Ranjit Singh, << RUHN jiht sihng >> (1780-1839), known as the Lion of the Punjab, was one of the most important figures in the history of India. He became the first Indian ruler to establish a Sikh kingdom (see Sikhism).
Ranjit was born on Nov. 13, 1780, the son of an important chief in the Punjab, a region in northwest India. His father died when he was 12. At first, Ranjit ruled only a small state. But he gradually conquered neighboring areas and resisted the control of the powerful Afghans.
Ranjit expanded to the north and west and made his state the largest in the Indus valley. He wanted to unite all Sikhs in a great nation, but he fell short of goal. Soon after Ranjit’s death on June 27, 1839, the British took over the Punjab.
