Maharaja Ranjit Singh Death Anniversary: 10 Lesser Known Facts About the Sher-e-Punjab

MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH DEATH BIRTHDAY: Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the powerful leader of the Sikh Empire that lasted for almost 40 years. The Maharajas’ headquarters, headquartered in Amritsar-Lahore, stretched from one end of Kashmir to Peshawar at the other. Considered one of the most powerful leaders of his time, Singh became the Maharaja of Punjab at the age of 21. He was also known as Sher-e-Punjab.

On this day in the year 1839 he breathed his last. Here are some facts about the legendary ruler as we remember him on the day of his death:

Ranjit Singh was born on November 13, 1870 in Gujranwala in Punjab – now in Pakistan.
As a baby, he got the smallpox infection that left him blind in his left eye.
He was a skilled martial artist and well trained in the Sikh tradition of fighting.
As a teenager, Singh fought military battles with his father.
He earned credit for his exemplary display of strength and courage in the war against the invading Afghans.
Singh was given the title of Maharaja after successfully uniting many fringe Sikh groups scattered across the Northwestern Region under one umbrella.
The Maharaja was a model of secularism, as his army included Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and European Christians.
Though his army had manpower from different religions, Singh was against eating and smoking beef and the rule was sacred.
Under his rule, several large townships emerged as centers of trade, art and commerce. Srinagar, Attock, Peshawar, Bannu, Rawalpindi, Jammu, Gujrat, Sialkot, Kangra, Amritsar, Lahore and Multan were some of the cities under the Sikh Empire of the Maharaja.
The mighty Sikh Empire under his leadership withstood the onslaught of the British East India Company in the early 1800s. The Anglo-Sikh Wars caused the downfall of the Sikh Empire which paved the way for the formation of the British province of Punjab in 1849.

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