Gulab Singh (1792–1857) was the founder of Dogra dynasty and claimed the title of "Maharaja" of the Jammu and Kashmir, which was created after the downfall of the Sikh Empire in 1846. The Treaty of Amritsar (1846), formalized the sale of Jammu and Kashmir to Gulab Singh by the British for 7,500,000 Nanak Shahee Rupees.
As Raja Gulab Singh was one of the most powerful chiefs of the Sikh Empire. Under the Imperial and Feudal Army arrangement, he was entitled to keep a personal army of 3 Infantry Regiments, 15 Light Artillery Guns and 40 Garrison Guns. He, however kept himself away from the politics of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's court. But the shadow of his presence was felt in the court with influence due to the high offices of his younger brothers, Raja Dhian Singh and Raja Suchet Singh. Instead of getting involved in the court, Gulab Singh preferred to stay in Jammu and consolidate Dogra power in Jammu and Kashmir.
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| Raja Gulab Singh Dogra |
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| Dogra Palace in Jammu |
Dogra Losses in the Intrigues in Lahore
On the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, Lahore became a center of conspiracies and intrigue in which the Jammu Dogras were involved. For their participation in these conspiracies, Dogras lost many members of the royal family, besides the slaughter of Dogras at the hand of Khalsa.
- Mian Udham Singh: First member of the Dogra family who lost his life in the Lahore intrigue was Mian Udham Singh, the son of Raja Gulab Singh. Udham Singh was consoling Kunwar Naunihal Singh when an old brick gate collapsed on them when they were returning from the funeral of Maharaja Kharak Singh. Gulab Singh's brother Raja Dhian Singh was accused of the assassination that soured the relationship between the two brothers.
- Raja Dhian Singh: Sandhawalia Sardars (related to Ranjit Singh) murdered Maharaja Sher Singh and his Wazir Raja Dhian Singh Dogra in 1842. Raja Gulab Singh was accused of conspiring with the Sandhawalas.
- Raja Suchet Singh: Dhian Singh's son Raja Hira Singh became the Wazir at Lahore court when Duleep Singh was appointed the Maharaja. Suchet Singh and his 50 Dogra bodyguards were murdered in Lahore on the order of his nephew Raja Hira Singh.
- Raja Hira Singh: Bright and young Raja Hira Singh was chased and brutally murdered near Amritsar by the Khalsa as he was escaping from Lahore with the royal treasury. The Sikh soldiers avenged the killing of Baba Bir Singh and rumored damage to the sacred scripture of Sri Guru Granth Sahib during Dogra attack on the Dera of Bhai Bir Singh at Naurangabad.
From these events, its clear that the intrigues of Lahore court had also reached inside the Dogra clan. The Dogra brothers were powerful during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. After his death, they tried to stay loyal to Maharaja's family but the series of events turned them against each other. The only surviving Dogra was Raja Gulab Singh because he deliberately stayed away from Lahore.
Conflict with Lahore Durbar
Eventually a conflict developed between Lahore Durbar and Raja Gulab Singh. As the Lahore revenue collection 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.
A battle took place on the plain of the Satwari and the Jammu forces led by Diwan Hari Chand faced the Sikhs. Following this battle, Raja Gulab Singh was made a prisoner of the Lahore Durbar, Eventually he was released and his assets and lands restored after he paid a fine of 68 Lakh Nanakshahi Rupees.
Conduct in Anglo-Sikh War
In the Durbar held on January 31, 1846, Maharani Jindan and Raja Gulab Singh discussed strategy against the British with. Maharani and the Sikh Sardars favored crossing the Sutluj river to attack the British camps. Raja Gulab Singh and other Sardars favored caution and felt that Maharani Jindan was pushing the Sikh kingdom towards destruction by moving the army across the Sutlej River.
Maharani ordered veteran Sikh leader Sham Singh Attariwala to lead the Sikhs against the British at the battle of Sabhraon. Gulab Singh decided not to join the Sikhs and withdrew.
The battle between the Sikhs and the British was not decisive initially but British started to make gains when Sir Hugh Gough attacked the Sikhs with heavy artillery causing heavy casualties.
Negotiations with East India Company
After the defeat at Sabhraon, Maharani Jindan summoned Raja Gulab Singh for consultation. Gulab Singh accepted the role of prime minister on condition that court officials gave it in written that they would not interfere with his peace efforts with the British.
Raja Gulab Singh dispatched his personal Bengali physician, Bansi Dhar Ghosh to Lt. Lake, the Assistant Political Agent at Ludhiana in order to strat the n egotiations. There actually exists a letter written by Lord Hardinge to his wife dated January 31, 1846 in which he mentions that some sort of an arrangement was possible with Raja Gulab Singh.
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| Raja Gulab Singh negotiation with British |
Finally, Raja Gulab Singh accompanied by many Sikh Chiefs met Lord Hardinge, the Governor General of India on Feb. 15, 1846. Shortly thereafter, Henry Lawrence, the agent of the Governor-General and Frederick Currie, the Chief Secretary had a lengthy discussion with Raja Gulab Singh and his group. As anticipated the British made attempts to tempt Raja Gulab Singh and informed him that if he worked with them they would bestow the territory of Kashmir on him and even accept him as a Maharaja.
