Chapter 16 Maharaja Ranjit Singh; Career and Conquests
1)
When was Maharaja Ranjit Singh born?
1780 AD:
2)
Where was Maharaja Ranjit Singh born?
Badrukha or Gujranwala
3)
What was the name of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's father?
Maha Singh
4)
What was the name of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's grandfather?
Charat Singh
5)
To which misl did Maharaja Ranjit Singh belong?
Shukarchakkia
6)
What was the name of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's mother?
Raj Kaur
7)
By what name was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's mother popularly known?
Mai Malwain
8)
What was the childhood name of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Budh Singh
9)
At what age did Maharaja Ranjit Singh fight the first war?
At the age of 11/12
10)
At what age did Maharaja Ranjit Singh get the throne?
At the age of 12
11)
Which period is known as ‘the period of patronage of the Trio’?
1792 AD to 1797 AD
12)
Name the persons who were the part of ‘the Trio’?
Raj Kaur, Sada Kaur and Lakhpat Rai
13)
Who was Sada Kaur?
Mother-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh
14)
With whom did the first marriage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh take place?
Mehtab Kaur
15)
When did the first marriage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh take place?
1796 AD
16)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh take over the adminsitration of his Misl?
1797 AD
17)
What was the name of the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Lahore
18)
What was the first victory of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Lahore
19)
Who was ruling Lahore when Maharaj Ranjit Singh invaded it?
the Bhangi chiefs
20)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh annex Lahore?
1799 AD
21)
When did the battle of Bhasin take place?
1800 AD
22)
Who gave Maharaja Ranjit Singh the title of Maharaja?
Baba Sahib Singh Bedi
23)
What title did Ranjit Singh use after becoming Maharaja?
Sarkar-e-Khalsa
24)
Which coin was issued by Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his reign?
Nanak Shahi
25)
From whom did Maharaja Ranjit Singh get the Jamjama cannon?
Mai Sukkhan
26)
How many times did Maharaja Ranjit Singh send troops to conquer Multan?
7
27)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh conquer Kasur?
1807 AD:
28)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh conquer Kangra?
1809 AD:
29)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh conquer Attock?
1813 AD:
30)
Who annex Multan for Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Misar Diwan Chand
31)
From whom did Maharaja Ranjit Singh conquer Multan?
Nawab Muzaffar Khan
32)
What title did Misar Diwan Chand get due to his victory over the Multan?
Zafar Jang
33)
How much was the annual income of Maharaja Ranjit 7 lakh
Singh from Multan?
34)
How much was the annual income of Maharaja Ranjit 40 lakhs
Singh from Kashmir?
35)
Who was the first Governor of Kashmir appointed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Diwan Moti Ram
36)
After Diwan Moti Ram, who was appointed the Governor of Kashmir?
Hari Singh Nalwa
37)
By what other name is the battle of Naushera known?
Battle of the Tibba Tehri
38)
When did the battle of Naushera take place?
March 14, 1823
39)
When did the Battle of Zamraud take place?
1837 AD
40)
Which famous Sikh general was killed in the battle of Jamraud?
Hari Singh Nalwa
41)
Where did Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Fateh Singh Ahluwalia exchange their
turbans?
Tarn Taran
42)
Which famous Sikh institution was abolished by Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
the Gurmatta
43)
When was Gurmatta abolished?
In 1805 AD
44)
In which battle was Akali Phula Singh martyred?
Naushera
45)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh die?
1839 AD
46)
Who got the throne after Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Kharak Singh
47)
Who was Kharak Singh? Eldest son of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh
48)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh make an agreement with Fateh Khan to conquer
Kashmir?
1813 AD
49)
Who was Wafa Begum?
Wife of Shah Shuja
50)
From whom did Maharaja Ranjit Singh get the Kohinoor-the famous diamond?
Wafa Begum
51)
How much was the annual income of Maharaja Ranjit More than Twelve lac Ruprees
Singh from Peshawar?
