The state of Jammu and Kashmir was created in 1846 through two treaties – the Treaty of Lahore between the British East India Company and the Sikhs, and the Treaty of Amritsar between the Company and Gulab Singh, the Dogra ruler of Jammu. After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, the Sikh kingdom faced instability, leading to the defeat of the Sikhs against the British in the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1845-46.
As a result, Kashmir was taken from the Sikhs and awarded to Gulab Singh in return for his support against the Sikhs. Gulab Singh was originally a lesser chieftain from a collateral branch of the ruling dynasty in Jammu. He entered Ranjit Singh’s service around 1809 and quickly gained power through military feats. Along with his brothers Dhian Singh and Suchet Singh, Gulab Singh became highly influential at the Lahore court. Upon Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, Gulab Singh maneuvered to maintain and expand his power as the Lahore court declined. In the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1845-46, he remained neutral and covertly negotiated with the British who in turn rewarded him by making him the Maharaja of the new state of Jammu and Kashmir in the concluding Treaty of Amritsar.
The British aimed for the treaties to separate Jammu and Kashmir from the Sikh kingdom centered in Lahore, but the new state still maintained ties to Lahore, serving as a source of legitimacy for the Dogras. Kashmir’s social structure was complex, with divisions among both Hindus and Muslims. The Dogras relied heavily on Kashmiri Pandits for administration but were less accommodating to Muslims.
Gulab Singh implemented a repressive regime in Kashmir to consolidate his control, including expanding taxation, suppressing dissent, and divesting local power holders. The British aided Gulab Singh both diplomatically and militarily while doing little to protect the rights of the Kashmiri population, leading to their exclusion from the new power arrangements.
To legitimize their rule, the Dogras promoted their Rajput lineages, with British assistance portraying them as defenders of ancient Hindu hill kingdoms against the Sikhs. However, in reality, the history of Jammu was more complex than this simplified narrative.
Gulab Singh’s rise to power and consolidation of rule was aided by British support. They elevated him to Maharaja, helped eliminate rivals and dissenters, provided military backing to suppress early rebellions, and endorsed his authoritarian rule. The British also upheld the Dogras’ claims to Kashmir and prevented external intervention in Gulab Singh’s governance, effectively allowing him a free hand in ruling Kashmir without accountability to the local population.
The Kashmir case study and the role of Gulab Singh is a classic example of what could go wrong if state power is given to a small elite at the expense of most of the population. It’s also yet another example of how British intervention in ethnic rivalry only exacerbated the conflict as they offered unequal support to a few.