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| Fauj-i-Ain | |
|---|---|
| فوج عین | |
 | |
| Active | 1805–1849 |
| Disbanded | After theBattle of Gujrat of theSecond Anglo-Sikh War due to the end ofSikh Empire |
| Country | Sikh Empire |
| Size | 60,000 men (45,000 Infantry, 10,000 cavalry and 5,000 artillery) (largest, during 1838-39, before the death ofMaharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab) |
| Garrison/HQ | Lahore,Attock,Kangra,Multan,Peshawar,Kashmir |
| Nickname | Fauj-i -Qawaidan (The army with rules) |
| Motto | Deg Tegh Fateh |
| Engagements | Afghan-Sikh Wars,Sino-Sikh War,Anglo-Sikh Wars |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Jarnail Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab Jean-Francois Allard Jean-Baptiste Ventura |
TheFauj-i-Ain (Punjabi: ਫੌਜ -ਏ-ਐਨ, Persian: فوج عین) was a branch of theSikh Khalsa Army and was the regular army of MaharajaRanjit Singh ofPunjab. It contained infantry, cavalry and artillery units. The Fauj-i-Ain had two divisions, theKampu-i-mu'alla (State Troops), and theFauj-i-Khas (Special Force).
Before the reign of MaharajaRanjit Singh the armies in Punjab, were purely cavalry.[1][2] After Ranjit Singh became the Sardar of theSukerchakia Misl, he unified theMisls through diplomacy, strategic marital alliances and conquest.[1] Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh stretched fromKashmir to theKhyber Pass. The Afghans posed a threat to the western frontier of his kingdom, theEast India Company to the eastern frontier and theGurkhas to the northeast. In 1805, he started recruiting deserters from theEast India Company as officers or soldiers and commenced training a section of his army in military drill. Trained cannoneers fromPierre Cuillier-Perron's andBegum Samru's service also joined theKhalsaji.[1]
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 accompaniedCharles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe was sent to theSikh Empire for talks with the Maharaja. The British envoy was in Amritsar, when his soldiers took out a procession of tazias in observance ofMuharram. The noise that accompanied the ritual angered the Nihangs who stood guard outside theGolden 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]
Maharaja Ranjit Singh hired European officers to train and command parts of his army.[3] It started in 1805 and continued to grow until 1839.[3]
Ranjit Singh was fully aware of the importance of infantry.[3] The task of recruitment in this army had started after 1805, which continued throughout his reign.[3] In the beginning, the number ofSikhs in this army was nominal.[3] The reason being that theSikhs looked down upon infantry.[3] Therefore, in the beginning, Ranjit Singh recruited somePathans andGurkhas in this section of his army.[citation needed] Afterwards, owing to Ranjit Singh's efforts, Sikhs too began to join it.[3] In 1822, he employed GeneralJean-Baptiste Ventura to train the infantry in western pattern. Under his guidance, the infantry became the most disciplined army of within a few years.[citation needed]
By 1838-1839 the strength of the infantry had risen to 45,000. It was divided intobattalions,companies andsections. Each battalion consisted of 800 soldiers. It was put under aCommandant. 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. TheFauj-i-Khas, was also part of the Fauj-i-Ain. It consisted of the elite soldiers of theSikh Khalsa Army. It had a separate emblem and harsh training.
The second most important part of the army was cavalry. In order to organize it on western lines,Ranjit Singh appointed GeneralJean-Francois Allard. Under his command, the cavalry became very strong. In 1838–39, the overall strength of the cavalry was 10,000. The cavalry was divided intoregiments. Each regiment consisted of 250 to 600 cavaliers. The regiments were further divided into risalas (corps). Each Risala consisted of 150 to 250cavaliers. The officers and other non-combatants of cavalry were similar to those of infantry. The pay of the cavalry was, however, higher than that of the infantry.
Ranjit Singh I was fully aware of the importance ofartillery in the modern warfare. Therefore, he paid a special attention to the development ofartillery in 1810. In 1812 he employed GeneralClaude Auguste Court and ColonelAlexander Gardner in 1832 and organized Topkhana-i-Khas. Under their able guidance theartillery made matchless progress in a few years.Maharaja Ranjit Singh divided hisartillery into four categories:
The artillery was divided intobatteries or deras. Each battery consisted of 10guns and 250 gunners. Each battery was under acommandant. The batteries were further divided intosections. Each section compromised 2guns and 8 to 10 gunners. Each section was under a Jamadar. The entireartillery was under aGeneral. In 1838-39, the strength of the Sikh artillery was 182 heavy cannons, 20Howitzers, and 60 light cannons. It had at least 5,000 gunners.
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]