Punjab GK · Modern history
Colonial Punjab (1849–1919): Annexation, the Kuka Movement, Reform Societies, Canal Colonies and the 1907 Agitation — Exam Notes
The seventy years after annexation reshaped Punjab. The British built canals that turned deserts into farmland, opened colleges and newspapers, and recruited heavily for the army — while new religious and social movements, peasant protests and nationalist voices grew. These are the events and institutions that PSSSB, PPSC and Police exams ask about most in modern Punjab history.
Annexation (1849)
After the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49), the Governor-General Lord Dalhousie annexed Punjab on 29 March 1849. The boy ruler Maharaja Duleep Singh was deposed, sent away from Punjab and later taken to England. The Koh-i-Noor diamond from the Lahore treasury was surrendered to the British Crown.
Administration
| Phase | Head | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Administration | Henry Lawrence (president), John Lawrence, Charles Mansel (later Robert Montgomery) | 1849–1853 |
| Chief Commissioner | John Lawrence | 1853–1859 |
| Lieutenant-Governor | John Lawrence was the first | from 1859 |
- The capital was Lahore.
- The British disarmed the population, built roads and cantonments, and made revenue settlements village by village.
- The Lahore–Amritsar railway opened in 1862.
Punjab and 1857
Punjab remained largely under British control during the revolt of 1857. Sepoy regiments in some stations were disarmed. The rulers of Patiala, Nabha and Jind helped the British, and newly raised Punjabi regiments marched to Delhi. There were local risings, notably by Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal in the Gogera area of the Neeli Bar, who was killed in 1857. After 1857, the British treated Punjab as a key recruiting ground for the Indian Army.
The Kuka (Namdhari) movement
- Founded by Baba Ram Singh at Bhaini Sahib (Ludhiana district) on Baisakhi 1857.
- Followers were called Kukas because of their loud cries (kook) in ecstatic prayer.
- The movement stressed simple living, rejected caste and dowry, promoted widow remarriage and boycotted British goods, schools, courts and postal services — an early form of non-cooperation and swadeshi.
- In January 1872, after a clash at Malerkotla, about 65 Kukas were blown from cannons on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner L. Cowan, without trial. Many regard this as one of the earliest acts of martyrdom in the freedom struggle.
- Baba Ram Singh was exiled to Rangoon (Burma) and died in exile in 1885.
Religious and social reform
| Movement or institution | Year | Founder / place | Exam fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singh Sabha | 1873 | Amritsar | Sikh revival; education and literature in Punjabi |
| Lahore Singh Sabha | 1879 | Lahore | More reformist wing |
| Arya Samaj in Lahore | 1877 | Swami Dayanand Saraswati | Strong in Punjab; DAV College Lahore (1886) |
| Punjab University | 1882 | Lahore | Fourth university in British India |
| Khalsa College | 1892 | Amritsar | Product of the Singh Sabha movement |
| Chief Khalsa Diwan | 1902 | Amritsar | Coordinated Singh Sabhas |
| Anjuman-i-Himayat-i-Islam | 1884 | Lahore | Muslim education society |
Press and banking
- The Tribune was founded in 1881 at Lahore by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, who also left his estate for Dyal Singh College and the Dyal Singh Library. The Tribune moved to Chandigarh after Partition.
- Punjab National Bank was founded at Lahore in 1894 and opened for business in 1895. Lala Lajpat Rai was among its founders; it is called the first bank started with Indian capital by Indians.
Canals and canal colonies
The British built a network of perennial canals, including:
- Upper Bari Doab Canal from the Ravi at Madhopur (opened 1859),
- Sirhind Canal from the Sutlej at Ropar (opened 1882),
- Lower Chenab Canal, which irrigated the Lyallpur colony (modern Faisalabad) from the 1890s,
- the Triple Canal Project (Upper Jhelum, Upper Chenab and Lower Bari Doab canals), completed in 1915.
