Ranjit Singh, who passed away on 27 June 1839, aged 58, and
also known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was
the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian
subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in
infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside
his father at age 10. After his father died around Ranjit's early teenage
years, Ranjit subsequently fought several wars to expel the Afghans throughout
his teenage years. At the age of 21, he was proclaimed the "Maharaja of
Punjab". His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership
through 1839.
Prior to his rise, the Punjab region had
numerous warring misls (confederacies), twelve of which were under
Sikh rulers and one Muslim. Ranjit Singh successfully absorbed and united
the Sikh misls and took over other local kingdoms to create the Sikh Empire. He
repeatedly defeated invasion by outside armies, particularly those
arriving from Afghanistan, and established friendly relations with the British.
Ranjit Singh's reign introduced reforms,
modernisation, investment into infrastructure and general prosperity. His Khalsa
army and government included Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Europeans. His legacy
includes a period of Sikh cultural and artistic renaissance, including the
rebuilding of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar as well as other major
gurudwaras, including Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Bihar and Hazur Sahib Nanded,
Maharashtra under his sponsorship. Ranjit Singh was succeeded by his son
Kharak Singh. Ranjit Singh also founded the Order of the Propitious Star of
Punjab in 1837.
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