»

Empi
reofSi
khs

Empi
reofSi
khs

SikhorPunj
abEmpirewasformedwiththeleader
shi
pofMaharaj
aRanji
tSi
nghaft
ert
he
commemor ati
onofAmrit
sarTreat
ythatresul
tedi
nthesubsumpt
ionoft
err
it
ori
esmit
igat
ing
i
nt er
nal
corr
upti
onandturmoi
l.

TABLEOFCONTENT

Si
khempi
re

Mahar
ajaRanj
i
tSi
ngh

Tr
eat
yofAmr
it
sar

TheSi khEmpire,alsoknownast hePunj abEmpi re,wasanI ndiansubcont i

nentkingdom
foundedundert her eignofMahar ajaRanj itSingh, whoest abli
shedanempi reinPunjab.With
Mahar ajaRanji
tSingh’ sconquestofLahor ef rom itsAfghanmonar chandt hemer gerofthe
i
ndependentSi khmi sls,theempirewasbor n.OnApr il
12, 1801( Vai sakhi),
Ranj i
tSinghwas
procl ai
medMahar ajaoft hePunjab, establishingauni fi
edpol i
ticalent i
ty.Wi t
hMahar ajaRanjit
Singh’ sconquestofLahor efrom itsAfghanmonar chandt hemer geroft heindependentSikh
mi sls,theempirewasbor n.OnApr il
12, 1801( Vai
sakhi),RanjitSinghwaspr oclai
medMahar aj
a
oft hePunj ab,
establ ishingauni f
iedpol it
ical enti
ty.TheTr eatyofAmr i
tsarwassi gnedonApr i
l
25, 1809, byCharlesT.Met cal
fe,representingt heBr i
ti
shEastI ndi
aCompany ,andRanjitSi
ngh,
ther uleroftheSikhki ngdom ofPunj ab.Foragener ati
on,thet reatyendedI ndo-Si
kht ensi
ons.

Si
khempi
re

Ranji
tSinghandhi smenmar chedint
oKabuli
n1838tojoi
nt heBrit
ishi
navictoryparade
fol
lowingtherestorati
onofShahShoj at
otheAfghant
hrone.TreatyofAmri
tsarhelpedto
devel
opI ndo-
Sikhrelati
ons.TheSikhEmpir
ewasuniqueinthatitpermi
tt
edper sonsofvari
ous
rel
i
gionst ori
setoposi t
ionsofpower.

Mahar
ajaRanj
i
tSi
ngh
I
nt heear l
yhal foftheni net
eenthcent ury,RanjitSingh,alsoknownasSher -e-
Punjabor“ Lionof
Punj ab”,cont r
oll
edt henor t
hwestI ndiansubcont i
nent.Priortohisascension,t
hePunj ab
prov incewasdi vi
dedi ntoseveralwar ringmi sls,twelveofwhi chwer erul
edbySi khsandoneby
Musl i
ms.Tof ormt heSi khEmpi r
e, Ranj i
tSinghsuccessf ull
yabsor bedandmer gedt heSikh
mi sls,aswel lasot herlocalki
ngdoms.Hef oughtat tacksbyf orei
gnf or
cesonsev eral
occasi ons, parti
cularl
ythosef r
om Af ghani stan, andbuiltcloserelati
onswiththeBr it
ish.
Ref orms, moder nisati
on, i
nfr
astructurei nvestment ,andgener alprosperi
tywereal lpartofRanj
i
t
Singh’ srule.Hislegacyi ncl
udest her ebuildingoft heHar mandirSahi bi
nAmr itsarandot her
maj orgur udwar as,aswel lasaper iodofSi khcul t
uralandar ti
sti
cr enai
ssance.

Tr
eat
yofAmr
it
sar

TheTr eatyofAmr it
sarwassi gnedonApr il25,1809,byCharlesT.Met calfe,r
epresenti
ngthe
Briti
shEastI ndi
aCompany ,
andRanj i
tSingh,ther ul
eroftheSikhkingdom ofPunj ab.Fora
generation,t
het reatyendedI ndo-
Sikhtensions.Foll
owingNapol eon’
sTr eatyofTilsi
twith
Russia( 1807)andRanj i
t’
sattempttoputt heCis-Sutl
ejstat
esunderhi srule,t
heFr ench
threatenednor t
her nIndi
a.TheBr i
ti
shwantadef encealli
ance, aswellascont roloverPunj
ab
from theSutlejRiver.Alt
hought hi
swasnotadef ensi
vepact,itdidest
abl i
shthebor derof
Ranjit
’sdomai nsr oughlyfol
lowingtheSutlejRiver’
scourse.

Theyt urnedtot heBri

tishf orhelp,fearf
ul ofbei ngabsor bedintoRanjitSingh’
sdomi ni
on.The
TreatyofAmr i
tsarwithRanj itSinghsecur edBr iti
shr uleoverthem (1809).After1846,t
here
wer eninestateswi t
hful lr
ight s,
afterwardsr educedt osix;Pati
alawast helar
gest ,
wit
h5,412
squaremi les(14,017squar ekm)andcont aini
ngupt ot womi l
li
onpeopl eatthet i
meofits
absorption.Thest at
esl astedunt il
Indiagai nedi ndependencei n1947, whentheywer emerged
i
nt othePat i
alaandEastPunj abStatesUni on( PEPSU) .TheywereintegratedintotheI
ndian
statesofPunj abandHar yanaaf terthat.

Concl
usi
on

From theabov ediscussion,itcanbeconcludedt hatt hecontri

buti
onofMahar aj
aRanji
tSinghi n
Sikhempi r
edev el
opmenthadbeenuncondi t
ional.Thecar ef
ull
yplannedprocessesandt he
war sconductedbyhi m suppor tedtheuni
ficati
onofSi khcommuni t
iesinPunj abanddev el
oping
ast abl
erelat
ionshipwithBr i
tisherstosupportsocialdev el
opment.Thet r
eat yofAmr i
tsaral
so
helpedintheunifi
cationoft hest at
esofSut l
ejRiver’
scour se,whi
chal sohighlight
sthepotential
ofRanjitSi
nghi nestabli
shingasecur er
egionf orSikhsdur i
ngtheBr i
ti
shrule.