• The glorious reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

• Nature of  Maharaja Ranjit Singh's polity.

• Maharaja Ranjit Singh - A visionory

• The relics and jewel of  Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Toshakhana

• Picture gallery

"On the 1st of Baisakh (April 12) 1801, Sahib Singh Bedi daubed Ranjit Singh's forehead with saffron paste and proclaimed him Maharaja of the Punjab. A royal salute was fired from the fort . In the afternoon the young Maharajah rode on his elephant, showering gold and silver coins on jubilant crowds of his subjects. In the evening, all the homes of the city were illumined. Ranjit Singh's political acumen is well illustrated in the compromise that he made between becoming a Maharajah and remaining a peasant leader. Although crowned King of the Punjab, he refused to wear the emblem of royalty in his simple turban. He refused to sit on a throne...........

The most important consequence of taking on the title of "Maharaja of the Punjab" was that thereby Ranjit Singh assumed the right of sovereignty not only over all skins ( the government itself being Sarkar Khalsaji ) but over all people who lived within the well-defined geographical limits of the Punjab........"

-Extracted from A History of the Sikhs by Kushwant Singh. All data has been compiled by Point Internet Services for business4india.com on the occasion of 200 years of coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Data courtsey: The Tribune Issue 8th April Spectrum.