Maharaja Ranjit Singh ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ महाराजा रणजीत सिंह مهاراجه رنجیت سنگھ |
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Maharaja of Punjab Maharaja of Lahore Sher-i-Punjab (Lion of Punjab) Sarkar-i-Wallah (Head of State) Sarkar Khalsa ji (Head of the Army) Napoleon of East Lord of Five Rivers Singh Sahib |
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Maharaja Ranjit Singh
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Reign | 12 April 1801 – 27 June 1839 |
Investiture | 12 April 1801 |
Successor | Maharaja Kharak Singh |
Born | ਬੁਧ ਸਿੰਘ, بدھ سنگھ Buddh Singh 13 November 1780 Gujranwala, Sukerchakia Misl (modern-day Pakistan) |
Died | 27 June 1839 Lahore, Punjab, Sikh Empire (present-day Pakistan) |
(aged 58)
Burial | Cremated remains stored in the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
Father | Sardar Mahan Singh |
Mother | Raj Kaur |
Religion | Sikhism |
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjabi: ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ, महाराजा रणजीत सिंह, مهاراجه رنجیت سنگھ ) November 13, 1780 – 27 June 1839), was the founder of the Sikh Empire, which came to power in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10. After his father died, he fought several wars to expel the Afghans in his teenage years, and was proclaimed as the "Maharaja of Punjab" at age 21. His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839.
Prior to his rise, the Punjab region had numerous warring misls (confederacies), twelve of which were under Sikh rulers and one Muslim. Ranjit Singh successfully absorbed and united the Sikh misls and took over other local kingdoms to create the Sikh Empire. He repeatedly defeated invasions by Muslim armies, particularly those arriving from Afghanistan, and established friendly relations with the British.
Ranjit Singh's reign introduced reforms, modernization, investment into infrastructure, and general prosperity. His Khalsa army and government included Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Europeans. His legacy includes a period of Sikh cultural and artistic renaissance, including the rebuilding of the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar as well as other major gurudwaras, including Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Bihar and Hazur Sahib Nanded, Maharashtra under his sponsorship. He was popularly known as Sher-i-Punjab, or "Lion of Punjab".
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was succeeded by his son, Maharaja Kharak Singh.