AflMIlfIS TM TXO If OF GULAB SlKgK -...
Transcript of AflMIlfIS TM TXO If OF GULAB SlKgK -...
A flM IlfIS TM TX O If OF GULAB S lK g K
Whan Maharaja Gulab Singh took charge of e.dminis tration,
conditions in Kashmir warn deplorable* Ths Si!th rube hed not imprcmkl
the let of the people*^ Ihe country was distifcfcbed, ©acAaan was
plundering his neighbour, end Gulab Singh »s energies were taxed to
the uteiost tn^estoring order*2 It v?a net an easy job for hi» to
look after an ad*inis tratlon which had gone froa bad to worse in the
time of the Sikhs* On 9th VcveuV-r, Isror.ce thus writes to
Currie, HTh® people eeeia in a wretched state of poverty. It will be
years rnd y^are before this countxy can recover it? prosperity* It
would be p lu m m t ia n d for a man to dwell in*”3 the shawl-Industry
which wee the Bain source of livelihood for the peovle, wes taxedU
h e a v ily * ’ F a t t y In t r ig u e s and q u a r re ls encouraged th e o f . ? ic iE l s to
f r e e ly t y r r a n is e o v e r rnd e x p lo i t the coTO'on people and ^fcuflgs
■yv.EU.t'A quickly• kSggj&L I!-;--iues, rsclO.ev; ' k ? --j i p u givmi away auidi
of the land It- tho Vr-lley es rtnt-fr^s eonceerlrr.p . f^rc^d l*bctir told
vrjon the po •sentry, f-atl an<*. infanticide were cccrrwn, robbers* Infested
the hills*^ There was nc security cf s or vice, fipT.>cintr:ert me dia*i»
s e e l c f o f f ic e r s fo l lo w in g j . r q u ic k s tc c e r- " ic n 3 .^
Such was th e S t r t s o f c " f a i r s t when M eharnja Gulr.b c ln g h
t.ooV o v ^ r th i* cb.^rf-o o f F r^ 'f r r ! r . I t was* pn n p h il . l te s 'c fo r I\ii:-i to
•* rift ro ve th e a3.m-*.rsir.tv,? t iv e and economic c o n d it io n o f K a sh m ir. B u t
w ith ±tes f i r m d e te rm in a tio n he s u c k e d in h is object i n e s ta b l is h in g*7 pt
peace and prosperity' and vary quickly »ss©rt*-d b •.£ authority* He
was rjost suece?? ful in preventing and surjprcsrinr Crime* The credit
to G«lab ^ingh thrt lie lrid the foundation of « strong personal
H aJU- jmMyfcin a different rrea cu tUe country* lie opposition and
e r iw e w ith €» s t e r n iu n d * He b e lie v e d in o b je c t le s s e n s * He vac nstu-
r a l l y f-. f-.rtiu by L ife *>'uL-j6ets sievvfci-tv*. *1 1 f r o n t i e r t ro u b le sverfc h i a .. .... _____ ____________ _________ _________________________1 . T & a * a t f i e g . 2 9 L t £ * £ 02 .2 , The In n e r Ip 3 setter o f In d ia Vol XV P* $*»•*
Let tor from H.F. Lawrence to CUrrie* Secretf 12*fC-t2M 9 H w ?t8M># yCjgiL S’srrtr, Herrin* Dass, Op, Cit P* 568.
