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50-469: The Singh Krora or Karorsinghia Misl , also known as the Panjgarhia Misl, was a Sikh Misl. Sardar Karora Singh Virk, resident of Barki (district Lahore ) was the first chief of this Misl; earlier, Karora Singh was the deputy of the jatha led by Sirdar Sham Singh of village Narli (district Lahore ); after the death of Sham Singh in 1739, Sardar Karam Singh Uppal (of village Pechgarh) became

100-585: A Gurmata was passed where the Jathas were reorganized into a new grouping called misls , with 11 Misls forming out of the various pre-existing Jathas and a unified army known as the Dal Khalsa Ji . Ultimate command over the Misls was bestowed to Jassa Singh Ahluwalia . The misls formed a commonwealth that was described by Swiss adventurer Antoine Polier as a natural "aristocratic republic". Although

150-410: A 100 paces, they load and repeat the same mode of annoying the enemy. Their horses have been so expertly trained to a performance of this operation that on receiving a stroke of hand, they stop from a full canter." The remainder was separated into Puttees or parcels for each Surkunda, and these were again subdivided and parcelled out to inferior leaders, according to the number of horse they brought into

200-575: A coalescing of numerous smaller , pre-existing Jathas ), later their numbers swelled to sixty-five by 1748. After the Sarbat Khalsa of 1748, the numerous Jathas were rearranged and further subdivided under constituent misls as follows, which in-turn were divided between the Buddha and Taruna Dals: Note - the Phulkian misl was not part of either the Buddha nor Taruna Dal, as they were not

250-467: A coward, nor would they put an obstacle in the way of a fugitive. They do not plunder the wealth and ornaments of a woman, be she a well to do lady or a maid servant. There is no adultery among these dogs, nor are they mischievous people given to thieving. Whether a woman is young or old, they call her 'buriya' and asked her to get out of the way. The word 'buriya' in Indian language means 'an old lady'. There

300-597: A few hundred to tens of thousands of soldiers. Any soldier was free to join whichever Misl he wished, and was free to cancel his membership of the Misl to whom he belonged. He could, if he wanted, cancel his membership of his old Misl and join another. The Barons would allow their armies to combine or coordinate their defences together against a hostile force if ordered by the Misldar Supreme Commander. These orders were only issued in military matters affecting

350-421: A letter that commanded all Sikhs to join him. After two years of gaining supporters, Banda Singh Bahadur initiated an agrarian uprising by breaking up the large estates of Zamindar families and distributing the land to the poor Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim peasants who farmed the land. Banda Singh Bahadur started his rebellion with the defeat of Mughal armies at Samana and Sadhaura and the rebellion culminated in

400-713: A member of the Dal Khalsa having been excommunicated from the formation. The leaders of the Dal Khalsa would meet twice a year at Amritsar for the Sarbat Khalsa legislature. In 1738, Nader Shah of the Persian Afsharid dynasty invaded Muhammad Shah 's Mughal Empire . Nadir Shah defeated the Mughal Empire in the Battle of Karnal and proceeded to sack Delhi . During the panic before and after

450-690: A peace with the Sikhs by offering them a jagir , the title Nawab to their leader, and unimpeded access to the Harmandir Sahib . After discussion at a Sarbat Khalsa , Kapur Singh was elected leader of the Sikhs and took the title of Nawab. Nawab Kapur Singh combined the various Sikh militias into two groups; the Taruna Dal and the Buddha Dal, which would collectively be known as the Dal Khalsa. Sikh militias over 40 years of age would be part of

500-565: A refuge among the recesses of the hills or in the woods to the south of the Sutlej " The Sikhs went into hiding during this period. From 1718-1738, the Sikhs carried out a guerrilla war against the Mughal Empire in the area around the Sivalik Hills . Historian Josepeh Cunningham writes of the period: "The Sikhs were scarcely again heard of in history for the period of a generation". In 1733, Zakariya Khan Bahadur attempted to negotiate

550-509: A series of skirmishes, a tactic which gave them an advantage over fighting pitched battles. Bodies of cavalry would attack a position, retreat, reload their muskets, and return to attack it again. The tactics used by misl field armies include flanking an enemy, obstructing river passages, cutting off a unit from its supplies, intercepting messengers, attacking isolated units like foraging parties, employing hit-and-run tactics , overrunning camps, and attacking baggage trains . To fight large armies

