Historical place in lahore

 

Samadhi of Ranjit Singh

The Samadhi of Ranjit Singh (Punjabi: رنجیت سنگھ دی سمادھی (Shahmukhi), ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੀ ਸਮਾਧੀ (Gurmukhi); Urdu: رنجیت سنگھ کی سمادھی) is a 19th-century building in Lahore, Pakistan that houses the funerary urns of the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780 – 1839). It is located adjacent the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque, as well as the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, which marks the spot where the fifth guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev, died. Its construction was started by his son and successor, Maharaja Kharak Singh, after the ruler's death in 1839, and completed nine years later. It overlooks the Hazuri Bagh, built by Ranjit Singh, to its south.

Location

Samadhi of 'Sher-e-Punjab' Maharaja Ranjit Singh

ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੀ ਸਮਾਧੀ رنجیت سنگھ دی سمادھی
The Samadhi was built next to Badshahi Mosque and Gurdwara Dera Sahib.
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Location	Lahore, Punjab  Pakistan
Completion date	1848

HistoryEdit

The shrine was built at the northeast corner of the Badshahi Mosque.

Construction of the building was started by his son, Kharak Singh on the spot where he was cremated, and was completed by his youngest son, Duleep Singh in 1848.

Modern eraEdit

The funerary urns were removed from the marble pavilion and were replaced by a simple slab around 1999.^{[citation needed]} This was done as part of the preparations for the Khalsa Tricentenary and the visit of Sikh dignitaries from India. It has been kept well by Pakistani government. The Samadhi was damaged by an earthquake in 2005 but was repaired soon.

Architecture

Edit

The samadhi combines Hindu, Islamic, and Sikh motifs.

Building:

The building combines elements of Sikh, Hindu, and Islamic architecture.^[1] Portions of the building are believed to have been plundered from the adjacent Lahore Fort.^[2]

The building has gilded fluted domes and cupolas, and an ornate balustrade around the upper portion of the building. The front of the doorway has images of Ganesh, Devi and Brahma that are cut from red sandstone. The dome is decorated with Nāga (serpent) hood designs - the product of Hindu craftsmen that worked on the project.^[3] The wooden panels on the ceiling are decorated with stained glass work, while the walls are richly decorated with floral designs. The ceilings are decorated with glass mosaic work.

Funerary urnsEdit

Ranjit Singh's ashes are contained in a marble urn in the shape of a lotus, sheltered under a marble pavilion inlaid with pietra dura, in the centre of the tomb. Surrounding him, in smaller urns, are the ashes of four Hindu sati queens and seven concubines.

Associated monumentsEdit

The Gurdwara Dera Sahib is adjacent to the samadhi, and commemorates the spot where Guru Arjan Dev Ji died.

Two small monuments to the west of the main building commemorate Maharaja Ranjit Singh's son Maharaja Kharak Singh and grandson Nau Nihal Singh, along with their wives. The building is located adjacent to Gurdwara Dera Sahib, the place where martyrdom of Guru Arjun took place.

            "About Ranjit Singh"

Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10. After his father died, he fought several wars to expel the Afghans in his teenage years and was proclaimed as the "Maharaja of Punjab" at age 21. His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839.

Ranjit Singh
Maharaja of Punjab Maharaja of Lahore Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab) Sher-e-Hind (Lion of Hind) Sarkar-i-Wallah (Head of State)[1] Sarkar Khalsaji (Head of the Khalsa) Lord of Five Rivers Singh Sahib[2]
Painting of Maharaja Ranjit Singh from the Tazkirat al-Umara, written for James Skinner, ca.1830
Maharaja of the Sikh Empire
Reign	12 April 1801 – 27 June 1839
Investiture	12 April 1801 at Lahore Fort
Successor	Kharak Singh
Chief of Sukerchakia Misl
Reign	15 April 1792 – 11 April 1801
Predecessor	Maha Singh
Born	Buddh Singh 13 November 1780[3] Gujranwala, Sukerchakia Misl, Sikh Confederacy (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died	27 June 1839 (aged 58) Lahore, Sikh Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Burial	Cremated remains stored in the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh, Lahore
Spouse	Maharani Mehtab Kaur Maharani Datar Kaur Maharani Jind Kaur
Issue	Kharak Singh Ishar Singh Rattan Singh Sher Singh Tara Singh Fateh Singh[4] Multana Singh Kashmira Singh Peshaura Singh Maharaja Duleep Singh
Father	Sardar Maha Singh
Mother	Raj Kaur
Religion	Sikhism
Signature (handprint)