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Peter Bance (born 1976 [1] ), born Bhupinder Singh Bance, is a Sikh historian, author, art collector, antiquarian, and Maharaja Duleep Singh archivist. [2] [3] He focuses on correct preservation, restoration, and documentation of Anglo-Punjab history. [4]
Bance's family has its origins in Sialkot district, located in present-day Pakistan. [4] His family had immigrated to the United Kingdom in the 1930s. [5] [3] His grandfather, from Daska, Sialkot, immigrated to England in 1936. [4]
Bance was born in the United Kingdom as a third-generation British-Sikh. [4] Bance was originally a marketing student, however upon a visit to Duleep Singh's grave in Thetford, he became interested in Sikh history. [3] [4] Whilst in Thetford, the young Bance was directed to a small museum, which had been started by the son of Duleep Singh, by an elderly woman. [4] Bance became curious whilst visiting the museum and asked the curator questions on if any literature or old records covering Duleep Singh's family can be found, which the curator responded no to. [4]
After this visit, Bance became deeply engrossed in researching Duleep Singh's life story and that of his descendants. [3] He first placed advertisements in local papers seeking information about Duleep Singh's children from locals, after which receiving 300–400 responses in the first six months. [3] [4] The responses came from people who claimed to have known Duleep Singh's children to others who claimed a grandparent had worked for Duleep Singh. [4] Others more claimed to have personal artefacts attributed to Duleep Singh, such as diaries, clothing, and photographs. [4] Bance dedicated one year meeting with these claimants, gathering information on Duleep Singh and his family and purchasing some artefacts from them. [4] Bance admits that some of the people he visited just outright gave him artefacts, as they noticed his dedication to the topic. [4] Duleep Singh's children by this point in-time had all been deceased, so their belongings came into the possession of locals or people who had once worked for them. [4] In-time, they passed into the hands of the descendants of those people, who felt nil personal attachment to the items. [4] This allowed Bance to start building-up his own personal collection of Duleep Singh-related artefacts and memorabilia. [4]
To pursue further research, Bance travelled to Lahore, Pakistan in 2004 to find out more on the story of Duleep Singh and his family. [4] He visited his ancestral, familial home located in Daska, Sialkot, being gifted a nanakshahi brick of the building by the present dweller of the structure. [4] Afterwards, he went onward to Gujranwala and paid visits to locations associated with the Sukerchakia dynasty of Ranjit Singh. [4] In 2004, Bance released his first book. [3] His first book was the result of two-years of personal research. [4]
After his initial visit to Pakistan, Bance would travel to both India and Pakistan multiple times. [4] During his visits to Lahore, he worked together with local Sikh-era experts. [4] Bance believes visits to Pakistan are necessary to study 19th century Punjab, as the majority of Sikh Empire-related historical sites and architecutre are to be found there. [4]
Bance has researched historical Sikh religious sites in Pakistan, advocating for the preservation of surviving sites. [3] He has recommended that Sikhs visit religious sites currently in Pakistan to help conserve them. [3] Bance was saddened by the dilapidated state of Sikh sites in Pakistan but was glad that many of them were still extant. [4] Comparing the status of Sikh sites in present-day India, where the majority of Sikhs live today, Bance criticized the destruction of the originality of the sites under the guise of "renovation", whereby historical structures are toppled and new buildings take their former place. [4] An example cited by him of sites losing their originality relates to nanakshahi bricks, which are characteristic of Sikh architecture from the 19th century, being replaced by renovators of historical Sikh sites in India by marble and gold. [4] Bance advocates that a grassroots movement advocating for the proper restoration and preservation of historical Sikh sites and their original architecture is necessary, which works together with private enthusiasts and government bodies in-cooperation with one another. [4] Bance further claims that a lack of willpower rather than a lack of funds is responsible for the poor conservation of Sikh historical sites. [4]
