Pakistan is unveiling a life-size sculpture of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh outside the Sikh Gallery at Lahore Fort on the occasion of his 180th death anniversary on June 27.
The Nation newspaper reports that the life-size sculpture shows Maharaja Ranjit Singh sitting on his favourite Arabic horse named Kahar Bahar.
The horse was gifted to him by Dost Muhammad khan, who was the founder of the Barakzai dynasty and prominent ruler of Afghanistan during the First Anglo-Afghan War.
Tiny-sized horse was very intelligent and very fast and became his favourite horse because Maharaja’s own height was 5.5 inch, says the news report.
According to the report, about 1,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims have reached Lahore’s Gurdwara Dera Sahib near where the Maharaja was cremated on June 27, 1839, to join in the inauguration of the sculpture.
Faqir Saifuddin, whose forefathers served as emissaries of Ranjit Singh, supervised the design of the sculpture. He said, “This sculpture is a tribute and homage to the son of the soil”.
Faqir Saifuddin said Maharaja Ranjit Singh never ordered capital punishment during his 39 year-rule and never issued any coins in his name.
“There were no communal riots and no forced conversions in his era. He remained a wall of iron against the British army for decades,” according to Faqir Saifuddin.
“It is a moment of proud that being a Punjabi, I am part of this history. Also important because three members of my family Fakir Nooruddin, Fakir Azizuddin, and Fakir Imamuddin were emissaries to Ranjit Singh,” he said.
“Lahore has rich cultural and religious diversity since centuries. Ranjit was one important part of it. It is part of history that Lahore citizens were witnessing 70-year looting of Afghan rulers. They found relief in 19-year-old Ranjit Singh upon the pre-condition of not to loot them and protecting their religious rights.”
Sikh Heritage Foundation UK Director Boby Singh Bansal, who commissioned the sculpture, said, “History is in the making. This is the first venture in Lahore Fort. We are extremely happy to be a part of this historic moment.”
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