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Not to be confused with Ranjitsinhji (1872-1933), cricketer and Maharaja of Nawanagar.
ca. 1835-40 Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjabi: ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ), also called "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of the Punjab") (1780-1839) was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.
Early lifeMaharaja Ranjit Singh was a Misldar and Maharaja born in 1780 in the Punjabi town of Gujranwala (now in Pakistan), into a Sikh family of Sukerchakia jat misldars.[1][2][3] At the time, much of Punjab was ruled by the Sikhs under a Confederate Sarbat Khalsa system as well as Afghans, who had divided the territory among factions known as misls. Ranjit Singh's father Maha Singh was the Commander of the Sukerchakia misl and controlled a territory in west Punjab based around his headquarters at Gujranwala. Ranjit Singh succeeded his father at the young age of 12. After several campaigns, his rivals accepted him as their leader, and he united the Sikh factions into one large country. MaharajaRanjit Singh took the title of Maharaja on April 12, 1801 (to coincide with Baisakhi day). Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikhism, conducted the coronation ceremony [4]. Lahore served as his capital from 1799. In 1802 he took the holy city of Amritsar. 
He then spent the following years fighting the Afghans, driving them out of western Punjab. He also captured Pashtun territory including Peshawar that is now North West Frontier Province and the Tribal Areas. This was the first time that Peshawari Pashtuns were ruled by Sikhs. In a historical perspective, this event was very important because for more than a thousand years invaders coming down from the Khyber Pass had been able to rule eastern lands; the capture of Pashtun territory put a stop to this. He captured the province of Multan which encompassed the southern parts of Punjab, Peshawar (1818), Jammu and Kashmir (1819) and the hill states north of Anandpur Sahib, the largest of which was Kangra. When Ranjit Singh rose to power as the Maharaja of Punjab, he wasn't just the leader of a single Sikh misl anymore but the ruler of an entire country which meant his increased responsibility not just towards Sikhs but toward people of other faiths who inhabited Punjab then. So it was also very important for him now to gain their trust in him as well, which was majority of Muslims and Hindus (matter of fact, he was so good a diplomat that when he captured Lahore for the first time, he first went to pay obeisance at Lahore's Badshahi Masjid, there's even a small mosque in the Badshahi Masjid Complex that still stands to the date which was built by him). For which, he decided to and for the first time in Sikh history, let non-Sikhs partake in Sikh military activities which was especially at that time was considered the topmost area of interest and respect in areas well known of its might. Otherwise, never before in Sikh history it's seen that non-Sikhs were allowed to partake in Sikh military activities. He started it first from his own misl, the Sukerchakia misl. Then after, when he further expanded his might, he broadened his diplomatic view towards there as well. In whole, he sort of "nationalized" the once Khalsa Fauj (Army of Amritdhari Sikhs). After which, the Khalsa Fauj reduced to as the Punjab Army. And there were some non-Punjabi officers in his army as well as to whomever he considered the most useful being to his lifelong experience of military science and also outstanding diplomacy which included officers ranging from the United States and Europe to India. Due to his good intelligence, he created a powerful and heavily armed nation; at this point, Punjab was the only part of Indian subcontinent not controlled by the British. He brought law and order, but never used the death penalty. He stopped Indian non-secular style practices by treating Hindus and Muslims equally. He banned the discriminatory "jizya" tax on Hindus and Sikhs. The majority of Ranjit Singh's subjects were Muslim and had an intense loyalty towards him and his Sikhs. This was once highlighted when the Foreign Minister of the Sikh Empire, Fakir Azizuddin, himself a Muslim, had a meeting with then British Indian Governor-General Lord Auckland. When Lord Auckland asked Fakir Azizuddin which of the Maharaja's eyes was missing, he replied: "The Maharaja is like the sun and sun has only one eye. The splendor and luminosity of his single eye is so much that I have never dared to look at his other eye." The Governor General was so pleased with the reply that he gave his golden wrist-watch to the Maharaja's Minister at Simla. There must be some question about this story however, as the wrist-watch was not invented until 1868, twenty-nine years after the death of Ranjit Singh. Throughout the Nineteenth Century men carried pocket watches, rather than wristwatches, which were originally designed for and worn by women only. Under Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Empire was secular as it did not discriminate against Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus or even atheists[5], if there were any at all in Punjab then. Compared to other parts of Indian subcontinent at the time, it was quite modern and treated all religions and non-religious traditions with great respect. The only prominent religious symbols of the empire were the Maharaja and royal family being Sikh (but not Khalsa) and the Army being dominated by Sikh nobles and the Khalsa, not all Khalsa. The Maharaja never forced Sikhism on his subjects, in contrast to mass conversions conducted by Mughal rulers of the past. Ranjit Singh created a country based upon Sikh traditions, with all citizens receiving equal treatment from the government, regardless of religious or ethnic background. Gurudwaras built by Maharaja Ranjit SinghAt the Harmandir Sahib, much of the present decorative gilding and marblework date from the early 1800s. All the gold and exquisite marble work were conducted under the patronage of Emperor Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Punjab. The Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of the Punjab) was a heavy donor of wealth and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Sikhs. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, having a deep love for the teachings of the tenth Guru of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh, also built two of the other most sacred temples in Sikhism. These are Takht Sri Patna Sahib, (initiation or birth place of Guru Gobind Singh), and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, the place of Guru Gobind Singh's Sikh ascension into heaven. Abolition of Capital PunishmentMaharaja Ranjit Singh abolished capital punishment during his rule[6]. Generals of MaharajaMaharaja was known for his equal treatment of religions. He had Hindu, Sikh and Muslim generals in his army. Dewa Singh 839 men Character
