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The Fall of the Kingdom of Punjab
"Fact is stranger than fiction"- this proverb is aptly applicable to the book, The Fall of The Kingdom of Punjab, which is a gripping narrative depicting the downfall of the Punjab Kingdom after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the originator of the mighty Sikh Empire in India. With his courage, bravery and strength, he had built this grand empire. But with his death, everything that he had built began to crumble into pieces. It was a game of of betrayal, planning and plotting against each other. Futile wars were waged till the empire could no longer stand on its own.
All his sons eventually died out except the youngest one, Duleep Singh, who came to power at the tender age of five. His mother, Jind Kaur, tried to rule in his place for sometime but the British finally captured the empire after the first Anglo-Sikh war. Jind Kaur was imprisoned and Duleep Singh was deported from his own kingdom to Britain. The British even caught hold of the priceless Kohinoor Diamond and confiscated it.
The Fall of The Kingdom of Punjab is a fascinating description of the chaotic phase that the Kingdom of Punjab went through, before it was finally captured by the British. It is published by Penguin Books Limited in 2014 and comes as a paperback.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the originator of the mighty Sikh Empire in India. With his courage, bravery and strength, he had built this grand empire. But with his death, everything that he had built began to crumble into pieces. It was a game of of betrayal, planning and plotting against each other. Futile wars were waged till the empire could no longer stand on its own.
All his sons eventually died out except the youngest one, Duleep Singh, who came to power at the tender age of five. His mother, Jind Kaur, tried to rule in his place for sometime but the British finally captured the empire after the first Anglo-Sikh war. Jind Kaur was imprisoned and Duleep Singh was deported from his own kingdom to Britain. The British even caught hold of the priceless Kohinoor Diamond and confiscated it.
The Fall of The Kingdom of Punjab is a fascinating description of the chaotic phase that the Kingdom of Punjab went through, before it was finally captured by the British. It is published by Penguin Books Limited in 2014 and comes as a paperback.
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2014
17 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Khushwant Singh
298 books1,428 followersKhushwant Singh, (Punjabi: ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Hindi: खुशवंत सिंह) born on 2 February 1915 in Hadali, Undivided India, (now a part of Pakistan), was a prominent Indian novelist and journalist. Singh's weekly column, "With Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, was among the most widely-read columns in the country.
An important post-colonial novelist writing in English, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit.
An important post-colonial novelist writing in English, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 4, 2020
Bloodcurdling account of the British annexation of the last kingdom on Indian subcontinent to resist their invasion.
Bloodcurdling, because of the deceit of the Dogras - courtiers of Punjabi Durbar - and the baseness of the British colonisers, that overcame the matchless valour of leader-less Sikh soldiers.
Bloodcurdling, because of the simple-minded large-heartedness of Punjabis all through.
Bloodcurdling, because this is a history of my ancestors, though I don't know what their fates or fealties were.
And bloodcurdling, despite the late Khushwant Singh's steely attempt at a dispassionate, journalistic narration of this history under sponsorship of the Rockefeller Foundation.
So, quite bloodcurdling. But what really killed me was the black comedy:
Durbar circles were far removed from the grim realities of the mounting crisis. On 18th April the palace cat had a litter of kittens and the infant Maharajah desired that a salute should be fired in honour of the occasion. The Chief Minister thereupon ordered miniature guns to be discharged to announce the feline nativity to the citizens of Lahore.
The Multanis swore to fight the British. The Pathans took their oath on the Koran, the Hindus on the Shastras, and the Sikhs on the Granth. In the evening they looted the British camp, carrying off all the provisions and pack animals - camels, bullocks, elephants. It is said, with what accuracy it is hard to tell, that the captured provisions included whisky, brandy, beer and hermetically sealed cans of meat and fish. A council was held to examine the goods. The whisky and brandy were retained; the beer rejected as "maila pani" (dirty water). After much deliberation it was opined by the wise counsellors that the lead tins could be nothing but shrapnel. Consequently next morning the guns of Multan fort pelted the British camp, which had no food left, with shrimp, crab, fish, and other delicacies.
One may be permitted to digress on the Punjabi treatment of the British prisoners. It was always favorably commended by British soldiers. The British Subaltern (a newspaper) wrote: "Two of the 9,000 lancers who were taken prisoners the other day were sent back this morning with Sher Singh's compliments. They seemed rather sorry to come back as they had been treated like princes, pilawed with champagne and sent away with Rs. 10 each in his pocket."
