1 MAHARAJA RANJ{T SINGH. 495
2 Twice or thrice he even attempted to force his way forward; and it was
3 with some difficulty that he was persuaded to refrain from sharing the fate
4 of the.saétis. Oil, otto and ghee were then profusely thrown on the pile.
5 This being done, Prince Kharak Singh lighted the pile at each corner, and
6 in a moment the whole was a blaze, the flames of which ascended to a pro-
7 digious height, In almost the twinkling of an eye the unfortunate creatures
8 who had been covered with the mats, had ceased to exist, and in a short time
9 the whole mass was reduced to ashes,
10 The burning of the pile occupied two days. On the third day the bones
11 and ashes of the dead were picked out by the members of the household and,
12 having been put in separate urns, were placed in separate tents made of
13 Kashmir shawls, the poles of which were wrought with gold and silver, and
14 which had cost an enormous sum. Preparations were then made to send
15 the bones to the Ganges. The remains of the Mahardjd and those of the
16 four Radnis were placed in separate richly-caparisoned palanquins and brought
17 out in state from the fort. They were accompanied by costly presents, such
18 as valuable shawls, richly decorated elephants and horses, gold and silver
19 utensils, rich cloth, &c., all intended to be distributed as alms among the
20 Brahmins that live on the banks of the sacred river at Hardawar. On the
21 procession leaving the fort, a royal salute was fired from it. All the chiefs
22 and sardars and the members of the Royal household accompanied it, some
23 on foot, others on elephants and horses.
24 The procession traversed the principal streets and bazars of Lahore,
25 which were crowded with people. The streets, house-tops, windows and
26 balconies, were all filled with spectators. Those who occupied the higher
27 localities showered down wreaths of flowers on the palanquins as they
28 passed below. The doors of the palanquin that contained the ashes of the
29 Maharéj& were open ; those of the other four, containing the remains of the
30 Ranis, were closed. The faithful Minister, Dhidn Singh, walked close to
31 the Maharaja’s palanquin, on the right hand, holding in his hand a fan of
32 peacock’s feathers, with which he drove away the flies, thus showing his
33 homage and respect to his departed patron and lord to the last. When the
34 procession arrived outside the Delhi Gate, a final salute was fired from the
35 ramparts of the fort and the walls of the city, which continued to deafen
36 the ears for a considerable time. The royal salute was a signal for the
37 chiefs and sardars to retire. This being concluded, all returned to the city,
38 leaving the remains and presents to be conveyed by the guards to their
39 final destination. As the remains of the Maharaja passed the head-quarters
40 of districts in British territory and in native states, the same formalities of
41 respect and salutation were observed as in the Mahardjd’s lifetime. Mourn-
42 ing was observed for thirteen days, the mourning costume being white.
43 On the 138th day, the last funeral obsequies were gone through, and thousands
44 of rupees lavished on the Brahmins and fakivs.
45 As the reader is aware, Ranjit Singh had received no education and
46 could neither read nor write in any language; nevertheless he entertained
47 great respect for learning and learned meu. His secretaries were in per-
48 petual attendance on him, and he had the papers read out to him in Persian,
49 Panjabi or Hindi, and saw that his orders were drawn up in due form and
50 that the drafts met his views. He conversed in Panjabi with his own
51 people, but spoke in Hindostdnf to his European visitors. He was small in
52 stature and little indebted to nature for beauty of features, which was dis-
53 figured with small-pox and deprived of the left-eye from the same cause;
54 yet his appearance was prepossessing, his manner and address were delightful,
55 and his features were full of animation and expression. His remaining eye was
56 The ashes of the
57 Maharaja on the way
58 to the Ganges,
59 The scene in the city
60 of Léhare,
61 Tribute paid by the
62 British Government to
63 the memory of their
64 ally the Maharaja.
65 The character of
66 Mahardj4 Ranjit Singh.
67 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary * NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com