THE POOL OF NECTAR - PAGE 2
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Leading the Sikhs to a Battle.
By the second half of the eighteenth century, "the chiefs of different misls had gained influence over the city in separate small principalities or quarters called Katras, where they exercised their jurisdiction and executed civic administration. Assisted by Missar Chajju Mal, Sada Kaur ruled over Katra Kanhaiya; Sardar Jaimal Singh managed Katra Jaimal Singh, and Sardar Bhag Singh Bagha, a Sanskrit and Persian scholar and cannon-maker, was in charge of Katra Bhaggian. Katra Ramgarhia and Katra Ahluwalian were held jointly by Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, the founder of Ahluwalia misl and of Kapurthala State. These chiefs built houses, Bungahs round the temple, roads, forts and bazars"
"The Ramgarhia misl was closely associated with the city of Amritsar. This misl took its name from Ram Rauni or 'Fortalice of God' at Amritsar, a mud work....
"After Jassa Singh's death in 1803, a contract of friendship had been drawn up between Ranjit Singh and the Ramgarhia family at Amritsar before the Granth. Ranjit Singh stamped the papers with his open palm dyed with saffron... went to the Ramgarh fort and succeeded in capturing it with his artillery." (Amritsar Past and Present by V. N. Datta, p. 23.)
It was in 1803 that this town was incorporated in the dominion of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The cultural, economic and political development of Amritsar was largely the work of this monarch who took great pains to make it the spiritual capital as well as the main commercial and cultural centre of his kingdom, while Lahore remained the political capital. He encouraged a great many nobles of the Lahore court and big merchants to settle in Amritsar. He expended large sums on the construction of a number of buildings.
The Golden Temple, as it stands today, with its luminous exterior plated with gold is chiefly the work of Ranjit Singh. He ordered the architectural shape of the Golden Temple to be redesigned. He took deep interest in getting the temple artistically decorated. For this purpose the Maharaja, made a grant of Rs. 500,000 in 1808 A.D. and invited skilled Muslim architects, masons and wood-carvers from Chaniot, now in Pakistan. Yar Mohammad Khan Mistri was the technical expert for gold plating, carried out in 1830.
All Photographs Copyright © 1999 Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa - http://www.sikhphotos.com - (Unless specified explicitly)
All Text Copyright © 1977 Marg Publications, Army & Navy Building, Fort, Bombay. Published by J.J. Bhabha for Marg Publications - Vol XXX , Number 3, June 1977