There's a popular saying doing the rounds of Internet - until the lion learns how to write, all stories will glorify the hunter. It is fitting that the first Viscount Gough (whose great-great grandson still holds this title), commander of the First Anglo-Sikh War, actually compared Sikh soldiers to lions:
'They fought like devils, fierce and untamed even in their dying struggle... Such a mass of men I never set eye on and as plucky as lions: they ran right on the bayonets of the 24th (Regiment) and struck at their assailants when they were transfixed'
'Policy precluded me from publicly recording my sentiments on the splendid gallantry of our fallen foe or to record acts of heroism displayed not only individually but almost collectively, by the Sikh Sardars and the army; and I declare were it not from a deep conviction that my country's good required the sacrifice I would have wept to have witnessed the fearful slaughter of so devoted a body of men.'
What good luck to have learnt of this from a University of London educated Punjabi's writing!
Bloodcurdling, because of the deceit of the Dogras - courtiers of Punjabi Durbar - and the baseness of the British colonisers, that overcame the matchless valour of leader-less Sikh soldiers.
Bloodcurdling, because of the simple-minded large-heartedness of Punjabis all through.
Bloodcurdling, because this is a history of my ancestors, though I don't know what their fates or fealties were.
And bloodcurdling, despite the late Khushwant Singh's steely attempt at a dispassionate, journalistic narration of this history under sponsorship of the Rockefeller Foundation.
So, quite bloodcurdling. But what really killed me was the black comedy:
Durbar circles were far removed from the grim realities of the mounting crisis. On 18th April the palace cat had a litter of kittens and the infant Maharajah desired that a salute should be fired in honour of the occasion. The Chief Minister thereupon ordered miniature guns to be discharged to announce the feline nativity to the citizens of Lahore.
The Multanis swore to fight the British. The Pathans took their oath on the Koran, the Hindus on the Shastras, and the Sikhs on the Granth. In the evening they looted the British camp, carrying off all the provisions and pack animals - camels, bullocks, elephants. It is said, with what accuracy it is hard to tell, that the captured provisions included whisky, brandy, beer and hermetically sealed cans of meat and fish. A council was held to examine the goods. The whisky and brandy were retained; the beer rejected as "maila pani" (dirty water). After much deliberation it was opined by the wise counsellors that the lead tins could be nothing but shrapnel. Consequently next morning the guns of Multan fort pelted the British camp, which had no food left, with shrimp, crab, fish, and other delicacies.
One may be permitted to digress on the Punjabi treatment of the British prisoners. It was always favorably commended by British soldiers. The British Subaltern (a newspaper) wrote: "Two of the 9,000 lancers who were taken prisoners the other day were sent back this morning with Sher Singh's compliments. They seemed rather sorry to come back as they had been treated like princes, pilawed with champagne and sent away with Rs. 10 each in his pocket."
There's a popular saying doing the rounds of Internet - until the lion learns how to write, all stories will glorify the hunter. It is fitting that the first Viscount Gough (whose great-great grandson still holds this title), commander of the First Anglo-Sikh War, actually compared Sikh soldiers to lions:
'They fought like devils, fierce and untamed even in their dying struggle... Such a mass of men I never set eye on and as plucky as lions: they ran right on the bayonets of the 24th (Regiment) and struck at their assailants when they were transfixed'
'Policy precluded me from publicly recording my sentiments on the splendid gallantry of our fallen foe or to record acts of heroism displayed not only individually but almost collectively, by the Sikh Sardars and the army; and I declare were it not from a deep conviction that my country's good required the sacrifice I would have wept to have witnessed the fearful slaughter of so devoted a body of men.'
What good luck to have learnt of this from a University of London educated Punjabi's writing!
October 6, 2022
Complicated book to review
Like several of his other books that I've somehow gotten through, this is a pretty poorly written book. Character names keep changing, lines of thought just disappear without resolution, meaningless name drops keep happening, there are even silly typos. Like the paragraph will start "3 terrible things happened that day" and it'll be followed by two things. That's it. It's like a student wrote this book and the teacher/editor marked approval without reading it.
With all that said, it still felt like an important book for me to read. I don't want to go into great detail about what I'm looking for with these hunts, but this book definitely got me closer to understanding the culture and heritage that my people call their own. British treachery is a big theme too.
IMO this is clearly a bad first history book, but it is nevertheless a first history book. Now I guess I have a responsibility to find others.
