Ranjit Singh, known as the Lion of Panjab, ruled from 1801 to 1839 and united the land of the five rivers after periods of invasion and persecution, establishing stability and protection for its people. His reign represents values we hold close: equality of conscience and worship, with Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus living side by side; prosperity expressed through flourishing culture and trade; and the confidence of Sikh sovereignty guided by the principles of “Raj Karega Khalsa”, a proclimation that embodies the aspiration for a world governed by divine principles of justice, equality and righteousness.
We commissioned the mural in conversation with leading Sikh voices and collaborators: Priya Atwal, author of Royals & Rebels: The Rise & Fall of the Sikh Empire; Davinder Toor of The Toor Collection; and artist Randeep Sohal (ArtfulSketcha).
The artwork draws from a painting of a young Maharaja Ranjit Singh from around 1810 to 1820, soon after he united the Sikh misls and founded the Sikh Empire, capturing a moment when an egalitarian vision was being actively shaped through the principles of the Khalsa. This painting came directly from The Toor Collection and has since been seen at the Wallace Collection during Davinder Toor’s exhibition titled Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King.
We comissioned this mural to celebrate our Sikh and Panjabi roots in a visible, meaningful way, placing a clear cultural marker in Forest Gate that invites everyone to learn about Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire.
Although “Little Panjab” is now associated with Southall in West London, the history of Panjabi migration to Britain has early roots in East London. Our presence in London began to coalesce around the docks andEast End from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when South Asian seafarers and soldiers lodged in neighbourhoods such as Poplar, Canning Town and Wapping. That early dockside settlement formed one strand of Sikh life in the capital and now forms a big part of the vibrant East London community.
Ranjit Singh, who had lost sight in his left eye, is said to have remarked, “God intended me to look upon all religions with one eye; that is why He took away the light from the other.” This site in Forest Gate is a fitting place to carry that spirit forward. Along less than a kilometre you will find a gurdwara, a mosque, a church, a mandir, a buddhist temple and many other cultural and religious centres, and the mural speaks to that living diversity by placing South Asian history in public view on our local high street.