The Lost Kingdom of Multan

Written By Aleesha qasim

Introduction

In the early 1800s, Nawab Muzaffar Khan Sadozai ruled over one of the last autonomous powers in Punjab - Multan. The city was officially an independent kingdom (as it had a separate army, treasury, and independent political alliances), but loyal to the Afghan Durrani Empire. However, this kingdom’s sovereignty would come to an end in 1818, with Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s siege of the city - unifying Punjab under Sikh rule. The transfer of power from the Sadozai Kingdom to the Sikh was the final breath of a kingdom that is now largely overshadowed by the Sikh rule.

A City Shaped by Centuries

Prior to Nawab Muzaffar Khan’s reign, Multan was desired by a plethora of empires and conquerors for millennia. The likely reason for this is the city’s strategic location at the crossroad of Punjab and Sindh. Early Hindu dynasties worshipped the Sun God Suriya in the city, and Arabian governors bought Islam to the city in the 8th Century.
In the 1400s, the Langah Sultanate gained prominence as an independent power, and Multan became a wealthy capital as the trade and sale of indigo, ceramics, and silk reached Persia and Central Asia. In the mid 1500s, the Mughal Empire, under emperor Akbar absorbed Multan into their administration and the city became a provincial stronghold. However, by the 1700s, Mughal power was beginning to wane and the Afghan Durrani Empire appointed nobles to govern its distant outposts - including the Sadozai family.

The Sadozai Kingdom of Multan

The final ruler from the Sadozai family became Nawab at a time when the Durrani Empire had already lost significant power to the Sikhs in the Punjab region. Despite this, Nawab Muzaffar Khan ruled Multan with the following principles:

  • Independent practices - The Nawab made major administrative decisions without interference or guidance from Durrani officials in Kabul.

  • Fortified the city

  • Strengthened the economy - by controlling the farmlands around the city and overseeing the trade of indigo, cotton, and ceramics.

  • Built strategic alliances - by maintaining diplomatic ties with Afghan and Sindhi rulers, the Nawab significantly reduced the threat of invasion from the South.

The Road to Conquest

By the early 1800s, Ranjit Singh had become Maharaja of Punjab, and consolidated Sikh control over the main cities in the region - Lahore, Amritsar, and much of central Punjab. His next goal was to incorporate Multan - the richest and most strategic city in the south of Punjab into the Sikh Empire.

By taking control over Multan, Ranjit Singh knew the following would happen:

  1. Protect Punjab from any Afghan invasion in the south.

  2. Open the trade routes in Sindh to Punjab.

  3. Eliminate the last major Afghan power in Punjab.

The first clash between Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Nawab Muzaffar Khan’s forces came in 1810, when the Punjabi forces temporarily captured Multan, but withdrew after the Nawab paid a heavy indemnity. This was the beginning of an almost decade long pattern of the Nawab paying tribute to Punjabi forces, and reasserting his control once they withdrew.

The Final Siege – 1818

In 1818, this pattern ended when Misr Diwan Chand - one of the Punjabi Army’s most equipped generals, led Punjabi forces southbound under Ranjit Singh’s command to take full control over Multan.

The siege unfolded in 5 stages:

  1. The Punjabi forces began by circling the city, cutting off all supplies and external contact.

  2. For weeks the Punjabi forces used cannons to shake the fort’s walls, and weaken its centuries-old foundations.

  3. Nawab Muzaffar Khan resisted with the same strength, launching counterattacks from within the fort.

  4. In late June 1818, the Punjabi infantry stormed the fort and viciously fought to take control.

  5. The Nawab, fighting alongside his sons, was killed in battle, and those who survived were taken as prisoners by the Punjabi forces.

Aftermath and Legacy

With the fall of Multan, the Sadozai Kingdom was erased and the city became a provincial centre of the Sikh Empire. It was governed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s officials, and the city’s economy and strategic value was under Lahore’s control.

The Punjabi conquest of Multan marked the end of Afghan political influence in Punjab, and completed Ranjit Singh’s control over the Punjab region (which was now formally recognised as a state).

A depiction of small markets and people outside the Multan Fort. 

To the kingdoms that fell, yet left their mark on Punjabi soil. 
To Multan - Once a crown, always a jewel. 
With appreciation - TrishSaab.
Aleesha qasim
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The Fall of Sirhind