Like several of his other books that I've somehow gotten through, this is a pretty poorly written book. Character names keep changing, lines of thought just disappear without resolution, meaningless name drops keep happening, there are even silly typos. Like the paragraph will start "3 terrible things happened that day" and it'll be followed by two things. That's it. It's like a student wrote this book and the teacher/editor marked approval without reading it.
With all that said, it still felt like an important book for me to read. I don't want to go into great detail about what I'm looking for with these hunts, but this book definitely got me closer to understanding the culture and heritage that my people call their own. British treachery is a big theme too.
IMO this is clearly a bad first history book, but it is nevertheless a first history book. Now I guess I have a responsibility to find others.
May 5, 2019
3.25
October 13, 2024
27 June 1839: Maharaja Ranjit Singh dies.
29 March 1849: Dalhousie annexes Punjab, the last independent kingdom, to British India.
Weak succession. Palace intrigues. Jealousy. Fratricidal warfare. And , of course, the British chicanery. In less than ten years a mighty kingdom was brought down to its knees by the traders of the East India Company. [And who could put it better than Tagore! “বণিকের মানদণ্ড দেখা দিল পোহালে শর্বরী রাজদণ্ডরূপে। (The trader’s scales became the ruler’s scepter…)]
“Of 29th March 1849, Mr Eliot, Lord Dalhousie’s Secretary, called a durbar in the [Lahore] fort. Dalip Singh took his seat on the throne of the Punjab. Eliot then read the proclamation declaring the kingdom of the Punjab at an end. The Koh-i-noor diamond was handed over by the young Maharaja and he stepped down from his illustrious father’s throne – never to sit on it again. Indeed, Maharaja Ranjit Singh was dead!” (p. 176)
If that was not tragic enough, greater tragedy lay in the womb of the future – for Punjab and for Bharat. And who could have put it better than Khushwant Singh!
“In the Great Mutiny of 1857, only eight years after the annexation of their kingdom, the Punjabis helped their erstwhile conquerors to defeat their Hindustani compatriots. A new generation of Punjabis who disowned their past was born. Instead of having nostalgic regret over the passing of the last independent kingdom of India many were proud to be the foremost in loyalty to the British Crown; instead of boasting of their forefathers’ achievements in hurling back foreign invaders, they were pleased to be known as ‘The Sword arm of the British Empire.’ Thus was the sponge of oblivion passed over the slate of history.” (pp. 183 – 184)
The Fall of the Kingdom of the Punjab is an excellent read.
29 March 1849: Dalhousie annexes Punjab, the last independent kingdom, to British India.
Weak succession. Palace intrigues. Jealousy. Fratricidal warfare. And , of course, the British chicanery. In less than ten years a mighty kingdom was brought down to its knees by the traders of the East India Company. [And who could put it better than Tagore! “বণিকের মানদণ্ড দেখা দিল পোহালে শর্বরী রাজদণ্ডরূপে। (The trader’s scales became the ruler’s scepter…)]
“Of 29th March 1849, Mr Eliot, Lord Dalhousie’s Secretary, called a durbar in the [Lahore] fort. Dalip Singh took his seat on the throne of the Punjab. Eliot then read the proclamation declaring the kingdom of the Punjab at an end. The Koh-i-noor diamond was handed over by the young Maharaja and he stepped down from his illustrious father’s throne – never to sit on it again. Indeed, Maharaja Ranjit Singh was dead!” (p. 176)
If that was not tragic enough, greater tragedy lay in the womb of the future – for Punjab and for Bharat. And who could have put it better than Khushwant Singh!
“In the Great Mutiny of 1857, only eight years after the annexation of their kingdom, the Punjabis helped their erstwhile conquerors to defeat their Hindustani compatriots. A new generation of Punjabis who disowned their past was born. Instead of having nostalgic regret over the passing of the last independent kingdom of India many were proud to be the foremost in loyalty to the British Crown; instead of boasting of their forefathers’ achievements in hurling back foreign invaders, they were pleased to be known as ‘The Sword arm of the British Empire.’ Thus was the sponge of oblivion passed over the slate of history.” (pp. 183 – 184)
The Fall of the Kingdom of the Punjab is an excellent read.
July 12, 2020
The Annexation Of The Sikh Empire OF Maharaja Ranjit Singh By British : A Short Story
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
- George Santayana
In the 19th century, the only man from whom the British East India Company feared the most, was the 'Lion of Punjab', the erstwhile Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh.
