Editing Ranjit Singh (section)

===Early conquests===
[[File:Portrait of a young Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sukerchakia Misl initially and later Sikh Empire.jpg|thumb|Portrait of a young Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]
Ranjit Singh's fame grew in 1797, at age 17, when the Durrani [[Zaman Shah Durrani|Shah Zaman]] attempted to bring Panjab into his control through his general Shahanchi Khan and 12,000 soldiers.<ref name=eos-rs /><ref name="Singh2008p9" /> The battle was fought in the territory that fell in Ranjit Singh's controlled misl, whose regional knowledge and warrior expertise helped resist the invading army. This victory at the [[Battle of Amritsar (1798)]] gained him recognition.<ref name=eos-rs /> In 1798, Zaman Shah army, which Ranjit Singh did not resist. He let them enter Lahore, then encircled them with his army, blocked off all food and supplies, and burnt all crops and food sources that could have supported the Afghan army. Much of the Afghan army retreated back to Afghanistan.<ref name=eos-rs />

In 1799, Raja Ranjit Singh's army of 25,000 [[Sikh Khalsa Army|Khalsa]], supported by another 25,000 Khalsa led by his mother-in-law Rani Sada Kaur of Kanhaiya ''misl'', in a joint operation attacked the region controlled by [[Bhangi Misl|Bhangi]] Sikhs centered around Lahore. The rulers escaped, marking Lahore as the first major conquest of Ranjit Singh.<ref name="Singh2008p9" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Patwant Singh|title=Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vr4VAQAAIAAJ |year=2008|publisher=Peter Owen|isbn=978-0-7206-1323-0|pages=73–76}}</ref> The Sufi Muslim and Hindu population of Lahore welcomed the rule of Ranjit Singh.<ref name=eos-rs /> In 1800, the ruler of the Jammu region ceded control of his region to Ranjit Singh.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jean Marie Lafont|title=Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Lord of the Five Rivers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjduAAAAMAAJ |year=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-566111-8 |page=64 }}</ref>

In 1801, Ranjit Singh proclaimed himself as the "Maharaja of Punjab",{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} and agreed to a formal investiture ceremony, which was carried out by Baba [[Sahib Singh Bedi]] – a descendant of Guru Nanak. On the day of his coronation, prayers were performed across mosques, temples and gurudwaras in his territories for his long life.<ref name="Singh2011">{{cite book|author=Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh|title=Sikhism: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e0ZmAXw7ok8C&pg=PA129|year=2011|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-84885-321-8|pages=129–}}</ref> Ranjit Singh called his rule "Sarkar Khalsa", and his court "Darbar Khalsa". He ordered new coins to be issued in the name of Guru Nanak named the "NanakShahi" ("of the Emperor Nanak").<ref name=eos-rs /><ref>{{cite book|author=Khushwant Singh|title=Ranjit Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D068dKeyGW4C |year=2008| publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-306543-2 |page=35 }}</ref><ref name="Oberoi1994p114">{{cite book|author=Harjot Oberoi|title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dKl84EYFkTsC |year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-61593-6 |pages=114–115 }}</ref>