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Sikh Empire |
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Sikhs ruled mostly areas of Punjab on both
sides (India and Pakistan). They were able to establish a
independent Empire under Ranjit Singh in 1799. |
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1699 Formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh.
1710 – 1716 Banda Singh defeats the Mughals and declares Khalsa rule.
1716 – 1738 Turbulence, no real ruler; Mughals take back the control for two
decades but Sikhs engage in guerrilla warfare.
1733 – 1735 The Khalsa accepts, only to reject, the confederal status
given by Mughals.
1748 – 1757 Afghan invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani
28 Jan 1757 Punjab annexed by Afghanistan.
1757 - 1761 Maratha rule with help of Sikhs
1761 - 1767 Recapture of Punjab region by Afghan in Third Battle of Panipat
1763 – 1774 Charat Singh Sukerchakia, Misldar of Sukerchakia misl,
establishes himself in Gujranwala.
1764 – 1783 Baba Baghel Singh, Misldar of Karor Singhia Misl, imposes
taxes on the Mughals.
1783 Sikh Occupation of Delhi and Red Fort
1773 Ahmad Shah Durrani dies and his son Timur Shah launches
several invasions into Punjab.
1774 – 1790 Maha Singh becomes Misldar of the Sukerchakia misl.
1790 – 1801 Ranjit Singh becomes Misldar of the Sukerchakia misl.
1799 Formation of the Sikh Khalsa Army.
07 Apr 1799 The Sikh military organization occupies Lahaur (Lahore).
12 Apr 1801 – 27 Jun 1839 Reign of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh.
Mar 1809 - Aug 1809 Gurkha-Sikh War. Ranjit
Singh defeats Amar Singh Thapa of Nepal.
01 Jun 1813 Ranjit Singh is given the Kohinoor Diamond.
13 Jul 1813 Battle of Attock, the Sikh Empire's first significant
victory over the Durrani Empire
of Afghanistan.
1816 - 17 Jun 1822 Jammu annexed to
the Sikh Empire.
March – 02 Jun 1818 Battle of Multan, the 2nd battle in the Afghan–Sikh wars.
Kharak Singh defeated Nawab Muzaffar Khan Sadozai
03 Jul 1819 Battle of Shopian. Ranjit Singh defeated Jabbar Khan,
the governor of the Durrani Empire province of Kashmir.
05 Jul 1819 - 15 Mar 1846 Kashmir annexed to the Sikh Empire.
14 Mar 1823 Battle of Nowshera. Sikhs occupation of the Peshawar
valley.
Ranjit Singh defeats Azim Khan Barakzai at Pir Sabak Hill.
30 Apr 1837 Battle of Jamrud at Khyber Agency.
Ranjit Singh fought against
Afghans under Emir Dost Muhammad Khan.
Result: Disputed.
27 Jun 1839 – 05 Nov 1840 Reign of Maharaja Kharak Singh.
05 Nov 1840 – 18 Jan 1841 Chand Kaur is briefly Regent.
18 Jan 1841 – 15 Sep 1843 Reign of Maharaja Sher Singh.
May 1841 – Aug 1842 Sino-Sikh
war (Battle of Ladakh and Battle of Chushul)
resulted in Stalemate between Sher Singh and Qing dynasty.
15 Sep 1843 – 31 Mar 1849 Reign of Maharaja Duleep Singh.
1845 – 1846 First Anglo-Sikh War.
British defeated the Sikhs.
18 Dec 1845 Battle of Mudki. British victory over Lal Singh army.
21 Dec 1845 - 22 Dec 1845
Battle of Ferozeshah. British victory over Lal Singh army.
1846 Battle of Baddowal at Dharmkot, Ludhiana. Result: indecisive.
28 Jan 1846 Battle of Aliwal near Sutlej river. British led by Sir
Harry
Smith defeated the Sikhs army leader Ranjodh Singh Majithia.
The charge of the British 16th Lancers at Aliwal.
10 Feb 1846 Battle of Sobraon. British defeated Sardar Tej Singh army.
09 Mar 1846 Treaty of Lahore. British protectorate.
16 Mar 1846 Treaty of Amritsar.
British sold Kashmir to Gulab Singh for
7.5 million (75 lakhs) Nanakshahi Rupees.
1848 – 1849 Second Anglo-Sikh War.
British defeated the Sikhs.
22 Nov 1848
Battle of Ramnagar near Gujranwala.
British led by Sir Hugh Gough defeated Sher Singh Attariwalla.
13 Jan 1849
Battle of Chillianwala near River Jhelum. Result: indecisive.
British were led by Sir Hugh Gough and Sikhs by Sardar Sher Singh Attariwalla.
19 Apr 1848 - 22 Jan 1849
The Siege of Multan. British victory. British were lead by
General Whish while Sikhs by Diwan Mulraj Chopra.
21 Feb 1849
Battle of Gujrat. British won the Second Anglo-Sikh War.
British led by Sir Hugh Gough defeated Sher Singh Attariwalla.
22 Feb 1849 Sikh ruler Duleep Singh was deposed by British.
02 Apr 1849 Punjab was formally annexed to British territory at Lahore.
08 Apr 1849 Punjab incorporated into British India.
15 Aug 1947 Partitioned between India (Amritsar) and Pakistan (Lahore). |
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A religious
movement which began in the 15th century, and now has about 18 million
followers. It was started as a response to both Hinduism and Islam, and
attempted a working syncretism between the two faiths. Persecuted by both,
and outlawed in Mughal times, the Sikh community traveled north into the
hills of the Punjab, where the greatest number of them still live. They
continued to be the object of hostility and persecution, and gradually a
martial life-style emerged as a means of defending their communities. |
- The GURUS (Teachers)
- Guru Nanak Dev Ji.................................20
Oct 1469 - 07 May 1539
- Nanak was born 20 October 1469 into a
Hindu Khatri family, in the village of Rai Bhoi Ki Talwandi, now
called Nankana Sahib (after the Guru), near Lahore, Pakistan.
Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan. His
father, Kalyan Das Bedi, also known as Mehta Kalu, was the
patwari (accountant) of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi
under the Muslim landlord of the village, Rai Bular, who was
responsible for collecting taxes. Guru Nanak's mother was Tripta
Devi and he had one older sister, Nanaki. A purely religious teacher, deeply
Indian in the basic premises, which underlay even those aspects
of his theology which differed from the mainstream, he stressed
the unity of God and the universal brotherhood of man. He was
totally opposed to the division of the caste system and his teaching struggled to attain a
practical balance between Hinduism and Islam. He exhibited no
political ambition and was the founder of Sikhism. Became Guru
on 20 Aug 1507. Nanak's teachings come down today fore mostly in
the Guru Granth, a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded
in soaks. He died on 22 Sep 1539, Kartarpur, Punjab, India.
Nanak was married to one Sulakhni. His marriage took place with
her in the town of Batala. The marriage party had come from the
town of Sultanpur Lodhi. He had two sons from this marriage; Sri
Chand and Lakhmi Chand. The former was a deeply spiritual person
and founded a renunciate/ascetic subsect known today as Udasis.
The younger son grew up to become immersed in worldly life.
- Guru Angad Dev Ji..................................07
May 1539 - 26 Mar 1552
- Lehna was born in the village of Sarae
Naga in Muktsar district in Punjab, on March 31, 1504, he was
the son of a small successful trader named Pheru. His mother's
name was Mata Ramo (also known as Mata Sabhirai, Mansa Devi,
Daya kaur). Baba Narayan Das Trehan was his grandfather, whose
ancestral house was at Matte-di-Sarai near Mukatsar. In 1538,
Guru Nanak Dev Ji chose Lehna, his disciple, as a successor to
the Guruship rather than one of his sons. Bhai Lehna was renamed
Guru Angad Dev Ji and became the second guru of the Sikhs. He
continued the work started by the Founder, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He
died on March 29, 1552 (aged 48) at Aritsar, Punjab, (now
India). It is said that he started to build a new town, at
Goindwal near Khadur Sahib and Guru Amar Das ji was appointed to
supervise its construction. It is also said that the Mughal
Emperor Humayun, running from Sher Shah Suri, came to obtain the
blessings of Guru Angad Dev Ji in regaining the throne of Delhi.
- Sri Amar Das Ji.....................................26
Mar 1552 - 01 Sep 1574
- Guru Angad Dev Ji, following the
example set by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, nominated Sri Amar Das Ji as
his successor (The Third Nanak) before his death. Guru Amar Das
Ji. Guru Amar Das was born in Basarka, a village in the Amritsar
dustrict, Punjab, India on 5 May 1479, followed the footsteps of
Guru Angad Dev. He is the eldest son of his parents, Bhai Tej
Bhan Bhalla and Mata Lakhmi. At the age of 24, he was married to
Mansa Devi who gave birth to two sons, Mohan and Mohri, and two
daughters, Bibi Dani and Bibi Bhani. He often went to Haridwar
and Jwalamukhi on pilgrimages. Before Guru Amar Das died, he
nominated Guru Ram Das, who was married to his daughter Bibi
Bhani, as the fourth Guru of the Sikhs. [On September 1, 1574
sensing that his end was near, Guru Amar Das sent for Baba
Buddha and other prominent Sikhs including his two sons Mohan
and Mohri. He declared; "According to the tradition established
by Guru Nanak, the leadership of the Sikhs must go to the most
deserving. I, therefore, bestow this honour on my son-in-law
Jetha." Guru Amar Das then renamed Jetha as Ram Das, meaning
Servant of God. As was the custom Baba Buddha was asked to
anoint the forehead of Amar Das with the saffron mark. All those
present bowed before Guru Ram Das except for Mohan, Guru Amar
Das's eldest son. Shortly thereafter Guru Amar Das breathed his
last on the full moon day of Bhadon in 1574 at the ripe old age
of 95.]
- Guru Ram Das Sodni Ji..............................01
Sep 1574 - 01 Sep 1581
- Guru Ram Das was born in Lahore,
Punjab, Pakistan to a Sodhi family of Khatri clan on 24
September 1534 and died on 01 September 1581, Amritsar, Punjab,
India) as the fourth Gurus of Sikhism, and he became Guru on 30
August 1574 following in the footsteps of Guru Amar Das. His
father was Hari Das and mother Anup Devi, and his name was Jetha,
'first born'. His wife was Bibi Bhani, the younger daughter of
Guru Amar Das, the third guru of the Sikhs. They had three sons:
Prithi Chand, Mahadev and Arjan Dev. As a Guru One of his main
contributions to Sikhism was organizing the structure of Sikh
society. Additionally, he was the author of Laava, the hymns of
the Marriage Rites, the designer of the Harmandir Sahib, and the
planner and creator of the township of Ramdaspur (later Amritsar).
A hymn by Guru Ram Das from page 305 of the Guru Granth Sahib:
“ One who calls himself a Sikh of the True Guru shall get up
early morning and meditate on the Lord's Name. Make effort
regularly to cleanse, bathe & dip in the ambrosial pool. Upon
Guru's instructions, chant Har, Har singing which, all misdeeds,
sins and pains shall go away. ” Guru Ram Das nominated Guru
Arjan Dev, his youngest son, as the next Guru of the Sikhs.
- Guru Arjun (Mal) Dev Ji............................01
Sep 1581 - 25 May 1606
- Born in Goindal, Amritsar district,
Punjab, India on 15 April 1563 and died on 30 May 1606 Lahore,
Punjab, Pakistan. He was the fifth Gurus of Sikhism and became
Guru on 01 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram
Das. He completed the construction of Amritsar and founded other
cities such as Taran Taran and Kartarpur. He constructed a Baoli
at Lahore. The most important work of Arjan Dev was the
compilation of Adi Granth on 30 August 1604.. He collected all the work of the
first four Gurus and dictated it in the form of verses in 1604.
It is, perhaps, the only kind of writing of a scriptural nature
which has preserved without embellishments or misconstruction of
the original writings of religious literatures.Guru Arjun
organised the Masand system. The Sikhs were asked to pay
one-tenth of their income to the Guru in future. He appointed
representatives to collect the money. He encouraged his
followers to trade in horses. Relations between Akbar and Guru
Arjan were cordial but things changed after the accession of
Jahangir. Ultimately the Guru was tortured to death. It is
stated that Jahangir was annoyed because Guru Arjun gave his
blessings to his rebel son, Prince Khasrau. Jahangir also did
not like the growing popularity of Sikhism and took strong
objection to conversion of Muslims to Sikhism. With the execution of
Guru Arjun, the Sikhs
migrated north into the Punjab. Guru Arjun nominated Guru Har Rai, his
grandson as the next Guru of the Sikhs.
- Guru Har Gobind...................................25
May 1606 - 03 Mar 1644
Also known as Sacha Padshah (True King). He was born in Amritsar,
Punjab, India on 19 June 1595. When little more than a child
Guru Har Gobind was convinced that sustaining the Panth sword
was as essential as saintliness. He put on two swords one of
which indicated his spiritual authority and the other his
temporal authority. He hence advocated that a Sikh Guru would
represent both the Miri and Piri, the Shakti and Bhakti and the
Tegh (Sword) and Degh (Large iron plate used for making bread in
India). He decided to wear at his waist two swords instead of
one, to chastise the oppressor and to protect the innocent. He
declared that the Guru's house would henceforth combine the
spiritual and the mundane powers, his rosary would serve also as
his sword-belt and an emblem of regality would crown his turban.
He built the Akal Takht in 1608, which is now one of five Takhts
(Seats of Power) of the Sikh, the Throne of the Almighty. He
would sit in a regular court with regalia around. Sikhs were
commanded to keep a sword and maintain a horse. He enrolled a
large number of armed volunteers and even Pathans. Guru Har
Gobind was combined in his personality a saint, sportsman and a
soldier. His father Guru Arjan Dev was a true saint but the boy
Har Gobind had perceived his father's saintliness suffer and
erode at the brutal hands of Mughal tyranny. He remained under constant struggled
against Jahangir and later Shah Jahan. From the very beginning
he was the deadly enemy of Mughals. Before ascension, he
nominated Guru Har Rai, his grandson as the next Guru of the
Sikhs. Jahangir could not tolerate the armed policy of Har
Gobind and consequently imprisoned him, and ultimately released
him. He was imprisoned in the fort of Gwalior for one year and
on release insisted that 52 fellow prisoners be freed as well.
