Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Sher-e-Punjab

The one eyed young Sikh was going to become a sworn enemy of the Durrani leaders in the following years.

Ranjit Singh started preparing his own army. It did not take him a very long time to conquer the other misls of Punjab. Now Ranjit Singh was the force to reckon with. The entire Sikh Community recognized him as their leader.

Ranjit Singh ascended the throne of Punjab on 12 April 1801; he was the first Sikh ruler to be called the Maharaja of Punjab. At the time of his coronation, Maharaja Ranjit Singh was only 20 years old. The coronation ceremony was conducted by Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak Dev. He declared Gujranwala his capital in the year 1799. After about three years, in 1802, the capital was shifted to Lahore.