Gulab Singh: The first Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu, April 14: The modern state of Jammu and Kashmir as we know it now has a long history dating back to 15 March 1846 when Raja Gulab Singh then a Raja of Jammu was elevated to become the first Maharaja of entire Jammu and Kashmir, the borders of which he expanded upto Tibet creating a vast territory and founded the modern day Jammu and Kashmir as a secular nation.
In this series The Earth News would discuss all the leaders who contributed for the development and progress of this state in their own way and would try to bring out the positive points from their careers to help the next generation to learn from the past makers of modern Jammu and Kashmir and reshape the state into a far more better place to live in.
It is the endeavor of The Earth News to bring out positivity even from the negative aspects, for if this state needs anything in abundance; it is positivity to help the future generation think globally and in a balanced way to promote true secularism and equality among all the three regions and other sub regions of the state.
Today we would throw light on the positive aspects of the first ruler of the Modern Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Gulab Singh whose valor, statesmanship, deep foresight, wisdom, sagacity and achievements saw him rising to meteoric heights within little time and enabling him to establish the second biggest princely states of the erstwhile India.
In an article Col J P Singh quoting a great historian KM Pannikar writes that in the century of upheavals in India, Maharaja Gulab Singh stands out as a solitary figure equipped with all the traits of a brave soldier, inspiring General, a shrewd diplomat, a great conqueror, a merchant, a trusted friend, remarkable statesman and an able administrator. He appeared at the scene at such a time when the rich, vast and strong Jammu kingdom had disintegrated. It was he who revived it to its pristine glory and further extended its boundaries by outwitting adversaries and British diplomats. Greatness of Maharaja lay in his superb statesmanship coupled with deep foresight that enabled him to make use of every opportunity that knocked at his door.
He further writes that Maharaja Gulab Singh who created a vast State of Jammu and Kashmir and changed the Indian map was a symbol of nationhood and secularism. He is one of the few historical legacies that India can be genuinely proud of. By extending borders too far to the North, he provided ample strategic depth to the capital of India.
He adds that by knitting together scattered principalities of erstwhile Jammu empire of Raja Rajgan Ranjit Dev, he laid the foundation of a future State of Jammu and Kashmir. Gulab Singh received vast jagirs in Punjab including Salt Mines of Pind Dadan Khan on the right bank of River Jhelum worth lakhs on lease and in addition exercised authority over hill territories from Ravi to Jhelum.
He extended his rule far and wide by capturing Ladakh, Baltistan, Gilgit and 500 sq miles of Tibet. No Indian ruler in the past, not even Chandragupt Maurya or Mughal emperors had attempted to invade Tibet but Raja Gulab Singh did it in 1841.
Historians mention that Gulab Singh (1792–1857) was the founder of royal Dogra dynasty and first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the second largest princely state in British India, which was created after the defeat of the Sikhs in the First Anglo-Sikh War. The Treaty of Amritsar, 1846, formalised the sale by the British to Gulab Singh for 7,500,000 rupees of all the lands in Kashmir that were ceded to them by the Sikhs by the Treaty of Lahore.
Gulab Singh was born on 18 October 1792 in a Hindu Jamwal Dogra Rajput family. His father, Kishore Singh Jamwal, was a distant kinsman of Jit Singh, the Raja of Jammu. Gulab Singh grew up in the care of his grandfather, Zorawar Singh, from whom he learned the arts of horse riding and warfare. In 1808, when the Sikh army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh invaded Jammu, the 16-year-old Gulab Singh fought alongside his clansmen in the unsuccessful defense of Jammu. Following this defeat, the Raja of Jammu had internal autonomy of the principality, which became a tributary of the Sikh Empire. In 1809, Gulab Singh headed towards Kabul to join the army of the Afghan King, Shah Shuja as a mercenary. When his men refused to cross the river Indus, he gained employment with Sardar Nihal Singh Attariwala Soon thereafter, Gulab Singh was found employed as a running footman in Ranjit Singh’s court He distinguished himself in several campaigns, including the conquest of Multan (1816). He also led an independent campaign in 1816 to conquer the hill-town of Reasi.
In 1820, in appreciation of services rendered by the family, and by Gulab Singh in particular, Ranjit Singh bestowed the Jammu region as a hereditary fief upon Kishore Singh. In 1821, Gulab Singh captured and conquered Rajouri from Aghar Khan and Kishtwar from Raja Tegh Muhammad Singh.That same year, Gulab Singh took part in the Sikh conquest of Dera Ghazi Khan. He also captured and executed his own clansman, Mian Dido Jamwal, who had been leading a rebellion against the Sikhs.
Kishore Singh died in 1822 and Gulab Singh was confirmed as Raja of Jammu by his suzerain, Ranjit Singh.
In 1824 Gulab Singh captured the fort of Samartah, near the holy Mansar Lake. In 1827 he accompanied the Sikh Commander-In-Chief Hari Singh Nalwa, who fought and defeated a horde of Afghan rebels led by Sayyid Ahmed at the Battle of Shaidu. Between 1831-39 Ranjit Singh bestowed on Gulab Singh the jagir of the salt mines in northern Punjab, and the nearby Punjabi towns like Bhera, Jhelum, Rohtas, and Gujrat.
In all this time a large part of the Dogra army had been engaged in trans-Himalayan conquests. General Zorawar Singh, governor of Kishtwar, had conquered the Suru valley and Kargil (1835), the rest of Ladakh (1836–40), and Baltistan (1840). These conquests had alarmed Mian Singh, the Sikh governor of Kashmir, who complained to Prince Nao Nihal Singh that “Zorawar Singh, agent of Raja Gulab Singh was obtaining complete possession of Baltistan” (Punjab Akhbars, 20 July 1840). The Dogra campaign threatened the Sikh position in Kashmir and Gilgit and so Zorawar Singh turned his attention east to the conquest of Tibet.
Meanwhile in the continuing intrigues at Lahore the Sandhawalia Sardars (related to Ranjit Singh) murdered Raja Dhian Singh and the Sikh Maharaja Sher Singh in 1842. Subsequently Gulab Singh’s youngest brother, Suchet Singh, and nephew, Hira Singh, were also murdered. As the administration collapsed the Khalsa soldiery clamored for the arrears of their pay. In 1844 the Lahore court commanded an invasion of Jammu to extract money from Gulab Singh, reputed to be the richest Raja north of the Sutlej River as he had taken most of the Lahore treasury.
However the Gulab Singh agreed to negotiate on his behalf with the Lahore court. These negotiations imposed an indemnity of 27 lakh Rupees on the Raja. After the Anglo-Sikh wars, Under the Treaty of Lahore the defeated Lahore court was made to transfer Jammu to Gulab Singh.
Lacking the resources to occupy such a large region immediately after annexing portions of Punjab, the British recognized Gulab Singh as a Maharaja directly tributary to them on payment of 75 Lakh of the war-indemnity.
This arrangement was formalized in the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846. In the second Sikh War of 1849 he allowed his Sikh soldiers to desert and go to fight alongside their brethren in Punjab. The treaties of Chushul and Amritsar had defined the borders of the Kingdom of Jammu in the east, south and west but the northern border was still undefined. In 1850 the fort of Chilas in the Dard country was conquered. Gilgit was lost to rebellion in 1852 but was recovered ten years later by his son.
Maharaja Gulab Singh died on 30 June 1857 and was succeeded by his son, Ranbir Singh. However some historians believe that he died on 3oth August 1858 at Srinagar at the age of 66 at Srinagar.