Squadron Leader Anil Sehgal
The third king of the Dogra dynasty , Maharaja Pratap Singh took over the reins of Jammu and Kashmir with a load of disadvantages.
His father Maharaja Ranbir Singh did not want him to succeed after him as a ruler of the state. Ranbir wanted his younger son Amar Singh to rule the state after him. He thought Amar Singh was smarter than Pratap Singh.
Ranbir Singh had apprised the British of his desire about the eventual succession. But, the British had other designs in mind. When Ranbir Singh expired on 12 September 1885, the British installed Pratap Singh as the next ruler.
With his coronation as the king of Jammu and Kashmir, the British also installed a British Resident in the state. Earlier, this arrangement proposed by the British was not accepted by Ranbir Singh. He never allowed an OSD ( officer on special duty ) to be promoted to the position of a Resident. Following the footsteps of his father, Pratap Singh also protested, but in vain.

Jammu Jottings

Therefore, his coronation started with a period of political tussle between Pratap Singh and the British who were suspicious about him and his intentions.
In four years’ time, the British deposed the king. They accused him of misgovernance, disloyal dealings with the Russian Empire, and a plot to murder his brothers and the British Resident. History tells us that it was a cunning ploy of the British to sully his image and undermine his authority.
This deposition was contrary to the Treaty of Amritsar of 1846, and the outcome of it was that Pratap Singh was reinstated. But a new ruling council was forced on him, which included his brother Amar Singh working under the supervision of the British Resident. The British could prove nothing against the Maharaja, though his image was well tarnished.
The Maharaja sagaciously kept his humiliation aside. For him, his subjects’ welfare was first and foremost. With a great deal of dexterity, he played with the hand he was dealt.
Armed with a farsighted vision, he embarked upon a journey of peace and prosperity for his people. He was a generous king, also dignified in his revenge against the misdeeds of the British. The king devised a unique way to vent his anger against the British.
Pratap Singh used to visit Shivalay, literal meaning “abode of Bhagwan Shiv”. Shivalay is a sacred Hindu temple situated at Panj Bakhtar Road in the old Jammu city and is also known as the “rupayon wala mandir”. It is so called because the tiles of the temple are embedded with the one rupee silver coins of the British times.
But, why are the tiles of this temple embedded with the British era silver coins of one rupee value ? I am told of an interesting tale.
His brush with the British had already upset the Maharaja no ends. He was enraged with the humiliation and false allegations thrust upon him . To register his disdain, disrespect and scorn, he embedded the silver coins showing the British crown or the face of the king so that for generations, his subjects will trample them under their feet !
Let me tell you another interesting tale relating to the Shivalay and Maharaja Pratap Singh.
There is a very old jujube tree ( “ber” in Hindi ) right in front of the sanctum sanctorum. Over the years, the tree has bent so much that strong wooden pillars were required to support the falling tree.
During his reign, Maharaja Pratap Singh once visited Shivalay to pay his obeisance. As he was moving around in the temple, his head struck the fruit bearing branches of the jujube tree and his Pagdi ( turban ) fell down.
The sycophant attendants of the Maharaja rushed to cut the branches. But, the wise king stopped them. There was no anger in his mind or face. In fact, he felt grateful to Bhagwan Shiv and said, ” This seems to be a blessing. My Bhagwan has saved me from some forthcoming grave situation. I am glad my turban has fallen at the feet of Bhagwan Shiv and no one else. It has certainly saved me from some impending bad omen.”
To express his gratitude to the Almighty God, he ordered a silver coating of the entire Shivling structure.
Pratap’s rule was a period of enlightenment , modernization and all round progress for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Colleges, hospitals, tehsil level dispensaries and health care facilities were provided to his subjects.
It may be interesting to know that before Maharaja Pratap Singh took over the reins of Jammu and Kashmir in his hands, there were no cars, horse driven vehicles ( tonga ) or bullock carts ( bael gari ) in the state. In fact, there was no wheeled conveyance in Jammu and Kashmir ! Not even a hand driven cart was seen in the state because there were no roads, so to say !
Pratap Singh brought roads to the state. You may call him the worthy and visionary forefather of Nitin Gadkari who is credited with the major improvement in the infrastructure of the surface transport in the country.
Born on 18 July 1848 at Reasi, Maharaja Pratap Singh, ruled for 40 long years, from 1885 to 1925 when he departed to the next world. This is the longest a king has served his subjects in Jammu and Kashmir.
His regime is considered the period of modernization and all round progress in fast tracks. Also, he succeeded in establishing the much needed peace in the state. We can safely call this period as the most beneficiary period for the Dograland.
Pratap Singh was undoubtedly a visionary ruler. He implemented historic land reforms in the state. Tillers were given the rights heretobefore unheard of.
In 1884, he abolished ” begar” that means forced labour. Under “begar”, members of the population are forced to perform unpaid work for the government. Similar to begar was “veth” wherein the peasants and “low-caste” people were forced to supply water to the ruler’s family; construct buildings, roads, and dams; and carry the dead and wounded soldiers. He abolished this practice too.
As early as 1887, rights of the farmers were defined and the share of the state was fixed for the next ten years. It was a win-win arrangement for both the stakeholders. The cultivators got the much needed security and the State increased its revenue by 100 percent !
In 1889, a major step of improvement in communication was taken when, despite the British apathy, the Jhelum Valley Cart Road, from Kohala to Baramulla was completed. It was called “the most wonderful mountain road in the world”. It was later extended to Srinagar.
Similarly, he built Banihal Cart Road ( popular B C road of Jammu )to connect Jammu with Srinagar. It was open to public in 1922.
Way back in the early 20th century, this visionary king wanted Srinagar to be connected by railways. He also envisaged a mono- cable rooeway, linking Jammu to Doru, across Banihal. These projects could not be realised for want of funds.
Cooperative movement was introduced in India in 1904. Pratap Singh introduced cooperatives to the state almost simultaneously. He also set–up local self – governing bodies to take the governance to the doorsteps of his subjects. Municipalities were set up in Jammu, Srinagar, Baramulla and Sopore, which improved hygiene and sanitation conditions in these parts of the state.
A modern farmhouse was opened in which techniques of modern irrigation and scientific ways of farming were displayed and farmers were trained to produce higher yields.
Pratap Singh established the then largest silk factory of the world in Srinagar. Cocoons were imported from Italy and France.
Modern hospitals, like SMGS ( Sri Maharaja Gulab Singh ) hospital of Jammu, were opened in the state. All tehsils were given primary health facilities and dispensaries were opened to provide healthcare at the doorsteps. Each dispensary enjoyed the presence of a qualified medical practitioner.
Education was a priority for this visionary king. He wanted his subjects to be educated. He opened many new schools for boys as well as the girls.
There were no degree colleges in the State. In 1905, he opened the first-ever degree college of the State in Srinagar. It is known as the famous SP College ( Sri Pratap College ). Noted alumni of this institution include Dr Karan Singh, Rahman Rahi, General OP Malhotra, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and Ramanand Sagar .
Jammu got her first degree college in 1907. It was called Prince of Wales College. Later it was rechristened as Government Gandhi Memorial Science College, after the partition of the British India. It boasts of famous alumni like Prof. Balraj Madhok, Ghulam Nabi Azad, General N C Vij, and two former chief justices of the Supreme Court of India, namely, my maternal cousin Dr Adarsh Sein Anand and my dear friend Tirath Singh Thakur.
Like Maharaja Pratap Singh, I too have a special reverence for Shivalay. This temple has always been very close to my heart. I used to visit this temple almost every day, during my studentship in the city. On a personal note, ny mundan ceremony was performed in this holy place, the great ancient temple of Bhagwan Shiv.
There are a few shops on the outer side of the temple complex. They are tenants of the temple. In olden days, one of the outlets was run by a halwai, a seller of milk products like cottage cheese and curd. After paying my respects to Bhagwan Shiv, I invariably enjoyed eating large chunks of cottage cheese or paneer, as we call it.
Paneer, the cottage cheese, was sold at rupees six a kilogram, right up to the early seventies ! That was my Jammu of the yore !

Follow our WhatsApp channel