To mark this occasion the Sikhs celebrate Diwali (bandi chod
divas). The relations between the Guru and Jahangir became
friendly and continued to remain so. During the reign of Shah
Jahan, relations became bitter again, for Shah Jahan was
intolerant. He destroyed the Sikh baoli at Lahore. The quarrels
which originally started over hawks or horses between the Mughal
officials and the Sikhs subsequently led to risings on a large
scale and were responsible for the deaths of thousands of
persons on both sides. Battles were fought at Amritsar,
Kartarpur and elsewhere. He defeated the Imperial troops near
Amritsar. The Guru was again attacked by a provincial
detachment, but the attackers were routed and their leaders
slain. Guru Har Gobind breathed his last, peacefully, at
Kiratpur Rupnagar, Punjab on 2 March 1644. He fought four
battles against the Mughal rulers and was the strongest and the
biggest Guru physically. The city Hargobindpur, in Majha region
of Punjab, is named after him, which he won over from Mughals
after defeating them in a battle.
- Guru Har Rai......................................03
Mar 1644 - 06 Oct 1661
- Born on 26 February 1630 and died at
the age on 31 on 06 October 1661 and became Guru on 08 March
1644, followed the footsteps of his grandfather, Guru Har Gobind.
Before he died, he nominated, his five year old youngest son
Guru Har Krishan, as the next Guru of the Sikhs. He continued
the military traditions started by his grandfather Guru Har
Gobind. Maintained a cavalry of 2,200 soldiers throughout his
Guruship. Guru Har Rai continued the hunting tradition of his
grandfather, but he would allow no animals to be killed on his
grand Shikars.
The Guru instead captured the animal and
added to his zoo. Made several tours to the Malwa and Doaba
regions of the Punjab. Guru Har Rai was the son of
Baba Gurdita and Mata Nihal Kaur (also known as Mata Ananti Ji).
Baba Gurdita was son of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind. Guru Har
Rai married to Mata Kishan Kaur (sometimes also referred to as
Sulakhni) daughter of Sri Daya Ram of Anoopshahr (Bulandshahr)
in Uttar Pradesh on Har Sudi 03, Samvat 1697. Guru Har Rai had
two sons: Baba Ram Rai and Sri Har Krishan.
Once,
while the Guru Har Rai was returning from a tour of the Malwa
and Doaba regions, Mohamad Yarbeg Khan, (son of Mukhlis Khan,
who was killed in a battle by Guru Hargobind) attacked the kafla
of the Guru with a force of one thousand armed men. The
revengeful attack was repulsed by a few hundred Saint Soldiers
of the Sikhs with great courage and bravery. The enemy suffered
a heavy loss of life and fled the scene. This self-defense
measure, was a reply to the surprise attack of the Muslims
overlords. Normally the Gurus professed the practise of
non-violence (Ahimsa Parmo Dharma). Guru Har Rai often bestowed
Sikh warriors with gallantry awards. The Guru also established
an Aurvedic (herbal medicine) hospital and a research centre at
Kiratpur Sahib.
The Emperor Shah Jahan had four sons: Dara Shikoh, Shuja
Muhammad, Aurangzeb, and Murad Baksh. Dara Shikoh was the
heir-apparent, and was very dear to his father. Aurangzeb was
very cunning, clever and ambitious, and was fixated on
succeeding to the throne. He administered tiger’s whiskers in a
dish to his eldest brother and he became dangerously ill as a
result. Astrologers were sent for, pirs and fakirs were called,
all known charms, spells and incantations were tried but to no
avail. The best hakims (physicians) both Indian and European
were consulted, but there was no improvement. Wise men were assembled together and they came to the
decision that until the tiger’s whiskers could be removed, there
was no hope of a recovery. They were of the opinion that if two
ounces of chebulic myrobalan (scientific name: termininalia
chebula; known in Ayurvedic medicine as Aralu, credited with
having laxative and stomachic properties) and a clove weighing
one masha were administered, his health could be restored. At last the
emperor made a humble request to the Guru for the treatment of
his son. Accepting the request Guru Har Rai, handed over some
rare medicine to the messenger of the emperor. Dara Shikoh was
cured of his near fatal illness.
Guru Har Rai Ji's response to his Sikhs who questioned why he
was helping the son of Shah Jahan who made quarreled with his
grandfather and father, Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Guru Hargobind Ji.
“Behold,” said the Guru, “with one hand man breaks flowers and
with one hand offers them, but the flowers perfume both hands
alike. The axe cuts the sandal tree, yet the sandal perfumes the
axe. The Guru ought, therefore, to return good for evil.” The emperor, whole heartedly
thanked the Guru and offered a jagir (title to land with
villages and the profits derived from it), which Guru Har Rai
declined.
Guru Har Rai also visited Lahore, Sialkot, Pathankot,
Samba, Ramgarh and many places of Jammu and Kashmir region. He
established 360 Sikh missionary seats (Manjis). He also tried to
improve the old corrupt Masand system and appointed pious and
committed personalities like Suthre Shah, Sahiba, Sangtia, Mian
Sahib, Bhagat Bhagwan, Bhagat Mal and Jeet Mal Bhagat (also
known as Bairagi), as the heads of Manjis. A devout Sikh called
Bhai Gonda used to stay with the Guru. He was a saint in
thought, word and deed. The Guru was very much pleased with his
sincere devotion and asked, “Bhai Gonda, go to Kabul, and
instruct the Sikhs there in the worship of the true Name, and
preach the Sikh faith.
Once, Dara Shikoh
(the eldest son of emperor Shah Jahan), came to Guru Har Rai
asking for help in the war of succession with his brother the
Murderous Aurangzeb. The Guru had promised his grandfather to
use the Sikh Cavalry only in defense. He, nevertheless, helped
him to escape safely from the bloody hands of Aurangzeb's armed
forces by having his Sikh warriors hide all the ferry boats at
the river crossing used by Dara Shikoh in his escape.
His son Ram Rai, seeking to assuage
concerns of Aurangzeb over one line in Guru Nanak's verse (Mitti
Mussalmam ki pede pai kumhar) "The Ashes of the Musalman
(Muslim) fall into the potter's clot, it is moulded into pots
and bricks, and they cry out as they burn". Ram Rai in order to
please the emperor and gain his approval changed the Gurbani in
question by replacing the word 'Musalman' (Muslim) with the word
'Beiman' (a cheat or sinner), as a mistake on the copyist's
part. The Guru refused to meet with him again. The Guru is
believed to have said, "Ram Rai, you have disobeyed my order and
sinned. I will never see you again on account of your
infidelity." It was also reported to the Guru that Ram Rai had
also worked miracles in the Mughal's court against his father's
direct instructions. Sikhs are constrained by their Gurus to not
believe in, magic and myth or miracles. An aged Ram Rai was
later forgiven by Guru Gobind Singh.
- Guru Har Krishan..................................07
Oct 1661 - 30 Mar 1664
- Guru Har Krishan (07 July 1656 – 30
March 1664) became Guru on 7 October 1661, succeeding his
father, Guru Har Rai. Guru Har Krishan was born in Rupnagar,
Punjab, India to Guru Har Rai and Kishan Kaur (Mata Sulakhni).
Before his death in October 1661, Har Rai designated his younger
son Har Krishan as the next Guru. Har Rai chose Har Krishan,
rather than his elder son Ram Rai, because Ram Rai was in
collusion with the Mughal Empire. Har Krishan was only five
years old when he succeeded his father as Guru. A smallpox
epidemic was then raging in Delhi. Har Krishan helped to heal
many sick people. Coming in contact with so many people every
day, he too was infected and taken seriously ill, died on March
30, 1664, at the tender age of around eight years old. He he
nominated his granduncle, Guru Tegh Bahadur, as the next Guru of
the Sikhs.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur.................................30
Mar 1664 - 11 Nov 1675
- Guru Tegh Bahadur (01 April 1621 – 11
November 1675) became Guru of Sikhism on March 20, 1665,
following in the footsteps of his grand-nephew, Guru Har Krishan.
Guru Tegh Bahadur was the youngest of the five sons of Guru Har
Gobind. He was born in Amritsar in the early hours of April 1,
1621. His earlier name was Tyag Mal and then became Tegh Bahadur
(mighty of the sword), given by Guru Hargobind after he had
shown his valour in a battle with the Mughals. Tegh Bahadur was
married on February 04, 1633 , with Gujri. Nearing his end, Guru
Hargobind asked Nanaki, mother of Tegh Bahadur, to go and live
in the village of Bakala. She departed with Tegh Bahadur and
Gujri to make home in Bakala. Travels were undertaken by him in
different parts of the country to preach the teachings of Guru
Nanak. The Delhi Emperor, Aurangzeb cherished the ambition of
converting India into a land of Islam. Guru Tegh Bahadur was
arrest in July 1675 and was put in chains and ordered to be
tortured until he would accept Islam. He was executed (beheaded
in public at Chandni Chowk on November 11, 1675) on the orders
of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi. Guru Gobind Singh has
written about the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur in Bachitra
Natak: "Guru Tegh bahadur was the protector of the tilak
(ointment) and janeu (sacred thread) of the Hindus. In the land
of the gods rang shouts of adoration."
- Gobind Rai
Singh.................................11 Nov 1675 - 1699 d. 1708
- Guru Gobind Singh, born on December
22, 1666 at Patna, Bihar and died on 07 October 1708 (aged 42
years) at Nanded, Maharashtra, became Guru of the Sikhs on 11
November 1675, at the young age of nine years, succeeding his
father Guru Tegh Bahadur. He was the leader of the Sikh faith, a
warrior, a poet, and a Prophet. The impress of Guru Gobind Singh
has not only elevated and altered the constitution of the minds
of the Sikhs, but has operated materially and given amplitude to
their physical frames. His establishment of the Khalsa is
considered as one of the most important events in the history of
Sikhism. He fought twenty defensive battles with the Mughals and
their alliances, such as Rajas of Shivalik Hills. Guru Gobind
Singh Ji was the last human Sikh Guru; he finished the Sikh holy
book, the Dasam Granth, and also declared that the Guru Granth
Sahib as the next permanent Sikh Guru. Bichitra Natak,
considered to be his autobiography, is one of the many sources
for the information about his life. It is a part of the Dasam
Granth, literary collection attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, and
was compiled by Bhai Mani Singh. Children Ajit Singh, Jujhar
Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh. Took part in various
battles and initiated large number of people into Khalsa.
Govind transformed the Sikh community into
what was effectively an army, the Khalsa, or "Pure Ones". He discarded
the title of Guru, mandated the adoption by all Sikhs of the honorific
"Singh" (Lion, male) or "Kaur" (Lioness, female) to their names, and
henceforth was Commander of the Khalsa. He gave new discipline to
Sikhhism. Its adherents were forbidden wine and tobacco and they
were required to conform to five outward signs of allegiance -
to keep their hair unshaven and to wear short drawers (kuchcha),
c comb (kungha), an iron bangle (kara) and a dagger (kirpan).
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- Commanders of the Khalsa
- Govind Rai Singh (continued).............................1699 -
07 Oct 1708
- After the emperor's death, a war of
succession broke out between his sons. The third son, Mohammad
Azam (or Azim), declared himself the Emperor. The second son
Muazzam (later Emperor Bahadur Shah) set out from Peshawar to
claim the throne. The Guru's follower Bhai Nand Lal (who had
earlier served in the Muazzam 's court) brought him a letter
written by Muazzam. Muazzam had sought Guru's help in securing
the throne, and had promised to pursue a policy of religious
tolerance towards the non-Muslims. The Guru sent a band of his
followers under the command of Bhai Dharam Singh, to help
Muazzam. Muazzam's forces defeated Azam Shah's forces in the
Battle of Jajau on 12 June 1707. Bahadur Shah invited Guru
Gobind Singh for a meeting which took place at Agra on 23 July
1707. The Guru was received with honour and was given the title
of Hind Ka Pir (the Pir of India). With his death the Khalsa, the Sikh
brotherhood, emerged as the controlling body of Sikhism and the
Granth, the official compilation of Govind Singh's teaching,
became the "Bible" of Sikhhism. At this point the Sikhs took to
the hills. He was killed by a Pathan commissioned by Wazir Khan
in October 1708. He finished the Sikh holy book, the Dasam
Granth. Finding his end near, passed on spiritual Guruship to
Sri Guru Granth Sahib (sacred text Adi Granth, is the holy book,
or scriptures, of the Sikhs and revered as an eternal
Guru, a sacred conduit for wisdom and guidance] and corporal
Guruship to Khalsa.
- Banda Singh Bahadur......................................1708 - 1716
- Baba Banda Singh Bahadur (1670-1716) (Lachhman
Dev) was a Sikh warrior known for his struggle against the
Mughal Empire in the early seventeenth century. The title Baba
(Elder) in Sikhism denotes respect. Famous for the sack of the
Mughal provincial capital, Sirhind, he is revered as one of
greatest Sikh warriors as well as one of the most hallowed
martyrs of the Khalsa. His confrontation with the Mughal
administration in Northern India, though brief, was strong
enough to shake its foundations. The agrarian uprising that he
led in the Punjab was the foundation on which the Dal Khalsa,
the Sikh Misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh built the edifice which
finally culminated with Ranjit Singh capturing Lahore in 1799
and establishing the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab. One of the most
revolutionary acts of Banda Bahadur, after establishing his
authority in Punjab, was the abolition of the zamindari system,
and granting proprietary rights to the actual tillers of the
land. 1707 to 1716, Creation of Sikh Confederacy begins to
influence the political structure of the Punjab region.