Treaty of Bhaironwal
Eventually, Maharaja Dalip Singh was bought to Lahore where the Governor General restored the title of Maharaja on him. Following this a treaty was signed on March 9, 1846 between the Sikhs and the British which was referred to as the Treaty of Lahore due to which the British were able to further their political interests and also get some territory from the Lahore Durbar.
According to this treaty, the territories of Jullunder and Jammu and Kashmir were to be ceded to the British with a payment of one and half crores to the British. The British force was to remain in Lahore and Raja Gulab Singh continued to be the prime minister.
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| Bhairowal Anglo-Sikh Treaty |
Becoming "Maharaja"
Maharani Jindan surprised the British and Dogra by dismissing Gulab Singh and appointing Misr Lal Singh as the prime minister. A conniving Lal Singh hence decided to kill two birds with one stone. He made an offer to the British to cede all the hill territory to them between the rivers Sindh and Beas including Kashmir for Rupees one crore. This was indeed a clever way to marginalize Raja Gulab Singh and neutralize the British.
Raja Gulab Singh was able to obtain information about Lal Singh's motives and immediately met the Governor General with the request that the territory of Jammu be handed over to his son Miyan Ranbir Singh, while Raja Gulab Singh would himself lead a retired life in the holy city of Varanasi.
However, Lord Hardinge had his own plans and informed Gulab Singh that he would hand over the territories of Jammu and Kashmir to him in exchange for rupees one crore. Lord Hardinge wrote the following to a secret committee, "that the trans Beas portion of Kulu and Mandi with the fertile district and strong position of Nurpur and the celebrated fort of Kangra and the key to the Himalayas in native estimation with its districts and its dependencies should be in our possession".
On finding out that they had been outwitted, Lal Singh and Maharani Jindan dispatched loyal Diwan Dina Nath to Henry Lawrence and Frederic Currie with aim to cancel their deal with Raja Gulab Singh. As the British were keen to eliminate the Sikh threat to their empire, they decided to stick with Raja Gulab Singh.
Eventually Raja Gulab Singh was invited by the Governor General at a camp on March 15, 1846. Following this Raja Gulab Singh was bestowed with the title of "Maharaja" and the Treaty of Amritsar was signed between the British and Maharaja Gulab Singh on March 16, 1846. As a result of this treaty Maharaja Gulab Singh found himself in possession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
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| Division of Sikh Empire - Amritsar Treaty |
Finally, Lord Hardinge writing to a near relative gave the following reason for the transfer of Jammu and Kashmir to Maharaja Gulab Singh, " It was necessary last March to weaken the Sikhs by depriving them of Kashmir".
Controversial Figure in History
Raja Gulab Singh Dogra remains one of the most controversial figure in Sikh history of 19th century. His conduct during the Anglo Sikh Wars invokes bitter criticism among the historians. A school of Punjab historians condemns Jammu Raja's conduct on siding with the British against the Sikhs as perfidious and brand him as traitor. The historians supporting this school of thought include, Jagmohan Mahajan (1946), Ganda Singh (1955), and Khushwant Singh (1962).
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| Maharaja Gulab Singh |
This conclusion is disputed by Indian historians such as K.M. Panikkar, Gwash Lal Kaul, PNK Bamzai, Salig Ram Kaul, and Mohammad Aslam Khan. These historians acknowledge that his choice to not join the Sikhs against the British was based on self preservation and not treason. They also argue that Gulab Singh favored the Sikhs in negotiating the terms of Bhairowal Treaty.
References
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/311654?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
- http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gulab_Singh
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulab_Singh
- https://www.dailyo.in/politics/maharaja-gulab-singh-birth-anniversary-jammu-kashmiriyat-dogra-karan-hari-singh/story/1/13548.html
- http://creative.sulekha.com/maharaja-gulab-singh-of-jammu-and-kashmir-a-candid-study_374689_blog
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/311654?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Hindus got 55%
ReplyDeleteMuslims got 30%
Even China got 15%
Sikhs who paid for it - Got 0%
What a Nice way to divide it
From what i have read. These Dogras were never loyal to the Sikhs or Ranjit Singh. They found an opportunity for political advancement and wealth by joining his army and rising through the ranks. After his death they planned to take the empire for themselves by plotting intrigue and murder, which came to fruition. For one of them.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the lesson here? After 40 plus years of peace in the Punjab created by Ranjit Singh. In which time, Hindus and Muslims were not raped, murdered, their property and persons not molested, etc... What loyalty did 92% of his non Sikh subjects show? Answer, nothing to little. Muslims were treated as second class citizens most likely, due the their extermination policies for 60 years. But the Hindus were treated well and couldn't care less for their benefactors plight. Some lower class Rajputs did fight but the higher caste ones were snakes. If it had been me ruling, i would not have been open or so tolerant.
ReplyDelete