Chapter: 19 Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Civil and Military
Administration
1)
Write the name of a famous Prime Minister of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Raja Dhayan Singh
2)
What was the name of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's External Affairs Minister?
Faqir Aziz-ud-Din
3)
Write the names of any two famous Finance Ministers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Diwan Bhavani Das, Diwan Ganga Ram,
Diwan Dina Nath
4)
Who was the Commander-in-Chief of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army?
Maharaja Ranjit Singh himself
5)
Write the names of two famous generals of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Diwan Mohkam Chand, Misar Diwan
Chand, Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa
6)
Due to the death of which of his generals, Maharaja Ranjit Singh wept for many
days?
Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa
7)
Which state official was responsible for the care of the royal family and the
royal court?
The Deodhiwala
8)
Name the office set up by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to keep the record of land
revenue?
Daftar-i-Mall
9)
What was kept in the Daftar-e-Toshakhana?
Valuables itoms and gifts offered to
the Maharaja
10)
In how many states did Maharaja Ranjit Singh divide his kingdom?
4 (Lahore, Multan, Kashmir, Peshawar)
11)
Who was responsible for administration of the state?
the Nazim
12)
Who administered the Pargana?
Kardar
13)
Which officers were there to assist Kardar?
Kanugo and Mugqadam
14)
Which was the smallest unit of the administration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
The village
15)
What was the village called in the kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Mauja
16)
Who administered the villages?
Panchayat
17)
Who kept records of village land?
Patwari
18)
Who assisted the government in collecting land revenue?
Chaudhary
19)
Who was the Chief official of Lahore?
Kotwal
20)
Who was the Kotwal of Lahore during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Imam Bakhsh
21)
What was the main source of income of Maharaja
Land revenue
22)
How much was the total annual income of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s empire?
Around Rs 3 crore
23)
Write the names of any three land revenue systems prevalent under Maharaja
Ranjit Singh’s administration.
Batai, Kankut, Zabati, Bigha
24)
By what other name was the Jabti system known?
Naqdi (Cash) system
25)
In which land revenue system the rate of revenue was determined by looking at
the standing crop?
Kankut
26)
Who were the Izaredars?
Contractors hired to collect land tax
27)
For how long was an Izaredar authorized to collect revenue from the land?
For 3 to 6 years
28)
What was the second major source of revenue of the state after land revenue?
Octroi
29)
What was the tax on opium, cannabis, alcohol and other drugs called?
Aabkari (Excise)
30)
What kind of Jagirs were in the largest number at the time of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh?
Seva Jagirs
31)
When did Maharaja Ranjit Singh start the system of branding horses?
1830 AD
32)
What were the Jagirs given to religious institutions called?
Dharamarth Jagirs
33)
Which was the highest court in the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Adalat-e-Ala
34)
Where was Adalat-e-Ala located?
In Lahore
35)
Who settled disputes in villages?
Panchayat
36)
Into which two divisions did Maharaja Ranjit Singh divide his army?
Fauj-e-Ain and Fauj-e-Bekwaid
37)
Which European officer was appointed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to train the
army?
General Ventura
38)
Into how many sections, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's artillery was divided?
4
39)
What was the main function of Fauj-e-Qilajat?
To protect the forts
Each Question contained 3 Marks
Question.1.
Describe the central government of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Or
What
was the position of Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his central rule?
Answer: - Maharaja was the head of
state. He was in charge of all the affairs of state. The internal and external
policies of the state were formulated by the Maharaja. He appointed ministers,
officials, and courtiers. He was the chief judge of the state. Every word that
came out of his mouth became law. He was assisted by a Council of Ministers
appointed by the Maharaja himself. The ministers were given different
portfolios. Each minister was in charge of his own department. It was up to the
Maharaja to follow the advice of the ministers.
Question.2.
What was the provincial system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh like?
Answer: - Maharaja Ranjit Singh
divided his empire into four provinces
1. Suba-e-Lahore
2. Province A. Multan
3. Suba-e-Kashmir
4. Suba-e-Peshawar
The Nazim was responsible for running
the state. He kept peace in his kingdom. He oversaw the work of the rest of the
staff. He carried out the orders of the Maharaja in the kingdom. He decided
civil and criminal cases. He also kept an eye on the functionaries of the
districts. Although he had unlimited powers, he still had to seek the advice of
the Maharaja when making important decisions regarding the state. The Maharaja
could change the Nazim whenever he wished.
