singh and Dhian Singh, were
Hindu Dogras from
Jammu, and top Generals of the army:
Tej Singh and Lal Singh, who were secretly allied to the British. They supplied important war plans of the Khalsa Army, and provided the British with updated vital intelligence on the Sikh Army dealings, which ended up changing the scope of the war and benefiting the British positions
.
The Sikh Empire was finally dissolved after a series of wars with the British at the end of the
Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 into separate
princely states, and the British province of
Punjab that where granted a statehood, and eventually a lieutenant governorship stationed in Lahore as a direct representative of the Royal Crown in London.
Geography
thumb|Map showing Sikh territory in 1837 and 1857The Sikh Empire was also known as Punjab, the Sikh Raj, and the Khalsa Raj, was a region straddling India and
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The name of the region "Punjab" or "Panjab", comprises two words "Punj/Panj" and "Ab", translating to "five" and "water" in
Persian. When put together this gives a name meaning "the land of the five rivers", coined due to the five rivers that run through the Punjab. Those "Five Rivers" are
Beas,
Ravi,
Sutlej,
Chenab and
Jhelum, all tributaries of the river
Indus, home to the
Indus Valley Civilization that 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 called
Punjabi. The following modern day political divisions made up the historical Sikh Empire:
- Kashmir, conquered in 1718, India/Pakistan/China
- * Gilgit, Northern Areas, Pakistan (Occupied from 1842-1846)
- * Peshawar, Pakistan (taken in 1818, retaken in 1834)
Timeline
- 1707-1716, Creation of Sikh Khalsa Army begins to influence the political structure of the Punjab.
- 1763-1774, Charat Singh Sukerchakia, Misldar of Sukerchakia Army established himself in Gujranwala.
- 1799-1801, transition period neither Confederacy or Empire, in a state of revolution or anarchy.
- 1801 April 12, Coronation of Ranjit Singh as Maharaja, formal beginning of the Sikh Empire.
- 1801 - 27 June 1839, Reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, whose coronation took place in 1801.
- 1801 - 1839, large expansion of the Sikh Empire in land mass spearheaded by the Punjab Army.
- 27 June 1839 - 5 November 1840, Reign of Maharaja Kharak Singh
- 18 January 1841 - 15 September 1843, Reign of Maharaja Sher Singh
- 15 September 1843 - 31 March 1849, Reign of Maharaja Duleep Singh
See also
