Shah Mohammad - The Jangnama

The Jangnama

The famous Jangnama is believed to have been written around 1846.

Historians have pointed out that close relatives of Shah Mohammad were employed in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army. It was with their help that the poet could piece together a complete picture of the battle between the Sikhs and the British.

The poet had rued that soon after Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death, the entire edifice of his kingdom collapsed due to internal intrigues and British machinations. He projected, in the most appropriate words, the infighting among the Sikhs and the treachery perpetrated by the Dogras led by Dhyan Singh Dogra, making the descriptions a "primary source" for all historians.

Shah Mohammad's work thus remains the most accurate work on the reasons for the demise of Sikh rule in the Punjab.

The historical facts given in the Jangnama are verifiable from the Roznamacha (a daily diary), written during the reign of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

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