CALGARY, Canada—Bob Singh Dhillon, a Sikh from Canada, who also happens to be a billionaire, bought the Kirpan of Raja Ranjit Singh at an auction for an undisclosed amount. Dhillon, is the president of the Calgary based real estate firm Mainstreet Equity, the source of his great wealth. The sword is 85 centimetrers (33.5 inches) and includes a sheath, it has an image of Raja Ranjit Singh who united 11 smaller Sikh Kingdoms, and after a few military campaigns created the first united Sikh Empire which he ruled from 1799, until his death in 1839. Mullock’s Specialist Auctioneers & Valuers of London describes Ranjit Singh as “the founder of the Sikh Empire, and unquestionably one of the most important and charismatic figures in Indian history.”
As soon as Dhillon learned about the auction he knew he had to place a bid. He was a business delegate on Governor General David Jonston’s recent visit to India when he read a newspaper article about the auction. “This is amazing, he was the emperor of the first and last great Sikh dynasty, and that holds a big place in the psyche of Sikhs. I knew when I came back to Canada that I wanted to bid on it” said Dhillon. When the sword was put up for auction the bidding was very fast, the competition between more than 700 bidders got overheated, and so the auction was halted. Instead the sword was sold through a sealed bid process. Dhillon’s bid was the highest. Dhillon says he is the caretaker of the sword rather than the owner: “I didn’t buy this sword to own it myself. I want to share it with the Sikh community, and with all Canadians,” he said. “Per capita there are more Sikhs in Canada than in India, so it makes perfect sense that we should bring it here, and be custodians of our own history.”
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