Col J P Singh
A national seminar is being held in Jammu University by the Dept of History and J&K Study Centre of JU in collaboration with NIIT India in Brig Rajinder Singh auditorium from 26&27 April 2022 on Maharaja Ranbir Singh and making of Jammu & Kashmir.
It is rather difficult to describe the wisdom, foresight and valour of Dogra Rulers by which they formed a vast empire out of diverse geographical, religious, cultural and linguistic regions and ruled for more than a century. While the history of formation of J&K State by Maharaja Gulab Singh has been well documented by historians and talked about in public, the subsequent period involving consolidation of this huge empire, stretching from Pamir Plateau in the North to plains of Punjab in the South, by his successor is perceived to have received much lesser attention. His son, Ranbir Singh did it. Maharaja Ranbir Singh was enthroned by Maharaja Gulab Singh himself in 1856. He out performed his visionary father in every aspect. Hence an effort is made to bring to public knowledge some of his several remarkable contributions in consolidating the vast empire, which he inherited, so much like ‘Ashoka the Great’ which we are / weren’t being told.
Maharaja Ranbir Singh was born in the month of Sawan 1887, corresponding to August 1830 at Ramgarh, the original Jagir of Gulab Singh where the family generally lived after he became Raja of Jammu. He was called Mian Feena when young. During 1830s Ranbir Singh’s family had become supreme in the entire Duggerland on both sides of Chenab, from Poonch in the North to Jasrota in the South. His father Gulab Singh was the most powerful grandee of Lahore Darbar, second only to the sovereign emperor, whose younger brothers, Dhian Singh was the Prime Minister at Lahore Darbar and Suchet Singh was an influential and established courtier of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well as a remarkable military leader. Hence Ranbir Singh was indeed born to rule.
On 20th February 1856, Maharaja Gulab Singh anointed Ranbir Singh with his own hands in the Thakurdwara and put a saffron tilak on his forehead. From Thakurdwara the royal procession moved to Purani Mandi Jammu where the prince was formally seated on the royal throne. Diwan Kirpa Ram was appointed his secretary whose able son, Jawala Sahai as the prime minister. On this occasion British govt presented him a Khilat as token of their recognition of his accession. Tribute was were also paid to the new maharaja by all the chiefs, nobles, generals and courtiers.
Raja Suchet Singh had no issue. He declared Ranbir Singh as successor. Being youngest son, Ranbir Singh had no chance of succeeding his father but the providence had destined premiership for him. His brother Udham Singh got killed in Lahore in September 1840 and other brother Sohan Singh was killed in December 1844, along with his nephew Raja Hira Singh, then Prime Minister of Sikh Kingdom, as a victim of anti-Dogra campaign. Thereafter Ranbir Singh became the sole inheritor of the Kingdom.
In 1844, when Ranbir Singh was 14, his father saw the powerful Lahore kingdom collapse due to the neglect of proper grooming to the ‘heir apparent’. Sikh empire collapsed soon after Maharaja Ranjit Singh died. Maharaja Gulab Singh therefore paid special attention to Ranbir Singh’s grooming. In order to avoid Punjab like situation under his successor, Maharaja had given enough opportunities to Ranbir Singh to lead many military expeditions independently. He was also destined to share the gravest misfortune of his father during 1845, when Jammu was invaded by the Sikh army with the objective of destroying Gulab Singh and annexing entire Jammu Raj. In this battle Ranbir Singh defended Ramnagar and Utter Behni which he had inherited from uncle Suchet Singh. The entire year cast the shadow of misfortunes over Jammu Raj. Hence Ranbir Singh had to face many privations as young prince, in the making of a ruler. It was not he alone, the entire family spent most part of their lives in military expeditions and armed conflicts in which all others expect Ranbir Singh and his father fell victim to the sword. It was thus natural for Ranbir Singh to grow as a soldier and get trained in the art of warfare to be a Warrior King, like his father, to effectively rule his kingdom.
From his early age, he accompanied his father to various campaigns which made him a professional soldier and an efficient commander. In 1847, after having taken possession of entire Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Gulab Singh sent Ranbir Singh, when 17, to Shimla to wait upon Lord Hardinge, the Governor-General of India, to offer him thanks and pay first tribute for all the favours he had shown towards them. When Maharaja Gulab Singh died, Ranbir Singh was 28 and sufficiently experienced to take upon himself the arduous responsibilities of a ruler of largest princely state.
Major part of his early life was spent in military campaigns. Most of the areas of Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and the frontiers remained under turmoil after Maharaja Gulab Singh’s death. It fell upon young ruler to establish his authority in these areas and to evolve an effective administrative system. By military and diplomatic initiatives, he acquired varied degree of effective control over the frontiers of Chilas, Punial, Yasin, Darel, Hunza and Nagar by 1870.
The year following Ranbir Singh’s coronation ie 1857, was the most turbulent year of Indian history but a comparatively peaceful period in J&K. The young ruler was filled with youthful ambitions to uplift the overall condition of his state and welfare of his people. He utilised this period for overall improvement in the administration. He managed to recover 106 Dogra soldiers of Gen Zorawar Singh’s army imprisoned in December 1842, in Lahasa, through the good offices of British Resident in Nepal. They were received honourably and given Jagirs.
