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This chapter narrates the death of Ranjit Singh, the maharajah of the Punjab, who was able to unite the warring Sikh factions and form a strong and prosperous nation. However, it is shown that he was unable to leave a suitable heir to his throne, despite having seven sons. The following sections discuss the actions of some of Ranjit Singh’s sons, namely Kharak Singh, Nao Nihal Singh, Sher Singh, and Dalip Singh. Kharak Singh’s wife, Maharani Chand Kaur — and eventual widow — is also discussed. The chapter also studies the Punjab under the Dogras, which was composed of Dhian Singh, Gulab Singh, and Suchet Singh. The last section of the chapter includes a discussion of Maharani Jindan, the mother of Dalip Singh.

This chapter begins delving into the politics surrounding and embedded into the historiography concerning the fall of the Sikh Empire. It particularly focuses on deconstructing narratives about Ranjit Singh’s death and how historically pivotal this event is thought to have been in leading to the internal problems and eventual collapse of the kingdom in the decade between 1839 and 1849. Instead, the chapter argues for greater attention to be paid to the gendered and colonial politics influencing the British and European writings on the Punjab’s royal elite and the kingdom’s affairs during this crucial period. Such sources have considerably constituted the basis of subsequent histories and biographies about Ranjit Singh and his family, but have rarely been critically interrogated for their internal debates and biases. This chapter instead attempts to piece together a political history of such colonial writings on the Punjab – together with drawing upon a range of less-studied Persian, Punjabi and Sanskrit courtly sources – to resurrect a vista of the world of Ranjit Singh’s heirs, as they sought to maintain the independence of their kingdom into the 1830s.

In the first elections to the SGPC (Central Board) Kharak Singh and Master Tara Singh were elected President and Vice-President. Most of the meetings of the SGPC from 1926 to 1929 were presided over by Master Tara Singh, and a number of important resolutions were passed. He played a leading role in the Akali agitation against the Maharaja of Patiala, and in mobilizing Sikh opinion against the recommendations of the Motilal Nehru Committee which were unjust to the Sikhs. Eventually, the Congress passed a resolution at its annual session at Lahore in 1929 that no constitution for India would be finalized without the consent of the Sikhs. Master Tara Singh decided to work with the Congress, but Kharak Singh decided to boycott it. Elected President of the SGPC in 1930, Master Tara Singh replaced Kharak Singh as the topmost leader of the Akalis.

The chapter narrates the exile story of the Sikh rebel Bhai Maharaj Singh, and his disciple Kharak Singh, who were banished to Singapore in the mid-nineteenth century for their roles in the uprising against the British in India. It tracks their experiences from the time of their military defeat and capture in Punjab to their years in Singapore, where they lived alongside of transmarine convicts transported to the outposts of the British Empire in Southeast Asia to perform manual labour.

This chapter talks about the gurdwaras, specifically its evolution and importance in the social life of the Sikhs. The discussion in this chapter aims to provide a full grasp of the importance of the Gurdwara Reform. It begins by looking at the income and proper management of the gurdwara. It is followed by a recollection of the Nankana Holocaust, which erupted when Narain Das ordered an attack on the jathā visiting the gurdwara he was managing. The next event was the Keys Affair, when the deputy commissioner of Amritsar seized the keys of the Golden Temple after he became suspicious of Baba Kharak Singh’s bona fides. The chapter then turns to discussions of Guru ka Bagh, the Babbar Akali terrorists, and the Jaito, before finally settling on the Sikh Gurdwaras Act.

In 1942–3, the ‘Azad Punjab’ scheme was promoted by Master Tara Singh and other Akali leaders. However, it had no attraction for the bureaucracy, the Muslim League, and the Congress. Even Kharak Singh and Sant Singh were opposed to it. The talks of Rajagopalachari with Jinnah impelled Master Tara Singh to put forth the idea of a Sikh state in view of the impression left by the talks that Rajagopalachari and Mahatma Gandhi were willing to concede Pakistan in accordance with a modified procedure for demarcating the boundaries. In case Pakistan was conceded, the Sikh memorandum to the Sapru Committee asked for creation of a separate Sikh state with a substantial proportion of the Sikh population, their historic gurdwaras, and provision of transfer of population and property.