Sikh emperor Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue unveiled in Lahore, Pakistan
New Delhi : Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s life size sculpture is unveiled in Lahore on Thursday to mark his 180th death anniversary. He has ruled over Punjab for four years.
The statue is located in an open space outside the Maharani Jindian Kaur Haveli, also known as The Sikh Gallery, in Lahore Fort. It is close to the houses that houses Ranjit Singh’s grave and Gurdwara Dera Sahib of Guru Arjun Dev.
The Maharaja, also known as Sher-e-Punjab, had a long association with Lahore. He captured Lahore in 1799 and made it the Sikh Empire of Capital. His grave is just next door to Lahore Fort.
“Unveiling a life-size statue of Maharaja in Pakistan is a historic move,” said Shahid Shabir, a Pakistan-based researcher on Sikh heritage.
He said the three plates of brass are in three languages - Urdu, Gurmukhi and English – to narrate brief history of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The statue on which the platform is erected is decorated with old-fashioned “Nanakshahi” bricks, he said.
The life-size statue, pictures of which were released on social media, shows Maharaja Ranjit Singh riding his favorite Arabic horse, Kahar Bahar, which was gifted to him by Dost Muhammad Khan, founder of Barazkai Dynasty.
The statue, completed in eight months, is finished in fibre-cold bronze material and its matchlessness when compared to other sculptures of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in this region.