5 . K o u l, C .I . Op, G i t P . 8 8 .f t . Brra**?-* F . P . Op* C lt. P . 6 0 2 .7* Hargis, Parsing Dess, Op* Cit P. 568*S . Tho Tfflp e rlp .l G a ze tte r o f In d ia - V o l. XV P , fkm 9 * S o f i , G .? f*D .t On. C i t P. 781*
123
Singh brought the principle of peracn*! rule to
nerfectton and ahoved tha people that he could stand by himself*
str.te was Kaharajs Gulab Blagfr** First of all he tried to pmeote
trade and comeite and succeeded in his object* Hicholacn recf-rc't- In
fell’ Gcrtrcseftt diary f " I bid b ti occasion to »>e*t r ^arty of Kabul
tredera* ^ie wire foing to Kashmir with tobacco rnd snuff for trade
purpoaea rr.d were getting pratto© and Shah tosh which were being sold
art Tory high rates In Kabul* I aJac talked %rtttj ther fcr s little
while *nd they ce-ciplained of tha oppraesiv# duU-s iu vizir own snd
*Hh*w*r (Mlafc Singh*a ter> liorles but reta&irred tbi't in ti e let^for
tiieir goods vn?re prctcctrd, -wher©** fchsy ?‘-«.r.entl » ?r- -■» riufcs
frc» the plimclering tribe* batvcar. Sabvl t?nd Posh£.v~
M f . K n » » I * J r < * Jt ’ * 1 - ■■ ' * +><’1*. , - ys-.~> - -,* f **• •' n- • i ' - r - 3 . . . 4 • * y • • >* * ' C < f . i r t l l4 *N - l 5 2. *•- f j ** ’■J ^ «•*> • * • ' - >. •>• ■ »* -*■ **jj V / '• i W M t., ■. K v- ■ i . s. V ■• ! * % ■ W v w
^f Kcsh?4.r, Ha established f r^rtrasr.tF for the r’iv.n /•*jd.r?isfcrat-icn
which fellowa I*
TAiywmae. . a-nfrtttant t Safe re uulfci* ^lnght the whola s/etaa of as* esaateat»
?ne ccX"! sc t ’ ^n vff axeeedirgly complicated «nd workable only in the
it:i-vn-tt cf corrupt officials and CQ*err.3«nfc h*id r. moncofcly in the
isrJo :.f grdln#^ v>ahar?..1f:. Sul&b £ir.gfrt4firlnr Ms It fa t1 :*;e did vofjr
little- tv- 2*&lir-r:ta this .?tote of thirds• He trek l;,ir.*£ rb ne foundk
that? troubled little to irprcvfc the*. ^y Sint cT iT.tirtr,fr irlustry
r-rid by strict supervision c-f Ills o'riiriflst he ir-rdf? nicst ef the f « % W
c-i iha V*.ll*y.^ n® resdlk-d & pott-vY c.C the reremse that fcrr-if being
Iffried* But tha reaTli ‘ ton tcr> saf-ll tc bring fibe.t pres party of the
stpie* But s till to s«ve people fro*p Star^ttionf fvu? coll actors vare
appointed by OUlab Singh vhc war® cniled by tha na*r. of Wandirala (cell-
set err;) turner vhe ji there vere thirty six Kardsrs*
1. SaettBiscfBB* Lavranee* Cv>, CLt P. 202.S. H^cKolSan^s 01a.ny * 1 ? ':r7, 1 ^ / *3* fawan F.f'rr, "<5al#ar• •ICa8l»nix,-,, A detailod sehcauo of curealw*' p'tilsfe: we et? siay b-- fcwad c.t ff* 273-B2# if. Yv>un^hi^hrr/; * r<-» Clt ?. 1?3«5 . S o n ; G .H .r *? fP . ?tt ?.
In eaeh village Numbftrd&rs were appointed who ver* being called by
the ns»e of "Hokdams". Kashmir was divided into thirty-*aix parganas.
One department was created separately for getting revenue in kind
which was nsaed as "Iteabjlnsft* and was to be realized twice a year
at t^e end of each harvest. It was the duty of Kardar to assess
revenue at th* time i&rcrop was ready, GuXab 6inch had Instructed
that ti-e revenue of ten parganas near the city was to be realised at
a fair rate* Be allowed to 2a@indars to sell rice when and where they
liked. But they had under all eircums truces to sell it *»t a rate not
higher than rupee one a Khirwar.* Thus the soveaent of grain fron one
place to another was not disallowed by the Government . The Government
order authorising free movemmt end free s?le of rlee by the Zaalndars
wee Issued under the singature and seal of Maharaja Gul^b Singh
himself*2"The Maharaja also remitted three Muuwattas per X&lzvar
of the Trukkee which had been levied on the Sirkeree share oT the
produce.*^ ©rder to counter the disastrous effects of famine
caused by the failure of r e i n s M a h a r a j a Gulab Singh decided to
control grain trade* This was fyecessary because on account of inadequ
ate means of cossBunieatlon, the transfer of grain from the various
parts of India to Kashmir or even from one piece to another vrlthln
the Valley was difficult# Moreover, the landlords and grain dealers
were In the habit of creating scarcity by corning rice in order to
increase profits. Hie grain dealers, of course euffered owing to
this policy of Government, and rm£*fcgreet hue and cry but Maharaja
refused to give up his policy. He constructed a number of store
houses In Srinagar and oiher towns of the Talley. Jbur collectors
were appointed in the department of "Doabjias*".
