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Heritage Key Documents Related To Maharaja Ranjit Singh Yet To Be Translated

aristotle

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May 10, 2010
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PATIALA: The picture of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's life and Khalsa Durbar lies in over 8,000 official documents kept in Anarkali's tomb, Lahore. The documents have been written in Persian and need to be translated into Punjabi or English, said Fakir S Aijazudin, an art historian from Lahore, in Patiala on Wednesday.

Aijazudin consulted these documents for his new book, "The Resourceful Fakirs: Three Muslim Brothers at the Sikh Court of Lahore". It is based on the life of his forefathers, Fakir Azizuddin, Fakir Imamuddin and Fakir Nuruddin, who were the three most important courtiers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The three courtiers wielded enormous clout during the Maharaja's reign and retained their influence after his death as well. Azizuddin, prime minister of the Sikh empire for about 30 years, held charge of foreign affairs. Imamuddin was treasurer and in-charge of the Gobindgarh fort, Amritsar. Nuruddin was on the board of the Regency Council constituted after the Maharaja's death.

"All these documents, including official correspondence between the Khalsa Durbar and rulers of other states, along with the British, are kept at Lahore's Anarkali tomb. Managed by the archives department of Punjab (Pakistan), these documents, written in Persian, are well preserved. However, they are yet to be translated into widely read languages like Punjabi or English. If translated, many interesting facts, which have not been documented yet, could come out," said Aijazudin, who also served as the principal of the prestigious Aitchison College, Lahore.

"I have come across a 640-page roznamcha (diary) of Fakir Azizuddin in which he dedicated 40 pages to his official correspondence with senior British officials in Shimla. One can gauge the detailed accounts these documents have about several important official and personal decisions of the Maharaja," said Aijazudin in the course of a lecture on his new book at Punjabi University, Patiala.

His father, Fakir Sayed Waheeduddin, wrote a book, "The Real Ranjit Singh". "There is a dearth of dedicated professionals who know Persian and are committed to unraveling our past. Due to this, majority of residents of both the east and west Punjab have not been able to read important documents of the medieval history of the province," said Aijazudin, whose family converted its ancestral house into a museum displaying the relics of Mahraja Ranjit Singh.

(Source: http://www.timesofindia.com/city/ch...fe-in-Anarkalis-tomb/articleshow/29922675.cms)
 

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