Maharaja Ranjit Singh once punished one of his Generals for killing a nightingale when she was warbling, which had annoyed the General. Maharaja Ranjit Singh also awarded his Generals with land for bravery in battles. Sangatpur, a small village in Batala, Gurdaspur district is named after one of his Generals;Sangat Singh Saini who was a highly ranked General in his army.[8]. Maharaja Ranjit Singh would help old men with their labour during his afternoon walks through Lahore with his ministers. One incident was of an elderly man who could not lift a heavy sack. Maharaja Ranjit Singh asked the old man "Night is approaching, old man, why are you sitting here in darkness?". The elderly man answered that the sack is too heavy for me to carry home. The Maharaja carried the heavy sack all the way to the old man's house and was blessed by him[9]. Captain Murray's memoirs on Maharaja Ranjit Singh's character:
A Leader Many famous folk stories about Maharaja portray a leader and the inspiration Maharaja Ranjit Singh was. In one famous incident, when Maharaja was about to cross the badly flooded river near Attock (now in Pakistan and called Kabul_River}. One of Maharaja's generals reported this fact to Maharaja, saying that the river cannot be crossed and it is now an Atak (an obstacle in Hindi) for us. Maharaja retorted "eh Attock uhna lai atak hai, jehna de dillan wich atak hai" or "This river Attock is an obstacle for those, who have obstacles in their hearts", then crossed the river successfully. The army and other generals followed his lead. A humble human being Another famous folk story about Maharaja is that he was accidentally hit by a stone thrown by a 5 year old boy, who actually wanted to hit a fruit tree to knock down some of its fruit. When he was brought before Maharaja, Ranjit Singh gave him a gold coin. He said, "How can I punish him for hitting me with a stone, when this tree will give him fruit for the same?" ConquestsRanjit Singh and his generals were capable of conquering a great expanse of land for many reasons, varying from their Sikh discipline to their modern weaponry. Ranjit Singh's early conquests were minor and forgettable when he was a young misldar (baron) but by the end of his reign he had conquered vast tracts of territory, and in 1799, he even captured Lahore, Pakistan. After the capture of Lahore, he rapidly annexed the rest of the Punjab. The war rose to a climax at the battle of Multan. Thereafter he was the undisputed ruler of Punjab, the Land of the Five Rivers. And even then, to secure his empire, he defeated the Pashtun militias and tribes. The tables having been turned on the Muslim Mughals and Afghans, Ranjit Singh conquered yet more territory. In the year 1802, Ranjit Singh successfully invaded Kashmir. The Guru's ProphecyThe tenth Guru of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh had ordered his Sikhs not to build any monument on the place where he ascended into sachkhand[12]. The place where Guru Gobind Singh made ascension and left the Earth was Nanded in current Maharashtra in 1708. Anyone who dared to build any monument on this place would make his living male progeny and blood lineage die and become extinct- their name would be wiped off the Earth. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was renowned for his love of the tenth Guru of Sikhism. Scholars of the time recorded that he often used to refer to himself as "Guru Gobind Singh's Drum". His devotion for the Guru would bring him into conflict with the prophecy; he defied it, and built one of the five holiest sights in Sikhism, Takht Sri Hazur Sahib. This temple was built as a monument and sacred place of worship to honor the place where Guru Gobind Singh left the Earth and made ascension. Ranjit Singh died in 1839, the same year of temple's construction and of death of the last great Maharaja of Sikhs, Maharajah Ranjit Singh. All of his sons, except Duleep Singh, died within 5 years of his death and the temple's completion, all according to Guru Sahib's Bhavikhvani(prophecy). His only remaining infant son, Maharajah Duleep Singh was made kingdom less as a child by the British, within 10 years of Maharajah Ranjit Singh's death. Much has been written about the ending of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's empire, family and the Guru Prophecy, the most recent being The Maharajah's Box[13]. LegacyAfter Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839, Rajgaddi(royal throne) went to his unfit eldest son Kharak Singh. Most historians believe that other competent political heirs would have forged an even more highly durable, independent and powerful empire, as Ranjit Singh had done during his rule. However, the Kingdom began to crumble due to poor governance and political mismanagement by his heirs. His successors died through accidents and murder, while the nobility and army struggled for power. In 1845 after the First Anglo-Sikh War, Sikh Empire was defeated and all major decisions were made by the British Empire. The Army of the Maharaja was reduced, under the peace treaty with the British Empire, to a tiny skeleton force. Massive punishing war compensation destroyed any meaningful, independent fiscal policy. In 1849, at the end of the Second Anglo Sikh War, it was annexed by the British India from Ranjit Singh's youngest son Duleep Singh. Maharaja Ranjit Singh is remembered for uniting the Punjab as a strong nation and his possession of the Koh-i-noor diamond. Ranjit Singh willed the Koh-i-noor to Jagannath Temple in Orissa while on his deathbed in 1839. His most lasting legacy was the golden beautification of the Harmandir Sahib, most revered Gurudwara of the Sikhs, with marble and gold, from which the popular name of the "Golden Temple" is derived. He was also known as Sher-e-Punjab which means the Lion of Punjab and is considered one of the 3 Lions of modern India, the most famous and revered heroes in Indian subcontinent's history. While Emperor Rajaraja Chola and Ashoka were the 2 most powerful Indian kings of history, they are not named among the 3 Lions. The other 2 Lions are Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar and Chhatrapati Shivaji, the legendary Maratha ruler. The title of Sher-e-Punjab is still widely used as a term of respect for a powerful man. After his death, the British took his heir, the young prince Maharaja Duleep Singh, to England where he was put under the protection of the Crown. He converted to Christianity, before re-converting to Sikhism later in his life.
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