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600-478: A standing army dedicated to eliminating Sikhs, executed Sikhs publicly, and offered monetary rewards for the heads of killed Sikhs. The Sikhs "retaliated by killing government functionaries and plundering Mughal posts, arsenals, and treasuries" but could not assemble an army. The persecution of the Mughal Empire forced some Sikhs to abandon the outward signs of their faith, but "the more sincere had to seek

650-470: Is no thief at all among these dogs, nor is there any house breaker born among these miscreants. They do not make friends with adulterers and house breakers, though their behaviors on the whole is not commendable." The Dal Khalsa was dissolved after the Sikh Confederacy came to an end with the conquests of Maharaja Ranjit Singh , who effectively absorbed the rest of the Misls. However, aspects of

700-759: The Dal Khalsa of the Sikh Confederacy in the 18th century. It was a large source of income to the Sikh Misls. The two main divisions in territory between the misls were between those who were in the Malwa region and those who were in the Majha region. While eleven of the misls were north of the Sutlej river, one, the Phulkian Misl was south of the Sutlej. The Sikhs north of the Sutlej river were known as

750-890: The Khalsa , a collective army of baptized Sikhs on March 30, 1699. The establishment of the Khalsa united the Sikh community against various Mughal-backed claimants to the guruship. In 1701, a combined army composed of the Sivalik Hill Rajas and the Mughal army under Wazir Khan attacked Anandpur and, following a retreat by the Khalsa, were defeated by the Khalsa at the Battle of Muktsar . In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation by Bahadur Shah I , Aurangzeb's successor to meet in southern India. When he arrived in Nanded in 1708, he

800-1117: The Majha Sikhs while the Sikhs that lived south of the Sutlej river were known as the Malwa Sikhs. In the smaller territories were the Dhanigeb Singhs in the Sind Sagar Doab , the Gujrat Singhs in the Jech Doab , the Dharpi Singhs in the Rechna Doab , and the Doaba Singhs in the Jalandhar Doab . Dal Khalsa (Sikh Army) The religion of Sikhism began at the time of the conquest of Northern India by Babur . His grandson, Akbar , supported religious freedom and after visiting

850-517: The Timurid dynasty . The ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur , moved the Sikh community to Anandpur and traveled extensively to visit and preach in Sikh communities in defiance of Aurangzeb, who attempted to install Ram Rai to the guruship. He aided Kashmiri Brahmins in avoiding conversion to Islam and was arrested and confronted by Aurangzeb. When offered a choice between conversion or death , he chose to die rather than compromise his principles and

900-473: The langar of Guru Amar Das had a favorable impression of Sikhism. As a result of his visit he donated land to the langar and had a positive relationship with the Sikh gurus until his death in 1605. His successor, Jahangir , saw the Sikhs as a political threat. He arrested Guru Arjan Dev because of Sikh support for Khusrau Mirza and ordered him to be put to death by torture. Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom led

950-526: The Battle of Karnal, important functionaries of the Mughal Empire fled Delhi but were intercepted by small jathas of the Dal Khalsa and relieved of their wealth. Nadir Shah then gave Muhammad Shah back his title of Mughal Emperor but took away his royal treasury, including the Peacock Throne . When Nadir Shah began his retreat, the Sikhs who had been seeking refuge in the Sivalik Hills came down from

1000-474: The Battle of Taravari in 1761. Karora Singh was succeeded by Baghel Singh Dhaliwal of Jhabal (district Amritsar); Baghel Singh was fond of adventures; he left the Majha area and launched his actions in Karnal , Saharanpur and other areas of Gang-Doab ; he was one of those five generals who unfurled blue Khalsa flag on Red Fort at Delhi on 11 March 1783. Baghel Singh had an army of 30,000 soldiers;

1050-458: The Buddha Dal and Sikh militas under 40 years were part of the Taruna Dal. The Taruna Dal was further divided in five jathas , each with 1300 to 2000 men and a separate drum and banner. The area of operations of each Dal , or army, was Hari ke Pattan , where the Sutlej river and Beas River meet; the Taruna Dal would control the area east of Hari ke Pattan while the Budha Dal would control

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1100-464: The Dal Khalsa was fundamentally divided into two groups, the Buddha Dal (meaning 'the old army') and the Taruna Dal (meaning 'the young army'). Each was assigned with component Jathas (meaning 'battalions', originally referred to an armed group of Sikhs) during a meeting in Amritsar on 14 October 1745. There were around a total of twenty-five jathas established at that time (whom had been born out of

