I was down in Manchester for the footie yesterday. Passing quickly past that disaster, I popped into the Manchester Art Gallery, which was having a special exhibition on Sikh arms and armour. We were refighting Plassey at the club last Sunday, so I was in India mode.
The collection came from a bequest by Earl Egerton of Tatton and was mostly war trophies gathered during the Raj. It's been in storage, largely because of the association with violent Imperial collecting practices. However, the Art Gallery has rightly decided that these items should be displayed with the proper context explained.
The Sikh Empire was a powerful state in northwestern India that existed from 1799 to 1849. It was founded by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who united various Sikh confederacies and established a centralised government based in Lahore. Under his leadership, the empire expanded to include Punjab, parts of modern-day Pakistan, and areas of Afghanistan and Kashmir. Ranjit Singh modernised the army by incorporating European military techniques and maintained religious tolerance, employing people of different faiths in his administration. After his death in 1839, political instability and internal conflicts weakened the empire, leading to its eventual annexation by the British East India Company in 1849 following the Anglo-Sikh Wars.
It was a modest exhibition, but included some interesting exhibits.
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| Swords and knives are an important part of Sikh culture even today. They had a huge industry with remarkable craftsmen producing them. |
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| These maces could do serious damage. |
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| An unusual stock on this musket. |
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| The full cavalry kit. My favourite exhibit. |
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| A detailed look at a helmet. |
I'm not sure how long the exhibition runs for, but it is well worth a look if you are in Manchester.
Our take on Plassey, using Lust for Glory rules. An opportunity to dust down my 28mm Mughals.
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