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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2019}}
{{short description|Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Ranbir Singh
| image = Maharajah Ranbir Singh of Jammu and Kashmir.jpg
| caption =
| succession = [[Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir]]
| reign = 20 February 1856 – 12 September 1885
| predecessor = [[Gulab Singh]]
| successor = [[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Pratap Singh]]
| spouse =
| issue = [[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Pratap Singh]] and 5 others
| full name =
| house = [[Dogra dynasty|Dogra]]
| father = [[Gulab Singh]]
| mother = Rani Rakwal
| birth_date = {{birth date|1830|08||df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Ramgarh, Jammu and Kashmir|Ramgarh]], [[Sikh Empire]] (present-day [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1885|09|12|1830|08||df=yes}}
| death_place =
| religion = [[Hinduism]]{{sfn|Rai|2004|p=115}}
}}

[[File:Memorial Shrines for Gulab Singh and Ranbir Singh, Jammu, India, ca.1875-ca.1940 (imp-cswc-GB-237-CSWC47-LS10-008).jpg|thumb|Memorial Shrines for Gulab Singh and Ranbir Singh, Jammu, India, ca.1875-ca.1940]]
'''Ranbir Singh''' {{postnom|CIE}} {{postnom|GCIE}} (August 1830 – 12 September 1885) was [[Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir]] from 1856 until his death in 1885.

Ranbir Singh was the third son of [[Gulab Singh]], the founder of the [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] state. Ranbir Singh ascended the throne in 1856 after Gulab Singh's abdication due to his poor health. He allied with the British during the [[Sepoy Mutiny]]. Unlike European women and children, Indian mutineers were not allowed to take refuge in his state. He also sent his troops to help the British to [[Siege of Delhi|besiege Delhi]]. He was subsequently rewarded for his behaviour during the mutiny. He went on to annex [[Gilgit]] which had previously witnessed a rebellion against the state. The princely states of [[Hunza (princely state)|Hunza]] and [[Nagar (princely state)|Nagar]] started paying tributes to Jammu and Kashmir during his reign. He also established a modern judicial system. Civil and criminal laws were compiled into the [[Ranbir Penal Code]] during his reign. Ranbir Singh was a scholar of [[Sanskrit]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] languages and had many books translated.

==Early life==
Singh was born at [[Ramgarh, Jammu and Kashmir]] in August 1830. He was the third son of Maharaja [[Gulab Singh]].<ref name="Early Times">{{cite web |first=Jamwal Mahadeep |last=Singh |title=J&K - "Betwixt, March 16, 1846 & October 30, 1947" |url=http://www.earlytimesnews.com/newsdet.aspx?q=241931 |publisher=Early Times |access-date=19 April 2019 |date=7 September 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=37}} His mother Rakwal Maharani was the first wife of Gulab Singh.{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=37}} Ranbir Singh was adopted by Raja Suchet Singh, his childless uncle.<ref name="DE"/> Ranbir Singh inherited all his ''[[jagir]]s'' upon his death in 1844.{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=28}}

==Reign==
Ranbir Singh's father Maharaja [[Gulab Singh]] suffered from [[edema]]. With his health deteriorating, he decided to abdicate in early 1856.{{sfn|Bakshi|1998|p=222}} Subsequently, Ranbir Singh ascended the throne of Jammu and Kashmir on 20 February 1856.<ref name="DE"/> Gulab Singh was appointed governor of Kashmir.{{sfn|Bakshi|1998|p=222}}

===Sepoy Mutiny===
In 1857, the [[Sepoy Mutiny]], an uprising against the British rule broke mainly in present-day [[Delhi]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]]. Under the leadership of Ranbir and Gulab Singh, the state allied with the British. They sent money to the British troops stationed at [[Punjab]]. The mutineers were not allowed to take asylum in the state, which bordered the then British India. British women and children took refuge in the [[Kashmir valley]]. After the death of Gulab Singh, Ranbir Singh sent a battalion of Jammu and Kashmiri soldiers to help the British to [[Siege of Delhi|besiege Delhi]]. He was subsequently rewarded for his loyalty to the British. The [[Treaty of Amritsar (1846)|Treaty of Amritsar]] was amended in 1860 and a new provision was inserted which allowed a Dogra ruler to adopt a child from a collateral branch of the family. Previously, according to the treaty, the state would have been annexed by the British if a ruler did not have a natural heir. He was also rewarded with the [[Order of the Star of India|Most Exalted Order of the Star of India]] in 1862. His [[gun salute]] was increased from 19 to 21 guns.{{sfn|Schofield|2003|p=9}}

