Who founded the Sikh Empire?
- ((a))
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
- ((b))
Guru Gobind Singh
- ((c))
Banda Singh Bahadur
- ((d))
Maharaja Hari Singh
Show Answer
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
CONCEPT:
Foundation of the Sikh Empire
- The Sikh Empire was a major political entity that existed in the Indian subcontinent during the first half of the 19th century.
- It was formed through the unification of independent Sikh confederacies known as Misls, which were sovereign states governed by various Sikh chieftains.
EXPLANATION:
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh: He was the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl who successfully unified the fractured Sikh groups. He captured Lahore in 1799 and was proclaimed the 'Maharaja of Punjab' in 1801, marking the formal beginning of the Sikh Empire.
- Guru Gobind Singh: He was the tenth and final human Sikh Guru. While he established the Khalsa (the community of initiated Sikhs) and provided the spiritual and military framework for the Sikh resistance, the political empire was established long after his time.
- Banda Singh Bahadur: He was a military commander who led the Sikhs against the Mughal Empire and established a temporary Sikh rule in parts of Northern India, but he did not establish the unified Sikh Empire.
- Maharaja Hari Singh: He was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, reigning much later, from 1925 to 1947.
Therefore, the Sikh Empire was founded by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.






