After the death of Aurangzeb’s successor Bahadur Shah I in 1712, the Mughal dynasty began to weaken. Successive rulers were unable to rein in local chieftains in the Lahore region. Especially, the Sikh chieftains were becoming increasingly powerful.
As the Mughals gradually lost all influence, Lahore became the property of three Sikh chieftains from the Bhangi misl. Not having much regard for the Mughal heritage, they plundered and savaged the glory of the city. The jewel-encrusted buildings of the Mughals were desecrated and the gardens were ruined. Finally in 1799 Ranjit Singh, son of a Sardar from a local a clan, took Lahore in a coup and declared himself a Maharaja.
Ranjit Singh, an able commander who fought valiantly in the battlefield, was illiterate. Not only did he never go to school, he was never initiated in the fineries of life. His court in Lahore was in stark contrast to the sophistication of the Mughals. Ranjit Singh now occupied the grand Mughal fort in Lahore, and though he pillaged it for such jewels as were left by the Bhangi chieftains, he also refurbished the buildings to live in. As Ranjit Singh’s government took hold of the Punjab, the dynamics of the Walled City changed. It was time for new courtiers, new nobles and new officials to move in.
Based in Lahore, Ranjit Singh sought to modernise his army, but his successors could not resist the British colonial onslaught
The Mughals had left Lahore.
As a new force in the form of Sikh misls (bands of warriors) was consolidating local power in the Punjab, there was also another presence which was spreading its influence rapidly. The British had come to the Punjab and were in no way pleased with Ranjit Singh’s growing power. Ranjit Singh needed their support to rein in the vulnerable region. In the dazzling Sheesh Mahal, where not too long ago, Mughal princesses would adorn themselves with fine jewelry and exquisite silks; where they would use centuries-old recipes for concoctions to beautify their skin and hair; where kohl made with purified butter was applied to magnify the eyes; where fragrance of perfumes used by the princesses once filled the air, Ranjit Singh now sat admiring his most treasured booty - the Kohinoor Diamond. Ranjit had almost snatched the rock from the fleeing Shah Shuja. Rumours thrive that Ranjit Singh had sat on a chair placed on top of Shah Shuja for several hours in Mubarak Haveli, before Shuja parted with the diamond.
In 1809, in the same Sheesh Mahal that was built for the leisure of the Mughal women, Ranjit Singh signed the Treaty of Lahore with the increasingly powerful British. The enterprising ruler sought to modernise his army. He appointed many European mercenaries in his ranks. Two commanders of Napoleon’s army were employed by Ranjit Singh to train and modernise his forces. In 1839 after much success, with a kingdom stretching from Kashmir to Punjab and all the way to the borders of Afghanistan, Maharaja Ranjit Singh died. The vast Sikh Empire was greatly destabilised by his passing. Ranjit’s son Kharak Singh, in a war of succession with his sister-in-law, destroyed parts of the Lahore fort.
In 1809, in the same Sheesh Mahal built for the leisure of the Mughal women, Ranjit Singh signed the Treaty of Lahore with the British
Punjab and with it the capital of the Sikh Empire, Lahore, stood immersed in chaos. The British, like the previous regimes, understood the importance of the region as a buffer from the invading armies of the north-west. Turmoil, they knew very well, gives space for invaders to find allies in the local population. So, British intervention in the Sikh Empire became intense and the Sikh factions were also unwilling to abide by the treaties they signed.
In December 1845, to keep the Punjab in their control, the British declared war on the Sikhs. Emerging victorious in the First Anglo-Sikh war, in February 1846 the British marched into Lahore. The British remained in Lahore as protectors of the minor Maharaja Duleep Singh, the young son of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. But of course, their power and authority in Punjab increased every day. Tension between the British and the local chieftains continued. In 1848 the British defeated the Sikh army in a battle near Gujrat, 60 miles north of Lahore. Then they finally ended the pretense of a Maharaja in Duleep Singh. They formally deposed the heir to the throne, decommissioned the Sikh regiments and within a year, Punjab was annexed to the British Empire.
As the Walled City was synonymous with the Mughals, the British made their homes outside the citadel. An extension of the city was laid out during the British rule. They built wide, tree lined avenues with sprawling bungalows. Like the Mughals, they too laid out beautiful gardens. A new era was emerging - not just architecturally but also culturally.
The British laid the foundation of modern education in English language and established the Punjab University in Lahore. The Church brought with it the convents; the convents in turn brought with them the schools.
A new class of convent-educated elite emerged under the British rule. A metamorphosis of older philosophies, impacted by brand-new ideas from the West, created a fascinating dialogue in Lahore. New philosophers, new revolutionary poets and new painters were all part of this new society.
Duleep Singh
The two Lawrence brothers, John and Henry, played an important role in the early British Punjab. John was even termed the ‘Saviour of Punjab’. Henry travelled extensively in the region and learnt every little detail that an administrator needed to know.
The British developed the infrastructure of the region. They built canals to cultivate hitherto barren lands and railways to connect faraway places.
They also brought in a modern administrative and judicial system. British rule persisted for almost 100 years - until 1947, when Pakistan gained independence.
The British left much behind, most importantly cricket and the English language.
The River Ravi has shifted its course now; it no longer flows along the Lahore Fort. The city that was built on its banks was walled and constrained. Those boundaries have come down, the sprawling bungalows of the British are now divided - ironically into sections closer to the size of houses in the Walled City.
A city that had started its journey with the river is now going its own way…
