2022

The 2022 Sikhlens Calendar is The Fort and Palace of Ranjit Singh, Emperor of Punjab (1780-1839). Ranjit Singh led the Sikh army into Lahore in 1799 at age 19. He united the Sikh misls, was proclaimed Maharaja in 1801, and refused a crown, calling his rule Sarkar Khalsa. Coins went out in the names Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh.

The Lahore Fort, the Shahi Qila, became the capital of the Sikh Empire and Ranjit's court and palace until his death in 1839. It stayed with the Sikh maharajas until 1849. His closest ministers included Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. Places of worship of every community received state support.

Photographs for the year are by Jagjit "Jag" Singh Reyatt, Sikhlens's official photographer, born and trained in Kenya. UNESCO has funded restoration inside the fort in recent years. The complex remains one of the sites any visitor to Lahore should see.