6 marks questions
Q:
1 Explain about the life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Ans: 1.He was not only one of the
great rulers of Punjab but also of India. He was born on 13, November 1780 AD
in Gujranwala.
2. His parents were Mahan Singh and
Raj kaur.His father Mahan Singh was the head of Schukarchakiya misal.
3. Despite of being illiterate he was
a great personality and visionary.he took control of the Schukarchakiya misal
in 1797 AD.
4. He got the title of Maharaja in
1801 AD and ruled till 1839 AD.
5. He conquered Lahore in 1799 AD,
Amritsar in 1805 AD, Multan in 1818 AD, Kashmir in 1819 AD and Peshawar in 1834
AD to increase his empire.
6. Ranjit Singh was not only a great
conqueror but also a great administrator.His major objective was the welfare of
the state.He disguises himself in different forms to meet his public and know
the condition of the state.
2.
Q: Explain any six victories of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Ans: 1.Victory of Lahore1799 AD: Lahore was one of the important victories of Mharaja
Ranjit Singh.At that time Lahore was ruled By the Bhangi Rulers.With the aid of
his mother in law Sada Kaur he captured Lahore.
2. Victory of Amritsar1805 AD: Amritsar was ruled by the widow of Gulab Singh, Maai Sukhaan.Ranjit Singh
commanded her to hand over the fort of the Lohgarh and the famous cannon Zamzama.
At the refusal of Mai Sukhaan Maharaja Ranjit Singh attacked Amritsar and
annexed it in 1805 AD.
3. Victory of Multan1818 AD: Multan was ruled by Muzzafar Khan.Ranjit singh sent six missions to annex
Multan from 1802 ADto 1817 AD.Seventh times under the command of Diwan Misar
Chand ,with a huge army they captured Multan in 2 june 1818 AD.
4. Victory of Kashmir1819 AD: Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed a treaty of Rohtas with fatheh khan in 1813
AD to win Kashmir. The combined forces got victorious in 1813 AD but Ranjit
Singh didn’t got anything from this treaty.After the failure of the expedition
of 1814 AD, Ranjit Singh won Kashmir in 1819 AD in his third attempt.
5. Victory of Peshawar 1834 AD: Ranjit Singh captured Pesahwar in 1834 AD.He sent many expeditions to win
Peshawar.This victory brought great fame to the Maharaja.It was a great relief
for the Punjab as it was the route followed by the Muslim invaders to attack
Punjab and India.
6. Victory of Kangra 1809 AD: When the Gurkhas of Nepal seized the fort of Kangra, the ruler of Kangra
Sansar Chand seeked help from Maharaja Ranjit Singh.Ranjit Singh helped him in
time and Sansar Chand promised to hand over the fort of Kangra to him but later
he turned a blind eye to his promise.Maharaja imprisoned son of Sansar Chand
.So finally Sansar Chand left the fort of Kangra for Ranjit Singh.
3.
Q: What was the importance of the victory of Multan for Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Ans:
1.A big blow for the Afghan power: Multan’s loss was a great damage for the Afghan
power.There was a time when Sikhs ran away to the foresets on the invasion of
Abdali but victory of Multan proved that Sikhs are a force to recon with.
2. Sindh and Bahawalpur were isolated from Afghans: Both Sindh and Bahawalpur were the
sworn enemies of the Sikhs.By winning Multan Ranjit Singh created a wall
between Sindh and Bahawalpur. Both these states were cut off and isolated from
each other.
3. Small states accepted soveregnity: Rulers of small states like Dera jaat, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan
were afraid of the might of Ranjit Singh. So they accepted the soveregnity of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
4. Increase in the income: This land was very fertile.As per the records of Khalasa Durbar annual
income of seven lakh was obtained from Multan.So it was agreat economic boost
for the State.