1. Letter froa R.G. Taylor to H. lawrencej Foreign, Sec* SXCRETf, Hoe. 116-117.
2. Ibid.3. Ibid.
12#
Another department created by the Maharaja was Daftfcr-1-
Dlwanl (Depart® nt of WLwani). The accounts belonging to each and
every aepertaent of the State were to be checked and audited by
this office*1The third department was called Da^ter-i-Nizaaat (Land
Record/ Office)* It* duty was to keep land records throughout the
state and to inform the Maharaja about the condition of the Zmlndare*
A t the end of each harvest, Patwaris were sent to their respective
village a to prepare reports, giving in full the detail? of dally
rations, firewood or other thing of necessity Issued to the people*2
“The fourth department set up by the Meheraja was to laaln-
tsln inte nel peace and to prevent and suppress crime* Be Relieved
in object-lesso^p pnd his penal system was at any rate successful in
ridding ths country of crlice. He kept a sharp eye on his officials,
and a close hand on his revenues*"'* Kotwals and Thanedars were
appointed for the protection of life and property of the people. The
result of these measures was that no sooner theft case occured than
the thief was captured and the stolen property recovelif^suceess fully
The fifth department established by the Maharaja was treasury depart
ment.
Judicial, M inistrations . Oulab Hngh seemed to have had prlaltive
Ideas about dispensing justice. He once suggested to Taylor that,l_ a charge o f t h e f t , i f m ig h t
by way of settllng^be advisable to handover the defendent to the tender
mercies of the plaintiff.5
There were no special courts during t; is period for the
administration of Justice. Every official who was holding responsible
t; Koul, Sallg Ram} 0j>. Clt P. 228.
2* Ibid P. 229*
3* The Baperlal Gazetter of India Vbl XT P* ^ *
h , Nargis, Harsing Dass Op. Clt P. W *Ga&ru, 6 .H. Id , Op* Clt. P. X*
126
post, could administer both civil and criminal cases*1 The Maharaja
was the highest court of appeal* Si naiad hi* subjects with a stem k
hand* If ha wan tad their services 4 * would hare than without m £ ktx
consultation of his advls«*«he State vaa Mftftraja (Midi Singh*2
Nobody psid any court fee*^ The cases ware decided by Ttonftedars v
Kardars or any other person holding responsible post* The Maharaja
used to convene a dally Durbar, whether he was in Jammu 4r Srinagary
and was giving chence to the Public for the re*ess of their griev
ances. The Agent of 0* General observes "Maharaja Is not closing
the door against the appeals In eases of reference according to the
terms of the treaty and recent orders of Government Cashmerles erei I
every where notorious for their 1 i t i^loujness• * If a aan was not
satisfied with the judgement of Thanedars, Kardars, he could make
an appeal to the Maharaja by feeing to his Durbar and offering a
rupee as "Nasar" (Present)* The Maharaja would listen tc him and
would then give his decision* "Sven In a crowd one could catch his
eye by holding up a rupee and crying out * Mahers j, Aw Hal", i .e .,
"Maharaja, a petition*"? His justice was rough and rude* He toured
his State often, and was relentless in his punishment of corrupt and
tyrannical officials. In murder eases his punishment was "Ashab*
which consisted in cutting off the nose, arms or legs of the culprits*
Such ideas of justice were also owned h y his successors*6 It Is said
that once a ccnvict solicited the Maharaja for pardon* The offence was
the murder of a girl for her jewels. The Maharaja was infuriated at7
this and he enhanced the sentence to that man* Once a complaint came
1* Koul, Salig Ram, Op* Clt P* 237.2* Sofi. G.M.D.. Op* Cit P. 781*3* K&rgis, Narsing Dess, 0^* Git P. 567*£* Letter from Agent 6 *eeneral i N.W.F* to Currie, ForgnsSeet Secret?!