- Elected Supreme Commanders /
Presidents [Khalsa, Military Government (Sikh Confederacy)]
- A Supreme Commander was democratically elected at Amritsar, who
would be the military head of the Sikh Confederacy and the head
of state (Supreme Commander/President) in a council by the head
of each kingdom/misl of the Empire altogether with the all
available citizens of the Sikh Empire, through the Sarbat Khalsa. The period from 1716 to 1799 in Punjab
was a highly turbulent time politically and militarily. This was
caused by the overall decline of the Mughal Empire, particularly
in Punjab caused by Sikh military action against it. After the killing of Banda Singh, the Sikh
community fragmented. But Mughal authority was waning as well, and by
the middle of the 18th century, several Sikh-led communities had gained
nominal or real independence. As Nadir Shah retired from Delhi laden
with the prizes of war in 1739, the stragglers of his Persian
army were cut down by the Sikhs. Similarly, Ahmad Shah Durrani's
first intrusion into India (1747-1748) was made the more lively
by Sikh sorties into his rear guard. Gradually their military
strengthen, and their first notable success came about 1756. The
whole tract of land between the Jhelum and the Sutlej was now
divided among the Sikh chieftains. At Lahore, and later at
Amritsar, the Govind Shahi rupee proclaiming that Guru Govind
Singh had receiving Deg, Tegh and Fath (Grace, Power and
Victory) from Nanak was struck. The name of the Mughal emperor
was pointedly omitted.
when the Sikhs temporarily occupied Lahore and used the Mughal
mint to strike their own rupee bearing the inscription: Coined
by the grace of the Khalsa in the country of Ahmad, conquered by
Jessa the Kalal. But Sikhs were, as yet, more effective as
guerrilla bands operating out of the hill country. On Ahmad
Shah's fifth expedition into India (1759-1761) the sikhs
reverted to their well-tried role of forming tight mobile units,
which could choose both the time and the place of their attacks
on the Durrani army. In spite of a serious reverse near
Bernala in 1762 at the hands of Ahmad Shah, the Sikhs once again
regrouped. In December 1763 they decisively defeated the Durrani
governor of Sirhind and occupied the area. Sikh Confederacy
military power increased rapidly from 1762 to 1801. Refer to Lahore from 1799 (see
Punjab) and Patiala (Phulkian Dynasty
from 29 Mar 1761 to 20 Aug 1948) for a continuance of the leadership of
this people.
- Nawab
Kapur Singh Virk S/o Dalip Singh..................1716 - 1753
- He is considered one of the pivotal
and legendary figures in Sikh history, under whose courageous
leadership the Sikh community traversed one of the darkest
periods of its history. He was the organizer of the Sikh
Confederacy and the Dal Khalsa. Nawab Kapur Singh is regarded by
Sikhs as a leader and general par excellence. The period,
starting from the massacre in Delhi of Banda Singh and seven
hundred other Sikhs, was followed by severe action against the
Sikhs, including massacres of young men, women and children.
However, every fresh adversity only stimulated their will to
survive. Nawab Kapur Singh was born into a Virk family of Jats
in 1697. His native village was Kaloke, now in Sheikhupura
district, in Punjab (Pakistan). Kapur Singh was eleven years old
at the time of Guru Gobind Singh's death and nineteen at the
time of the massacre of Banda Bahadur and his followers in
Delhi. Later, when he seized the village of Faizullapur, near
Amritsar, he renamed it Singhpura and made it his headquarters.
He is thus, also known as Kapur Singh Faizullapuria, and the
small principality he founded, as Faizullapuria or Singhpuria.
In 1733, the Mughal government decided, at the instance of
Zakarya Khan (Mughal governor of Lahore in 1726), to revoke all
repressive measures issued against the Sikhs and made an offer
of a grant to them. The title of Nawab was conferred upon their
leader, with a jagir consisting of the three parganas of
Dipalpur, Kanganval and Jhabal. The founder of Singhpuria Misl
the rule-by-Misl system was Nawab Kapur Singh. Nawab Kapur Singh
was a great warrior. He fought many battles. The rise of the
Misls, under its leader, Hari Singh, the Taruna Dal rapidly grew
in strength and soon numbered more than 12,000. To ensure
efficient control, Nawab Kapur Singh split it into five parts,
each with a separate centre. The first batch was led by Baba
Deep Singh Shaheed, the second by Karam Singh and Dharam Singh,
the third by Kahan singh and Binod Singh of Goindwal, the fourth
by Dasaundha Singh of Kot Budha and the fifth by Vir Singh
Ranghreta and Jivan Singh Ranghreta. Each batch had its own
banner and drum, and formed the nucleus of a separate political
state. The territories conquered by these groups were entered in
their respective papers at the Akal Takht by Jassa Singh
Ahluwalia. From these documents or misls, the principalities
carved out by them came to known as Misls. Seven more groups
were formed subsequently and, towards the close of century,
there were altogether twelve Sikh Misls ruling the Punjab. Nawab
Kapur Singh requested the community to relieve him of his
office, due to his old age, and at his suggestion, Jassa Singh
Ahluwalia was chosen as the supreme commander of the Dal Khalsa.
Kapur Singh died in 1753 at Amritsar and the misl was succeeded
by his nephew (brother: Dhan Singh's son), Khushal Singh.
-
Singhpuria Misl
- Sardar
Khushal Singh Virk........................1753 - 1795
- Khushal Singh who succeeded him as the
leader of the misl, who equalled his uncle in wisdom and
bravery. Sardar Khushal Singh played a significant role in
expanding the territories of the Singhpuria Misl and extended
his conquests on both sides of the Satluj. His possessions
included Jalandhar, Nurpur, Bahrampur, Bulandgarh, Haibatpur,
Singhpur, Patti, Ghanoli and Bhartgarh, Jalandhar doab and
adjoining areas yielded an annual income of three lakh rupees.
Khushal Singh also occupied Ludhiana. He had to divide the
district of Banur with Patiala. He died in 1795 leaving his misl
stronger than ever it was and with territorial possessions far
larger than those he had inherited. When Ahmad Shah Abdali made
his eighth invasion of the Punjab in December 1756, Khushal
Singh, accompanied by Tara Singh Gbaiba, with 6000 horsemen, was
stationed at Taragarh to check his progress eastwards after the
Durrani left Lahore. On 15 January 1767, Ahmad Shah wrote
letters to the Sardars, including Khushal Singh, to the effect
that if they were desirous of entering his service they should
come and join him, but if they had any hostile intentions they
should meet him in the field.49 Khushal Singh and others spurned
at Durrani's proposal of joining him and told to meet hire in
the field of battle. The Sikhs gave him no rest so long as he
remained in the Punjab and he returned homeward disappointed.
- Sardar
Budh Singh Virk..........................1795 - 1816
- Khushal Singh was succeeded by his son
Budh Singh. When Abdali returned home after his ninth invasion
of India, the Sikhs had occupied more territories in the Punjab.
Sheikh Nizam-ud-din was the ruler of Jalandhar at that time.
Sardar Budh Singh defeated Nizam-id-din on the battle-field and
occupied Jalandhar. He also took possooession of Bulandgarh,
Behrampur, Nurpur and Haibatpur-Patti. However, Budh Singh could
not equal Khushal Singh's talents. The Singhpuria Misl began to
decline and ultimately all its possessions on the west of Satluj
were annexed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. On his possessions on the
east of the Satluj, however, the British extended their
protection to him. Budh Singh died in 1816, leaving seven sons
behind him. His eldest son, Amar Singh, retained possession of
Bhartgarh and divided the rest of the territories among his six
brother as under:- Bhopal Singh was given the estate of Ghanauli,
Gopal Singh: Manauli, Lal Singh: Bunga, Gurdyal Singh: Attalgarh,
Hardyal Singh: Bela, Dyal Singh: Kandhola. The descendants of
these Sardars still live on their respective estates. In A.D.
1766 Jalandhar fell into the hands of the Sikh Misl of the
Singhpuria, then under Khushal Singh. His son Budh Singh, who
succeeded him as head of the Misl, built a masonry fort in the
city, the site of which is now occupied by the Killa Mohalla
while several of the other leaders built forts of unburnt
bricks. In 1811, Diwan Mohkam Chand was sent by Maharaja Ranjit
Singh to annex the Faizullapuria possession in the Jalandhar
Doab and Sardar Budh singh fled to his protected possession
across the Satluj. His troops put some resistance, but gave up
in Jalandhar in October. From this time , it was the capital of
the possessions of the Lahore State in the Jalandhur Doab until
annexation to the British dominions after the First Anglo Sikh
War ,1845-46. It then became the headquarters of the
Commissionership of the Trans-Satluj States, afterwards known as
the Commissionership of Jalandhur.
- Sultan ul Quam Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia..........1753 - 1783
- Sultan ul Quam Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, born in 1718 was
a prominent Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh
Confederacy. He was also Baron of the Ahluwalia Army (misl).
This period was an interlude, lasting roughly from the time of
the death of Banda Bahadur in 1716 to the founding of the Sikh
Empire in 1801. The period is also sometimes described as the
Age of the Misls. Jassa Singh continued with his campaigns.
Ahmed Shah Abdali, Nadir Shah's seniormost general, succeeded to
the throne of Afghanistan, when Shah was murdered in June, 1747.
He established his own dynasty, the Sadozai, which was the name
of the Pashtun khel to which he belonged to. Starting from
December, 1747 till 1769, Abdali made a total of nine incursions
into India . His repeated invasions destroyed the Mughal
administration of the Punjab and the rest of Northern India. At
the Third Battle of Panipat, he dealt a drippling blow to
Maratha pretensions in the North. Thus he created a power vacuum
in the Punjab, which was filled by the Sikhs. From 1762 to 1767
Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Sikhs fought battle for control. 1763
to 1774, Charat Singh, baron of Sukerchakia Army established
himself in Gujranwala. After Abdali's
ninth and last invasion in 1769, Jassa Singh wrested Kapurthala
in 1774 from Rao Ibrahim Bhatti and made it his headquarters.
In 1773, Ahmed Shah Abdali dies and his son Timur Shah is unable
to suppress the Sikhs. 1774 to 1790, Maha Singh, becomes baron
of the Sukerchakia Army. Jassa Singh died in Amritsar in 1783. Being issueless, he was
succeeded by Bhag Singh, whose son, Fateh Singh became a close
collaborator of Ranjit Singh. Baron Sultan ul Quam Nawab Jassa
Singh Kalal was also known as 'Guru ka lal' (the beloved son of
Guru).
- Prominent 12 misls:
- Ahluwalia Army, first led by Baron Sultan ul Quam
NawabJassa Singh Ahluwalia - (Strength: 6,000 regular horsemen). Area of
control: Kapurthala.
- Bhangi or Bhuma Army first led by Baron Hari Singh
Dhillon - (Strength: 20,000 regular horsemen). Area of control:
Amritsar.
- Dallewalia Army, first led by Baron Gulab Singh
Dallewalia - (Strength: 5,000 regular horsemen). Area of control:
Rahon.
- Faizalpuria or Singhpuria Army, first led by Baron
Nawab Kapur Singh Virk - (Strength: 5,000 regular horsemen). Area of
control: Jalandhar.
- Kanahiya Army, first led by Baron Jai Singh
Kanhaiya Mann - (Strength: 5,000 regular horsemen). Area of control:
Fathepur.
- Karorh Singhia Army (also known as Panjgarhia),
first led by Baron Karora Singh Virk - (Strength: 10,000 regular horsemen).
Area of control:
Bunga.
- Nakai Army, first led by Baron Hira Singh Nakai
Sandhu - (Strength: 7,000 regular horsemen). Area of control:
Chunian.
- Nishanwalia Army, first led by Baron Dasaundha
Singh Gill - (Strength: 2,000 regular horsemen). Area of control:
Ambala.
- Phulkian Army, first led by Choudhary Phool Singh
- (Strength: 4,000 regular horsemen). (Expelled in August 1765). However, it
had attained exalted status when Guru Gobind Singh, tenth Sikh Guru asked
Rama and Tiloka sons of Phool for help in fighting the Hill Rajas
proclaiming "tera ghar mera asay" meaning Your House Is My Own in a self
written Hukamnama (royal edict) in 1696 CE. It is because of this blessing
of Guru Sahib that the Phoolka States were never attacked by the other 11
Misls despite some provocations. The sons of Phool, Ram Singh and Tilok
Singh were baptized with Khande da Pahul by Guru Gobind Singh himself at
Damdama Sahib. The ruling families of Patiala , Nabha and Jind are descended
from Phool, their eponym, from whom are also sprung the great feudal
families of Bhadaur and Malaudh, and many others of lesser importance. Area
of control: Patiala / Nabha.
- Ramgarhia Army, first led by Baron Nand Singh
Sanghania and then by Jassa Singh Ramgarhia - (Strength: 5,000 regular
horsemen). Area of control: Sri Hargobindpur.
- Shaheed Army, first led by Baron Baba Deep Singh
- (Strength: 5,000 regular horsemen). Area of control:
Shazadpur.
- Shukarchakia Army, first led by Baron Naud Singh
- (Strength: 5,000 regular horsemen). Area of control:
Gujranwala.
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Misls
Military Government coinage. |
Bhang Misl
produced silver Rupee at Lahore from VS 1822 to 1855 (1765-1798) and at Multan from VS
1829 to 1836 (1772-1779). Karorasinghia Misl produced copper Fulus at
Chhachhrauli in the name of Shah Alam II struck c. AH 1214-1218 (c.
1799-1803) by Sardar
Jodh Singh Kalsia (There are said to be Rupees of the Kalsia State too but I
have never seen even one). Ahluwalia Misl in VS 1862 under Sardar Fateh
Singh struck probably at Lahore, silver Rupees bearing the inscription:
Sarkar Ahluwalian. These coins, the only ones explicitly mentioning a misl,
were a consequence ofthe political and personal rivalry between Fateh Singh,
the Sardar of the Ahluwalia and the more successful Ranjit Singh, the leader
of the Sukerchakia misl. Phulkia Misl at
Patiala, Nabha, Jund and Kaithal produced Mohurs, fractional Mohurs and
Rupees in the name of Ahmad Shah Durrani. At Patiala and Nabha, Mohurs and
Rupees bearing the Gobindshahi couplet. The Rajas of Patiala, Jind and Nabha,
the leaders of the Phulkian Sikhs (who did not take part in the Sarbat
Khalsa and were not bound by its decisions) had obtained their minting
rights as vassals of Ahmad Shah. Therefore coin collectors, consider their
coins in the name of the Afghan ruler as part of the Durrani coinage. |
Pre-Ranjit Singh rupees of Amritsar
bear two mint names (Amritsar or Anandghar ) and varying marks. They were
produced VS 1832 to 1840 (1775-1783). We do not
yet know enough about these coins; it is possible that they were struck at
different mints located at Amritsar or at a more probable conjecture, that
the Amritsar mint produced rupees with different marks for different Sardars.
