THE Princess Bamba Collection has been acquired by the' Government of Pakistan for preservation as a national asset by the Department of Archaeology. It belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh ruling dynasty of the Punjab and his son Maharaja Dalip Singh. Most of its objects appear to have originally gone out of the Sikh Darbar in Lahore to England, where Maharaja Dalip Singh was exiled after the annexation of the Punjab by the British in 1849. The collection remained in his Suffolk home as a family treasure, which was later on inherited by his daughter, Princess Bamba Jindan, who died issueless in 1957. The collection is, therefore, of immense historical significance as it throws ample light on the life and time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, his son Maharaja Dalip Singh and the Sikh Darbar in Lahore. It also reveals a distinct artistic taste of the Sikh royal princes during the turbulent period of the mid-!9th century Punjab.
Although, Sikhism was born as a result of a great wave of spiritual awakening during the 15th century in the areas now called West Pakistan, the growth of Sikh political power in the Punjab and the North Western regions in the beginning of the 19th century, deserves a critical appreciation for understanding the implications of the regional cultures. The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was born at a village named Talwandi (modern Nankana Sahib) near Lahore. He preached against idolatry, caste distinction and hypocrisy, and gave his followers a comprehensive ethical code. A close study of the events connected with the lives of his religious successors-the Gurus-will reveal how deeply they were associated with Pakistan. The presence of over 130 shrines dedicated to different Gurus, situated in the length and breadth of West Pakistan, bear testimony to their close and continuous contact with this area during the centuries following the death of their founder.
Guru Nanak had emphasised that fundamental truth underlines all religions and the chief features of his system were its 'non-sectarian character and its harmony with secular life.' The early Gurus were religious preachers and did not interfere in politics; but later on, their conflicts started with the Mughal emperors, and after the death of Emperor Aurang-zeb, the Sikhs under the leadership of their religious leaders over-ran the provinces of Sirhind and Delhi. The 18th century was, thus, a period of political upheaval in the Punjab. After Guru Gobind Singh in 1708 had entrusted the secular affairs of the Sikhs to Lachman Das, a Hindu Pandit, who was re-named Banda Bahadur and who returned to the Punjab from Deccan with Guru Gobind Singh's banner, his battle drum and five arrows and spent most of his time in fighting the Mughal forces of Emperors Bahadur Shah and Farukhsiyar. Banda Bahadur tried to introduce certain religious innovations in the Sikh faith, but the orthodox element headed by the wife of Guru Gobind Singh, opposed these changes. His difference with the orthodox group of Sikhs resulted in the desertion of a large number of his followers with the result that he suffered a defeat at the hands of the Mughal army.
With Banda's death in 1716 the political power of the Sikhs came to a steep decline. The religious affairs were entrusted to Bhai Mani Singh with the backing of the faction led by the wife of Guru Gobind Singh. At the same time, the Mughal power had also started showing signs of disintegration. The Marathas were consolidating their position and the Jats were in open revolt around the capital itself. The prevailing political anarchy was aggravated by the successive invasions of Nadir Shah in 1738 and Ahmad Shah Abdali from 1748 to 1767. These invasions helped the Sikhs to establish their rule in the Punjab over the area extending from Rawalpindi to the bank of Jamna in the east and up to the Thar desert in the south. But the internal conflicts augmented the different Sikh factions and hostilities of the Afghans, the Dogras, the Gurkhas, the Marathas and the English created great obstacles in the establishment of a stable Sikh Government.
Out of this chaos Maharaja Ranjit Singh, by dint of his chivalry and statesmanship, consolidated a powerful kingdom on the northwest of the Sutlej, at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This he did by strengthening both his political and military power. The inhabitants of the Punjab, irrespective of caste or creed, were associated with his Government.
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