No.t 12 **?, 12 November, 18M .5. Drew, Op* Cit P* 1?*6 . Gadru, S*N. Ed, Op. Cit P. X.7. Koul, G.L. Op, Cit P. 87*
127
that a hen was solan* The offender was summoned and the baiter was
ordered to siiavt half of hi* woostache and was paraded 1a the open
Bazar* While sitting In judgement, the heir - apparent was ordered
to be neaifcy*1 This iras to teach Rantolf Singh that he should deal
in the sagse uwenner, with the criminals as that of his father* Gulab
Ptnfh*s harshness towards those who were corrupt, made him ft terror*
Vigne narrates that m insurructlon took place near Poonch
agsinst the authority of Gulab Singh who went in person to suppress
it. "Sorae of hi# prisoners were flayed alive under his own eyes. The
executioner hesitated end Gulpb Singh asked hi# If he were about to
operate upon his own father and mother, rated hia for being so
chicken - hearted. Me then ordered one or two of the skins to be
stuffed, with straw* • * • • • The figures were then planted on the wayside
sc that passerby might see it, Gulab Singh celled his sons* attention
to it , and told hi® to take et lerscn in the Art of Governing*"
Qulrb Singh turned his full attention towards the irprovement
of Shawl Thdu^try l>partja-nt* This department was under one Controller,
under whom there were Ifukdee Karkhaodars •** These Rukdee Karkhendars
beewne very rich* The Shawl verve’ s on the other hand, were dependent
upon the Ksrkhand&rs and were virtually their gloves end were forcedk
to work very hard*
"Before 1833 the duty on shawls wes levied acoordlng to
the number made and starcped in the yssr at the rpte of three annas
in toe r u p e e * T h i s was found unsuitable end in 1835 General Main
1 • Koul, G*t* Op* Cit P* 87*2* Bases, P.H, C p * Cit P. 128*3* Shah, Sassan, G*. Clt m i I P. 36^.&* Baaiai* P*N*K*f 0«* Cit P* 606*5* Taylor’s Report, "Punjab Political Diaries, 'felt VI PP
Exfcrtd fro®, Panikkfir, K*M«? Op* Clt P* 137*
128
129
Singh, the Sikh Governor of Kashmir, established the Baj, or
fixed amount of tax* to be paid by each shop. H» levied tax
of ninety-six rupees per shop per year arid this tax was levied
on one thousand shops. When fthulam Jfchl-ud-din took over the
charge of Governorship, he raised tax from te. 96 to 120 per
year per shop. In 18*f6 Sheikh Imam-'ud-din the last Sikh Governor
gave them a little relief by setting the Shawl weavers free from
bondage of Karkhanders end remitting two annas per Kharvar. This
revived the Industry and during Gttlab Singh’s rule there were
2 7 ,0 0 0 weavers working at 11 ,000 looms. But the wages paid to
the workmen were miserably When the Maharaja took over
the administration he reorganised the shawl-department under a
controller regulating the tax according to the price of the
shawl in the market. He revised the system and renumbered the
workmen. In the beginning new shops were charged half the tax,
-In 18^7 Industrialists (KJarkhandars) requested the Maharaja to
count the number of workers yearly^-Nazrsns should be reduced.
The wages of worker^ should be fixed and a settled constitution
should be framed for them* First of all Maharaja Gulab Singh
stoifesd- th@ systcffl of w21A.tr MDuloti 9 di2© to vh1c h th® &ccounts
of labourers were continued to the 1^th month by their masters*
Secondly, he cancelled the un-necessary taxes as Chuttlniju*-
There was another bad system that workman was not allowed
to change his master and these poor people were paid less wages,
When the Maharaja came to know of this, he raised their pay to
5^ annas in the rupee and made it binding for the workmen to do
a fixed minimum of work.
‘ 1 . Bemzal, P.N.K.* Op, Cit P. 607.2 , &ofi, G.M.D., Op, Oit, P. 782.)3. Divan, Klrpa Bam. Op, Cit Pf. 378-379*<&. Koul, G.F. Op, Cit P. 89,
On 6th June, 18b6 all tbs workers set and stopped
their work and asked for permission to coifrate to Punjab* Gulab
Singh called their leaders to meet hiss.
The Maharaja investigated their grievances in an open
Durbar end then at a new Durbar held in July 18*+7, he declaredf
that a workman was not bcudd to work under one roaster.' Be was
given flreedon and his wages were fixed fc*r annas per rupee.
Moreover, the Maharaja stopped the practice ©f taxing the work
men, the tax being levied only on readymade shawls. Taylor
observes 9 "At the request of th* Kharkhandars a ctpy of the code
signed by the Maharaja has been nade over in my presence to the
omokeeas who are responsible for its production.” Tax was levied
on its oarket rate. /. wor was pe id wages on the market rate
of Shawls . He had to pay only according to the a c tu a l work done
by him on the loom and could change h is 1*^1 oyer at his will. Hs
was no longer a serf. Such changes were trade for the welfare of
workmen and labourers by the Jfehareje.