As all the types of Amritsar are very similar and as hoards are almost
invariably made up of coins of several subtypes they cannot have been struck
for the exclusive use in the territories of particular misls. |
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KM#A63 / Herrli 08.03.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1829 [1772].
Weight:
10.95g. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 20.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Coin. Mint:
Lahore.
Issued by: Bhangi Misls. Bhangi or Bhuma Army
was first led by Baron Hari Singh
Dhillon. Their area of control was Amritsar. Dal khalsa = Misls Military
Government issue. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "ضرب دار السلطنت لاهور سنه جلوس
میمنت مانوس" (Zarb Dar as-Sultanate Lahore Sanah
1829 Julus Maimanat Manus)
[Struck at the capital of Lahore in the year 1829 of the prosperous reign].
Reverse Persian
Legend: Gobindshahi couplet: "دیگ تیغ
وفتح نصرت بیدرنگ یافت ازنانک گور گوبند سنگ" (Deg
Teg o Fath Nusrat Be-Dirang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh)
[Abundance, Power and Victory (and) Assistance without delay are the
Gift of Nanak (and) Guru Gobind Singh].
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS 1822-1840 (1765-1783).
Note: VS 1839 rare
variety exists with a sword as additional mark. Some translate the Reverse
legend as "The Kettle to feed, the sword to
defend and the resultant victory have been achieved with the spontaneous
help received from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh". |
|
Same as above coin,
KM#A63 Rupee, but...
Year:
VS 1831 [1774].
Weight:
11.22g. Diameter: 21.00 mm.
Alignment:
Rotated. |
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- Budh Singh
- A disciple of Guru Gobind Singh. Budh Singh
died in 1718. He had two sons: Chanda Singh (the ancestor of the
Sindhiawalas) and Naudh Singh.
- Naudh Singh S/o Budh Singh
- He died in 1752.
- Charhat Singh S/o Naudh Singh
- He was born in 1721 and died in 1770.
- Mahan Singh S/o Charhat Singh
- He was born in 1760 and died on 15 April 1790.
- SIKH EMPIRE
- Ranjit Singh S/o Sardar Mahan Singh......................1799 -
27 Jun 1839
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a Jat from the
Punjabi people born on 13 November 1780 in the Panjabi town of Gujranwala (now in
Pakistan), into the Sandhawalia family. He became the Baron of the Sukerchakia army from
1790 to 1801 after his father, controlling a territory in west Punjab
based around his headquarters at Gujranwala. From 1799 to 1801, is considered as transitional period
neither Confederacy or Empire, in a state of revolution or anarchy.
Sardar Charhat Singh Sukerchakia (died: 1778), Sardar Naudh Singh (died:
1752)
and
Sardar Bhai Buddh Singh (died: 1716) was
grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather respectively of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Ranjit Singh's father Mahan Singh died in 1792. The
Sikh Empire was formed on the foundations of Sikh Confederacy by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Coronation took place at Lahore on 12th Apr 1801
(to coincide with Baisakhi day). For forty years, he dominated Sikh affairs. In
1802 he seized Amrister and followed this by capturing Ludhiana (1806),
Multan (1818), Kashmir (1819), Ladakh (1833) and Peshawar (1834). He
married (amongst others) firstly in 1796 to Rani Mahtab Kaur (born 1780,
died 1840), married secondly in 1798 to Rani Datar Kaur [Raj Kaur; died
1818], daughter
of Nakai Sardar Khazan Singh. He got married thirdly in 1813 to Rani
Ratan Kaur. He got married fourthly in 1835 to Maharani Jind Kaur (died
01 August
1863 in London). Ranjit Singh had the following sons.
- Maharaja Kharak Singh (by first wife: Rani
Raj Kaur). He was born in 1801 and died in 1840. He married Rani
Chand Kaur.
- Kunwar Ishwar Singh (by second wife: Rani
Mehtab Kaur), died
young. He was born in 1804 and died in 1805.
- Maharaja Sher Singh (twin son by second wife:
Rani Mehtab Kaur), born in December 1807 and died in 1843.
- Kunwar Tara Singh (twin son by second wife:
Rani Mehtab Kaur), born in December 1807 and died in 1859.
- Maharaja Dhuleep Singh (by third wife:
Rani Jind Kaur), born in 1837 and died in 1893.
- Kunwar Multana Singh (by fourth wife: Rani
Ratan Kaur), born
in 1819 and died in 1846.
- Kunwar Kashmira Singh (by fifth wife: Rani Daya Kaur), born
in 1821, he was granted the jagir of Sialkot, He got married and had
children. He died on 07th May 1844.
- Kunwar Peshawara Singh (by fifth wife:
Rani Daya Kaur),
born in 1823 and died on 30th August 1845.
- Ranjit Singh had By the
time of his death in 1839, Ranjit was the only leader in India capable
of offering a serious challenge to the East India Company. A treaty
concluded in 1809 with the British, confirmed Ranjit Singh as a ruler
south of Sutlej, but restricted him from seeking any further expansion
to the north or west. British remained suspicious of Ranjit's ultimate
intentions. After the death of Ranjit the Sikh empire began to
disintegrate as power passed from chief to chief in murderous rivalry.
At the same time relationship with the British began to deteriorate. He
also called "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of the Punjab").
He died on 27 Jun 1839 and his samadhi is
located in Lahore, Pakistan.
- Kharak Singh S/o Ranjit Singh.....................27
Jun 1839 -
05 Nov 1840
- Born on 31 Jan 1802, was a Sikh ruler of the
sovereign country of Punjab and the Sikh Empire. He was the eldest
legitimate son of Ranjit Singh from his second wife Maharani Datar Kaur.
He succeeded his father on 27 June 1839. He married firstly, February
1812, Maharani Chand Kaur, married secondly in 1815, Rani Ishar Kaur
(daughter of Lal Singh Sandhu of Sirarivali, in Sialkot district of the
Punjab, committed sati 5th November 1840), married thirdly in 1816,
Maharani Bibi Khem Kaur Dhillon. It is believed that he was removed from power on 08
October 1839 and replaced by his son Prince Nau Nihal Singh. Kharak
Singh became a
prisoner and died from a slow poisoning on 05 November 1840.
- Nau Nihal
Singh S/o Kharak Singh..................05 Nov 1840 - 06 Nov 1840
- Nau Nihal Singh, born on 09 March 1821,
was a Sikh ruler of the sovereign country of Punjab and the Sikh Empire
for one day.
He was the son of Maharaja Kharak Singh. After the death of Ranjit
Singh, Kharak Singh became king but was unable to keep control of the
various factions within the kingdom. Prince Nau Nihal took control of
the state himself. Upon Kharak Singh's death, Nau Nihal Singh was in
line to become king. However, whilst returning from his father's
funeral, he was injured when a building collapsed upon him. His body was
taken to a tent away from the courtiers, who were not allowed into the
presence of the prince. Eyewitnesses described his initial injuries as
being small blows to the head which knocked him unconscious. Later when
the tent was opened Nau Nihal Singh was dead, his head having been
smashed in, possibly with a rock. It is unclear whether the building's
collapse was accidental or deliberate and who was responsible. The most
likely culprits were the Kashmiri Dogra brothers, Gulab Singh and Dhian Singh.
Nau Nihal Singh was married to Maharani Sahib Kaur [Bibi Nanaki] and had
a son in July 1841.
- Chand Kaur (female, Regent).......................17
Nov 1840 - 17 Jan 1841
- Born in
1802 at Fatehpur, daughter of Sardar Jaimal Singh of the Kanhaiya misl.
Proclaimed
the Maharani of the Punjab, styled
Mai to 02 Dec 1840, then
Maharani Malika Maqaddasa (empress immaculate).
Chand Kaur
was briefly a Regent of the sovereign country of Punjab and the Sikh
Empire. She was the wife of Kharak Singh and thus daughter-in-law of
Ranjit Singh. She was the mother of Nau Nihal Singh. She remained regent
for ~2 & half months, from 17th November 1840 to 18th January 1841, in
preparation for Sher Singh's coronation and becoming Maharaja and
relinquished her claim to the throne on 17th January 1841. She was
pensioned off with a jagir worth 900,000 rupees annually, married in
February 1812 with Maharaja Kharak Singh and died on 11th June 1842 and
was cremated the next day.
- Sher Singh S/o Ranjit Singh.......................18
Jan 1841 - 16 Sep 1843
- Sher Singh, (Born: December 1807 - Died:
September 16th 1843) was a Sikh ruler of the sovereign country of Punjab
and the Sikh Empire. He was the son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Queen
Rani Mehtab Kaur who was also the mother of Prince Tara Singh. He became
Maharaja in 1841 after the sudden death of Nau Nihal Singh whose death
was set in motion, some say purposely, while returning from his father's
cremation. He was the half brother of Nau Nihal's father, Kartar Singh.
Proclaimed Maharaja by his vazir (pronounced wazir, his prime minister).
He won the throne after a protracted siege of the Lahore Fort which was
held by the Royal family. Thousands died in the siege. Historians record
that he was not very smart politically and let the Dogra brothers (they
were responsible for the death of Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh and his
father) take charge of all functions of state. The Dogra brothers, like
puppet masters, pulled the strings of others to bring about the death of
Sher Singh. Sher Singh was killed as he reached for a new shotgun held
by Ajit Singh Sandhawalia his cousin, who pulled the trigger. Sher Singh
only had time to utter, "what treachery." The Sandhawalias believed he
was complicit in the death of the two previous Maharajas. The Dogra
plans went awry as Dhian Singh Dogra was out foxed and killed as well.
The Sandhawalias were thought to have also had designs on the kingdom.
Prince Peshaura Singh
(son of Ranjit Singh), had rebelled and had taken Attock under the
instructions of the Dogra brothers. Prime minister Jawahar Singh (Jind
Kaur's brother) rushed forces to Attock to stop the rebellion and in the
process Prince Peshaura Singh was killed. The Sikh Khalsa army in
revenge for the killing of the rebelling prince killed Duleep Singh's
maternal uncle Prime minister Jawahar Singh in front of Jind Kaur (or
Rani Jindan, Messalina of Punjab. She was the youngest wife of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh and the mother of the last Sikh Emperor, Maharaja Duleep
Singh. She died on 01 Aug 1863 in London) and
Duleep Singh, as punishment at Lahore on September 21, 1845.
- Dhuleep Singh S/o Ranjit Singh....................17
Sep 1843 - 22 Feb 1849
- Maharajadhiraja Sir Dhuleep Singh, GCSI (Born:
Lahore, 06 September 1838 - Died: Paris, 22 October 1893) was a Sikh
ruler of the sovereign state of Punjab, and the Sikh Empire. He was the
last Maharaja of Lahore during the Sikh Raj of Punjab. He was the
youngest son of the legendary Lion of the Punjab (Maharaja Ranjit Singh)
and the Messalina of the Punjab (Maharani Jind Kaur). He was also known
as the Black Prince of Perthshire.
The treaty of 1809 no longer proved able to
hold the peace, and the Sikh army attached the British (1845-1846) only
to be badly beaten in a series of confrontations. The treaty of Lahore,
which followed this first Anglo-Sikh war reduced the Sikh army. It
obliged the Sikhs to cede the Jallandar Doab and Kashmir to the British,
and required them to pay an indemnity of fifty thousand pounds and
accept a British resident at their court. In 1848 the Sikhs again
revolted, and were again crushed. In 1849 the Punjab was annexed an from
that time onwards they came under British rule. After the close of the
Second Anglo-Sikh War and the subsequent annexation of the Punjab in
1849, he was deposed at the age of eleven by the East India Company and
was separated from his mother, who was imprisoned. He was put into the
care of Dr John Login and sent from Lahore to Fatehgarh on December 21,
1849. A young Maharaja Dhuleep Singh.The British took, in controversial
circumstances, the Koh-i-Noor diamond along with other items of his
family's personal estate, state and religious property (most items were
sold by public auction) to Queen Victoria as reportedly part of the
terms of the conclusion of the war and the 250th anniversary of the East
India Company on July 3, 1850. His health was reportedly poor, and he
was mostly in quasi-exile in Fatehgarh and Lucknow after 1849, with
tight restrictions on who he was allowed to meet. No Indians, except
trusted servants, could meet him in private. As a matter of British
policy, he was to be Anglicized in every possible respect. While no
specific information was released about his health, he was often sent to
the hill station of Landour near Mussoorie in the Lower Himalaya for
convalescence, at the time about 4 days journey. He would remain for
weeks at a time in Landour at a grand hilltop building called The
Castle, which had been lavishly furnished to accommodate him. In 1853, under the tutelage of his long-time retainer Bhajan Lal
(himself a Christian convert) he converted to Christianity at Fatehgarh
with the approval of the Governor-General Lord Dalhousie. His conversion
remains controversial, having been effected in unclear circumstances
when a child, before he turned 15. He was also heavily and continuously
exposed to Christian texts under the tutelage of the devout John Login.
His two closest childhood friends were both English, one being the child
of Anglican missionaries. In 1854, he was then sent into exile in England. Queen Victoria showered
affection upon the turbaned Maharajah, as did the Prince Consort. While
in exile, he sought to learn more about Sikhism and was eager to return
to India. He eventually got bored with Roehampton and expressed a wish
to go back to India but it was suggested by the East India Company Board
he take a tour of the European continent which he did with Sir John
Spencer Login and Lady Login. He was thwarted by his handlers and the British Government, who finally
decided in 1886, in no uncertain terms, against his return to India or
his re-embracing Sikhism. Despite protests from the India Office, he set
sail for 'home'. He was intercepted and arrested in Aden, where the writ
of the Raj began. He could not be stopped from an informal re-conversion
ceremony in Aden (far less grand and symbolic than it would have been in
India), but was forced to return to Europe. He headed for Paris, where
he would die at the age of 55, not really having seen India (let alone
the Punjab) again after he was 15, except for two brief,
tightly-controlled visits in 1860 (to bring his mother to England) and
in 1863 (to scatter his mother's ashes). He also traveled to Russia where he tried and failed to persuade the
Czar of the benefits of invading India through the North and
reinstalling him as ruler. Queen Victoria and Maharaja Dhuleep Singh
reconciled their differences before he died. A statue of the Maharajah
was officially unveiled by HRH the Prince of Wales in 1999 at Butten
Island in Thetford, a town which benefited from his and his sons'
generosity. Duleep Singh died in Paris in 1893
(in exile in Egypt then France to 05 Sep
1893)
and his body was brought
back to be buried (according to Christian rites, under the supervision
of the India Office) in Elveden Church. Duleep Singh's wish for his body
to be returned to India was declined, in fear of unrest given the
symbolic value the funeral of the son of the Lion of the Punjab may have
caused, given growing resentment of British rule.
