“Ranjit Singh established in the Punjab a pure and unmitigated despotism.” This is what Dr. G.L. Chopra says in his remarkable work, Punjab as a Sovereign State. According to him, by destroying the Misls and allowing the Gurmatta to decay, Ranjit Singh, in reality, transformed the whole constitution of the Sikhs from irregular theocratic commonwealth of a loose federal type into a military monarchy based on personal rule.
The Gurmatta, at the time of the rise of Ranjit Singh had lost much of its popularity. The Sikh chieftains, born in circumstances of comparative affluence, and brought up in an atmosphere of mutual hostility, had by the time of Ranjit Singh lost all sense of common brotherhood. This was a reason why only a few attended the last Gurmatta convened by Ranjit Singh in 1805. On the contrary, they had imbibed personal ambitions and selfish motives which did not allow them to act together. Another cause of the decay of Gurmatta was the backward conditions of the masses. Such an institution as Gurmatta required for its successful working a state of society of far greater corporate consciousness and intelligence than that of the Sikhs. Thus the Gurmatta, from its very composition was not suitable for the purpose of an extensive dominion, as it was also incompatible with the growing power of an inherent genius. Hence it naturally gave way to single temporal authority.
Under Ranjit Singh’s personal despotism, the Punjab was governed in a manner that generally suited the existing state of society. The village life, throughout the country, was hardly interfered with except for the purpose of collection of land revenue or the recruitment of for defense purposes. The local affairs remained within the affinity of Panchayats. Thus Ranjit Singh’s government, however despotic it may have been, was not meddlesome enough to prevent the development of individual character. It is amply borne out by the fact that among the foremost dignitaries of the court of Lahore, there were many who owed their position to their own personal qualities, rather than any hereditary recommendation.
Ranjit Singh’s authority was never based upon his inherent superiority, or any Theory of the Divine Right of Kingship. He never arrogated to himself any high-sounding titles, or claimed supernatural powers. On the contrary, he always justified his aggressive designs by showing that they were directed to the glory of the whole Sikh Church. It is indeed by recalling to our mind the political environment in which the religion of the Sikhs had developed, and the fact that its transformation into a military creed was a counterblast against the Muslim bigotry, that we fully realize the real cause of the popularity of Ranjit Singh’s government.
From the viewpoint of his own subjects, the despotism of Ranjit Singh on the whole may be described as benevolent. He was no alien ruler in point of race and religion. Under his authority, the economic resources though limited, were utilized fully within the empire. Through the blessings of his rule, Punjab entered upon a period of internal peace and prosperity, which had been denied for several generations, when compared to the conditions which preceded the establishment of Ranjit Singh’s rule.
Ranjit Singh, however, cannot be said to have bestowed any constitution on the Punjab. If he had any theory of government, it was to reduce all his subjects to the same political level. This was one of his fixed aims. For this purpose he reduced every Sikh chieftain to a subordinate semi-feudal position. He had not inherited any elaborate system of government from his predecessors, much because of the pre-occupation of the chiefs in resisting foreign invasions. Such an atmosphere was obviously little conducive to the growth of definite ruler, or development of any check on the absolute power of the ruler. The Punjab had virtually degenerated into chaos and confusion at the time of the establishment of Ranjit Singh’s authority and he was occupied for over thirty years with military campaigns for the consolidation of his Kingdom.
Hence in the words of Dr. G.L. Chopra, “It was but natural that he (Ranjit Singh) should confine his efforts in the field of legislation to the task of restoration and the revival of a workable system of administration rather than aim at innovation and introduction of new laws.”
The Gurmatta, at the time of the rise of Ranjit Singh had lost much of its popularity. The Sikh chieftains, born in circumstances of comparative affluence, and brought up in an atmosphere of mutual hostility, had by the time of Ranjit Singh lost all sense of common brotherhood. This was a reason why only a few attended the last Gurmatta convened by Ranjit Singh in 1805. On the contrary, they had imbibed personal ambitions and selfish motives which did not allow them to act together. Another cause of the decay of Gurmatta was the backward conditions of the masses. Such an institution as Gurmatta required for its successful working a state of society of far greater corporate consciousness and intelligence than that of the Sikhs. Thus the Gurmatta, from its very composition was not suitable for the purpose of an extensive dominion, as it was also incompatible with the growing power of an inherent genius. Hence it naturally gave way to single temporal authority.
Under Ranjit Singh’s personal despotism, the Punjab was governed in a manner that generally suited the existing state of society. The village life, throughout the country, was hardly interfered with except for the purpose of collection of land revenue or the recruitment of for defense purposes. The local affairs remained within the affinity of Panchayats. Thus Ranjit Singh’s government, however despotic it may have been, was not meddlesome enough to prevent the development of individual character. It is amply borne out by the fact that among the foremost dignitaries of the court of Lahore, there were many who owed their position to their own personal qualities, rather than any hereditary recommendation.
Ranjit Singh’s authority was never based upon his inherent superiority, or any Theory of the Divine Right of Kingship. He never arrogated to himself any high-sounding titles, or claimed supernatural powers. On the contrary, he always justified his aggressive designs by showing that they were directed to the glory of the whole Sikh Church. It is indeed by recalling to our mind the political environment in which the religion of the Sikhs had developed, and the fact that its transformation into a military creed was a counterblast against the Muslim bigotry, that we fully realize the real cause of the popularity of Ranjit Singh’s government.
From the viewpoint of his own subjects, the despotism of Ranjit Singh on the whole may be described as benevolent. He was no alien ruler in point of race and religion. Under his authority, the economic resources though limited, were utilized fully within the empire. Through the blessings of his rule, Punjab entered upon a period of internal peace and prosperity, which had been denied for several generations, when compared to the conditions which preceded the establishment of Ranjit Singh’s rule.
Ranjit Singh, however, cannot be said to have bestowed any constitution on the Punjab. If he had any theory of government, it was to reduce all his subjects to the same political level. This was one of his fixed aims. For this purpose he reduced every Sikh chieftain to a subordinate semi-feudal position. He had not inherited any elaborate system of government from his predecessors, much because of the pre-occupation of the chiefs in resisting foreign invasions. Such an atmosphere was obviously little conducive to the growth of definite ruler, or development of any check on the absolute power of the ruler. The Punjab had virtually degenerated into chaos and confusion at the time of the establishment of Ranjit Singh’s authority and he was occupied for over thirty years with military campaigns for the consolidation of his Kingdom.
Hence in the words of Dr. G.L. Chopra, “It was but natural that he (Ranjit Singh) should confine his efforts in the field of legislation to the task of restoration and the revival of a workable system of administration rather than aim at innovation and introduction of new laws.”