Bance believes that the way forward in the modern-age to conserve Sikh heritage must be a digital approach, where social networking and technology is utilized to share research, build-up archives, and promote tourism to these sites. [4] Increased tourism has the potential to increase efforts to preserve and restore Sikh heritage sites. [4] Bance uses the Instagram platform to bring light to forgotten Sikh heritage lying in Pakistan with the wider community, using engagements there to generate social awareness and passion. [4] Through his Instagram account, Bance has been contacted by persons interested in restoring Sikh heritage sites, which have allowed them to be connected with others who specialize in this field. [4] Furthermore, he claims that on a weekly-basis hundreds of members of the general public from both India and Pakistan contact him through social media requesting him to visit their locality to document the Sikh heritage located there, as they lack the know-how on how to do this themselves. [4]
Bance states that although Sikhs passionately request that historical materials related to them currently in foreign collections be returned to Sikhs, that the heritage itself that was left in Sikh-control has not been properly taken care of. [4] Bance states that whilst items gifted to the British by the Sikhs have been taken care of in British hands, the things that other parties gifted to the Sikhs at Lahore has not been similarly looked after with such care. [4] He criticizes families of former Sikh princely states in the post-independence-era for auctioning off their historical collections to private buyers to make money rather than handing them over to the government. [4] In-contrast to this, Bance praises the British museums currently holding historical Sikh-related materials, in that their manner of handling and obtaining these items is far superior in-terms of historical preservation and from an ethical perspective. [4]
Another book he released later-on delve into the relationship between local Sikh gurdwaras, Sikh migration, and Sikh experiences in the United Kingdom. [3]
Bance has amassed a collection of artefacts related to Duleep Singh and his family, such as clothing, weapons, photographs, and personal writings (such as diaries). [3] [4] He has exhibited at museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum, and the Bard Graduate Center. [3] Some curious items from his collection include the personal Bible of Duleep Singh from Fatehgarh. [4]
In 2015, he was credited for discovering what had happened to Princess Pauline Duleep Singh, daughter of Duleep Singh and his second-wife, in France. [6] [7] He is also credited with uncovering the graves of Prince Victor Duleep Singh and his wife Monte Carlo, and Maharani Jind Kaur's gravestone in Kensal Green, London. [6] [7]
Apart from his historical research and artefact collecting pursuits, he operates a London-based property business. [4] He is a frequent contributor to BBC Radios Suffolk, Norfolk, and London. [4]
He has also appeared in many BBC programmes such as The Story Of The Turban (2012), Inside Out (2004), Desi DNA (2005), Britain's Maharajah (2013), Sophia: Suffragette Princess (2015) and The Stolen Maharajah: Britain's Indian Royal (2018) [8]
Bance is the author of several books:
Bance had collaborated with Satinder Sartaaj in producing the 2017 film, The Black Prince . [3]
Bance is currently working with Kajri Babbar on a British Film Institute film, titled Lioness, that is about Sophia Duleep Singh. [3] [4]
The Koh-i-Noor, also spelled Koh-e-Noor, Kohinoor and Koh-i-Nur, is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 g). It is part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The diamond is currently set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Sialkot is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined by Jammu in the north east, the districts of Narowal in the southeast, Gujranwala in the southwest and Gujrat in the northwest.
Ranjit Singh, popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10. After his father died around Ranjit's early teenage years, Ranjit subsequently fought several wars to expel the Afghans throughout his teenage years. At the age of 21, he was proclaimed the "Maharaja of Punjab". His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839.
The Lahore Fort is a citadel in the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of the Walled City of Lahore and spreads over an area greater than 20 hectares. It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which date to the era of Emperor Akbar. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendor and opulence.
Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh, GCSI, also spelled Dalip Singh, and later in life nicknamed the "Black Prince of Perthshire", was the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's youngest son, the only child of Maharani Jind Kaur.
Maharani Jind Kaur was regent of the Sikh Empire from 1843 until 29 March 1847. After the Sikh Empire was dissolved on 29 March 1847 the Sikhs claimed her as the Maharani and successor of Maharaja Duleep Singh. However, on the same day the British took full control and refused to accept the claims.
Sialkot District, is one of the districts of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located in the Majha region of Punjab, otherwise the northeast of the province. The city of Sialkot is the capital of the district. The Sialkot Cantonment was established in 1852.