Question of Jagirs When Gulab §,ingh ccae to power, He had to
face the problem of Jagirtfari in his kingdom, It was brought to
his notice that there were 311? Jagirs granted to different
persons. Out of these manywere unregistered.^ The Sikh Governors
Sheikh Ghulem Mohi-ud-dln and Sheikh loajB-ud-dln were generfats
In the allotment of Jagirs. Especially Sheikh Imajn-ud-dln who 5
wanted to win the fevour of people at the tirae o f the downfall of
the Sikh f5©vemnent, signed awey large tracts of %«nd* However,
Maharaja Culab Singh confiscated all such Jagirs and released the
Jagirs of_the J&girdixs^mA_f.usli.Qf. the_Qjr ricjals *s —
Bansal, P *K., Op» Cit F * 607•
Te^e^freai R.G. Taylor to Lawrence, Secret Fom; Seej Hc*i 116-117, 8th Sept. 18^7.
^3. Bamzl?, P.F.F. , 0„. Cit P. 6C7.
serve under him in Cashmere.*^ Se resumed his own Jagirs and
released those of the hill Chiefs and Rajas who had Veen confir^flW
rj^g^in their Jagirs by Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-id-din. However, he
froze the Jagirs of those Sikh Sardars who held positions of
prestige and several advantages, in the Punjab, no»j|hmder the
British. The British did not press Maharaja Gulab Singh to
2release the Jagirs of the Sikh Chieftains of the Punjab*
The Maharaja further confirmed the "Jinsi1* and’Nukdee1
(Cash) grants respectively to the TEharraarth* Department of
Charity, This was done on the Is of the Register of Bharmsrth
trust discovered in general Mian Singh’s defter. 3 Some of these ^
claims were found to exist alsDin the royal Purwsnnahs down tok
a the death of Flier Singh. Unfortunately people complained,
misinterpreted his intentions and motiveJJ and so protested
that A was depriving them of their old Ja-girs. Taylor who
hrd separately investigated mentioned in his report, "The Maharaja
was to be just and reasonable. His point was that people who began
as revenue farmers should not clai*vvsthe land they held in farms
to be Jagirs, that grants when Bade should be strictly adhered to,
that grantees who were given one acre should not be allowed to po
ssess two on|( the same sanad, and that In cases of treason,
rebellion, and gross misbehaviour the Jagirs should be liable
to resumption.”^
System of Forced labour or Began Kashmir being surrounded
by high mountains and bad means of transport, necessitated the
employment of large number of men for carrying luggage and
essential commodities in the Valley* No arrangements were made
1. Dewan Jawala Sahai and Thakur Bass were the two Chief Courtiers of Gulab Singh to be favoured with the release of Jagirs* X ttar from Taylor to H,M. lawrence Secret Wot 116-417} 8 &ept, 18**7
2, Taylor to HIM, Lawrence Secret No* 116-117|8 Sept,18^7 ?4I*
^ General Mian Singh wbs the Governor of the Sikhs in Kashmir.
kyI Sher Singh was the successor of Ranjit Singh and therefore, the successor to the province of Kashmir too.
% Punjab Pol* Diaries, Vol. VT.P.60 Extrtd from Panikkar,K.M.,Op. Cit P. 136.
6. Baasai, P.N.K.? Op. Cit P. 605.
131
132
te d i s t r i b u t e the begar^ according to population. The former
ruler* of Kashmir did not give wages to tha porters, Iha reault
was that the system of forced labour developed in Kashmir* In
order to relieve paasents fro* injustice and oppression, tha
vented to be considered fit to do work when caller upon by tha
Government. The Meharr ;!* undertook to entertein three men out
of every hundred houses on ? monthly allowance of on® Kharwar
required by the Government, end vhen emplqy-ed they were to
receive their daily food. Those people frora whoft the work would
ell this Maharaja Gulab Singh appointed an officer to pay the
ypges to the labourers. 'By introducing these administratlv® reforms
Gulab Singh established peace end order in the country and resulted
(a) 1, Ra^tarangri of Kalhana states that Sankaravarman who ruled. Krntair from A.J5.883 to 902 and is f?o \nielllmoWhfor hia fiscal
oppressions levied fines on those villagers v'no did not came end carry their lo^ds voluntarily, *Rie fines levied amounted to the value of the load according to (higher) prices of thst region "Thus he(S*nkervj?rn»en) introduced th^t wellkn own (system of forced)cerriage of loads which is the harbinger of misery for the villages............" Vol I Book t 172-174/Notes) P .209.
(b )....Stein observes»”The system is not likely to hev* been worked
ry LawrencefSecretf Jtargnf Secf . Ness 116-117 dated 8 Sept, 18 -7.
Mahereje undertook tha raform of tha bagar system.2 la appointed
an officer to taka charge of thia wei*.^ Ha triad to rationalise
the system and to mitigate some of the hardships it an tail ad.
