https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Maharaja_Ranjit_Singh%27s_throneMaharaja Ranjit Singh's throne - Revision history2026-08-01T03:45:26ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Maharaja_Ranjit_Singh%27s_throne&diff=514794&oldid=prevAdityagoel at 01:52, 3 January 20262026-01-03T01:52:31Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|None}}<br />
[[Image:Ranjit Singh's golden throne.jpg|thumb|Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne]]<br />
[[File:Sher Singh.jpg|thumb|Maharaja Sher Singh seated on the golden throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (ca. 1840s)]]<br />
'''Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]]'s throne''' was made by the goldsmith Hafez Muhammad Multani about 1820 to 1830, for the eponymous ruler of the [[Sikh Empire|Sikh empire]]. It is made of a wood and resin core, covered with sheets of [[Repoussé and chasing|repoussé]], chased and engraved gold.<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-court-of-maharaja-ranjit-singh/ Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525012047/http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-court-of-maharaja-ranjit-singh/ |date=2011-05-25 }} ''[[V&A Museum]]''.</ref><br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
It shows the splendour of Ranjit Singh's court and is decorated with richly worked sheets of gold. The distinctive cusped base of this throne is composed of two tiers of lotus petals. The lotus is a symbol of purity and creation and a [[Lotus throne]] has traditionally been used as a seat or throne for Hindu gods. It is thought that as the Maharaja was renowned for the simplicity of his appearance and dislike of ceremony he rarely sat on this throne, preferring to sit cross-legged on carpets.<br />
<br />
The throne was part of the State Property taken by the [[East India Company]] in 1849 after their annexation of the Punjab in the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]]. It was taken to London from [[Lahore]] and displayed with other treasures of the [[British Empire]] at the [[The Great Exhibition|Great Exhibition in 1851]]. It then went on display in the [[India Museum]], also in London.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Vrdoljak, Ana Filipa.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/811317006|title=International law, museums and the return of cultural objects|date=2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-84142-9|pages=69|oclc=811317006|access-date=2020-06-10|archive-date=2020-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610145116/https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/811317006|url-status=live}}</ref> Indian student Rakhal das Haldar visited it there and recorded that "it was painful to see the state chair of gold of the late Lion of Punjab [[Ranjit Singh]] with a mere picture upon it".<ref name=":0" /><br />
<br />
The throne later passed to the [[Victoria & Albert Museum]], where it is currently housed under inventory number 2518(IS). During the late twentieth century it was the subject of a repatriation claim by a Sikh regional organisation supported by the Indian government.<ref name=":0" /> The claim was rejected by the museum.<ref name=":0" /><br />
<br />
==Bibliography==<br />
*{{cite book|editor=Jackson, Anna|title= V&A: A Hundred Highlights|publisher=V&A Publications|year=2001}}<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090403065648/http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/asia_features/sikhism/art/ranjitsingh/index.html The Court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh] ''[[V&A Museum]]''.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Asian objects in the Victoria and Albert Museum]]<br />
[[Category:Individual thrones]]<br />
[[Category:Sikh Empire]]<br />
[[Category:Ranjit Singh]]<br />
[[Category:Indian royalty]]<br />
[[Category:19th century in India]]<br />
[[Category:1820s establishments in India]]<br />
[[Category:1830s establishments in India]]<br />
[[Category:1849 disestablishments in India]]<br />
[[Category:India–United Kingdom relations]]</div>Adityagoel