- Regents for Dhuleep Singh
- Hira Singh......................................Sep 1843 - 21
Dec 1844
- Jawahir Singh................................14 May 1845 - 21
Sep 1845
- Raja Lal Singh Muraria..........................Nov 1845 - 16
Dec 1846
- Great
Britain............................................1849 - 1947
- British Residents (to
01 Jan 1847, Agent)
- Henry Montgomery
Lawrence.......................Mar 1846 - 04 Mar 1848
- Frederick
Currie................................Mar 1848 - 29 Mar 1849
- Partitioned between India and Pakistan in
August 1947.
- Maharajas in Exile
- Victor Albert Jay Dhuleep Singh (in
U.K.).....05 Sep 1893 - 07 Jun 1918
- Son of Dhuleep
Singh, born on 10th July 1866 in London, married on 04th January
1898 to Lady Anne Blanche Coventry (daughter
of Lord George William Coventry, 9th Earl of Coventry)
and had children. He died on 07th June 1918.
- Frederick Dhuleep Singh (in
U.K.).............07 Jun 1918 - 15 Aug 1926
- Son of Dhuleep
Singh, born on 28th January 1868 in London, died unmarried on 15th
August 1926 in Norfolk.
- Sandhanwalia (Jagir)
in Punjab
- Sardar Gurdit
Singh Sandhanwalia.....................1927 - ?
- Gurdit Singh was
the son of Sardar Thakur Singh (born 1837, appointed by the British
as extra-assistant commissioner for Amritsar district, also
nominated a member of the Golden Temple managing committee, founder
and first President of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha in 1873, appointed
Prime Minister to Maharaja Dhuleep Singh's emigré government. He
died on 18th Aug 1887). Thakur Singh S/o Sardar Lehna Singh S/o
Sardar Amir Singh S/o Sardar Didar Singh S/o Sardar Chanda Singh
(brother of Naudh Singh) S/o Sardar Buddha Singh. Following the
resumption of the jagir, Gurdit Singh and his brothers were granted an annual
income of 1,200 Rs, married and had children: Sardar Sarup Singh
(died before 1947) and Sardar Pritam Singh.
- Sardar Pritam
Singh Sandhanwalia S/o Gurdit Singh......? - 1978
- Sardar Beant
Singh Sandhanwakia S/o Pritam Singh....1978 - date
|
Ranjit Singh coinage: VS 1849-1896 (1792-1839) |
Ranjit Singh, as Sirdar (chief) of the
Sukarchakia Misl (VS 1849-1858 / 1792-1801 CE), then as Maharaja of the
Punjab (VS 1858-1896 / 1801-1839 CE). |
|
|
Herrli 01.45 Paisa.
Year:
VS 188x = [1885 (1828 CE)].
Weight:
10.95g.
Metal: Copper.
Diameter:
20.00 mm. Edge:
Plain.
Alignment: Rotated.
Mint:
Amritsar.
Obverse legend: ਅਕਾਲ ਸਹਾਈ ਗੁ / ਰ ਨਾਨਕ
ਜੀ (akal sahai gur nanak ji). Reverse: ਜਰਾਬਾਂ
ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਜੀ (Jaraba sri Amritsar ji).
Five dots in circular form below the leaf's bottom right side.
Mintage Years:
N/A. Somehow Scarce. |
Note: None of the coins bear the name of Sikh ruler but was produced during
Ranjit Singh's reign. Gurumukhi legends on both sides of this Amritsar mint
coin of Sikh Empire. Unlisted style in Krause and
Mishler's book. |
|
Herrli 01.31.11 1/4 Anna (Paisa).
Year:
ND (1839 or 1841).
Weight:
7.09g [11.00 - 12.00 g].
Metal: Copper.
Diameter:
19.50 mm [20.00 - 24.00 mm]. Edge:
Plain.
Alignment: Coin.
Mint:
Amritsar. |
Obverse legend: Gobindshahi couplet: "دیگ تیغ
وفتح نصرت بیدرنگ یافت ازنانک گور گوبند سنگ" (Deg
Teg o Fath Nusrat Be-Dirang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh)
[Abundance, Power and Victory (and) Assistance without delay are the
Gift of Nanak (and) Guru Gobind Singh]. Date at the bottom left
side. Reverse: "PA
ANNA-I-NANAKSHAI" [1/4 Anna (of the)
Nanakshahi]. Numeral "92" at the bottom left side.
Mintage:
N/A. Mintage Years:
VS 1896 (1839) and VS
1898 (1841).
Note: The obverse inscription is
the Gobindshahi couplet as arranged on the contemporary Amritsar
rupee Herrli 01.23.04. The year
might occur in a full and a reduced version, e.g. 1896 or 96.
The coin do not bear a mintname but assumed to be probably struck at
Amritsar. The numerals on the Reverse, e.g. 92, have not been
explained. Perhaps "92" represents the name of Prophet "Muhammad". |
|
KM#20.1 / Herrli 01.07.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1850 [1793].
Weight:
10.70g [10.70 - 11.30g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 21.50 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
almost Medal. Mint:
Amritsar.
This coin is known as Nanakshahi Rupee. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "سری امرتسر جیو ضرب جلوس میمنت
بخت اکال تخت سنه" (Sri Aamritsarjiv Zarb Takht Akal Bakht Julus
Maimanat Manus Sanah, 1850) [Struck at illustrious Amritsar during the
prosperous reign of the fortunate Akal Takht, Year 1850]. Leaf in centre, Persian legend
around, mint name and date. Reverse Persian
Legend: "سکا زد برهر دو عالم فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح تیغ گوروگوبند سنگ شاه نانک واهب است" (Sikka zad
Bar Har do Alam Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath Teg-i-Guru Gobind Singh Shah
Nanak Wahib Ast) Nanakshahi couplet[Coin struck throught each of the two worlds by the grace
of the True Lord. Of the Victory gained by the Sword of Guru Gobind Singh,
King of kings, Nanak's sword is the provider].
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS 1846-1889 and VS 1806 error for 1860 (1789-1832).
Ruler:
Ranjit Singh. Note:
Double lines below dates exist for some 1869, 1870, and 1871 coins
and are considered rare. Mint symbols seem to change frequently in
this series. "Takht Akal" best translation means "Throne of God". Takht Akal
is a name of a building which stands to the northwest of the tank of
the Golden Temple at Amritsar - the Harimandir or Durbar Sahib of
the Sikhs and which was originally called Akal Bunga. The first Akal
Takht was built by Guru Hargobind in 1609, later destroyed by the
soldiers of Ahmad Shah Abdali and rebuilt since 1775 by Ranjit
Singh. In later times the
Akal Takht served as the meeting place of the Sarbat Khalsa
and of the Supreme Religious Council of the Sikhs. Akal Takht
therefore came to be synonymous with Khalsa and the two expressions:
Zarb Khalsa mubarak bakht and Zarb bakht Akal Takht
found on Sikh coins have practically the same meaning. They both
refer to the highest secular Sikh authority. |
|
Same as above coin
KM#20.1 Rupee, but...
Year:
VS 1858 [1801].
Weight: 11.10g.
Diameter:
22.00 mm.
Alignment: Rotated (7 o' clock).
Note: This
coin is Key Date as Ranjit Singh became the first ruler of the Sikh
Empire and unified the Sikh territories. Coronation took place at
Lahore on 12 April 1801 (to coincide with Baisakhi day). |
|
Same as above coin
KM#20.1 Rupee, but...
Year:
VS 1868 [1811].
Weight: 11.02g.
Diameter:
22.00 mm.
Alignment: Coin. |
|
KM#20.2a / Herrli 01.07.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1858 (1801).
Weight:
11.03g [10.80 - 11.10g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 22.25 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Medal. Mint:
Amritsar.
This coin is known as
Nanakshahi Rupee.
Note:
The coin was issued to celebrate Ranjit Singh
as Emperor of Sikh Empire and unification of Sikh Territories.
Coronation took place at Lahore on 12 April 1801 (to coincide with Baisakhi
day). |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "سری امرتسر جیو ضرب جلوس میمنت
بخت اکال تخت سنه" (Sri Aamritsarjiv Zarb Takht Akal Bakht Julus
Maimanat Manus Sanah, 1884) [Struck at illustrious Amritsar during the
prosperous reign of the fortunate Akal Takht, Year 1858]. Leaf in centre, Persian legend
around, mint name and Date.
Dotted leaf. Reverse Persian
Legend: "سکا زد برهر دو عالم فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح تیغ گوروگوبند سنگ شاه نانک واهب است" (Sikka zad
Bar Har do Alam Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath Teg-i-Guru Gobind Singh Shah
Nanak Wahib Ast) Nanakshahi couplet[Coin struck throught each of the two worlds by the grace
of the True Lord. Of the Victory gained by the Sword of Guru Gobind Singh,
King of kings, Nanak's sword is the provider].
Beaded flower, sprig at lower left.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
One year type.
Ruler:
Ranjit Singh. Note:
- KM#20.2b was issued in VS 1858 and
1859. Obverse: Dotted leaf. Reverse:
Double oval, sprig at lower left.
- KM#20.2c was issued in VS 1859.
Obverse: Dotted leaf. Reverse: Hand, sprig at lower left.
|
|
KM#21.1 / Herrli 01.10.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1884 // 85 (1828).
Weight:
10.98g [10.80 - 11.10g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 23.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Coin. Mint:
Amritsar.
This type has frozen Date VS 1884 on the Obverse side. This coin is known as
Nanakshahi Rupee.
Note: The last two
numerals on the Reverse side is the actual date [85 = VS 1885 (1828)]. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "سکا زد برهر دو عالم فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح تیغ گوروگوبند سنگ شاه نانک واهب است" (Sikka zad
Bar Har do Alam Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath Teg-i-Guru Gobind Singh Shah
Nanak Wahib Ast) Nanakshahi couplet[Coin struck throught each of the two worlds by the grace
of the True Lord. Of the Victory gained by the Sword of Guru Gobind Singh,
King of kings, Nanak's sword is the provider]. Reverse Persian
Legend: "سری امرتسر جیو ضرب جلوس میمنت
بخت اکال تخت سنه" (Sri Aamritsarjiv Zarb Takht Akal Bakht Julus
Maimanat Manus Sanah, 1884) [Struck at illustrious Amritsar during the
prosperous reign of the fortunate Akal Takht, Year 1884]. Leaf in centre, Persian legend
around, mint name and Date.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS(18)85, VS(18)86, VS(18)87, VS(18)88, VS(18)89, VS(18)90,
VS(18)91, VS(18)92, VS(18)93 and VS(18)95 [1828-1836 and 1838 CE].
Ruler:
Ranjit Singh.
Amritsar, the spiritual centre of
the Sikhs, is said to have been founded by Guru Arjun (1563-1606 AD)
who had a tank dug and the Harimandir built on land granted by Akbar
to Guru Ram Das. The new town, which was originally named Ramdaspur
after the father of its founder, only received its actual name at a
later date. Amritsar, which means: Pool of Immortality, is derived
from Amrit [nectar, ambrosia] and sar [a fountain, a pool]. On Sikh
coins bearing a Gurumukhi inscription the mint name appears as
Ambratsar, a form which is still colloquially used at Amritsar and
Lahore.
Guru Hargobind, Arjun's successor, built Lohgarh [the Iron Fortress]
and the Akal Takht [God's Throne] at Amritsar, and he inaugurated
the general assemblies of the Sikhs, the Sarbat Khalsa, which took
place twice a year, on the first day of the month of Baisakh and on
Dipamala, at Amritsar.
The Afghans, who temporarily occupied and sacked Amritsar several
times, went to great lenghts to destroy and defile its sacred tank.
and its temples, but by 1767 AD the danger of any serious Afghan or
Mughal interference had definitively passed for the town in which
different rnisls had their strongholds, but which was finally mainly
controlled by the Bhangis. When Ranjit Sigh started subjugating the
rnisls he also gained some influence at Amritsar, but it was only in
1805 that he really became the master of the town. Together with his
allies, the Ahluwalias led by Fateh Singh, the Kanayas and the
Nakkais, Ranjit Singh marched in February oft his year against Mai
Sukhan, the widow of Gulab Singh Bhangi, who, supported by the
Ramgarhias and Akalis under Phula Singh, held Amritsar.. Without
much fighting Mai Sukan surrendered the city and the fort on 24
February 1805 (= 14 Phagan 1861 VS / 23 Dhu al-Qada 1219 AH). |
|
KM#50 / Herrli 06.46.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1892 [1835].
Weight:
10.93g [10.90 - 11.00g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 21.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Coin. Mint:
Kashmir.
This coin is known as Gobindshahi
Rupee. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "ضرب کشمیر سری آکال پورله
یج ب" (Zarb Kashmir Sri Akal Purakhjib)
/ 1892 [Struck at Kashmir in the year 1892 at illustrious Srinagar].
Leaf in centre.
Reverse Persian
Legend: Gobindshahi couplet: "دیگ تیغ
وفتح نصرت بیدرنگ یافت ازنانک گور گوبند سنگ" (Deg
Teg o Fath Nusrat Be-Dirang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh)
[Abundance, Power and Victory (and) Assistance without delay are the
Gift of Nanak (and) Guru Gobind Singh]. Sword of Kashmir
governor Colonel Mihan Singh Kumedan and a Star is placed on the
upper center section.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS 1892-1898 (1835-1841).
Ruler:
Ranjit Singh.
Mihan Singh Kumedan was the commander of a Sikh infantry
battalion from July 1834 (VS 1891). After the death of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh he strove for partial independence of Lahore. However
his attempt failed when he was assassinated by rebellious troops on
17th April 1841 (VS 1898).
According to Rodgers SRI AKAL PURUKHJI means: "Hail, timeless
Divinity", but this translation is obviously not too accurate.