5. Trade and Millitary benefits: Multan was a great centre of trade and Commerce.this victory was of great
significance because Multan was a route from Afghanistan to central Asia for
trade. This iaslo strengthened the military power of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
6. Increase in reputataion: Victory of Multan increased the reputation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to
many a fold.Everyone was convinced to admit his power and authority.
4.
Q: Write in detail about the victory of Kashmir in detail?
Ans: 1. It was one of the great
victories of Ranjit Singh. It lauded great respect and honour upon him.
2. Maharaja was able to stamp his
authority up to the peaks of Karakkrom, Leh and Lhasa. It became a natural
boundary in the north for Ranjit Singh.
3. This was a big shock for the
Afghan supremacy.This encouraged the Sikh army.
4. This was a great economic booster
for the state. Maharaja Ranjit Singh obtained a huge revenue of 40, 00000 annum
from Kashmir.
5. This win has great benefit in
terms of trade. Kashmir was famous world wide for its shawls.
6. Kashmir was known worldwide for
its fruits, dry fruits and expensive wood .This increased the trade and
commerce of the state.
5.
Q: Write a note on the battle of Naushehra and Tibba Tehri?
Ans:
1. On January 1823 AD the ruler
of the Kabul Azim Khan attacked Pehawar and annexed it.He raised the slogan of
Jihad and gathered many Afghan chiefs under his umbrage.
2. Maharaja Ranjit Singh send an army
of 20,000 to deal wuth Aazim Khan. The army was led by Ranjit Singh himself.
This army included great army chiefs like Hari Singh Nalwa, Akali Foola Singh,
Fatheh Singh Ahluwalia, Prince Kharak Singh and French generals like Ventura
and Allard.
3. At a place named Naushehra a hard
battle was fought on 14, March 1823 AD. Azim Khan had also an army of 20,000.
4. The Afghans had an upper hand
during the early hours of the battle.Akali foola Singh breathed his last during
this battle.Sikh army faced many casualties during earlier phase of the battle.
5. Seeing all this Ranjit Singh led
from the front.Sikh army was thrilled, excited and motivated to fight by Maharaja.
Sikh army suddenly attacked the Afghans with all their might. Afghans were not
able to faceoff such a sudden attack and they fled away from the battlefield.
6. In this decisive battle against
the Afghans Sikh army was in great spirits .Azim khan was so dejected after
this loss he didn’t live long after this.
6.
Q: How does Maharja Ranjit singh behave with the kings who accepted his soveregnity?
Ans:
1.Maharaja Ranjit Singh not only
conquered many a states but also ruled at them successfully.He was farsighted
and benevolent king.
2. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was an
impartial ruler. He didn’t differentiate between his subject kings depite of
their caste and religion.
3. Maharaja not only annexed many a
states but also upheld a strong policy to deal with them.Some of the rulers who
accepted the sovereignty of Ranjit Singh were returned back their
terrotries.For some rulers he granted a jagir or employed them in his court as
courtiers.
4. Maharaja Ranjit Singh used strong
measures against the kings or chiefs who resisted against him.
5. Maharaja sent armies against the rebels
to uproot the rebellion.
6. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was so
humane and kind to his subject kings that there is hardly any example in the
history of such a ruler.
7.
Q: What were the salient features of misal policy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Ans:
1. Maharaja Ranjit Singh didn’t
give any importance to any sympathy or relationship at the cost of the growh of
his empire.
2. Maharaja didn’t care for any
justifiable reason to attack a state. He did everything for the growth of his
empire.
3. He either developed matrimonial relationship
with the strong misals or maintained friendly realationship with them.He
annexed the weak misals and than captured the strong misal at the suitable time
and circumstances. The strong misals were not united enough to take any action
against him.
4. Ranjit Singh was merciless and
brutal against the weak states. He annexed them at will in his empire.
5. Maharaja Singh even didn’t
bothered to care about his ally states. He even captured them at suitable
circumstances.He didn’t show any sympathy or spared anyone.
