Col J P Singh
The first half of 19th century witnessed the fall of Marathas, Gurkhas and Mughals while battling against the expansion of British supremacy in India. But the Sikhs during this period gained tremendous power in Lahore and made Punjab an impregnable fortress to dent British move into Punjab. By 1846 Sikhs were no more the ruler of Punjab. Ironically their downfall was as swift as their rise. From amongst Lahore Darbar rose a soldier-statesman who shaped the destiny of the sub-continent. The State of Jammu & Kashmir, now Union Territory, was a unique creation of that Dogra soldier-statesman Gulab Singh. From Jammu as foothold, he rapidly proceeded to build up an empire, by conquering Ladakh in 1830s, Gilgit-Baltistan in 1840s and Western Tibet in 1841 which spanned over 84 thousand sq miles, largest in India, which his descendents ruled for a century. His empire touched the borders of Tibet, China, Central Asian Republics & NWFPs. He is the only ruler who extended Indian boundaries up to Karakoram & Central Asia (His son extended it to Aksai Chin across Karakoram). It provided extensive strategic depth to Indian heartland. His empire was surrounded by nearly half the world population and hence became a trade corridor of the world. To illuminate the phenomenal achievements of the Dogra ruler, a Coronation Day function is held on 17 June at Jeo Pota Akhnoor every year which commemorates that Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the emperor of Punjab had himself solemnized the Coronation of Raja Gulab Singh as ruler of Jammu in 1822. Coronation at Akhnoor and by the mighty ruler of Punjab raises curiosity on why himself and why at Akhnoor. The answer probably lies in analyzing the dynamics of formation of Dogra kingdom North of Punjab at a time when the world was groping with financial challenges post Napoleonic European wars and collapse of Spanish economy. At the same time British East India Company was increasing its hold on sub-continental trade and becoming a formidable threat to the integrity and economy of Indian nation. Maharaja Ranjit Singh apart from being a powerful ruler was a visionary, far ahead of times. He is known to have outwitted East India Company officials many times infusing a sense of fear in them thus denting their expansion Northwards. Seeing British challenges still looming large, he let the Dogra warrior rule the troubled Northern borders of his empire while staying focused on the sovereignty of his empire.
As is well known, following the battle of Gumat in 1808, the kingdom of Jammu was annexed by Ranjit Singh as Jagir of his son Prince Kharak Singh. Kashmir was conquered in 1819. In both the battles Mian Gulab Singh played a sterling role as a foe in the first and as commander of Sikh forces in the second. Capture of Kashmir was very significant for Lahore Darbar because of the Silk production and trade. It may be recalled that first attempt to invest Kashmir miserably failed because Raja of Rajouri betrayed Sikhs at the last minute. Another factor often ignored is that after his failed Kashmir campaign of 1814, Maharaja Ranjit Singh wanted all the Dogra Principalities between Ravi & Jhelum secured before final Kashmir campaign which Gulab Singh enabled. Gulab Singh captured Aghar Khan, Raja of Rajouri alive and produced him in Lahore Darbar thus enabling the capture of Kashmir. In 1820, in recognition of services rendered by Gulab Singh and his family, Maharaja Ranjit Singh bestowed the Jammu region as a hereditary fief upon Mian Kishore Singh, father of Gulab Singh. Gulab Singh conquered Kishtwar from Raja Tegh Mohammad Singh in 1821. Same year, Gulab Singh took part in the Sikh conquest of Dera Ghazi Khan and quelled Mian Dido led Dogra rebellion against Sikhs.
Before proceeding further the mystery of Akhnoor needs to be explored. North of Chenab lay the Muslim principalities and to its South lay Hindu principalities. Akhnoor which had been made a vassal state earlier in 1807 was a central place for the political event. Entire timber flowed to Punjab through Chenab. To control timber trade, control of Akhnoor by the trusted Dogra chief was the first step in that direction. Applying Raj Tilak himself, Emperor gave an unmistakable message that Gulab Singh was his most trusted man on the spot. Chenab was a formidable obstacle. Mian Dido led type Dogra rebellion was not ruled out. To fully empower Gulab Singh, the Emperor put his entire weight behind the Dogra Chief by himself solemnizing the coronation.