Sikh architecture is a style of architecture that was developed under the Sikh Confederacy and Sikh Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Punjab region. Due to its progressive style, it is constantly evolving into many newly developing branches with new contemporary styles. Although Sikh architecture was initially developed within Sikhism its style has been used in many non-religious buildings due to its beauty. 300 years ago, Sikh architecture was distinguished for its many curves and straight lines; Keshgarh Sahib and the Harmandir Sahib are prime examples.
Nanakshahi bricks, also known as Lakhuri bricks, were decorative bricks used for structural walls during the Mughal era. They were employed for constructing historical Sikh architecture, such as at the Golden Temple complex. The British colonists also made use of the bricks in Punjab.
Elveden Hall is a large stately home on the Elveden Estate in Elveden, Suffolk, England. The seat of the Earls of Iveagh, it is a Grade II* listed building. It is located centrally to the village and is close to the A11 and the Parish Church. Currently owned by the 4th Earl of Iveagh.
The Treaty of Lahore of 9 March 1846 was a peace-treaty marking the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The treaty was concluded, for the British, by the Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge and two officers of the East India Company and, for the Sikhs, by the seven-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh and seven members of Hazara, the territory to the south of the river Sutlej and the forts and territory in the Jalandhar Doab between the rivers Sutlej and Beas. In addition, controls were placed on the size of the Lahore army and thirty-six field guns were confiscated. The control of the rivers Sutlej and Beas and part of the Indus passed to the British, with the Provision that this was not to interfere with the passage of passenger boats owned by the Lahore Government. Also, provision was made for the separate sale of all the hilly regions between River Beas and Indus, including Kashmir, by the East India Company at a later date to Gulab Singh, the Raja of Jammu.
Princess Sophia Alexandrovna Duleep Singh was a prominent suffragette in the United Kingdom. Her father was Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh, who had lost his Sikh Empire to the Punjab Province of British India and was subsequently exiled to England. Sophia's mother was Bamba Müller, who was half German and half Ethiopian, and her godmother was Queen Victoria. She had four sisters, including two half-sisters, and three brothers. She lived at Hampton Court Palace in an apartment in Faraday House given to her by Queen Victoria as a grace-and-favour home.
Prince Victor Albert Jay Duleep Singh was the eldest son of Maharani Bamba Müller and Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of Lahore, and of the Sikh Empire, and the grandson of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Bamba Müller was the wife of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of Lahore. Brought up by Christian missionaries, her transformation from illegitimate girl, born to a German father and Abyssinian (Ethiopian) mother, living in a Cairo mission to a Maharani living a life of luxury with the "Black Prince of Perthshire" has been compared to the "Cinderella" story.
Princess Bamba Sutherland was a member of the royal family that ruled the Sikh Empire in the Punjab. After a childhood in England, she settled in Lahore, the capital of what had been her father's kingdom, where she was a suffragette and a passionate advocate of self rule and independence of India. She was a close and personal friend of Indian revolutionaries whom she hosted at her house in Lahore like Lala Lajpat Rai.
Siranwali is a town of Daska Tehsil on the Gujranwala-Pasrur road in Sialkot District, Punjab, Pakistan.
Kunwar Pashaura Singh (1821 – 11 September 1845), also spelt Peshawara Singh, sometimes styled as Shahzada, was the younger son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Rani Daya Kaur.
Raja Lal Singh was Wazir of the Sikh Empire and commander of Sikh Khalsa Army forces during the First Anglo-Sikh War. Along with Tej Singh, Lal Singh is believed to be in the secret employ of the East India Company during the course of the war. Lal Singh was regularly supplying information and even receiving instructions from Company officers, communicating through Captain Peter Nicholson.
Princess Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh, was the second daughter of Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh and Maharani Bamba. She was educated in England and in 1894 she was presented at Court. She became a suffragist with her sisters, but did not take part in Emmeline Pankhurst’s Suffragette movement though her sister Sophia did.
Sir John Spencer Login was a Scottish surgeon in British India, best remembered as the guardian of Maharajah Duleep Singh and the Koh-i-Noor diamond following the annexation of Punjab and Last Treaty of Lahore.
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