The final days of the Sikh Empire
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
Last week marked 169 years since the Sarkar-e-Khalsa was annexed by the British Empire, at the end of the second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849. The young Maharaja Duleep Singh was exiled from Lahore to England, as the British took control of the former Sikh Empire. The Khalsa Raj had begun when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore in 1799, and at its peak it included all of Punjab, Delhi and continued to the Khyber Pass (Afghanistan/Pakistan) on its western front. The expansion towards the west was halted after the Battle of Jamrud, in which the Afghans manage to kill the great Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa. However the Sikhs managed to crush the harsh Pashtun rebellion, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh marched, with his troops, into Kabul.
The Raj was thriving and flourishing but what lead to its downfall? How could such a powerful Empire be conquered? It is said that the Sikhs would have never lost the empire if they had followed what Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj had said:
Jab Lag Khalsa Rahe Niara (As long as the Khalsa remains distinct)
- Daas
Last week marked 169 years since the Sarkar-e-Khalsa was annexed by the British Empire, at the end of the second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849. The young Maharaja Duleep Singh was exiled from Lahore to England, as the British took control of the former Sikh Empire. The Khalsa Raj had begun when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore in 1799, and at its peak it included all of Punjab, Delhi and continued to the Khyber Pass (Afghanistan/Pakistan) on its western front. The expansion towards the west was halted after the Battle of Jamrud, in which the Afghans manage to kill the great Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa. However the Sikhs managed to crush the harsh Pashtun rebellion, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh marched, with his troops, into Kabul.
The Raj was thriving and flourishing but what lead to its downfall? How could such a powerful Empire be conquered? It is said that the Sikhs would have never lost the empire if they had followed what Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj had said:
Tab Lag Tej Dion Me Sara (I will give them all my Power)
Jab Eh Gahe Bipran Ki Reet (When it goes the other way around)
Me Naa Karo En Ki Parteet (I never shall never do it's protection)
It was during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, that the Sikh Sardars began to do things which were against the Khalsa. Instead of Anand Karaj, they would do the Bedi Pehren (Hindu Wedding). The Sardars began to lose their faith in each other and started to drink alcohol. Ranjit Singh himself, called Hindu priests into the Khalsa Darbar and he put the Hindu Dogra brothers in charge of state affairs. Jathedar Akali Baba Phula Singh Nihang was against the actions of Ranjit Singh and he said that if he did not banish the Hindu priests and the Dogra brothers from the Khalsa Darbar, they would bring the Empire to an end. As the Empire got more powerful, the more the Sardars were being distracted by worldly pleasures, the more they fought over land. Many generals like Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa agreed with Jathedar Akali Phula Singh, but Ranjit Singh didn't listen and ultimately the Sikh Empire fell because of it began to get further and further away from the Sikh principles which it had been built on. It only got worse after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, as the Raj lacked the leadership which he had displayed.
In the end, it was internal divisions and political mismanagement that lead to the downfall of the Empire. The upcoming British Empire, which had barbarically torn through Eastern India, took advantage of this and launched the first series of Anglo-Sikh Wars. The Sikhs put up a good fight as always, and it was only in the second series of Anglo-Sikh Wars that the British managed to annex the Sarkar-e-Khalsa.
Bhul chuk maaf karni (forgive me for my many mistakes).
- Daas
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