Maharaja Ranbir Singh by nature was very humble and humane. After his father’s death he needed sympathy and support of British authorities. Maharaja Gulab Singh had left many things undone and several economic and administrative problems could only be solved satisfactorily with the cooperation of British. Moreover he nurtured the ambition of reaching beyond the Northwestern and Northern frontiers of his state. He prepared grounds for his ‘leap frog’ into Central Asia. He wanted to go beyond Pamirs. Besides these strategic issues, neutralising European intrigues on Kashmir, appeasement of Kashmiris and many other problems required the goodwill of British govt and support of its officials. Ranbir Singh had therefore to strike a balance between his subordination to British and his right to independent decisions in internal and external spheres, which he did wisely.
The founder ruler could not organize effective administrative machinery because of his pre-occupations in frequent military expeditions and consolidating his gains. It fell upon his successor to do it. He divided Jammu into seven Zilas, viz, Jammu, Jasrota, Ramnagar, Udhampur, Reasi, Minawar and Nowshera and Kashmir into six, viz, Kamarraj, Pattan, Srinagar, Shopian, Anantnag and Muzafrabad. The Northern vast cold desert was divided into three Governorships namely Gilgit, Baltistan and Ladakh. Poonch Jagir remained more or less autonomous under him. He set up 25 Courts and introduced a penal code called ‘Ranbir Penal Code’ (RPC) which was replaced by IPC in November 2019 on abrogation of Article 370 and reorganistaion of the state. Law and order was well kept. Serious crimes were less heard. Trial for homicide and rape cases was heard by a jury of 100 men, 50 named by complainant and 50 by the accused. Capital punishment was rare.
When Ranbir Singh ascended to the throne there were only bridal paths connecting Jammu and Kashmir. There were five routes to Kashmir from different directions, two from Rawalpindi, (i) Muree-Kohala-Baramulla, (ii) Abbotabad-Domel-Baramulla), (iii) Bhimber-Rajouri-Pirpanjal, (iv) Bhimber-Poonch-Hajipir and the 5th was Kotli-Poonch-Uri-Baramulla. None from Jammu. A network of speedy communication was necessary to administer a vast hilly country such as J&K. This became necessary when valley was struck by a severe famine in 1877. Transportation of grains became difficult in the absence of vehicular roads. Driven by British strategic interest in the area at its peak, the need arose for good roads for use by troops in the event of a Russian threat. The need of prompt communication of information over the extensive territory of the state, spreading from Karakoram and the Pamirs to the Northern fringe of Punjab plains, also assumed tremendous importance due to the political developments in the Central Asians Republics. Maharaja gave top priority to the establishment of Postal and Telegraphic connections and construction of Motorable roads. British had constructed a Railway line upto Rawalpindi. Maharaja wanted a road from Rawalpindi to Srinagar. He entered into an agreement with Punjab Govt to meet half the cost of construction of Bridge over Jhelum at Kohala. The bridge was completed in 1870 and the govt of J&K paid Rs. 31,000 as its share of expenditure incurred on construction. In September 1880, Maharaja appointed Er. Alexender Atkinson for the task of constructing Kohala-Baramulla road (Jhelum Valley road). For speedy construction of this 100 miles road, the work was divided between 60 contractors. The road was completed in 1890. BC Road also received Maharaja’s attention. A suspension bridge over Chenab was constructed at Ramban. Both these roads were great feats of engineering skills and together they made 400 miles of hill roads, the largest in the world. A ruler, so humane and scholarly, left his impression on every sphere of administration and judicial system. RPC, now IPC was his compendium of Law.
Aksai Chin’s ‘umbilical-cord’ is attached to India by strategic adventures of Maharaja Ranbir Singh. In 1864 he dispatched a composite military garrison, sixty miles as the crow flies, North of Karakoram Pass to Shahidullah on the Caravan route from Leh to Kashgharia where a military post was established and a fort built. At the same time, he entered into a correspondence with Amir of Khotan, (now in Sinkiang Province) Haji Habibulla Khan, who had assumed power in the town in the absence of Chinese authority. In the quest of possible allies in turbulent and uncertain times, Amir of Khotan wrote to Maharaja Ranbir Singh to facilitate his direct contact with East India Company. Maharaja saw that Amir’s overtures could well be exploited to his advantage. He wanted to expand his territories and trade with Eastern Turkistan to protect it from bandit raids and to ensure that it was properly taxed to the benefit of his treasury. These were the major objectives of Shahidullah garrison. In 1865 Maharaja Ranbir Singh asked Govt of India to map his Northern boundary. The task was entrusted to W.H. Johnson. In return for the promise of future employment with the state, Johnson agreed to act in a diplomatic capacity on behalf of the Princely State. (After his retirement Johnson was appointed Governor of Ladakh).
The results of the Johnson survey was published in 1868 by the Govt of India in the Gazette entitled ‘Kashmir Atlas’. This showed the State of Jammu and Kashmir extending far to the North of Karakoram Pass and Aksai Chin. It was calculated by one British observer that the boundary of Jammu and Kashmir had been expanded by 21,000 sq miles Eastwards under Maharaja Ranbir Singh. Hence the only survey available was Johnson map which became an authority to lay the foundation for the post-1947 Indian claim to Aksai Chin. But no mention of or reference to Dogra control or Kashmir Atlas is currently made while claiming Aksai Chin. That renders Indian claim over Aksai Chin fall flat.
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