On the newly irrigated "bar" lands of West Punjab, the government created canal colonies and settled farmers from central Punjab. Agricultural output and prosperity rose sharply, but tight official rules on the colonists caused discontent later.
The Land Alienation Act (1900)
Rising rural debt meant that many peasants were losing land to moneylenders. The Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900 prohibited the permanent transfer of land from members of notified agricultural tribes to non-agriculturists. It protected peasant ownership but also hardened caste-based categories.
The 1907 agitation: "Pagri Sambhal Jatta"
In 1906–07, the Punjab Colonisation Bill proposed harsh conditions for canal colonists, and water rates on the Bari Doab Canal were raised.
- Large protests followed, led by Sardar Ajit Singh (uncle of Bhagat Singh) and Lala Lajpat Rai.
- The song "Pagri Sambhal Jatta" ("Guard your turban, O peasant"), written by Banke Dayal, became the anthem of the movement.
- In May 1907, Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh were deported to Mandalay (Burma).
- The Viceroy Lord Minto vetoed the bill — a rare victory for a peasant agitation.
The 1907 agitation, together with the Ghadar movement and the Rowlatt protests, led directly into the events of 1913–1919 described in the related freedom-struggle guide.
Key points to remember
- Annexation: 29 March 1849, Lord Dalhousie; Duleep Singh deposed.
- Board of Administration (1849–53): the Lawrence brothers and Mansel.
- Kuka movement: Baba Ram Singh, Bhaini Sahib, 1857; Malerkotla 1872; exile to Rangoon.
- Singh Sabha 1873; Arya Samaj Lahore 1877; Punjab University 1882; Khalsa College 1892.
- The Tribune 1881 (Dyal Singh Majithia); PNB 1894/95 (Lajpat Rai among founders).
- Land Alienation Act 1900; Pagri Sambhal Jatta 1907; deportation to Mandalay.
Practice questions
Q1. Punjab was annexed to British India on:
- (a) 29 March 1849
- (b) 10 February 1846
- (c) 13 April 1849
- (d) 1 November 1858
Show answer
Answer: (a) 29 March 1849 — Lord Dalhousie annexed Punjab on 29 March 1849.
Q2. The Kuka (Namdhari) movement was founded by:
- (a) Baba Dyal
- (b) Baba Ram Singh
- (c) Sardar Ajit Singh
- (d) Bhai Maharaj Singh
Show answer
Answer: (b) Baba Ram Singh — Baba Ram Singh founded it at Bhaini Sahib in 1857.
Q3. The Tribune was founded in 1881 by:
- (a) Lala Lajpat Rai
- (b) Dyal Singh Majithia
- (c) Sir Chhotu Ram
- (d) Bhai Vir Singh
Show answer
Answer: (b) Dyal Singh Majithia — Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia founded The Tribune at Lahore.
Q4. The first Singh Sabha was established in 1873 at:
- (a) Lahore
- (b) Amritsar
- (c) Ludhiana
- (d) Patiala
Show answer
Answer: (b) Amritsar — The Singh Sabha movement began at Amritsar in 1873.
Q5. 'Pagri Sambhal Jatta' is linked with the agitation of:
- (a) 1872
- (b) 1907
- (c) 1919
- (d) 1921
Show answer
Answer: (b) 1907 — It was the anthem of the 1907 protest against the Colonisation Bill.
Q6. In 1907 Lala Lajpat Rai and Sardar Ajit Singh were deported to:
- (a) Andaman
- (b) Rangoon
- (c) Mandalay
- (d) Aden
Show answer
Answer: (c) Mandalay — Both were deported to Mandalay in Burma.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900 do?
It barred the permanent transfer of land from notified agricultural tribes to non-agriculturists, to protect peasants from losing land to moneylenders.
Where was Baba Ram Singh exiled?
To Rangoon in Burma.
Which city was the centre of the Lower Chenab canal colony?
Lyallpur, now Faisalabad in Pakistan.
Official sources
Rules, dates and figures can change. Always check the latest official notification or government release before relying on a detail.