Maharaja

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 s ...

's throne was made by the goldsmith Hafez Muhammad Multani about 1820 to 1830, for the eponymous ruler of the

Sikh empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

. It is made of a wood and resin core, covered with sheets of repoussé, chased and engraved gold.Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne
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V&A Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

''.

Overview

It shows the splendour of Ranjit Singh's court and is decorated with richly worked sheets of gold. The distinctive cusped base of this throne is composed of two tiers of lotus petals. The lotus is a symbol of purity and creation and a

Lotus throne In Asian art a lotus throne, sometimes lotus platform, is a stylized lotus flower used as the seat or base for a figure. It is the normal pedestal for divine figures in Buddhist art and Hindu art, and often seen in Jain art. Originating in Indi ...

has traditionally been used as a seat or throne for Hindu gods. It is thought that as the Maharaja was renowned for the simplicity of his appearance and dislike of ceremony he rarely sat on this throne, preferring to sit cross-legged on carpets. The throne was part of the State Property taken by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in 1849 after their annexation of the Punjab in the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab r ...

. It was taken to London from

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

and displayed with other treasures of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

at the Great Exhibition in 1851. It then went on display in the

India Museum The India Museum was a London museum of India-related exhibits, established in 1801. It was closed in 1879 and its collection dispersed, part of it later forming a section in the South Kensington Museum. History The museum, of the East India Com ...

, also in London. Indian student Rakhal das Haldar visited it there and recorded that "it was painful to see the state chair of gold of the late Lion of Punjab

with a mere picture upon it". The throne later passed to the

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, where it is currently housed under inventory number 2518(IS). During the late twentieth century it was the subject of a repatriation claim by a Sikh regional organisation supported by the Indian government. The claim was rejected by the museum.

Bibliography

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
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''. Asian objects in the Victoria and Albert Museum Individual thrones Sikh Empire Ranjit Singh Indian royalty 19th century in India 1820s establishments in India 1830s establishments in India 1849 disestablishments in India India–United Kingdom relations