===Annexation of Gilgit===
[[File:Return visit of the Viceroy to the Maharaja of Cashmere.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Lord Canning]] meets Maharaja Ranbir Singh, March 9, 1860]]
During the final years of Gulab Singh's reign, a rebellion in [[Gilgit]] caused heavy casualties to the Dogra troops. In 1860, Ranbir Singh sent his army under the leadership of Colonel Devi Singh Narania, Colonel Bijai Singh and General Hoshiara Singh to Gilgit. They successfully recaptured Gilgit. By the end of 1870, the states of [[Hunza (princely state)|Hunza]] and [[Nagar (princely state)|Nagar]] started paying tributes to Jammu and Kashmir. In return, they received an annual subsidy.<ref name="DE">{{cite web |title=Remembering Ranbir Singh |url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/remembering-ranbir-singh/ |publisher=[[Daily Excelsior]] |access-date=7 April 2019 |date=12 September 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Schofield|2003|p=11}}

===Reforms===
Ranbir Singh established a modern judicial system. Civil and criminal laws were written and consolidated into the [[Ranbir Penal Code]] which were followed in the Indian part of Jammu and Kashmir. Now it has been removed as the Parliament of India has passed the bill to scrap provisions of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution on 5 August 2019. The judicial system was handed over to the executive officers. Separate prisons were built for political prisoners. Ranbir Singh organized two ''[[Durbar (court)|durbar]]s'' in a day in which he heard petitions.<ref name="DE"/>

Ranbir Singh founded separate departments for foreign affairs, home affairs, civil affairs and army.<ref name="DE"/> He founded a silk factory in the state. He also promoted its trade. The ''[[shawl]]'' industry flourished during his reign which provided employment and a minimum income to his subjects.{{sfn|Raina|2014|p=305}}

===Opposition to a Resident===
As per the Treaty of Amritsar, there was no provision for the appointment of a [[Resident (title)|Resident]] in the state. With the appointment of an Officer-on-Special-Duty in 1851, the idea of appointing a Resident started dominating amongst the British government. In 1873, [[Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook|The Lord Northbrook]], the then [[Governor-General of India]] wrote to Ranbir Singh about a proposal to appoint a British Resident in Kashmir. However, Singh rejected such a proposal. He submitted a memorandum and reminded the services of Gulab Singh to the British.{{sfn|Yasin|1984|p=22}} He also reminded the British that unlike most of the monarchs of princely states, he refused to take any ''[[jagir]]'' as a gift in lieu of his services during the Sepoy Mutiny.{{sfn|Yasin|1984|p=23}}

In 1882, Ranbir Singh wrote to the British government and requested them to nominate his younger son Amar Singh as his successor. He felt that Amar Singh was more wise than his siblings - [[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Pratap Singh]] and Ram Singh. On 12 September 1885, Ranbir Singh died. Governor-general [[George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon|The Lord Ripon]] announced that Pratap Singh would succeed him. In return, Pratap Singh yielded to the British demand of appointing a Resident.{{sfn|Yasin|1984|p=25}}

==Personal life==
===Interests===
Ranbir Singh followed the footsteps of [[Zain-ul-Abidin]] and [[Avantivarman (Utpala dynasty)|Avantivarman]], who were former rulers of Kashmir. He employed ''[[pandit]]s'' and ''[[Mawlawi (Islamic title)|maulvi]]s'' to translate and transliterate religious texts. [[Aurel Stein|Sir Aurel Stein]] catalogued 5,000 such works.{{sfn|Bakshi|1998|p=88}} Besides religious books, books on medical sciences were also translated into [[Urdu]], [[Dogri language|Dogri]] and [[Hindi language|Hindi]].{{sfn|Kalla|1985|p=80}}