Qustion.3.
Write a note from the local administration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Answer: -The Maharaja divided each of
his provinces into several parganas. The chief officer of the pargana was Kardar.
He kept peace in the parganas under his control. He obeyed the orders of the
Maharaja and collected taxes. The smallest unit of administration was the
village. Villages were managed by panchayats. Panchayats villages. They maintained
peace and settled disputes. The city of Lahore was divided into mohallas. Each
mohalla was managed by a mohalladar.
Question.4.
What was the position of Kardar during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Answer: - Kardar was the chief
officer of the pargana. His position was similar to that of the present Deputy
Commissioner. He kept peace in the pargana. He used to follow the orders of the
Maharaja. He used to collect taxes. Caring for the interests of the people. He
decided civil and criminal cases under the Parganas.
Question.5.
What were the main activities of Kotwal during the time of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh?
Answer: - The
city of Lahore was under Kotwal. His works were as follows:
1. He carried out the orders of the
Maharaja.
2. Maintained peace in the city.
3. Supervised the affairs of the
Mohalladars.
4. Arranged cleaning in the city.
5. Details of foreigners visiting the
city.
Quetion.6.
Write a note on the management of Lahore city during the time of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh.
Answer: - The city of Lahore was
managed differently from other cities. The whole city was divided into
neighborhoods. Each mohalla was under one mohalla. The mohalladar maintained
peace in the mohalla under his control. Cleaning Used to manage. The chief
officer of the city was the Kotwal. He supervised the affairs of the Mohallads
and the Maharaja Enforced orders.
Question.7.
What were the features of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's levy system?
Answer: - Features of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh's levy management
1. The main source of income was land
tax.
2. The levy was determined on the
basis of the fertility of the land.
3. Land tax was collected twice a
year.
4. Bata, Kankut, Bigha, plow and well
systems were used to collect the levy.
5. The levy was collected by Kardar,
Mukadam, Patwari, Kanun and Chaudhary.
6. The levy was taken in cash or in
kind
Question.8.
Write a brief note on the feudal system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Answer: - The Jagirdari system was
prevalent even among the Sikh misals but Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave it a new
look. Among the jagirs given in the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the number
of seva jagirs was the highest. The size of the jagirs was not fixed. The
jagirs were managed directly or by their agents. Their feudal lords. He also
collected taxes in the jagir and made judicial decisions. The jagirdars obeyed
the orders of the Maharaja.
Ouestion.9.
What were the salient features of the judicial system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Answer: - Characteristics of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh's Judicial System
1. The judiciary was simple. The laws
were not written.
2. Decisions were made on the basis
of prevailing customs and religious beliefs.
3. The smallest court was the
Panchayat and the highest court was the Maharaja.
4. Qazi courts were established in
the cities.
5. The death penalty was not imposed.
6. Usually fines were imposed.
Question.10.
What were the features of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army?
Answer: - Characteristics of the
military system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
1. The Maharaja paid special
attention to the discipline and modernization of the army.
2. The Maharaja's military system was
a combination of domestic and foreign military system.
3. According to most historians, the
army numbered between 75,000 and 100,000.
4. People voluntarily joined the
army.
5. Promotions were based on only
abilities.
Question:-11.
What was the feature of Fauj-e-Khas in the military organization of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh?
Answer: - This army was formed under
General Ventura. It consisted of four battalions of infantry, a regiment of
cavalry, and an artillery of 24 artillery pieces. The artillery was under
General Ilahi Bakhsh. The army was rigorously trained in the European way.
Selected soldiers were recruited in this army. Their weapons and horses were
also of good quality. This army had its own flag and emblem.
Question:-12.
What was the attitude of Maharaja Ranjit Singh towards his people?
Answer: - Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a
kind ruler. He took great care of his people. He also asked his officers and
employees to take full care of the welfare of the people. During the reign of
the Maharaja, all jobs were given on the basis of merit. No one was
discriminated against. In case of floods or droughts, the Maharaja would waive
the taxes of the people.