Better English equivalents of the Sikh expression were proposed by
M.A. Macauliffe, the translator of the holy books of the Sikhs and
author of the famous Religion of the Sikhs, who chose "the immortal
God", whereas the missionary Dr.
Joseph Wolff, who visited the Punjab and Kashmir in 1832, preferred
the even simpler "God". Sir Henry Lawrence used the shorter form,
Sri Purakji and explained it as: "Deity".
Kashmir: Kashmir, which had
passed from the Mughals to the Durranis in 1752 AD, was conquered in
1819 AD by a Sikh army under the command of Misr Diwan Chand, Ranjit
Singh's most capable Indian general, and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu.
Srinagar, the capital of the valley of Kashmir, was occupied on 05
July 1819. After the oppressive Afghan rule the Kashmiris at first
welcomed the Sikhs as liberators, but they were soon deceived.
Before the appointment of Mihan Singh, the first nazim (governor) to
receive a salary, Ranjit Singh simply used to fix the total amount
of the annual revenue expected from Kashmir and then let the
ijaradars (tax farmers) in the Valley enrich themselves at will by
levying enormous sums from his Muslim subjects.
Ranjit Singh had always been highly aware of the secessionist
ambitions of some of the governors ofhis distant provinces, and
after the death of the Maharaja Colonel Mihan Singh, the governor of
KasIuilir, effectively strove for at least a partial independence of
Lahore. In this aspiration he was supported by Gulab Singh of Jammu,
who then had become a purely nominal vassal of the Lahore Durbar and
whose territories almost encircled Kashmir, but the attempt failed
when Mihan Singh was assassinated by his rebellious soldiers on 17
April 1841.
After the first Sikh war the wily Gulab Singh came into possession
of Kashmir through a treaty signed on 16 March 1846 at Amritsar by
him and representatives of Sir Henry Hardinge, the British
Governor-General. For the territory ceded by the bankrupt Sikh State
of Lahore on 09 March 1846 the Raja of Jammu promised to pay the
British 75 lakhs of Amritsar Nanakshahis, and he pledged to present
to the British Government as a token of its supremacy an annual
tribute of one horse, six pairs of shawl goats of an approved breed
and three pairs of Kashmir shawls.
Srinagar was the capital as well as· the chief manufacturing, trade
and financial centre of Kashmir. The Valley produced arms, jewellery,
paper, leather goods, aromatic oils and saffron - all of a superior
quality - and exported those products, to the Punjab, Sind, British
India, Ladakh
and Tibet, but its economically most interesting product were its
famous shawls, 19th century precursors of today's globally marketed
luxury goods, which were already exported to all of India (through
Amritsar), Persia, Central Asia and Russia, China and Europe. At ist
apogee the shawl industry employed '/6 of the population of Srinagar
and 16'000 looms in the Valley. It took a skilled worker many months
to weave a shawl with an intricate and multicoloured design, but a
simple shawl could be finished in less than 3 months. Whereas a
shawl of average quality cost in Kashmir - according to von Hugel*
(c.1830) -- about Rs 200 and an expensive piece - according to
Moorcroft (c. 1820) - Rs 700, we learn from Alexander Burnes that
Russian noblemen would pay up to Rs 12'000 for a pair.
|
|
KM#66.1 / Herrli 08.06.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1857 [1800].
Weight:
11.01g [10.80 - 11.20g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 23.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated. Mint:
Lahore. This coin is known as
Nanakshahi Rupee. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "ضرب دار السلطنت لاهور سنه جلوس
میمنت مانوس" (Zarb Dar as-Sultanate Lahore Sanah
1857 Julus Maimanat Manus) [Struck at the
capital of Lahore in the year 1857 of the prosperous reign].
Leaf mark on the left on the Date. Reverse
Persian legend: "سکه زد بر سیم و زر فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح گوبند سنگه شاهن تیغ نانک واهب است" (Sikka
zad Bar Sim o Zar Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath-i-Gobind Singh-i-Shahan
Tegh-i-Nanak Wahib Ast
= Coin struck in
silver and gold by the grace of the True Lord. Of the Victory of
Gobind, Lion of Kings, Nanak's sword is the provider).
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS 1856-1885, VS 1806 error for 1860 and VS
1887 (1799-1828 and 1830).
Ruler:
Ranjit Singh.
Note: The literal translation
of "Sachcha Sahib" expression is: the true Lord but it really means:
the spiritual Lord and it most often refers to Guru Gobind Singh. He
was also called Sachcha badshah (ture or spiritual Emperor) to
describe his spiritual leadership as opposed to his secular and
military leadership of the Khalsa. The Sikh rupees of Lahore were
struck at a mint outside the Taksali (or Taxali) Gate, which lies
just south of the Badshahi Mosque. According to a British report of
1846 the mint had the capacity to strike 8,000 rupees a day. The
coining of Rs 100 cost, due to the necessary amount of pure silver,
Rs 98 1/2; it left the government just 1 1/2 % for expenses and
profit. As the annual profit of the Lahore mint rarely exceeded Rs
3,000 it must normally have worked far below capacity.
Lahore: According to a local
legend a town called Lohawar, a predecessor of the later city of
Lahore, was founded by Loh, one of the sons of Rama, the Lord of
Ayodhya. Lahore, then a part of the territories of the Hindushahis
of Waihand, the actual Hund on the Indus fell in 1014 AD to Mahmud
of Ghazni. In 1186 Taj ad-daula Khusru Malik, the last Ghaznawid
Sultan of Lahore, lost his capital and the mint town of the
Ghaznawid Empire in India, to the Ghorid invaders.
Beginning with Babur the Mughals struck coins at Lahore until the
reign of Alamgir II, but the place only gained some importance, when
Akbar 'surrounded it with a wall, enlarged its fort and made it his
residence from 1584 to 1598. During the reign of Jahangir, whose
tomb lies at nearby Shadara, Guru Arjun Dev was imprisoned at Lahore
where he, according to the Sikh tradition, disappeared in the River
Ravi. Shah Jahan built a palace in the Lahore Fort as well as the
famous Shalimar Gardens, and to Aurangzeb we are indebted for the
beautiful and impressive Badshahi Mosque, After the death of
Aurangzeb Lahore began to decline, but in its prime a popular saying
ran: "Isfahan and Shiraz together would not equal the half of
Lahore".
The Persian invader Nadir Shah captured Lahore in December 1738~
when he evacuated the city in the spring of 1739 it reverted to the
Mughals. On 22 January 1748 Lahore was taken and occupied by Ahmad
Shah Abdali who soon retired to Qandahar and left the city to its
former masters. When he invaded the Punjab for the 3rd time the
Durrani defeated the Mughal governor Mir Mannu in April 1752 near
Lahore. The victor formally annexed the provinces of Multan and
Lahore but left the Mughal administration in place. During his 4th
invasion of India Ahmad Shah advanced in the winter of 1755/56 to
Sirhind, which he annexed, and to Shahjahanabad and Mathura, which
he plundered. Before retreating to Afghanistan he appointed his son
Taimur Shah nizam or Viceroy of Lahore, Multan, Derajat and Sindh.
Taimur Shah, whose grip on the Punjab always remained precarious,
was driven out of Lahore and India by Marathas led by Raghuba, the
Peshwa's .brother in 1758. Sikh auxiliaries serving with Raghuba's
army briefly managed to occupy Lahore, but when they anticipated the
Marathas in plundering the city they were promptly expelled by their
former comrades in arms. The loss of the Punjab soon brought Ahmad
Shah back; in 1759 he reoccupied Lahore, sacked Delhi and on 07
January 1761 met and completely destroyed the united Maratha army
near Panipat. Against the Sikhs, who fought a guerilla war and who
normally tried to avoid battles between large bodies of troops, the
Durranis had less success than against the more presumptuous
Marathas. Although Ahmad Shah surprised and routed a Sikh army in
1762 near Bernala in a battle which among the Sikhs became known as
the ghulu ghara orGreat Disaster, in 1765 the followers of Guru
Gobind had recovered enough to be able to take Lahore from Kabuli
Mal, its Durrani governor.
After the death of his father in 1772 Taimur Shah did not try to
enforce his claim to Lahore, but his son and successor, Shah Zaman,
twice invaded the Punjab and briefly occupied its capital on 03
January 1797 and again on 27 November 1798 without meeting any
serious opposition. During his last stay at Lahore Shah Zaman met
with Ram Dayal Kohatia, Ranjit Singh's vakil and they may then have
come to an agreement concerning the future of the city. Shah Zaman
left Lahore on 04 January 1799 and only/six months later, on 06
July, the young Sukar-chukia Sardar took Lahore from its three
oppressive and highly unpopular Bhangi owners, the Sardars Chet
Singh, Sahib Singh and Mohar Singh. It was said that Ranjit Singh
then struck coins in his own name at Lahore. The expression: in his
own name, a stock phrase which Indian chroniclers and historians
used almost automatically, does not mean that the coins actually
bear the name of the ruler by whose orders they were minted. Such
coins could be anonymous as in the case of Ranjit Singh or, for
economic or political reasons, even bear the name of another ruler,
in India often a nominal overlord.
Ranjit Singh made Lahore his capital and it remained the seat of the
government of the Sikh realm until the annexation of the Punjab by
the British in 1849. The city, which John Lowrie quite correctly
called the Delhi of the Punjab, was then a busy trade center on the
Grand Trunk Road which dealt in cotton cloth, silk, shawls and arms.
Lahore and Amritsar, its economically more important neighbour,
annually paid an amount of Rs 800,000 in local and Rs 500,000 in
transit duties to Ranjit Singh's toshakhania. |
|
KM#85 / Herrli 11.03.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1881 [1824].
Weight:
approx. 11.12g [11.00 - 11.20g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 23.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated (8 o' clock). Mint:
Multan. This coin is
known as
Nanakshahi Rupee
Type: Trident (Trisul)
on Reverse side. This coin is rated MS-63 by NGC.
Ex. Hakim Hamidi collection. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "ضرب ملتان جلوس
مبارک" (Zarb Multan Julus Mubarak) [Struck
at Multan during the auspicious reign].
Leaf mark on the bottom left and Date at the bottom right. Reverse
Persian legend: "فلوس گرو گوبند سنگھجیو"
(Falus Guru Gobind Singhjiyo).
Trident (Trisul) at the top.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS1880 (1823), VS1881 (1824), VS1882 (1825),
VS1883 (1826) and VS1884 (1827).
Ruler:
Ranjit Singh.
Multan, a town of great
antiquity and at the time of Alexander of Macedon's campaign in
India probably the capital of the Malli, lies about 6 kilometers
away from the left bank of the river Chenab and near the old bed of
the Ravi. Muhammad bin Qasim, the cousin and son-in-law of Hajjaj
bin Yusuf Sakifi, the viceroy governing the former Sasanian kingdom
for the caliph Walid I, took Multan in 713 AD and annexed it to the
still expanding Umaiyad Empire. The decline of the Caliphate, which
soon set in under the Abbasids, led to a progressive weakening of
the power and political influence of the Caliphal Government at the
fringes of the empire; in 257 AH [871 AD] al-Mu'tamid had to confer
the government of Sindh, Balkh and Tukharistan upon the military
adventurer Yaqub bin Layth as-Saffar who earlier had already been
invested with the governorship of Sijistan and Kirman. After the
death of Yaqub in 879 AD and the advance of the Samanids into
Afghanistan two new independent Muslim principalities arose in the
lower Indus Valley: Lower Sindh or Mansura and Upper Sindh or Multan,
both originally ruled by Arab amirs of the tribe of the Quraysh. At
this time Multan was not only a large depot of the caravan trade
between India and Khorasan but also the seat of an extremely popular
cult of the Sun God. The idol, which attracted a multitude of
pilgrims from India and Afghanistan and which represented the Amir
of Multan's main source of income, was broken into pieces by the
Qarmatians who, led by Jalam ibn Shaiban, conquered the Emirate of
Multan in 977. The idol was restored in 1138 AD and definitively
destroyed at the end of the 17th century by the orders of the
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
When Subektegin of Ghazni rose into prominence, the Qarmatian Amir
Abu al-Fath Da'ud bin Nasr entered into friendly relations with him
but Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni marched thrice - in the spring of 1006,
in early 1007 and in October 1010 AD against the rebellious ruler of
Multan. The town and its district eventually fell to the Sumras of
Sindh and in 1175 AD to Mu'izz ad-din Muhammad bin Sam of Gho'r, who
appointed Nasir ad-din Qubacha, one of his
mamelukes, governor of Ucch. After the murder of Muhammad Ghori by a
Qarmatian in 1206 AD Qubacha became the independent ruler of Upper
Sindh, and when Sultan Qutb ad-din Aybak of Delhi died in 1210 AD he
also brought Multan under his control. In 1221 Qubacha was besieged
in Multan by lalal ad-din Mangbami, the last Khwarizm Shah, and in
1228 he lost Ucch, Multan and finally his whole kingdom to Shams
ad-din Iletmish, the Sultan of Delhi.
When the Mongol armies sacked Lahore in 638 AH [1241 AD] and
advanced as far as Ucch, Kashlu Khan, the governor of Uchh and
Multan, became a vassal of the Mongol, but Sultan Ghiyath ad-din
Balban of Delhi later succeeded in reconquering the whole province
of Multan.
Under the rule of the Delhi Sultans Multan, the burial place of
Sheikh Baha ad-din Zakariya (d. 1262 AD), the founder of the Indian
branch of the Surawardi Sufi order, his son Sheikh Sadr ad-din Arif
and his grandson Rukn ad-din, commonly known as Rukn al-Alam,
developed into an important religious centre. The tomb of Baha
ad-din and the shrine of Rukn addin, a distinctive landmark, attract
even today large numbers of pilgrims. Timur occupied Multan in
October 1398; later from 1444 to 1525 AD - the city became the
capital of an independent state encompassing the southern Punjab and
ruled by a local dynasty founded by Qutb ad-din Mahmud Langa. In
1525 Multan was seized by Husain Arghun of Sindh and then annexed to
the Mughal Empire by Kamran, Humayun's governor in the Punjab.