The relationship between the Sikh Empire and the East India company remained cordial until the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Afterwards, within a span of ten years, the mighty Empire of Ranjit Singh, was annexed by the English.
The fall of the kingdom of the Punjab by sardar Khushwant Singh, is a concisely written book which tells us that how the 'Sikh Empire', which was established by the blood and sweat of the Khalsa Army, not only annexed by the British but they also took away with them, The magnificent Koh-i-noor diamond.
Although, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had seven sons but none of them proved capable enough to fill the boots of their father. That's why within a decade of their father's death the empire crumbled under its own feet.
This book is written in a very simple language. I definitely recommend this book to those readers who love reading about history.
I will end with these lines of Winston Churchill :-
Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft.
My Ratings : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
I hope you like this, Thanks for reading, Jai Hind.
For more information You can visit - https://dontbignorant.in/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
- George Santayana
In the 19th century, the only man from whom the British East India Company feared the most, was the 'Lion of Punjab', the erstwhile Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh.
The relationship between the Sikh Empire and the East India company remained cordial until the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Afterwards, within a span of ten years, the mighty Empire of Ranjit Singh, was annexed by the English.
The fall of the kingdom of the Punjab by sardar Khushwant Singh, is a concisely written book which tells us that how the 'Sikh Empire', which was established by the blood and sweat of the Khalsa Army, not only annexed by the British but they also took away with them, The magnificent Koh-i-noor diamond.
Although, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had seven sons but none of them proved capable enough to fill the boots of their father. That's why within a decade of their father's death the empire crumbled under its own feet.
This book is written in a very simple language. I definitely recommend this book to those readers who love reading about history.
I will end with these lines of Winston Churchill :-
Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft.
My Ratings : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
I hope you like this, Thanks for reading, Jai Hind.
For more information You can visit - https://dontbignorant.in/
May 18, 2017
"... in the mutiny of 1857, just eight years after their kingdom was annexed, the Punjabis helped their erstwhile conquerors defeat their Hindusani compatriots. A new generation of Punjabis who disowned their past were born. Instead of having nostalgic regret over passing of the last independent kingdom of Hindustan of India many were proud to be foremost in their loyalty to the British Crown; instead of boasting their forefathers achievements in hurling back foreign invaders, they were pleased to be known as "The Sword arm of the British Empire"
Thus was the sponge of oblivion passed over the slate of history"
That the ending of the book, circa 1849, resonates so well today, says everything about the book.
And Ourselves.
Thus was the sponge of oblivion passed over the slate of history"
That the ending of the book, circa 1849, resonates so well today, says everything about the book.
And Ourselves.
July 6, 2015
Rating : 3 stars
June 13, 2021
As Indians we are familiar with the Koh-i-Noor diamond coming to the possession of the British Crown under the Last Treaty of Lahore (29th March 1849) after the fall of the Kingdom of Punjab. But we may not have read much about the events that led to the fall of the powerful Sikh Empire. The famous writer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Mr Khushwant Singh in his book titled “The Fall of the Kingdom of the Punjab” addresses this gap by taking us on a whirlwind tour of the turbulent period in India’s history preceding to the East India Company’s usurpation of the Kingdom.
The book starts with the events following the death of Maharaj Ranjit Singh on the 27th June 1839. In his time as the Maharaja for nearly four decades, he had led many expeditions and formed the powerful Sikh Empire that ruled over large portions of the (present-day) India Punjab, Pakistan Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir up to China. In the 180 pages of this compact book, the author narrates the quick succession to the throne by the many members of the royal family, who died untimely or murdered or betrayed by others and the aristocracy class of the empire. The true story feels more cliché than a television soap opera. It was unbelievable to read in every page the brave sacrifices of the Khalsa (initiated Sikhs) army, in contrast to the selfishness of their rulers and the ministers. Reading about the many wives of the successive Kings and ministers committing the sati by getting into the funeral pyre of their dead husbands, was horrifying to me.
The book was a by-product of the author’s research for three years exclusive of Sikh history, may be because of this, the prose feels encyclopaedic and resembles less of the fluent language in his works of fiction. The book assumes a bit of knowledge of terms that will be familiar to Punjabis, but not to a South Indian reader like me. I had difficulty in following the various clans (Sandhawalias, Attariwala, Dogras) mentioned, understanding the Hindi (or Punjabi) words like Jagir, Jagirdas, Panches & so on, who are Sardars & how are they different from Sikhs, and the various religious / military practises of the Sikhs. As a result, I had to refer Wikipedia for many of the terms the first time and then reread the paragraphs. Surprisingly for a publication by Orient Longman and now by Penguin Books, I was able to easily spot quite a few typos on important dates mentioned and many of the names of people and places were spelled in different forms across the book. Still the book was fascinating for its subject matter and a must read for those interested.
