Pakistani authorities have recently erected a statue honoring Punjab’s first Sikh ruler, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib. This significant installation was unveiled during a ceremony attended by Sikh pilgrims from India, marking a historic moment for bilateral cultural relations Maharaja Ranjit Singh, often revered as the “Lion of Punjab,” played a pivotal role in Sikh history during the early 19th century. He united various Sikh factions and established a formidable empire that encompassed the Punjab region of present-day India and Pakistan. His leadership, military acumen, and efforts to consolidate Sikh rule in Punjab continue to be celebrated within the Sikh community.
Radio Pakistan reported, “The statue of Punjab’s first Sikh ruler, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, has been permanently installed at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.” The installation ceremony was attended by Punjab’s Minister for Minority Affairs and the head of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, along with officials from the Project Management Unit Kartarpur and Sikh pilgrims from India This event coincided with a gathering of Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan to commemorate the 185th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore. During the ceremony, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Punjab’s Minister for Minority Affairs, emphasized the significance of safeguarding the statue as a symbol of historical and cultural importance.
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Previously, Ranjit Singh’s nine-foot-tall bronze statue had been housed at Lahore Fort but faced incidents of vandalism in 2020 and 2021. Pakistan’s establishment of the Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free passage for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the site where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, spent his last years, underscores efforts to foster cultural exchange and religious pilgrimage between India and Pakistan.