Each Question contained 6 Marks.
Question
.1. Briefly describe the five Union Ministers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Answer:
1. The Prime Minister- He was
the second most important Prime Minister after the Maharaja. He advised the
Maharaja in all political matters of the state. He looked after all the important
departments of the state. He represented the Maharaja in his absence. He
carried out all the orders of the Maharaja. Raja Dhian Singh held this post for
a long time during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
2. External Affairs Minister- The post of External Affairs Minister was also very important during the
time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He formulated foreign policy. He advised the
Maharaja on matters of war and peace with other powers. He would read out
letters from abroad to the Maharaja and reply to the ordered by the Maharaja.
During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Faqir Aziz-ud-Din was the Minister
of External Affairs.
3. The Finance Minister- He was one of the
important ministers of the Maharaja and was called the Diwan. His main task was
to keep a complete record of the state's revenue and expenditure. All the
papers relating to the expenses of all the departments etc. were first
submitted to the Diwan for scrutiny. Famous Finance Ministers of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh were Diwan Bhavani Das, Diwan Ganga Nath and Diwan Dina Nath.
4. Commander-in-Chief - Maharaja Ranjit Singh
was himself the Commander-in-Chief of his army. During various campaigns, the
Maharaja appointed different men as commanders. Their main task was to lead the
army during the war and maintain discipline in them. Diwan Mohkam Chand, Misr
Diwan Chand and Sardar Hari Singh Nalva were famous generals of Ranjit Singh.
5. Deodhiwala (Doorman) - He took care the Royal
Family. No one could enter the palace without his permission. He also provided
guards for the Maharaja's palace. He also organized processions. The famous
doorman of the house was Khushal Singh in the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Question
2- Wrire a brief note on state administration of Ranjit Singh.
Or
What
was the provincial system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Or
What
was the position of Nazim in the state during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Answer- Maharaja Ranjit Singh divided
into provinces his kingdom to run efficiently. Their names were Suba-e-Lahore,
Suba-e-Multan, Suba-e-Kashmir, Suba-e-Peshawar. The head of a state or province
was called a Nazim (Governer). He was appointed by the Maharaja. He was the Maharaja's
representative in the province. Because this position was very important.
Therefore, the Maharaja appointed only a very reliable, sensible, honest and experienced
person to this post. When a young person was appointed to this position, very
experienced staff were hired to assist him. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh, the Nazim had many powers.
(i) His main function was to maintain
peace and law and order in the province under his control.
(ii) He oversaw the affairs of other
employees of the province.
(iii) He enforced the orders of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the province.
(iv) He decided criminal and civil
cases and heard petitions against the decisions of the Kardars.
(v) He assisted the employees in
collecting the land tax.
(vi) He had a small army under him and
at times led small campaigns.
(vii) He used to deposit the fixed
levy in the Central Treasury on time.
(viii) He would also send army to the
Center if required.
(ix) He usually went around his
province to find out if the people were happy with Ranjit Singh.
The Nazim thus had unlimited powers,
but he had to seek the permission of the Maharaja before taking any important
decision concerning the province. In the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Nazim used
to get heavy wages and lived in big palaces with honors.
Question
3- Briefly describe the local management of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Answer-
1. Administration of Parganas - Each
province was further divided into several parganas. The chief officer of the
pargana was Kardar. Kardar had a direct relationship with the people. He had
many responsibilities. The main functions of the Kardar are to establish peace
in the pargana, to carry out the orders of the Maharaja, to collect taxes, to look
after the interests of the people and to hear civil and criminal cases. Was In short,
the duties of the Kardars were similar to those of today's Deputy
Commissioners. Kanungo and Mukadam were assigned to assist Kardar.
2. Village Administration- The smallest unit of administration was the village. It was then called
mouza. The village was managed by a panchayat. The panchayat looked after the
people of the village and settled their disputes. People considered the
Panchayat as a form of God and accepted its decisions Patwari kept records of
village land. Chaudhry assisted the government in collecting taxes. Mukadam
acted as a link between the government and the people. In the affairs of the
village, Maharaja did not interfere.