Ranbir Singh was a scholar of [[Sanskrit]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] languages. He was also fond of speaking [[Pashto]]. He conversed with his Afghan bodyguards in Pashto.{{sfn|Kalla|1985|p=76}} He established a Sanskrit ''pathshaala'' in the complex of the [[Raghunath Temple]]. Grammar, philosophy, poetry, algebra, Euclidean geometry and [[Vedas]] were taught in it.{{sfn|Kalla|1985|p=77}}

Although Ranbir Singh received semi-formal education, he was interested in spreading education amongst the masses. He donated {{INR Convert|100|k|year=1882}} to [[University of the Punjab]] at the time of its establishment in 1882. In return he was made the first fellow of the university. Ranbir Singh frequently met scholars of various subjects and discussed the subjects with them.{{sfn|Kalla|1985|p=77}}

===Family===
In June 1843, Ranbir Singh married Subh Devi Sahiba, the daughter of the [[raja]] of [[Siba State]].{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=52}} In October 1848, he married a princess of Bilaspur state.{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=52}} In July 1871, he married for a third time to Charak Maharani Krishna Devi.{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=52}} After 1880, he married twice.{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=52}}

Singh had six children including four sons:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Mother !! Born !! Died !! Children
|-
| [[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Pratap Singh]] || Subh Devi Sahiba || 18 July 1848 || 23 September 1925 || one son, one daughter
|-
| Sir Ram Singh || Kahluriya Maharani || 31 May 1861 || 22 June 1899 || Bahawal Singh, Narayan Singh, one daughter
|-
| Sir Amar Singh || Subh Devi Sahiba || 14 January 1864 || 26 March 1909 || [[Hari Singh]]
|-
| Lakshman Singh || Krishna Devi || 1870 || September 1875 || None
|-
|}
Source:{{sfn|Charak|1985|p=52–53}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{citation |first=S.R. |last=Bakshi |title=Kashmir History and Peopl |location=New Delhi| publisher=[[Sarup and Sons]]|year=1998 |isbn=8185431965 }}
* {{citation |first=Sukhdev Singh|last=Charak |title=Life and times of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, 1830-1885|year=1985 |publisher=[[Jay and Kay Book House]]|url=http://apnaorg.com/books/english/maharaja-ranbir-singh/book.php?fldr=book }}
* {{citation |first=Krishan Lal |last=Kalla |title=The Literary Heritage of Kashmir|year=1985 |publisher=[[Mittal Publications]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mzozRa9wJ9kC&q=ranbir+singh+one+lakh+university }}
* {{citation |first=Madhvi |last=Yasin |title=British Paramountcy in Kashmir, 1876-1894|year=1984 |isbn=9788171560790 }}
* {{citation |first=Mridu |last=Rai |authorlink=Mridu Rai |title=Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights, and the History of Kashmir |location=London | publisher=[[C. Hurst & Co]] |year=2004 |isbn=1850656614 }}
* {{cite book |first=Mohini Qasba |last=Raina |title=Kashur The Kashmiri Speaking People |date=2014 |publisher=[[Partridge Publishing]] Singapore |isbn=9781482899450 |page=305 }}
* {{citation |first=Victoria |last=Schofield |authorlink=Victoria Schofield |location=London New York |title=Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War |publisher=[[I.B.Tauris]] |year=2003 |isbn=9781860648984 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/00book584554548 }}

==External links==
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{{s-hou|[[Dogra dynasty]]||August 1830||12 September 1885}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Gulab Singh|Maharaja Gulab Singh I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir]]|years=1857–1885}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Maharaja Pratap Singh I]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Ranbir}}

[[Category:1830 births]]
[[Category:1885 deaths]]
[[Category:Hindu monarchs]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Maharajas of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian royalty]]

Ranbir Singh of Jammu and Kashmir - Revision history

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