MPPSC 2021 Prelims Paper-I · Question 51 of 100

Correct — D, Sukerchakia Misl. Ranjit Singh was born into the Sukerchakia Misl, one of the twelve Sikh misls (confederacies) that controlled Punjab in the 18th century. He inherited its leadership from his father, Maha Singh, while still young, and used it as his base to unify the rival misls into the Sikh Empire after capturing Lahore in 1799.

• (a)Ahluwalia — A separate, prominent misl associated with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia — not Ranjit Singh's own misl.
• (b)Dallewalia — Another of the twelve Sikh misls, unconnected to Ranjit Singh's family line.
• (c)Kanhaiya — A powerful rival misl — Ranjit Singh's first wife's family (Sada Kaur's Kanhaiya Misl) was linked to it by marriage, but it was not his own misl.

The Sikh misls were twelve autonomous warrior confederacies that emerged in Punjab after the decline of Mughal authority in the mid-18th century, each holding its own territory and army. Ranjit Singh belonged to the Sukerchakia Misl; he became its chief as a teenager and, over the following years, absorbed or allied with the other misls to found a unified Sikh Empire centred at Lahore.

Questions test both 'which misl was Ranjit Singh's own' (Sukerchakia) and his marriage/alliance links to other misls (e.g., the Kanhaiya Misl through his first wife's family) — don't conflate the two.

• Ranjit Singh's own misl: Sukerchakia
• Inherited its leadership from his father, Maha Singh
• Captured Lahore in 1799 and was proclaimed Maharaja in 1801, founding the Sikh Empire
• Twelve Sikh misls existed before unification, including Ahluwalia, Kanhaiya and Dallewalia

• Confusing Ranjit Singh's own misl (Sukerchakia) with his in-laws' misl (Kanhaiya)
• Assuming all twelve misls merged at once rather than through Ranjit Singh's gradual conquests

Direct 'which misl' factual recall, or matching misls to their chiefs — MPPSC/UPSC test the Sukerchakia identification alongside the broader Sikh Empire timeline.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  In which year was Ranjit Singh proclaimed Maharaja, formally founding the Sikh Empire?

  • (a)1799
  • (b)1801
  • (c)1809
  • (d)1849

  Answer(b) 1801 — he had captured Lahore in 1799 and took the title Maharaja in 1801.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Sikh Empire founded by Ranjit Singh was finally annexed by the British after which conflict?

  • (a)First Anglo-Sikh War
  • (b)Second Anglo-Sikh War
  • (c)Anglo-Maratha War
  • (d)Anglo-Afghan War

  Answer(b) Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49), after which Punjab was annexed in 1849.