The book starts with the events following the death of Maharaj Ranjit Singh on the 27th June 1839. In his time as the Maharaja for nearly four decades, he had led many expeditions and formed the powerful Sikh Empire that ruled over large portions of the (present-day) India Punjab, Pakistan Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir up to China. In the 180 pages of this compact book, the author narrates the quick succession to the throne by the many members of the royal family, who died untimely or murdered or betrayed by others and the aristocracy class of the empire. The true story feels more cliché than a television soap opera. It was unbelievable to read in every page the brave sacrifices of the Khalsa (initiated Sikhs) army, in contrast to the selfishness of their rulers and the ministers. Reading about the many wives of the successive Kings and ministers committing the sati by getting into the funeral pyre of their dead husbands, was horrifying to me.
The book was a by-product of the author’s research for three years exclusive of Sikh history, may be because of this, the prose feels encyclopaedic and resembles less of the fluent language in his works of fiction. The book assumes a bit of knowledge of terms that will be familiar to Punjabis, but not to a South Indian reader like me. I had difficulty in following the various clans (Sandhawalias, Attariwala, Dogras) mentioned, understanding the Hindi (or Punjabi) words like Jagir, Jagirdas, Panches & so on, who are Sardars & how are they different from Sikhs, and the various religious / military practises of the Sikhs. As a result, I had to refer Wikipedia for many of the terms the first time and then reread the paragraphs. Surprisingly for a publication by Orient Longman and now by Penguin Books, I was able to easily spot quite a few typos on important dates mentioned and many of the names of people and places were spelled in different forms across the book. Still the book was fascinating for its subject matter and a must read for those interested.
June 7, 2024
The feeling while reading this book is the same feeling I often get while reading Indian history, and can be summarised with the sentence OH COME ON GUYS.
After the death of Ranjit Singh Punjabis kept fighting each other, palace intrigues kept on following one another, while the Brits were at the door. COME ON GUYS YOU KNOW THE BRITS
Another takehome message from this book is never to trust an imperialist. The British used dirty tricks to destabilise the kingdom from the inside, and duly disregarded any agreement might have had with the kingdom of Punjab.
The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that if you are not familiar with the history of the Punjab before June 1839, when Ranjit Singh died and when the events of this book begins, you might be a bit confused about what is told here. I would advise to first read Khushwant Singh’s masterpiece A History of the Sikhs.
Yes yes there are also some typos and editorial oversights. Who gives a crap about that.
After the death of Ranjit Singh Punjabis kept fighting each other, palace intrigues kept on following one another, while the Brits were at the door. COME ON GUYS YOU KNOW THE BRITS
Another takehome message from this book is never to trust an imperialist. The British used dirty tricks to destabilise the kingdom from the inside, and duly disregarded any agreement might have had with the kingdom of Punjab.
The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that if you are not familiar with the history of the Punjab before June 1839, when Ranjit Singh died and when the events of this book begins, you might be a bit confused about what is told here. I would advise to first read Khushwant Singh’s masterpiece A History of the Sikhs.
Yes yes there are also some typos and editorial oversights. Who gives a crap about that.
December 10, 2022
The Valor of Sikhs and Punjabis were off no match to the treachery of one evil and infidel, Rani Jindan, mother of Maharaj Dalip Singh, who sold the last free land of Indian subcontinent to the British. Lord Gough's tribute, " I would have wept....slaughter of so devoted of body of men" sums it up..
Khushwant Sahab's narration and historical accuracy would always be the strong point, but the use of certain words , carefully placed to build up the hype is spellbounding...
Khushwant Sahab's narration and historical accuracy would always be the strong point, but the use of certain words , carefully placed to build up the hype is spellbounding...
August 10, 2020
A detailed study.
A very intricately detailed and authoritatively narrated tale of the decade after the demise of the Great Maharajah Ranjit Singh Ji ,which also includes the fall of the mighty Sikh Empire.
A very intricately detailed and authoritatively narrated tale of the decade after the demise of the Great Maharajah Ranjit Singh Ji ,which also includes the fall of the mighty Sikh Empire.
November 1, 2014
Great. Amazing....
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews