Col. J P Singh
The first half of 19th century witnessed a massive political turmoil in the Indian Sub-Continent. It saw the fall of Marathas, Gurkhas and Mughals while battling against the supremacy of the British. While this was happening, Sikhs gained tremendous power in Lahore and made Punjab an impregnable fortress. Ironically swept by the same turmoil, their downfall was as swift as their rise. By 1846 Sikhs were no more the ruler of Punjab. From among the remaining soldier-statesmen from Punjab, there rose a Dogra Warrior who shaped the destiny of the sub-continent. He was Maharaja Gulab Singh who created a vast State of Jammu & Kashmir. He was born to Mian Kishore Singh, a Jagirdar of Anderwah, in 1892 and had joined the Sikh Army to rise as the most trusted General of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Impressed with his strategic acumen, Maharaja Ranjit Singh himself coronated him on 17 June 1822 at Jeo Pota as ruler of Jammu.
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. The empire spanned over 85 thousand sq miles, largest in India, which his descendants ruled for a century. His empire touched the borders of Tibet, Nepal, China, Central Asian Republics, NWFPs and nearly touched Afghanistan. He is the only ruler who extended Indian boundaries up to Karakoram and Central Asia. (His son extended the empire upto Aksai Chin across Karakoram). His empire was surrounded by nearly half the world population and hence became a trade corridor of the world. While the other renowned Indian rulers such as Maharana Partap and Shivaji Maratha are known to have fought their adversaries bravely to defend their bastion, it was Maharaja Gulab Singh who extended boundary of his empire outwards extensively into others bastions. It provided great strategic depth to the rest of India. This is what Maharaja Gulab Singh did. But the nation seems to be ignorant of it. Leave aside the public, ironically intelligentsia has also not acknowledged his monumental achievements. Despite the relentless pursuits of glittering legacy, justice has not been done to Dogra ruler and Dogra history. And that has been taken for granted.
Maharaja Gulab Singh wasn’t an ordinary man. He was descendent 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, who was Wazir-e Azam of Raja Jit Singh of Jammu, was his Tato (Taya). Gulab Singh was brought up under Tato’s care in Mubarak Mandi Palaces where he learnt soldiery, diplomacy and courtiership. By virtue of his inheritance and performance, he became the most trusted military commander and strategist of Punjab Emperor. At no occasion, till death, emperor ever had any occasion or reason to regret his dependence on Dogra General 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. Once firm in Jammu, he goes on adding smaller principalities to Jammu Raj, much like Sardar Patel’s initiative after independence, to ultimately create a vast empire. Therefore political history of Jammu and Kashmir is the biography of one man i.e. Maharaja Gulab Singh and that is what remains to be acknowledged.
Kashmir had been conquered by the Sikhs from Afghans in 1819. After their defeat in Anglo-Sikh War, Sikhs ceded Kashmir to British against war indemnity. In 1846, as a result of his neutrality in the first Anglo-Sikh War, Raja Gulab Singh was granted full control over Kashmir. Governor Henry Hardinge was reluctant to stretch British direct rule into what was then an extremely exposed flank. He immediately transferred it to the ruler of Jammu through the Treaty of Amritsar of 16 March 1846 for a sum of Rs. 75 lakh.
The State of J&K, thus assembled, was, in the context of the broad sweep of Indian history, totally a new polity, quite without earlier precedent. It was of considerable complexity also. The original heartland Jammu was predominantly Hindu population, Kashmir overwhelmingly Muslim with a small but extremely influential Pandits community, Ladakh a Buddhist majority whereas Gilgit-Baltistan predominantly Shia Muslims. All these regions were amazingly diverse in geography, religions, culture and languages.
Maharaja Gulab Singh needed finances and finances flew mainly from Pashmina Trade. Pashmina trade was carried out over the vast Silk Route running from Lhasa to Europe. He understood that occupation of Himalayan Kingdoms would give him monopoly over Lhasa-Kashmir & Lhasa-Gilgit trade routes. Leh town was the nerve centre of flourishing Pashmina trade from Lhasa, Sinkiang and Kashmir. Pashmina was the raw material for rich Shawl industry of Kashmir and its source was undercoat wool of Northwestern Tibet. To get finances from Silk route he had to have control over it. Ambitious but cautious, he undertook his ambitious campaigns across snow bound Himalayas. 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. All this was the handwork of a visionary Dogra whose legacy makes one proud.
With the Indian independence, began the dismantling of Maharaja Gulab Singh’s empire. Initial phase began when strategic Gilgit-Baltistan was surreptitiously given over to Pakistan through British engineered coup of Gilgit Scouts. What followed is wrapped in mystery. Historians are yet to explain why Indian army which marched from Srinagar, crossed Zojila, reached Kargil further marched Eastwards to Leh instead of turning to the Kargil-Skardu road where the State Forces had held out till 15 August 1948.
The final phase began on 5th August 2019 when the Princely State was split into two UTs. With this division of the state, the glorious achievements of Dogra Dynasty are receding from public memory. What is to be appreciated is that if it were not the conquests of Maharaja Gulab Singh to the North, at the time of partition, Indo-Pak and Sino-Indian borders would have settled along River Ravi and we would have been dislodged. Hence we owe a lot to him. Moreover strong economy of Kashmir, based on tourism, cottage industry and flourishing trade, is his gift to Kashmiris.
Rather than be grateful to illustrious founder of J&K and celebrating its structure and pluralism, various State Govts have depressed them. This is not fair and just whatever the compulsions be. There is persistent demand for the restoration of statehood to J&K. Former CM of NC has categorically stated that he will not humiliate himself by entering a legislature of a UT. His pride is appreciable. But let us ask such votaries of statehood if they were celebrating the creation of this state. If not, such statements are hypocritical. All said and done, to keep achievements of founder of the state alive, various monumental edifices of erstwhile state be named after him. In addition events such as founder ruler’s birthday and coronation day should be celebrated in every nook and corner of the UT to justify claim for its statehood. The neglected history of J&K should get due attention and founder of J&K must be given his due is the need of hour.
(The author is member of management committee of Maharaja Gulab Singh memorial trust).
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