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Which regions did Ranjit Singh add to his Sikh kingdom?
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Punjab
The Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple; right), Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh significantly expanded his Sikh kingdom through the conquest and consolidation of various territories across the Punjab region and beyond. Starting with the capture of Lahore in 1799 and Amritsar in 1802, he proceeded to subdue numerous smaller Sikh and Pashtun principalities throughout the Punjab.1
His territorial acquisitions included:
- Kangra: Acquired in 1809 after he aided Raja Sansar Chand against Ghurka forces.1
- Attock: He occupied the strategic fort on the Indus River in 1813.1
- Multan: Captured by his troops in 1818.12
- Peshawar: Entered by his forces in 1819.1
- Kashmir: He expelled the Pashtuns from the Vale of Kashmir in 1819.12
- Ladakh: Extended into this region in 1834 under the command of Zorawar Singh.1
By 1820, he had consolidated rule over the entire Punjab between the Sutlej River and the Indus. At its height, his kingdom stretched from the Khyber Pass in the northwest to the Sutlej in the east, and from Kashmir in the north to the Thar Desert in the south.13