Be wanted to choose certain nuarb f man in each village tft©
of rice per sen as Government Begars. Ihese men were at liberty
to live at their houses and to work in their fields when not
till the constructions of Gilget road. Vol II Book VIII Ha^'tarangri note footnote 25C9-13 P. 197.
IteelBl RofDTM i - On, o f th , g r m t n t «*te o f hu»«nltjr fo r vhlsb
Gulab Singh deitm i external honour, Is the abolition of Suttee
and &f*nticide, A widow, who burnt herself at the funeralpyre
of her Lord, a6 her lest act of devotion, was celled a 8Ǥu The
word ’Vet*1 Is probably derived froo Sanskrit, the equivalent
English of which It * Truth* • In course of tia»e, the voft, Suttee,
began to be applied as an act of self irmolatlcru It has a long
tradition and reference to it, found in ancient books, gave it
the colour of religious ceremony# Suttee was an set, a privilege
and an honour, accompf*ined by the recitation of sacred verses and
involving the burning cf the widowed women at th® itinera 1 pyre.£ wttcc.
This cruel rite of the Sett was present in Kashmir from remote fc
tines, For the first time it was abolished by £ult*>n Sikender, His
son, All Shph, continued the prohibition, Ze.in-u^-Abiden revived
it. The custom, however, continued long in the neighbouring hlll-
states# so the Maharajs of Cashmere undertook to put down two2
very glaring sociel evils vl* infanticide and Suttee, He decided
to esadicpte it with a prcclam&tion,3 But with regard to second
evil thrt of Suttee Gulab fJlngfr expressed his difference. He
felt perhaps sincerely toe-, thet he was nctWrong enough tok '
abolish Suttee, He, however, offered to do pH within his
power to prevent the burning of the females, prevailing upefc
his own relations, end disusde them frcta restoring to the
atrocious practice,w5 But the crime of infanticide was supposed
1, Pfirmu, R.K. , Op, Cit P* Mf1.
2* Letter from Governor General N,W.F, to F, Currie Secretaryto the Government of Indie Secretj 12 -8 d?ted 15 Hor,1fifc6 1 .8 .
3, Ibid,b , Ibid,
5, (a) ’’Crirae of Infanticide is supposed to be much practised in his familyl U s proclamation against it will be useful,* This was the news expressed in the latter stated above,
(b) The evil of Suttee, though against Shastreas, and prablicjb forbidden by the Jeipoor Durbar was found to be a Gordian Knot.
?33
to b* nueh pr>etl*«d In his f-ully. In 1f#*7 tie issued -n order*
and proclaimed, "Wiereas a proclamation prohibiting Infanticide,
Suttee and S^lareiy, hateful to God and man has previously bean
Issued, In order that it mey be better Wiowy^ o everyone we hereby
foA,the second time declare Suttee, slavery snd Infanticide
unlawful and any person convicted ©f these crimes, the whole of
their property shall he confiscated and they themselves be ' 1
imprisoned,"
MiliftfiSX Maharaja supervised the military departm
ent which composed of & well appointed array, x/lth the same energy
2ftjid In te re s t as he d id in the C iv H -A d m in is trs t io n . /
The Efficiency r.ric5 training of his forces were mf>tt«': rs of de$|»
concern to hi®. He Increased his military strength to 50,000
Infantry and cavalry,^ He regularly supervised the ermy, their
arias and bedding^, If rny soldier became sick, his sickness wc.sL
reported to the Maharaja. W ith*oet de lay a p h ys ic ia n was a t
once despatched for his treatment end medicines were supplied
to hiBi free of charge. Be repaired all the forts and deputed
army In these forts* Hill levies were organised into regiments.
Besides, s code of wilitsry instructions and orders was drawn
up by hire. lie ccinec the woi*ds of command In Sanskrit and his
reglE ients were c t j le u by the name o f Gobardhan Regiment, the
Rnghunfith r a im e n t end Lak£hB?on Begiment# iie r e l ie d much on h is
Dogrr army. The eapabO .lty o f : i l ls army was accepted by Indi® and
Its ad jo in t in g S ta tes and th is array turned successful many a
time In f r o n t ie r disputes o f ( f t lg e t . As Gulab Singh was growing
s tro ng , he s ta r te d a fe c to ry in h is S ta te f o r producing arms end
cmmmitions •
1* Abstract Translation of Proclamation by Oulah Singh 18**7 •
2*Kcul.. .Jfcs. Splig-'Rrum Op, Git P* 2M+,
3. Kunshi, K.K* Or,. Git P. 257.
if, Koul Salig Rsm 0P. Cit P.
