“Maharaja Ranjit Singh listening to Guru Granth Sahib being recited near the Akal Takht and Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India”. Painting in oils by August Schoefft, Vienna, c.1850 Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Sikh Empire, India
Since the season 11 episode “Demons of the Punjab” dealt with the Partition of India and the end of the British raj there, perhaps Doctor Who might want to tell the story of the last major region of the Indian continent to be annexed by the British, and what it was like before that happened. This, incidentally, was also the Punjab which, in the 19th century, was known as the Sikh Empire. Formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, this secular empire existed from 1799 to 1849 and contained a population of about 3.5 million people.
Historical people we might meet: Ramit Singh was a singular personality with a dramatic life. He lost sight in his left eye as a child and still fought alongside his father when he was only 10 years old. Singh’s reign as Maharaja brought many modernizations, reforms, and general prosperity to his kingdom. He invested in infrastructure as well as arts and culture. He is perhaps best remembered for rebuilding the famous Sikh gurdwara, the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple. For the most part his reign was surprisingly tolerant of other religions, making policies based on respect for all communities whether they were Sikh, Hindu, or Muslim and forcing no one to convert. (Given that the Radcliffe line was later drawn during the partition specifically to separate religions, this looks even more forward thinking in hindsight.)
Potential adventures: The renovation of the Harmandir Sahib – including overlaying the sanctum with gold foil – sounds like a fun artistic story. But the most impactful thing here may be more of a bait and switch-style. Given the fact that religious differences later come to symbolize division on this part of the subcontinent, wouldn’t it be bittersweet to tell a story that illustrates (possibly even as a surprise twist) that it really wasn’t always that way?
Where would you like to see the Doctor and friends go next?
Doctor Who season 11 continues Sundays at 8 p.m. on BBC America