In 1540 the town fell to Sher Shah Sur and in 1555 it was occupied
by Akbar, who made Multan the capital of a subah, which included 88
parganas in the sarkars of Dibalpur, Multan and Sukkur. The Persian
invader Nadir Shah took Multan in 1151 AH [1738 AD] but it later
reverted, at least nominally, to the Mughal Empire. The provinces of
Lahore and Multan were ceded to Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1752 and
occupied by the Marathas in the name of the Mughal Emperor
Ahmad Shah Bahadur in 1759 but in the same year the invaders from
central India were again expelled during Ahmad Shah Abdali's fifth
invasion ofIndia.
After Ahmad Shah's last eastern campaign in 1767 the Province of
Multan was overrun by the plundering troops of the Bhangi misl led
by Jhanda Singh; in 1771 the Sikh troops commanded by Mujja Singh,
Jhanda's deputy, felt strong enough to attack the provincial
capital, but were defeated by the joint forces of the Afghan governor
and the Daudputras, the rulers of neighbouring Bahawalpur. When
these allies later quarrelled Jhanda Singh was able to seize the
citadel of Multan on 25 December 1772 as well as the town and fort of Mankera, Armies sent by Taimur Shah, the son and successor of Ahmad
Shah Durrani, tried in 1777 and 1778 in vain to recapture Multan,
but when the Afghan ruler led his troops in person against the city,
the Sikh commander of its garrison surrendered the citadel on 18
February 1780. Muzaffar Khan, a Sadozai Mghan and Taimur Shah's
governor of Multan, succeeded in buying off Ranjit Singh or his
commanders when the Maharaja's armies attacked Multan in 1803, 1805,
1807, 1810, 1816 and 1817. In 1818 the Sikhs again laid siege to the
Fort of Multan which they stormed on 02 June, killing Muzaffar Khan
and two of his sons. Ranjit Singh first appointed Diwan Sukh Dyal
governor of Multan; when the Diwan proved unable to collect the
revenue, the province was farmed for 650,000 rupees annually to
Diwan Sham Singh Peshawari, who in turn was soon dismissed and
replaced by Badan Hazari. In 1821 Sawan Mal, a man considered to be
a fair and capable administrator, was appointed governor of the
Province of Multan, a position which he retained for almost a
quarter of a century.
Charles Masson left us quite an extensive description of the city of
Multan, which he visited in 1827: "This city appears
advantageously seen in the distance, but loses its effect on our
near approach to it. It cannot be less than three miles in
circumference, and is walled in. Its bazars are large, but
inconveniently narrow, and, I thought, did not exhibit that bustle
or activity which might be expected in a place of much reputed
commerce. The citadel, if not a place of extreme strength, is one on
which more attention seems to have been bestowed than is usual, and
is more regular than any fortress I have seen, not constructed by
European engineers. It is well secured by a deep trench, neatly
faced with masonry; and the defences of the gateway, which is
approached by a drawbridge, are rather elaborate. ... Within the
citadel are the only buildings worth seeing, - the battered palace
of the late khan [Muzaffar Khan], and the Mahomedan shrine of
Bahawal Hak. ...
Multan is said to have decreased in trade since it fell into the
hands of the Sikhs, yet its bazars (market place) continued well and
reasonably supplied with all articles of traffic and consumption.
There are still numerous bankers and manufactures of silk and cotton
goods. Its fabrics of shawls and lungis are deservedly esteemed, and
its brocades and tissues compete with those of Bahawalpur.. It still
supplies a portion of its fabrics to the Lohani merchants of
Afghanistan, and has an extensive foreign trade with the regions
west of the Indus. ...
The gardens of Multan are abundant, and well stocked with
fruit-trees, as mangoes, oranges, citrons, limes, etc. Its
date-groves also yield much fruit, and vegetables are grown in great
plenty. The inundations of the Ravi river extend to the city, but it
is three miles distant, and has what is called a bandar, a port, in
this instance expressive of a boat station; whence there is
communicable Join with the Indus, and, consequently, with the sea. The
area enclosed within the walls being compactly built over, the city
may be supposed to contain not less than eight or nine thousand
houses, or from forty to forty-five thousand sauls. ...
At present a Brahman, Sohand Mal [Sawan Mal] resides at Multan, as
governor for Ranjit Singh, with the title of Subahdar; and his
jurisdiction is extensive, comprising the southern parts of the Sikh
kingdom from the Satlej to the Indus. He has at his command a force
of eight hundred Sikhs, under Candar Singh, besides the garrisons
sprinkled over the country. He is a popular niler, and many
anecdotes are related of his liberality and indulgence. The Sikh
authority over the conquered provinces held by the Subahdar being
firmly established, the administration is mild, owing partly,
perhaps, to his personal character, and two Sikhs are located at
every village and hamlet on the part of the government. The
peasantry make over a third of the produce of their lands; neither
do they complain." [MASSON: Narratives of
Various Journeys in Baluchistan, Afghanistan, ...,London 1842, p.
394-398].
Alexander Burnes passed through Multan in 1831 and also left us
quite a long description of the city and the province: "The city
of Mooltan is upwards of three miles in circumference, surrounded by
a wall, and overlooked on the north by a fortress of strength. It
contains a population of about 60,000 souls, one third of whom may
be Hindoos; the rest of the population is Mahommedan, for though it
is subject to the Seiks, their limber is confined to the garrison,
which does not exceed 500 men. The Afghans have left the country,
since they ceased to govern. Many of the houses evidently stand on
the ruins of others: they are built of burnt brick, and have flat
roofs: they sometimes rise to the height of six stories, and their
loftiness gives a gloomy appearance to the narrow streets. The
inhabitants are chiefly weavers and dyers of cloth. The silk
manufacture of Mooltan is called "kais", and may be had of all
colours, and from the value of 20 to 120 rupees: it is less delicate
in texture than the "loongees" of Bhawulpoor. Runjeet Sing has with
much propriety encouraged their manufacture, since he captured the
city; and by giving no other cloths at his court, has greatly
increased their consumption, and they are worn as sashes and scarfs
by all the Seik Sirdars. They are also exported to Khorasan and
India, and the duties levied are moderate. ... The trade of Mooltan
is much the same as at Bhawulpoor, but is on a larger scale, for it
has forty Shroffs [money changers], chiefly natives of Shikarpoor."
About the Province of Multan, Burnes wrote: "The greater part of
the country bordering on this part of the Acesines [Chenab] is
included in the district of MooItan, which, besides the City of that
name, contains the modem town of Shoojurabad The government, when
tributary to Cabool, has been described in the worst terms; but
Runjeet Sing has recruited its population, repaired the canals, and
added to their number, raising it to a state of opulence and
prosperity to which it had been long a stranger. The soil amply
repays the labaur, for such is its strength, that a crop of wheat,
before yielding its grain, is twice mowed down as fodder for cattle,
and then ears, and produces an abundant harvest. The indigo and
sugar crops are likewise rich, and one small strip of land five
miles long, which we passed, afforded a revenue of 75,000 rupees.
The total revenue amounts to about ten lacs [1,000,000] of rupees a
year, or double the sum it produced in 1809. The tobacco of Mooltan
is celebrated; but for an Indian province, the date-tree is its most
singular production. It yield'! a great abundance of fruit, which is
hardly inferior to that of Arabia; for the trees are not weakened by
extracting a liquor from them, as in Lower India. I imagine that
they owe their maturity to the great heat of Mooltan; for dates
seldom ripen in India. The mangoes of Mooltan are the best of Upper
India, and their good qualities seem also to arise from the same
cause, as the mango is usually but an indifferent fruit beyond the
tropics." [A. BURNES: Travels into Bokhara
being the Account of a Journey from India to Cabool, Tartary and
Persia, Also. Narrative ofa Voyage on the Indus from the Sea to
Lahore, London 1834. Vol. III, 110-117].
G.T. Vigne, who was at Multan in 1836, praised its governor for the
efforts he made to develop his province, but Leopold von Orlich, a
Prussian officer, who traveled from Karachi to Lahore in 1842, was
more critical. In a letter to the famous German scholar Alexander
von Humboldt he wrote: "Besides this country [the Bari Doab], so
highly favoured by nature, but so neglected by man, the empire of
the Sikhs extends over the fine and rich province of Mooltan, a
tract seventy miles wide, along the right bank of the Indus, beyond
Mettun Kote [Mithankot] and the province of Peshawar. The territory
under the dominion of the Maharaja may be estimated at 8,000
geographical square miles, with five million inhabitants and a
revenue of between two and three millions sterling. It is divided
into provinces and districts, the administration of which is
committed to governors and sirdars, who pay a certain sum to the
prince; and of course, each of them endeavours to extort as much
more as he possibly can from the country under his charge. Mooltan,
which is governed by a Hindoo, enjoys the best administration, and
Kashmir is the most plundered and desolated".
Sawan Mal was assassinated in 1844 and succeeded by his son Diwan
Mulraj, who objected to the large nazarana required by the Regency
Council in Lahore as a condition of the confirmation of hi,s
succession. In September he agreed to pay a fine of 1,800,000 rupees
but the payment was never made. When finally threatened with force
Mulraj resigned in March 1848. Mr. Vans-Agnew, a political officer,
and Lieut. Anderson, two British emissaries sent to install Sardar
Kahan Singh Man, the new Sikh· governor, were assassinated shortly
after their arrival at the Idgah of Multan on 20 April 1848, and
Mulraj, who rewarded the murderers, promptly rebelled against the
government in Lahore. His forces were twice defeated by Lieut.
Edwardes, Sir Henry Lawrence's assistant in charge of the Derajat,
but on 14 September a Sikh army under Sardar Sher Singh sent by the
Regency Council against Mulraj rebelled too and thus turned a mere
local revolt into a national war - a war that ultimately led to the
annexation of the Punjab: The town of Multan was invested by
Britishforces in September 1848 and stormed by troops under General
Wish on 02 January 1849. Mulraj surrendered the Citadel and Multan
became a part of British India. |
|
KM#98.2 / Herrli 13.02.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1892 [1835].
Weight:
8.48g [8.50g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 21.50 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated. Mint:
Peshawar. Same VS Date on both sides. This coin is known as
Gobindshahi Rupee.
Peshawar mint was captured by Ranjit Singh in 1832 CE. This coin was
minted based on the Barakzai Rupee standard weight. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: Gobindshahi couplet: "دیگ تیغ
وفتح نصرت بیدرنگ یافت ازنانک گور گوبند سنگ" (Deg
Teg o Fath Nusrat Be-Dirang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh)
[Abundance, Power and Victory (and) Assistance without delay are the
Gift of Nanak (and) Guru Gobind Singh]. VS Date is off flan
on the above displayed coin. Reserve Persian
Legend: "ضرب پشاور سنه جلوس میمنت مانوس"
(Zarb Peshawar Sanah 1892 Julus Maimanat Manus)
[Struck at Peshawar in the year 1892 of the prosperous reign].
Leaf with dotted outer border in centre. Date VS 1892 below the
leaf's left side with digit "2" far right. Mintage:
N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS 1892-1894 (1835-1837).
Ruler:
Ranjit Singh.
Note: Some specimens with oblique milled edges, dated VS1894 with weigh
10.50 - 11.00g are reported, based on Krause publications.
The first coins bearing the mint name Peshawar were probably
struck during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658
AD) and under his successors, the Mughals up to the 21st year of
Muhammad Shah, Nadir Shah Afshar and the Durranis and Barakzais, the
town remained the seat of a mint which sporadically struck gold,
silver and copper coins. It has been said that in 1834 after the
annexation of Peshawar, Ranjit Singh granted his general and acting
governor Hari Singh Nalwa the right to strike his own coins. A right
with which the Sardar had, in recognition of his outstanding
military achievements, allegedly already been endowed in his earlier
position as governor of Kashmir. The coins struck under Hari Singh
at Peshawar are the Gobindshahi rupees issued from VS 1891 to 1894
(1834-1837), coins which bear, like the rupees of Derajat, the full
VS year on the obverse and the reverse. These rupees do not mention
Hari Singh in either an overt or concealed way, but as the
production of silver coins lapsed after the death of Hari Singh for
10 years, the minting right may in fact have been attached to his
person.
On taking the fort of Bala Hissar, Kanwar
Nau Nihal Singh dashed off a perwana to his grandfather:
"I entered the city of Peshawar accompanied by
all the Sirdars on the 06th of May. The next day I got together with
Sirdar Heree Singh, Ram Lal, and M. Court, etc., moved towards
Sultan Mohammad Khan's encampment when an action ensued between us
and mulkyahs in which one hundred of them fell and 25 were wounded
while the loss on our part was 25 both killed and wounded. At the
length the mulkyahs finding themselves unable to maintain the
contest fled towards the Khyber Pass.."
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was delighted to hear the news and gave a pair
of gold bangles and a pair of shawls to Sook Lal the harbinger of
the good tidings. A discharge of artillery was ordered in honour of
the victory. In the evening there was an illumination in the city,
which was hailed by both the Hindus and Mohammedans of the country
as a forerunner of their deliverance from the hands of their
tyrants.
The occupation of Peshawar by the Sikhs was the reversal of over
eight centuries of foreign rule at that place. With this, the Sikhs
took the boundary of their kingdom deep into the trans-Indus region.
The extent of their kingdom now almost matched that of
Gandharva-desa of antiquity.
Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa introduced a coin to replace the variety
that existed in Peshawar, giving it a fixed value. This was
considered a necessary step because the currency was continually
acquiring a new value under the Barakzai Sardars. The new coin was
called the Nau Nihal Singhee after the Maharaja's grandson. The
distinguishing feature of silver coins struck in Peshawar
VS1891-1894 was that the Bikrami year appeared on both the obverse
and reverse. Following Hari Singh's death, the production of these
rupees stopped. It therefore appeared that the minting rights were
attached to his person. It was interesting to note that Hari Singh
Nalwa and the grandson of Maharaja were the only two personalities
in the kingdom to have currency identified with their name.
Peshawar, the old Purushpura,
was given its actual name Peshawar [Frontier Town] by the Mughal
Emperor Akbar. Less than two centuries later the dwindling Mughal
Empire lost the town on the Afghan border when Nadir Shah Afshar
took it on his way to Delhi in October 1738 AD [AH 1151] from
Muhammad Shah. After the death of Nadir Shah in 1747 [AH 1160]
Peshawar fell to the Durrani Empire and became its winter capital.
