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The lion of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born on 2nd November 1780 A.D. at Gujranwala (Now in Pakistan). The name of his mother was Sardarni Raj Kaur and S. Maha Singh was his father.
At the birth of the child S. Maha Singh was in the Seventh Heaven of delight and he celebrated the moment with the great pomp and show. He distributed money and sweetmeats among the poor.
According to the first word of the Gurvaak taken from Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the child was named Ranjit Singh.
At the time of birth, Ranjit Singh was very handsome and lustrous. But that handsomeness did not last for long. Early in childhood he became patient of small pox and lost all hopes of survival.
But as it was will of God, he recovered from the disease gradually. But during this affliction he lost his one eye and his face was marked with black spots of small pox.
At that time nobody knew that the boy, who had survived with great difficulty from the clutches of small pox, would one day become the Mahraja of Punjab.
Mother Raj Kaur felt very happy when she found that the dreadful disease, small pox had spared her child.
In those days thousands of children were becoming prey of the small pox. There was no remedy for this disease.
As the child Ranjit Singh recovered from his disease, his mother took him to the temple of Sitla Mother in order to pay obeisance. Then she took him to Gurdwara and their listened the Gurvaak and bowed before the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji.
Due to the illness of Ranjit Singh, Maha Singh was leading a depressed and down hearted life.
When Ranjit Singh became hale and hearty, Maha Singh again became active in expanding his territory. He attacked village Bhattia, Sahiwal, Easakhel and conquered. He got a big sum of money from those rulers and again returned those villages to them.
In a few months he became very powerful. Now he became so enthusiastic that he could not sit peacefully.
One day he heard that some ironsmiths were making war weapons at village Kotli near Sialkot. He atonce attacked the village Kotla and looted all the weapons and implements available in that village.
After getting the weapons, Maha Singh decided to teach a lesson to Raja of Jammu. At that time Brij Raj was Raja of Jammu.
During the reign of Charat Singh, the father of Brij Raj made his younger son Dalel Dev as the heir of his throne. When Brij Dev complained about it to S. Charat Singh, and also asked for help, then Charat Singh agreed to help Brij Dev.
Attacking Jammu he installed Brij Dev as Raja of Jammu. But during those days Charat Singh died as he was mortally wounded by the bursting of his match-box in his hands.
Raja Brij Dev had promised to give a large sum of money for that help. But when Charat Singh died, he did not pay the money.
Maha Singh reminded him again and again, but he paid no heed. At last Maha Singh invaded Jammu and captured the city. Birj Raj had earlier left the city.
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