Col J P Singh
The rise of Dogras and formation of Jammu and Kashmir as a single entity began in such turbulent times of the history when the Marathas, the Rajputs of Rajputana and Sikhs of Punjab; all rebelled against tyrannical Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Decline of Mughal empire led to a period of great turbulences and instability in India. Afghans, Persians, Sikhs and later the British took advantage of this empirical disarray. The Sikh military power under Maharaja Ranjit Singh reached its zenith at about this time. Rise of Gulab Singh and formation of Jammu and Kashmir and its indigenous Dogra State Force also happened in this turbulent period.
As is well known, Maharaja Gulab Singh was the founder of a dynasty which created a vast empire of its own in Northwest India spanning over 23 Lakh Sq Miles which his descedents ruled for over a century. While the other renowned Indian rulers such as Maharana Partap and Chhatrapati Shivaji are known to have fought their adversaries to defend their bastion, but it was Maharaja Gulab Singh who extended boundary of his empire outwards by adding far off principalities of Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Tibet. He is the only ruler who extended Indian boundaries upto Central Asia in the nineteenth century. His empire touched the borders of Tibet in the East, China in the Northeast, Central Asian Republics in the North, NWFP and Afghanistan in the Northwest. Russian empire remainrd 5/6 kms away, separated by Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan. It provided great strategic depth to Delhi. His empire was surrounded by nearly half the world population and hence became a trade corridor of the world. This is what he and J&K means most to India even today.
At the tender age of 16, Gulab Singh distinguished himself in the ‘Battle of Gumat’. He led young Dogras and blunted the successes of Sikh Army. Impressed by his swordsmanship, Sardar Hukam Singh, the invading Sikh Chief, narrated the story of his prowess to Maharaja Ranjit Singh for which the emperor rewarded him by appointing him as cavalryman. Within 13 years, on 17 June 1822, Punjab Emperor anointed him as Raja of Jammu under Jio Pota tree on the Chenab bank at Akhnoor. (Jio means long live, Pota means grandson). Like Tulsi, Jio Pota plant was a symbol of prosperity of their offsprings). Later Gulab Singh commanded the same army which he fought against in the Battle of Gumat. Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Tourism Minister, accompanied by Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP visited Jeo Pota at on 17 December 2019 where he was received and briefed by Th. K P Singh, Chairman Raj Tilak Celebration Committee. Union Minister heard the story of Maharaja Gulab Singh and history of Dogra Rule kneely and assured its promotion.
Story of life and achievements of Gulab Singh flows like a sequel of a Bollywood hit movie. Starting as a sibbling of a Jagirdar, by virtue of his military skills, rose to be a founder of a vast empire in the most difficult and diverse part of the Indian sub-continent. Ironically no Bollywood film or a TV Serial has been made on him yet. However a documentary film, ‘Gulab Gatha’ made by Balwant Thakur and two (one especially on the Coronation) by Saurav Verma, another emerging Jammu artist and associated with ‘Voice of Dogras’ have been made. They have been screened in various institutions in Jammu, outside and abroad. As the awareness about J&K history has increased, particularly after its reorganisation, soon a historical film is also expected.
History of Jammu and Kashmir, as would be seen, took a new turn after Gulab Singh’s coronation and is practically the history of vision of one man. The vision was both economic and military. Undoubtedly the motivation behind such adventures was the revenue generating ‘Pashmina Trade’. Being very ambitious, he undertook unprecedented risks of life. In 1818, he took part in the battle of Multan. During the siege, he volunteered to retrieve the body of Emperor’s most favorite Commander Sadhu Singh, who had fallen under the fort wall. Despite heavy enemy firing and greatest risk to life, Gulab Singh retrieved the body. This gallant act was lauded by emperor of Punjab in his court.
Gulab Singh needed finances and finances would come from Pashmina Trade. Pashmina trade was carried out over the vast Silk Route running from Lhasa to Europe. To get finances from Silk route he had to have control over it. One must give full credit to his vision that he managed to have entire Silk route pass through his empire. He used diplomacy and military might to do so. It made the Dogra Empire rich to enable further campaigns and conquests.
Gulab Singh is projected to have risen from a very humble background. Even ‘Gulab Gatha’ depicts him a normal person. I refute it. Gulab Singh was the descendent of one of the famous Dogra clan, which ruled Jammu in the 18th century during the decline of Mughal rule. His grandfather, Mian Zorawar Singh, was son of Mian Surat Dev, the younger brother of Raja-e-Rajgan Ranjit Dev who ruled Jammu and Sialkot from 1728 to 1780. Mian Mota, Wazir of Raja Ajit Singh of Jammu, was elder brother of Mian Zorawar Singh. Gulab Singh was brought up under Main Mota’s care in Mubarak Mandi Palaces where he learnt soldiery, diplomacy and courtiership. That is how he became the most trusted military commander and strategist of emperor Ranjit Singh. At no occasion, till death, Maharaja Ranjit Singh ever had any occasion or reason to regret his dependence on Dogra Raja in all the military campaigns he undertook to enlarge Sikh empire right upto Kabul and Kandhar. Now, look at the other side of the story. By his astute wisdom and diplomacy, Gulab Singh, honourably regained the lost Jammu Raj of his ancestors, from the same Emperor, who had made it part of Sikh empire militarily in 1808. The story doesn’t end there. His ambitions to add new territories made him conquerer of Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Western Tibet between 1834 to 1841. His selection of General Zorawar Singh Kahluria for conquering these difficult areas was yet another example of his foresightedness. Therefore political history of Jammu and Kashmir is the biography of Maharaja Gulab Singh. This is the legacy that we had when British left in 1947. But where is what he left? Within two years the new rulers of India and J&K lost Gilgit-Baltistan and PoJK to just born Pakistan only to remember these regions again when China started constructing CPEC. Only an apocalyptic event can bring these areas back to J&K and by extension India. Now what is left is a skeleton after it has been downgraded to the status of an adjunct of New Delhi. These shortsighted changes may have given China an opportunity to put across their claims to current incursions in ‘Little Tibet’ ie Ladakh. Can we turn our faces away from these hard facts? If it were not the conquests of Maharaja Gulab Singh to enhance his empire, Indo-Pak & India-China borders in the North probably would have been settled along River Chenab, if not Ravi, at the time of partition. Hence Indian nation owes a lot to Maharaja Gulab Singh. It is never too late to reedem.
Maharaja Gulab Singh’s prominence can be attributed to three main factors, which infact, apply to all of us. Self. He was able, assiduous and robust, the qualities which made him a great warrior. Family. In his meteoric rise, he had tremendous support of his illustrious father and brothers. His brothers, Mian Dhian Singh and Mian Suchet Singh, by their political acumen, had acquired remarkable strength and patronage at Lahore Darbar. He received lavish praise, rewards and gratitude for his services to Lahore Darbar from emperor Ranjit Singh.
I am sure events such as founder ruler’s birthday and coronation day celebrations every year, this year as a simple and symbolic ceremony, due to Corona pandemic, will go a long way in challenging young scholars and historians to discover the exploits of Maharaja Gulab Singh from security, strategic and economic angles and display them to the world community. As per Director JKBOSE, “the Text Books of social sciences from Class VI to X will be changed with the inclusion of history of erstwhile J&K State”. (postponed to next year due to the pandemic).
(The author is co-chairman of Raj Tilak Celebration Committee)
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