Fauj-i-Ain
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| Fauj-i-Ain | |
|---|---|
| فوج عین | |
Jean-Francois Allard Jean-Baptiste Ventura |
The Fauj-i-Ain (Punjabi: ਫੌਜ -ਏ-ਐਨ, Persian: فوج عین) was a branch of the Sikh Khalsa Army and was the regular army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab. It contained infantry, cavalry and artillery units. The Fauj-i-Ain had two divisions, the Kampu-i-mu'alla (State Troops), and the Fauj-i-Khas (Special Force).
Background
Before the reign of Maharaja
The British where alarmed with the rapid expansion of Ranjit Singh's kingdom and sent two diplomatic missions to negotiate treaties. In 1808, a Muslim regiment accompanied Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe was sent to the Sikh Empire for talks with the Maharaja. The British envoy was in Amritsar, when his soldiers took out a procession of tazias in observance of Muharram. The noise that accompanied the ritual angered the Nihangs who stood guard outside the Golden Temple. They inquired from the Company's soldiers about the disturbance they were causing during prayer. The fracas resulted in the discomfiture of the Nihangs, which impressed upon Ranjit Singh the need for training his soldiers in western tactics.[1]
Formation
Maharaja Ranjit Singh hired European officers to train and command parts of his army.[citation needed] It started in 1805 and continued to grow until 1839.[citation needed]
Infantry
Ranjit Singh was fully aware of the importance of infantry.[
By 1838-1839 the strength of the infantry had risen to 45,000. It was divided into battalions, companies and sections. Each battalion consisted of 800 soldiers. It was put under a Commandant. Each battalion was divided into eight companies. Each company was put under a Subedar. Each company was divided into 4 sections. Each section consisted of 25 soldiers. It was put under a Jamadar. The Fauj-i-Khas, was also part of the Fauj-i-Ain. It consisted of the elite soldiers of the Sikh Khalsa Army. It had a separate emblem and harsh training.
Cavalry
The second most important part of the army was cavalry. In order to organize it on western lines,
Artillery
Ranjit Singh I was fully aware of the importance of artillery in the modern warfare. Therefore, he paid a special attention to the development of artillery in 1810. In 1812 he employed General Claude Auguste Court and Colonel Alexander Gardner in 1832 and organized Topkhana-i-Khas. Under their able guidance the artillery made matchless progress in a few years. Maharaja Ranjit Singh divided his artillery into four categories:
- Topkhana-i-Fili: Heavy cannons pulled by elephants
- Topkhana-i-Shutri consisted of those camels.
- Topkhana-i-Aspi consisted of light guns pulled by horses
- Topkhana-i-Gavi consisted of medium cannons pulled by oxen
The artillery was divided into
Napoleon transformed the army by introducing the corps and division system, a highly mobile and independent miniature army. Following his example, Maharaja Ranjit Singh made a new disposition of his regular army, forming separate brigades, some three and some four battalions strong of infantry with a small section of cavalry and artillery attached to each.[1]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-81-910526-1-9.