The End of Sikh Rule in Hazara: A Fragment of Chronicle

Abstract

After the fall of Durrani dynasty, Sikhs have established their rule in Hazara region which
lasted for more than thirty years. However, contrary to their claims that Ranjit Singh had
managed the state affairs systematically, he could hardly maintain peace and order in
Hazara. By lacking trust of majority locals in Hazara, Sikh could not establish their rule on a
concrete base. After the death of Ranjit Singh, unity in Khalsa army mainly disappeared that
ultimately causing to the disintegration of Sikh empire. British, who were already striving
against the weaker Sikh administration, successfully filled the power vacuum. However, in
Hazara role of James Abbott as a soldier of resistance movement who united the local forces
against the Sikh administration cannot be overlooked. Main objective of the study is to
analyze the causes of the failure of Sikh Raj in Hazara. Current research has mainly been
conducted through primary and secondary sources including e. books, available official
records and historical documents from offices, archives and libraries. This paper will
critically discuss that why after the death of Ranjit Singh Sikhs couldn’t stabilize the Sikh Raj
and defeated in both Anglo Wars and how their weak control couldn’t stop the resistance
movements and paved the way for the rise of British authority in Hazara.