The Sikhs, who had advanced to Attock in 1818, took Peshawar for the
first time on 20 November 1818 AD from Yar Muhammad Khan, the
Barakzai nizam, but Ranjit Singh soon retreated to Attock and his
governor at Peshawar, Jahandad Khan, the former qiladar of Attock,
was driven away by Yar Muhammad, who acknowledged the Maharaja of
Lahore as his overlord and promised to pay an annual tribute of
20,000 rupees. In 1824 Muhammad Azim Khan, a brother of Dost
Muhammad and the wazir at Kabul, occupied Peshawar, which had been
evacuated by Yar Muhammad, and declared a Jehad (Holy war) against
the Sikhs. On 14 March 1824 a Sikh army of about 25,000 soldiers met
the 20,000 men of Azim Khan in the Battle of Nowshera (or Tibbi
Tehri) in which the Sikhs, who sustained heavy losses, finally put
the Afghans to rout. According to Lepel Griffin: "It was a critical
contest and decided, once for all, whether Sikhs or Afghans should
rule east of the Khyber, the mountains of the North West Frontier.
The Maharaja entered Peshawar on 17 March 1824, reinstated Yar
Muhammad, who now offered to pay an annual tribute of Rs 110,000,
and returned to Lahore on 27 April 1824. Yar Muhammad was killed in
1830, when Sayyid Ahmad Khan, a Muslim reformer, attacked and
occupied his capital. A Sikh army soon reoccupied the town and
Ranjit Singh now gave the feudatory state of Peshawar to Sultan
Muhammad Khan, a brother of the late Yar Muhammad and of Dost
Muhammad, the ruler at Kabul. Peshawar was definitively captured on
06 May 1834 [VS 1891] by a Sikh army nominally led by Prince Nau
Nihal Singh, who was then 14 years old, but in reality by the famous
Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa and General Ventura. Sultan Muhammad Khan
was given jagirs at Kohat and Hangu and Hari Singh became the first
Sikh governor of Peshawar and Hazara and commander of a garrison of
12,000 men. Although Ranjit Singh built and manned a net of forts
along the North West Frontier, he was not really able to control the
whole territory. "The Sikhs never collected revenue except by armed
forces, and every two or three years marched an army through the
districts to sweep up their arrears", but even so the cost of
holding an area whose governor quite often had to buy off the
rebellious Pathan tribes, was much higher than its revenue. Under
the Sikhs (and later under the British and even under the Government
of Pakistan) the traditional administration of the towns and
villages around Peshawar did not change much. The tribes of the
region were governed in the customary way by the heads of their
clans, the Khans, Maliks and Arbabs, and the jirgah, the Council of
the Elders. The local chiefs collected the taxes, which were rather
low, depending on the fertility of the land the Government normally
received only 1/8 to 1/4 of the produce. The revolt of the Sikh
armies, which started on 14 September 1848 in Multan and led to the
2nd Sikh War, very soon, spread to Peshawar and Bannu. By the end of
October the Sikh garrisons west of the river Indus had already
marched off to the Punjab and were replaced by Afghan troops under
Akram Khan, now allies of the Sikhs. On 21 March 1849 Peshawar,
recently abandoned by Dost Muhammad's army, was occupied by British
troops under General Gilbert and the Sikh rule over the place came
formally to its end.
|
|
|
|
Kharak Singh
coinage: VS 1896 (1839) |
|
|
KM#22.1 / Herrli 01.11.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1885 // 96 (1839).
Weight:
11.12g [10.90 - 11.20g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 23.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Coin. Mint:
Amritsar.
This type has frozen Date VS 1885 on the Obverse side. This coin is known as
Nanakshahi Rupee.
Note: The last two numerals on the
Reverse side is the actual date [96 = VS 1896 (1839)]. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "سکا زد برهر دو عالم فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح تیغ گوروگوبند سنگ شاه نانک واهب است" (Sikka zad
Bar Har do Alam Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath Teg-i-Guru Gobind Singh Shah
Nanak Wahib Ast) Nanakshahi couplet[Coin struck throught each of the two worlds by the grace
of the True Lord. Of the Victory gained by the Sword of Guru Gobind Singh,
King of kings, Nanak's sword is the provider]. Reverse Persian
Legend: "سری امرتسر جیو ضرب جلوس میمنت
بخت اکال تخت سنه" (Sri Aamritsarjiv Zarb Takht Akal Bakht Julus
Maimanat Manus Sanah, 1885) [Struck at illustrious Amritsar during the
prosperous reign of the fortunate Akal Takht, Year 1885]. Leaf in centre, Persian legend
around, mint name and Date.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS(18)93, VS(18)94, VS(18)95, VS(18)96, VS(18)97, VS(18)98, VS(18)99
and VS1903 [1836-1842 and 1846 CE].
Ruler:
issued during Kharak Singh's rule. |
|
KM#67 / Herrli 08.09.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1885 // 96 (1839).
Weight:
11.08g [10.90 - 11.10g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 22.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated (9 o' clock). Mint:
Lahore.
This type has frozen Date VS 1885 on the Obverse side. This coin is known as
Nanakshahi Rupee.
Note: The last two numerals on the
Reverse side is the actual date [96 = VS 1896 (1839)]. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "سکا زد برهر دو عالم فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح تیغ گوروگوبند سنگ شاه نانک واهب است" (Sikka zad
Bar Har do Alam Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath Teg-i-Guru Gobind Singh Shah
Nanak Wahib Ast) Nanakshahi couplet[Coin struck throught each of the two worlds by the grace
of the True Lord. Of the Victory gained by the Sword of Guru Gobind Singh,
King of kings, Nanak's sword is the provider]. Reverse Persian
Legend: "ضرب دار السلطنت لاهور سنه جلوس
میمنت مانوس" (Zarb Dar as-Sultanate Lahore Sanah
1885 Julus Maimanat Manus) [Struck at the
capital of Lahore in the year 1885 of the prosperous reign].
Leaf mark on the left on the Date.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS(18)93, VS(18)94, VS(18)95, VS(18)96 and VS(18)97 [1836-1840 CE].
Ruler:
issued during Kharak Singh's rule. |
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Nau Nihal
Singh / Chand Kaur coinage: VS 1897 (1840) |
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Same as above coin KM#22.1 / Herrli
01.11.04, but...
Rupee.
Year:
VS 1885 // 97 (1840).
Weight:
11.14g [10.90 - 11.20g].
Diameter: 22.00 mm.
Alignment:
Rotated (3 o' clock). Mint:
Amritsar.
Mintage: N/A.
Ruler:
issued during Nau Nihal Singh / Chand Kaur's rule. |
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Sher Singh coinage:
VS 1898-1900 (1841-1843) |
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KM#21.2 / Herrli 01.21.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS xxx4 (1884) // 98 (1841).
Weight:
11.03g [10.80 - 11.10g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 23.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated (1 o' clock). Mint:
Sri Amritsar Jiyo.
This type has frozen Date VS 1884 on the Obverse side. This coin is known as Gobindshahi Rupee.
Note: The last two numerals on the
Reverse side is the actual date [98 = VS 1898 (1841)]. After a lapse
of about 30 years the striking of Gobindshahi was resumed at
Amritsar. The coins under this reference number have on the Reverse
side, either "leaf at the top of the stem"
or "lower eye lashes". |
Obverse Persian
Legend: Gobindshahi couplet: "دیگ تیغ
وفتح نصرت بیدرنگ یافت ازنانک گور گوبند سنگ" (Deg
Teg o Fath Nusrat Be-Dirang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh)
[Abundance, Power and Victory (and) Assistance without delay are the
Gift of Nanak (and) Guru Gobind Singh]. Reverse Persian
Legend: "سری امرتسر جیو ضرب جلوس میمنت
بخت اکال تخت سنه" (Sri Aamritsarjiv Zarb Takht Akal Bakht Julus
Maimanat Manus Sanah, 1884) [Struck at illustrious Amritsar during the
prosperous reign of the fortunate Akal Takht, Frozen Year 1884]. Leaf in centre, Persian legend
around, mint name and date.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
1884/95 (1838), 1884/96 (1839), 1884/97
(1840), 1884/98 (1841), 1884/99 (1842) and 1884/67 [either an
error for or a badly cut 97] (1840).
Ruler:
issued during Sher Singh's rule.
Note: From VS 1832 to VS 1841/42 the Amristar coins had
"Sri Ambratsar Jiyo" written on them. Then the Sikhs corrected it to
"Sri Amritsar Jiyo". In Punjabi it is called "Ambratsar". The die
cutters knew Persian so a Sardar must have pronounced it "Ambratsar"
for him to engrave with "B" on the die. |
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KM#21.6 / Herrli 01.12.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1885 // 1900 (1843).
Weight:
approx. 11.12g [11.00 - 11.20g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 24.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated (9 o' clock). Mint:
Sri Amritsar Jiyo.
This type has frozen Date VS 1885 on the Obverse side.
This coin is known as Nanakshahi Rupee.
Type: Chhatra (umbrella) on
Obverse side and beaded flowers on Reverse side. This coin is rated
MS-62 by NGC. Ex. Ajit Singh collection. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "سکا زد برهر دو عالم فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح تیغ گوروگوبند سنگ شاه نانک واهب است" (Sikka zad
Bar Har do Alam Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath Teg-i-Guru Gobind Singh Shah
Nanak Wahib Ast) Nanakshahi couplet[Coin struck throught each of the two worlds by the grace
of the True Lord. Of the Victory gained by the Sword of Guru Gobind Singh,
King of kings, Nanak's sword is the provider].
Chhatra (umbrella) almost in
the center. Beaded flowers at various places // VS 1900. Reverse Persian
Legend: "سری امرتسر جیو ضرب جلوس میمنت
بخت اکال تخت سنه" (Sri Aamritsarjiv Zarb Takht Akal Bakht Julus
Maimanat Manus Sanah, 1885) [Struck at illustrious Amritsar during the
prosperous reign of the fortunate Akal Takht, Frozen Year 1885]. Leaf in centre, Persian legend
around, mint name and Date.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years: VS(18)99 [1842], VS1900 [1843] and VS1901
[1844].
Ruler:
issued during Sher Singh's rule. |
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Dhuleep Singh
coinage: VS 1900-1906 (1843-1849) |
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KM#22.9 / Herrli 01.12.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1885 // 1903 (1846).
Weight:
11.04g [11.0 - 11.20g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 23.50 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated (9 o' clock). Mint:
Amritsar,
This type has frozen Date VS 1885 on the Obverse side. This coin is known as
Nanakshahi Rupee. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: Gobindshahi couplet: "دیگ تیغ
وفتح نصرت بیدرنگ یافت ازنانک گور گوبند سنگ" (Deg
Teg o Fath Nusrat Be-Dirang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh)
[Abundance, Power and Victory (and) Assistance without delay are the
Gift of Nanak (and) Guru Gobind Singh].
Gurmakhi "State" beneath chhatra (umbrella)
// VS 1903. Reverse Persian
Legend: "سری امرتسر جیو ضرب جلوس میمنت
بخت اکال تخت سنه" (Sri Aamritsarjiv Zarb Takht Akal Bakht Julus
Maimanat Manus Sanah, 1885) [Struck at illustrious Amritsar during the
prosperous reign of the fortunate Akal Takht, Frozen Year 1885]. Leaf in centre, Persian legend
around, mint name and date.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS1903, VS1904 and VS1905 [1846-1848 CE].
Ruler:
issued during Dhuleep Singh's rule. |
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KM#52.2 / Herrli 06.51.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1902 [1845].
Weight:
10.93g [10.60 - 10.70g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 19.50 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated (9 o' clock). Mint:
Kashmir.
This coin is known as Gobindshahi
Rupee. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "ضرب کشمیر سری آکال پورله
یج ب" (Zarb Kashmir Sri Akal Purakhjib)
/ 1902 [Struck at Kashmir in the year 1902 at illustrious Srinagar].
Date VS 1902 of left side of leaf.
Reverse Persian
Legend: Gobindshahi couplet: "دیگ تیغ
وفتح نصرت بیدرنگ یافت ازنانک گور گوبند سنگ" (Deg
Teg o Fath Nusrat Be-Dirang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh)
[Abundance, Power and Victory (and) Assistance without delay are the
Gift of Nanak (and) Guru Gobind Singh].
Persian letter "Shin" in place of sword for
Kashmir governor Shaykh Ghulam Muhiyudin.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years: Mintage Years:
VS1900, VS1901, VS1902 and VS1903 [1843-1846 CE].
Ruler:
issued during Dhuleep Singh's rule.
Note: Additional marks on
Reverse side of Kashmir coin during each Year:
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KM#67 / Herrli 08.10.04 Rupee.
Year:
VS 1885 // 1902 (1845).
Weight:
11.03g [10.90 - 11.10g]. Metal:
Silver.
Diameter: 23.00 mm.
Edge:
Plain. Alignment:
Rotated (11 o' clock). Mint:
Lahore.
This type has frozen Date VS 1885 on the Obverse side. This coin is known as
Nanakshahi Rupee.
Full Date type under KM#67. |
Obverse Persian
Legend: "سکا زد برهر دو عالم فضل
سچا صاحب است فتح تیغ گوروگوبند سنگ شاه نانک واهب است" (Sikka zad
Bar Har do Alam Fazl Sachcha Sahib Ast Fath Teg-i-Guru Gobind Singh Shah
Nanak Wahib Ast) Nanakshahi couplet[Coin struck throught each of the two worlds by the grace
of the True Lord. Of the Victory gained by the Sword of Guru Gobind Singh,
King of kings, Nanak's sword is the provider]. Date VS 1902
at the top center position. Reverse Persian
Legend: "ضرب دار السلطنت لاهور سنه جلوس
میمنت مانوس" (Zarb Dar as-Sultanate Lahore Sanah
1885 Julus Maimanat Manus) [Struck at the
capital of Lahore in the Frozen year 1885 of the prosperous reign]. Leaf mark on the left on the Date.
Mintage: N/A.
Mintage Years:
VS1902 and VS1903 [1845-1846 CE].
Ruler:
issued during Dhuleep Singh's rule. |
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Early
Indian coins:
British India coins:
Coins of Indian Princely States and other
colonies:
Coins of "Republic of India" sorted under below
Presidential rulers:
Others:
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India |
Countries
/ Territories |
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Chiefa Coins | |
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