3. Management of Lahore City - The management of Lahore city during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
than other cities, it was done differently. The chief officer of the city of Lahore
was the Kotwal. Imam Bakhsh was appointed to this post during Ranjit Singh's
reign. The main functions of the Kotwal were to carry out the orders of the
Maharaja, to maintain peace and order in the city, to oversee the affairs of
the mohalladars, to oversee trade and industry, and to inspect the scales. The
whole city was divided into Mihallas. Each Mohalla was under one mohalladar.
The mohalladar maintained peace and order in his mohalla and maintained
cleanliness.
Quetion
4- Critically describe Ranjit Singh's land tax system?
Answer - Historians have expressed
different views on Ranjit Singh land tax system.Some have called it good and
some have condemned it. Both these aspects are given
below:-
Demerits
1. Heavy land tax- Many historians have written that Ranjit Singh used to collect huge levy from
farmers. The Gazetteer of Kapurthala district states that"Ranjit Singh
used to take whatever he could get from the farmers, Would taken away from
them. ”
2. Dishonest and greedy officials- farmers had to suffer all the troubles
of dishonest officials. The wages of the Kardars were very low, so they plundered
the poor farmers a lot. They tried to get maximum money from the farmers in various
ways.
Merits
Many writers have strongly criticized
Ranjit Singh's tax system, but othershave written that Ranjit Singh's tax
system was neither oppressive nor sympathetic to the peasantry. ThatThe good
aspects of the levy system were as follows:-
1. The welfare of the farmers was taken care of - it is true that the land tax rate was
adequate but the economic condition of the farmers was not bad. Ranjit Singh
also gave jobs to the sons of farmers. If he took something, he would give them
so much that he would get the value of the amount paid.
2. Only the fertile land seems to be taxed more - Ranjit Singh When allocating the tax,
the fertility of the land, the irrigation facilities available to him and the
economic condition of those farmers were also taken into onsideration. Many English
historians have described Ranjit Singh's tax system as valid.
3. Maharaja protected the farmers - Maharaja Ranjit Singh never treated
the farmers harshly.Instead, he was always concerned about the welfare of the
farmers. The Maharaja had a permanent order to the commander-in-chief of the army
not to destroy the standing crops while marching. Anyone who damaged the crop
had to pay compensation to the farmers. The money lenders were also ordered by
the Maharaja not to attach any farmer's goods, livestock, straw and farming
implements to recover the debts. Loans were given to farmers in the form of
takawi. He also provided financial assistance to farmers for construction of
wells.
4. Always ready to improve the levy system - Ranjit Singh was always ready to
improve the levy system, so several levy systems were in vogue during his
reign.
Question
5. Briefly describe the military system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Answer. Maharaja Ranjit Singh started
gathering infantry in 1803 AD. Initially, Sikhs considered it an insult to
enlist in the infantry because they did not consider it good to fight without horses.
First Ranjit Singh recruited Easterners in the infantry then increased the
salaries of the infantry. Gradually Sikhs also started enrolling in it. The
Maharaja began to teach the army the Western style under the French general
Ventura. Ranjit Singh began to recruit regular cavalry. He formed a special
army under the supervision of European generals called the Model Brigade.
Strict discipline was applied in it. Superior Weapons were also given to him.
It included infantry, cavalry and artillery. Ranjit Singh established a
powerful artillery. First, the artilleryman Ranjit Singh had to be brought in
from outside. Then gradually the Punjabis learned the art of artillery. Ranjit
Singh hired artisans from the English territory to transform his army into
arms. Ranjit Singh began to pay cash to his army. He paid more to his army than
to the British. Ranjit Singh himself was a braveand skilful general, so his
military management was also quite successful. He assigned some of Napoleon's generals
to train his army. They brought a lot of discipline to Ranjit Singh's army. He emphasized
the use of artillery. The army numbered about 60,000. These consisted of army brigades,
battalions, companies and sections. The section was the smallest unit of the
infantry under a constable. Together, the four Saxons formed a company under
one commander. A battalion of eight such companies was formed under one commander.