1 *
135
Gulab Singh built up the State of Jararau and Kashmir on
tha ruins of the Sikh Kingdom. He worked very hard to acquire
taAtoiy and he succeeded in conso2ip.dating his gains. Bte
inherited the system of administration from the Sikh Govemer,
Shaikh jDaen-ud-din. Good or bad ha accepted the administrative
system and he modified it hare and there to secure his own ends.
The few reforms that he introduced to raojjgenise the shawl
industry and forced labour in diner’ more towards oppression.
Of course, the ad minis trati\^5 machinery of Gulab Singh became
efficient. Against this the systems of *dm1 lstraticn of the Sikhs
rnd the Marather were deteriorating. This can be observed from
the brief survery of tha two administrative systems fiven below *-
At regards the SJkh edralni*tratl on it brd completely
deterfcrntcd after the depth of Maharaja Ranjjtt Singh . His succe
ssor, Khcrek Singh, was also a weak raSer. After his short rule,
EauKihal Singh was acknowledged as king with Dhyan Singh Dogra
»n Chief-TBinister. The youn<| pri^e restored law r-.nd order in tha
kingdon, and diverted his turbulent army to further fields of
conquests.^ After the death of NauFihrl Singh* .f;her Singh became
the king of Lahore by inducing th® troops of the Stat^o^ nske
hJLa a king*2 But ha was unabla to give a suitalba adraini? tration
to his country, aHenborough Writing in a lettar to Duke of Welli
ngton states* "He commits excesses and Is not strong.”^ In 1J&2,
the last Sikh ruler ascended the throne. This vas the nine year
old prince Duleep Singh. Hira Singh was re tty as his Chief-Minista fc
But Hira Singh had no real authority and the affrirs of Lahore
were g-ivin** worse and worse picture of administration. In a latt-ar
•Sllenborough writes to the Duke of Wellington by stating, n£vary-
1. Khurhwant Singh, Oq, Cit P. 70.
2 . Cur.: ighr.si, J .D ., "X History of the Sikhs*, P. 212#
3» kllenborough to the Duke of Wellington (privets) 12 Aug, 1 ^ 3 PRC 30/12(28/2) fcl.sU- Extrtd from Has rat BPLkreaa Jit,"Punjab Papart," P. 65.
**•. Khushwant ‘?ing^ Op, Clt P# 71 •
thing is aanaged by the regimental committees, which correspond
and act in concert. He era Singh had no l real authority."1
After the death of Hira Singh, a weak council of
Regency, composed of the Rani as regent, Lai Singh as the Vkzir
and Tej tingh as Coamander-in-chief, assuaed the power, Rani
was mere then useless. Lai Singh was an avaricious intriguero
Tej Singh had neither brains nor initiatire.
"To the Sikhs th© new adadnistrstion represented all
the elements of their defeat and national humiliation.*^ The
X main problem of Lai Singh *r Government wss to find voney for
the payment of arrears to the disch?*k©d soldiers • Further, he "began
to confiscate the jaerlrs ppri reside Khals~ estates 3ie result
of this weak ado inis trailer* was that the Sikh aivy haJ no confid
ence in their Hikh Chiefs, "When they considered incompetent and
corrupt md vho in their opinion were desirous of keeping their
luxuries to theinselv s under any loss of independence. The absence
of n strong executive Government gave them long, unbroken«?
p e rio d f o r d is p la y in g t h e i r s t r e n g th , " * '
Besides, drinking »nfi debauchexy were Most coopcn with
the courtiers, officials mcl men of higher poets,
"Th e p o l i t i c a l upheaval:? o f th e t in e c ro a tc d a £en£e
c f r e s t le s s n e s s and in s e c u r i t y in th e raincs c f e l l , h ig h and
low, and there was apprehension of a revolution. a recult,t -
robbers "beerme active even in the city of Lahore, A large nuaber
or Vrsltfcr persons started leaving thi Punjab,"6 resides, " the
stpte revenue inspite of sn increase by one fourth end frequent
receipts cf nasranas md resumptions of Jagirs were constantly
1, Sllenbcrough to the Tuke of Wellington(Private)20 Oct, 18^3 PFO 3 0 / 1 2 (2 8 / 1 2 ) f o l 1 0 6 -1 1 0 extrtd from Has ret Bikrana Jit (Pur j ah Papers) , P. 67.
2, H a s ra t , B lk ra uss Jit, "Anglo-Sikh Relat ens," P, 290.