Achievements of Gulab Singh. In 1837, after the death of Hari Singh Nalwa in the Battle of Jamrud, the Muslim tribes of Sudhan, Tanolis, Karrals, Dhunds, Sattis and Maldayal rose in revolt in Hazara and Poonch. The insurgency of Poonch was led by Shams Khan, a Chief of the Sudhan tribe and former confidential follower of Raja Dhyan Singh. Thus the betrayal of Shams Khan Sudhan against the regime was taken personally by the Emperor and Gulab Singh was given the task of crushing the rebellion. After defeating the insurgents in Hazara and Murre hills, Gulab Singh stayed at Kahuta for some time and promoted disunion among the insurgents. Then he sent forces to crush the insurgents. Eventually, Shams Khan Sudhan and his nephew Raj Wali Khan were betrayed and their heads were cut off during their sleep while their lieutenants were captured, flayed alive and put to death. This earned Gulab Singh more trust.
Wisdom of Gulab Singh. Few have utilized undreamt opportunities better than Gulab Singh and his two brothers Dhian Singh and Suchet Singh and hence their rise in the Sikh Darbar was phenomenal. Gulab Singh, in particular, often looked for opportunities to serve the interests of his master Maharaja Ranjit Singh and with every exploit in the battlefield he not only made himself indispensable but received generous rewards. This expanded his sphere of influence as also his resources with the addition of profitable Jagirs.
Mian Kishore Singh died in 1822. Hence Gulab Singh was confirmed as Raja of Jammu by his suzerain. Shortly afterward, Gulab Singh secured a formal declaration of renunciation of his claim over Jammu Raj from his own kinsman, the deposed Raja of Jammu Jit Singh. As Raja of Jammu, Gulab Singh became one of the most powerful chiefs of Sikh Empire Under the feudal Army convention, he was entrusted to keep a personal army of 3 Infantry Regiments, 15 light & 40 heavy Guns which made him a powerful military chieftain
As he grew in stature and reputation in the court of Maharaja, he became an object of envy that remained dormant as long as the ‘Lion of Punjab’ was alive but came out in open when weak and inefficient successors followed him. Many foreigners were perplexed by the enormity of influence that he exercised in the court and the expanse of the territory he ruled. After 1846 when he became Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit & Baltistan, the attitude of British changed as it surfaced that a chance had been lost by them of pushing their frontiers in the North & Northwest. Hence they reversed their policy. A massive campaign began to malign him. But the Dogra ruler managed to survive. That narrative continues to come in the way of recognition due to great Dogra ruler and his successors.
After the Napoleonic era, Maharaja Ranjit Singh also faced complex problems when British were trying to augment their financial resources from India while the Russians were trying to do the same in Central Asia. Thus the era of exploitation of economic opportunities followed. That obviously led Gulab Singh to explore Ladakh region to be a significant trade player in such trade race. Hence the Ladakh conquest illustrates the dynamics of geo-strategic gains. It also reveals the indigenous challenges that Gulab Singh encountered as ruler of Jammu under the suzerainty of Lahore Darbar. He faced even bigger challenges in reconciling with his geo-strategic ambitions and the duty of safeguarding the political interests of his master. While doing so he had to face lot of complexities. It is important to understand that Ladakh campaign couldn’t have been undertaken without the connivance of Lahore Darbar when there is enough evidence to show that East India Company was trying to reach out to Western Tibet by bypassing Ladakh route to divert Pashmina & Tea trade from China. That would have affected Ladakh & Kashmir trade and Lahore revenues. Maharaja Ranjit Singh suspected that his intervention in Ladakh might offend the British. On the contrary if Ladakh campaign was led by Dogras and objected by British, he had the excuse of claiming that Dogras had done it and would be reprimanded. With the deniability factor injected, Lahore just sat back & watched Dogras pursuing this objective relentlessly. That is why the Ladakh campaign was not undertaken from Kashmir or Kullu leaving deniability with the Emperor should the British intervene.
Gulab Singh was one of those great-grand personalities that India produced during the 19th Century. His successful military campaigns to expand his territories invokes global admiration. It was his diplomacy combined with his sharp wit and level headedness that helped him to survive in the bloody and turbulent times in which he lived. Gulab Singh was the first person to perceive the anarchy & turmoil that engulfed Lahore Darbar due to which extension of the company rule North of Sutlej was inevitable and according to his calculations, his future could only be ensured by collaborating with British. By neutralizing contradictions on his own terms, Gulab Singh succeeded in establishing a peaceful rule in an area which had never seen it from the beginning of the history. Thus the acclamation on 17 June.
(The author is a member of Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust).
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