French officers appointed for their training, was also trained by the French in
cavalry, which was of a very high standard. The salaries of the soldiers of
this army were much higher than the salaries of the soldiers of the infantry. It
was headed by General Allard. Ranjit Singh also strengthened the artillery. It
was brought under General Court and Gardner. Fouj-E-Khas was the ideal
detachment of the Sikh army, formed in 1822 AD. The generals were Fouj-e-khas
were Ventura and General Allard. This army was also specially trained. They
were also well equipped with weapons. The army was usually on horseback in the
exercise. This army was subordinate to the feudal lords and chiefs. They were divided
into two parts. First was Ghod Chadhe Khas and second was misidars. Ranjit
Singh's unarmed army also had a detachment of Akalis. There were two or three
thousand of them. These people were very hostile to Europeans and Afghans and
fought with religious fervor. Akali Phula Singh and Sadhu Singh had shown
extraordinary bravery in many battles. By the time of Ranjit Singh's death, he
had a total army of over 80,000. 43% of Ranjit Singh's income was expenditure
on this army.
Question
6 -Describe any three systems of land tax determination by Ranjit Singh.
Answer. During the reign of Ranjit
Singh, not a single method was used to collect land tax. Ranjit Singh collected
land tax through various methods in his life. These methods also varied according
to time, place and condition. But behind all the rules there was a principle
that the rule should be equal for all. The three main methods were given below:-
(A) Batai system - Ranjit Singh initially adopted the batai system for land tax collection.
According to this system, the government revenue officers would reach out to
the farmers when each crop was ready and sift the grain piles with a wooden cap
and the government share would be deposited in the Kardar warehouse. There were
many shortcomings and difficulties in this system. Plowing the farmer's grain
was a daunting task. Besides, unless the Bohal was distributed, it would remain
lying outside, due to which the farmers were always afraid of stealing the
bohal. In addition, the government and the farmers needed to appoint watchmen
to protect Bohal. The cost of those watchmen fell on the poor peasants. Due to
these allegations, Ranjit Singh shut down the system in 1823 AD.
(B) Kankut system- Due to shortcomings of Batai system, Ranjit Singh introduced the Kankut system
in 1824 AD instead of the Batai system. Through this system, the government
would estimate the total yield from standing crops and take its share in harvesting.
This system was better than the first one as it was less costly and the farmers
did not have to protect their crops and there was no fear of rain water.
(C) Bidding system - In 1834 AD, Ranjit Singh introduced bidding system especially in the
border provinces. According to this system, bids were placed on a group of
farms and the highest bidder was given the right to collect levy from the
intended areas. The winner of the bid had to submit the intention tax to the
exchequer.
Question
7- Briefly describe the Judiciary system of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Answer. There was no written law in
the time of Ranjit Singh. Judgment was based on the customs and beliefs of the
people.
(1). Ranjit Singh was a just ruler - Ranjit Singh was a very fair king. He
himself visited the country and listened to the pleas of the people. The
governor whose decisions received many appeals was reprimanded. He set up
courts himself.
(2). Adalat-E-Ala- The court was second only to the Maharaja, which was in Lahore and heard appeals
against the courts of the state courts. If the people here were not satisfied,
appeals were made to the Maharaja.
(3). Court Secretariats - There were court courts in major cities like Peshawar and Amritsar. They heard
(4). Court of Nazim (State Governer) - Appeals against the Kardars (district
Administerator) were heard in the court of the Nazim of each province. The
Nazim also ruled in the province's civil and criminal cases.
(5). Court of Kardar - There was a court of Kardar in the parganas (districts), where both civil
and criminal cases heard.
(6). Panchayats- The common disputes of the people in the villages were decided by the Panchayats.
Panchayat member were influential people.
(7). Courts of Jagirdars - There were many Jagirdars in the reign of Ranjit Singh, who had their own
Jagirs were endowed with various decision-making powers. The Maharaja had appeals
against their decisions.
Laws
and punishments: - During Ranjit Singh's reign, punishments
were generally not severe. The death penalty was meager. The accused had to pay
a fine and the recipient of justice had to pay some amount which was called
reward. That is why it is said that Ranjit Singh used the judiciary as a source
of income. In case of theft, 1/4 part of gratitude was taken. Hands, ears, nose
for major offenses Punishment was meted out. Ranjit Singh himself went to see
justice in disguise. So everyone completely Justice was served.
