Life at the Lahore Darbār: 1799-1839

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) occupied Lahore in 1799 and ruled the Punjab from that city for forty years. He chose to live at the Lahore fort built by the Mughal emperors and to some extent, brought back the grandeur and magnificence it knew in Mughal times. This article is an attempt to describe the glamorous life at the Lahore darbār (Sikh court) based on contemporary sources, majesty that was lost forever after annexation by the British in 1849.