Abstract
This paper focuses upon the reign of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, his governance, the economic condition of the Punjab in the early 19th century, revenue administration of the Punjab and the influence of the western courtiers in the Court of Ranjeet Singh as depicted by the Orientalist travelers. The influence of European tourists to the Court of Maharaja had already existed but one can see that this influence was greatly increased after 1826. Towards the end of 1826 the Maharaja was attacked by sickness. And he sought the aid of Dr. Murray, an English army surgeon at Ludhiana. Dr. Murray stayed with Ranjeet for eight months and closely studied the political and military situation in the Punjab. Maharaja Ranjeet Singh drew many foreign mercenaries into his service. He attracted the attention of numerous travelers, soldiers, and diplomats. Though Ranjeet Singh had a very unpleasant physical appearance with his smallpox pitted face and his single eye yet his capability of persistent questions, his delight in dancing girls and his impressive capacity for the most ardent spirits, he fascinated many Europeans travelers and finds space to become a topic of discussion in their travel writings. By the end of the 18th century there were three powers contending for the leadership of the northern part of the Sub-continent. The English had established their influence over Oudh and maintained their power against the Marhattas. After the battle of Panipatt, (1761) The Marhattas had revived their power to a certain extent under the leadership of MahadajeSindhia. By 1761 they occupied Agra and ‘reduced the Mughal emperor at Delhi to subservience and re- entered Southern Punjab’.1 Their troops were trained by Europeans and were better disciplined than the Sikhs. “The third power was that of the Sikhs, who, since the death of Ahmad Shah Abdali, had over run the Eastern Punjab as far as Jamna”.2 In the first half of the nineteenth century the Sikhs became the master of north and formed their Kingdom in the Punjab. The Sikh warlords at the heads of their followers at first began to exercise political control over the small areas, which subsequently took the form of Misls of confederacies,3 and then the process of cohesion began under the military genius of Ranjeet Singh.4 He was only twelve year old when his father, Maha Singh died. Ranjeet was the only son of Maha Singh. The virulent attack of smallpox had deprived him of vision in his left eye and also deeply affected his face. “He did not receive any education and became an inveterate hunter, and love for horses became an absolute passion”.5 He used to drink hard and started enjoying his life. A sudden change came over him when he reached at the age of fifteen, when he assumed control of the Sukerchakia estates and married.
FarzanaArshad. (2016) RANJEET SINGH, MAHARAJA OF THE PUNJAB AND THE INFLUENCE OF WESTERN COURTIERS/ TOURISTS, Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society, Volume 29, Issue 1.
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