Who was the first Sikh ruler of Punjab?

The correct answer is Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Key Points

• Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh empire who forged a modern empire of toleration and who famously owned the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
• He has crowned Maharaja in 1801 only at the age of 20.
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh is well-known for the golden beautification of the Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara in Amritsar, famously known as the Golden Temple. 
• He is also known as the Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab) for his bravery and is respected as one of the most revered heroes in the Indian history.
• He was born on November 13, 1780, and passed away on June 27, 1839.
• Ranjit Singh first fought in a battle when he was only 10 years old, and at the age of 17, he failed the king of Afghanistan Zaman Shah Durrani's invasion of India.
• Zaman Shah Durrani was yet again defeated by Ranjit Singh in the Battle of Amritsar (1797), the Battle of Gujarat in the same year and the Battle of Amritsar the next year.

Additional Information

• Guru Nanak Dev:
  •  Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder and first Guru of Sikhism, was born in the year 1469, in the village Talwandi which is located in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent.
  • The village, now known as Nankana Sahib, is situated near the city of Lahore in present-day Pakistan. Sikhs around the world celebrate the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birth on the Pooranmashi (full moon) day in the Lunar month of Katak (October-November), which falls on a different date every year.
• Bhai Lakha Singh:
  •  Bhai Lakhwinder Singh Lakha, born on March 10, 1972, hails from village Narangwal, which is about 35 km from Ludhiana.