3 , I b id ,l*-. Ibid P. 291.
5 . Oipte, M .H .j * Pun ja b cn th e eve of First Sikh Wer^.P.XCll.
6. Ib id P. (c).
136
fall in* off, while the expenses had bees x* steadily mounting
up ,"1 The result was that the Sikh administration was most
unpopular, the second treaty of Lahore the regent was pensioned
off. The British Government bees** the guardian of the yoimg
prince during his minority* "The British Resident had to direct
and control the administration with a council of eight ministers,
nominated by hires elf* The Britiah garrison was to continue to
be stationed atjt Lahore, and the entire civil and military ad*
ministration of the country was -rested with the Britiah Resident*"2
During Gulab Singh*a period, the Maratha administration
had coapletely collapsed* The treaty of Bassein had pit an end
to the Karatha independence which had been established by tha
gre&t Shiva Ji* The English had become the foremost power in
India, Bajl Bao II was the last Mpratha ruler, who began to intri
gue with feudatories against his new Masters* "He carried out his
favourite plan of sequestering the jahaglrs of all ihom he cons
idered the political opponents of his family and appropriated the
revenues to his own use*"^
Bajl Bao considered it necessary to entertain a disci
plined corps of lnfantfy with some artillery attached to it* B»
got approval for this proposal from Governor General and selected
Major Jhon Ford for this post* T h i a j i new force was composed of
aostly froa North India with only a few Marathas in it, AH tookj.
oaths to serre Baj i loyally and execute his orders faithfully,
" One great evil introduced by Bajirao in his revenue
admintration was the system of faming, that Is auctioning the
bualness of collecting taxes to the highest bidder, This measure
he adopted in order to amass money and at the seme time provide*
1* Gupta, H.R "Punjab on the eve of First Sikh Vfar*fP ©1,2, Hasrat, BikramaJit, "Anglo-Slkh Relations," P. 295*3* Hadkami, H*7,, "The Rise and fall of the Maratha Empire"P.26 5* Sardesir, "Mew history of the Marathas,"P*M>6,
13?
lucrative worit for his own favourities in service, irrespective
of their w rit end efficiency*"^ This method proved ruinous to
all classes, especially to the ci&tivaters• E&r his system of
of revenue ferasing he made his subjects long for a change ©f
Government* "Peace and security were what the harassed now longed
for| they had enough of war/ , plunders, tortures, and famines."2
By his revenue s y s tern the country was reduced to poverty and
wretchedness because thex revenue fanners made the best of the
chmce during their period of lease and toe people were harassed
in fflery way*^ The civil administration was transferred to mili4<tf
ityyxfUtwUxsft^KtRat ttem p office s who were not fit for such work
grd as a result military efficiency suffered* "Militar^needs
affected the ***** ^efficiency of the civil government reacted
disastrously upon military efficiency*"** Besides, the bulk of
the army consisted of fetJdel levies, "Bajtro® had the daah of a
soldier, but neither the patience of an administrator, nor the
vision of a statesman."* Besides, there was no good system of
education and nothing was done to develop those tendencies that
contribute to the greatness of a nation*
Sikh and Maratha administrative systems were similar
in certain respects. Both the Sikh and th£. Jferatha rulers lacked
farsighted statesmanship and boldness of a soldier* As the Sikhs
and Marat has could not consolidate their repective territories,
these were overtaken by chaos and confusion* Besides, the military
system of both the administrations was weak* The system of educa
tion was rlso same under the Sikhs and the Hsrathas • The Sikh and
the Maratha rulers did not possess the administrative genius of t
farsighted statesmen who could keep their armies under effi4i«fc/\t
ard effective control. The rulers were desirous of keeping their
luxuries ^of themselves. The revenue system was the same under
the Sikh and the Maratha administrations*
1* Sardesai, G.S. »Hew history of the Marathas, 1 P*
2. Nadkami, R .7. Op, Cit P* 266*
3. Sardeaal, G.E.? Op* Clt P. M*7*
Nadkami, R.V.? Op, Cit P. 355.
5* Sharma, S .R ., "The founding of Maratha freedon,"P*^35*
138
It voi&d appear from this brief surrey of the adainl-
stratlve systems of the Sikhs and the M&rathas that there were
many points eommon to both. Both the Sikh and the Martha w^Srs*
towards the middle of nineteenth century, lacked the farsight
W**d vied om of great statesmans hip, boldness and vigour of capable
tneralship* Qulab Singh possessed in good measure
e qualities of an able statesman and capable general*
1».