Legacy of the last ruler of the Sikh Empire will be visible in this UK museum, a grant of 2 lakh pounds received

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has given a nearly £200,000 grant to a UK museum. To honour the memory of Maharaja Dalip Singh, the final Sikh Empire ruler, such a substantial sum has been donated.

The funds were presented to the Ancient House Museum in Thetford, Norfolk, to mark its 100th anniversary, the BBC reports. For information, this museum was established in 1924 by Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, son of Maharaja Duleep Singh.

The report stated that displays will be used to tell the family's story with the £198,059 (USD 2,51,712.99) grant. The youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who founded the Sikh Empire in Punjab in 1799, was Maharaja Dalip Singh. At the age of five, Duleep Singh assumed the throne after his father and brother passed away. However, he was removed from power when Britain annexed Punjab in 1849.

At the age of 15, Dalip Singh travelled to England, where he eventually settled in Elveden Hall in Suffolk. For the following century, his family stayed in the vicinity. Prince Frederick, the second son of Dalip Singh, gave the city of Thetford the ancient house museum. He was part of the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry and served in the First World War.

Robin Llewellyn, director of England, Midlands and East for the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the museum is now embarking on a two-year project to showcase 'the fascinating history of the Dalip Singh family'.

Norfolk County Council said the new exhibits included 'a magnificent 'treasure' of Anglo-Punjabi history', a model of Elveden Hall, the loan of a portrait of Duleep Singh and displays marking the family's contribution and activism towards achieving universal suffrage. Will be included.' The museum will also display family items, such as Dalip Singh's walking stick, which was given to him by King Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.