The Rise and Growth of the Lahore Army Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Formation of Lahore army under Ranjit Singh is an important issue of the history of the Sikhs in Punjab. Hence, with forming a regular disciplined army, Ranjit Singh conquered a good number of territories and established his sway over there. In the beginning of his career, Ranjit Singh followed the guerilla method of fighting to defeat his rivals. With the help of this war strategy he made a stern strike on his enemy soldiers from the behind. This tactics of dhaiphut (hit and run strategy) facilitated Ranjit Singh to create disturbance to the Afghan soldiers of Zaman Shah at Lahore during their fourth and last invasions into Punjab. After returning of Zaman Shah from Lahore to Kabul, Ranjit Singh occupied Lahore with the help of his troops in 1799. Then he apprehended the necessity to form a disciplined army with the help of western way of fighting to materialize his dream in promoting the Sikh empire across the whole of the territories of all Sikh chiefs in Punjab. At the initial stage of the introduction of European means of training, the Sikhs had reluctance and apathy to pursue it. Because, the Sikhs felt it beneath to their prestige to fight on foot. Rather they were habituated in fighting with horse. Ranjit Singh encouraged them with rewards to pursue the western method of fighting. He remained in the training ground daily for three to four hours. After rigorous training of nine months during the Dusserah of 1803, the Lahore army first exhibited their western method of training at Amritsar before Ranjit Singh. With making a meticulous spectacle, Ranjit Singh included cavalry, artillery and infantry into the Lahore army under him.