1150-562: The Patadari system held their land in complete freedom. The Misaldari system applied to sardars with a small number of cavalrymen as well as independent bodies of cavalrymen who voluntarily attached themselves to a misl. They kept the lands they held before joining the misl as an allotment for their cooperation with the misl. The leaders of these groups, called misaldars, could transfer their allegiance and land to another misl without punishment. The Tabadari system referred to land under

1200-507: The area west of it. The purpose of the Budda Dal, the veteran group, was to protect Gurdwaras and train the Taruna Dal, while the Taruna Dal would act as combat troops. However, in 1735, the agreement between Zakariya Khan and Nawab Kapur Singh broke down and the Dal Khalsa retreated to the Sivalik Hills to regroup. Later the command of Dal Khalsa was taken by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia who was an able and powerful administrator. After 1733,

1250-416: The bow the wounds which were still fresh started bleeding profusely. Guru Gobind Singh then declared that he would be leaving for heavenly abode and asked his Sikhs to prepare for the cremation. Banda Singh Bahadur was an Bairagi ascetic who converted to Sikhism after meeting Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded . A short time before his death, Guru Gobind Singh ordered him to reconquer Punjab and gave him

1300-405: The chief of the misl was known as the sardari and the tabadari and jagirdari systems used land directly given by the chief from the sardari. The patadari and misaldari systems formed the basis of a misl, while tabadari and jagirdari lands would only be created after large acquisitions of land. The type of system that was used in an area depended on the importance of the chief sardar of the area to

1350-511: The chief of this Jatha ; he too died in the early days of 1748 and Karora Singh became the chief of the Jatha. In March 1748, when the Misls were formed, his jatha became a Misl ; then this jatha came to be known as Karorsinghia Misl. Karora Singh had the command of 7-8 thousand horsemen; his first possessions were Hariana and Sham Churasi (in Hoshiarpur district); Karora Singh died in

1400-464: The control of a misl's tabadars. Tabadars served a similar function to retainers in Europe. They were required to serve as cavalrymen to the misl and were subservient to the misl's leader. Although tabadars received their land as a reward, their ownership was subject entirely on the misl's leader. The tabadari grants were only hereditary on the choice of the chief of the misl. The Jagirdari system used

1450-502: The death of Jahangir in 1627. His successor, Shah Jahan "took offense" at Guru Har Gobind's sovereignty and after a series of assaults on Amritsar forced the Sikhs to retreat to the Sivalik Hills . Guru Har Gobind's successor, Guru Har Rai maintained the guruship in the Sivalik Hills by defeating local attempts to seize Sikh land and taking a neutral role in the power struggle between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh for control of

1500-532: The defeat of Sirhind . During the rebellion, Banda Singh Bahadur made a point of destroying the cities in which Mughals had been cruel to Sikhs, including executing Wazir Khan in revenge for the deaths of Guru Gobind Singh 's sons after the Sikh victory at Sirhind. He ruled the territory between the Sutlej river and the Yamuna river, established a capital in the Himalayas at Lohgarh , and struck coinage with

1550-548: The faces of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. In 1716, his army was defeated by the Mughals after he attempted to defend his fort at Gurdas Nangal. He was captured along with 700 of his men and sent to Delhi where he was tortured and executed after refusing to convert to Islam. After 1716, the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah began a campaign of genocide against Sikhs through his Governor of Lahore , Abdus Samad Khan . His son and, later, successor, Zakariya Khan Bahadur led

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1600-423: The field. Each took his portion as a co-sharer, and held it in absolute independence. The Sikh Misls had four different classes of administrative divisions. The patadari, misaldari, tabadari, and jagirdari were the different systems of land tenure used by the misls, and land granted by the misl left the responsibility of establishing law and order to the owner of the land. The land under the direct administration of

1650-469: The forests and the Himalayan foothills until they organized themselves into guerilla bands known as jathas . The basis of the Dal Khalsa army was established in 1733–1735 based upon the numerous pre-existing Jatha militia groups and had two main formations: the Taruna Dal (Youth Brigade) and the Budha Dal (Elder Brigade). On the annual Diwali meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa in Amritsar in 1748,

1700-501: The grant of jagirs by the chief of the misl. Jagirs were given by the chief of the misl to relations, dependents, and people who "deserved well". The owners of jagirs were subservient to the chief of the misl as their ownership was subject to his/her needs. Like the Tabadars, jagirdars were subject to personal service when the chief of the misl requested. However, because jagirs entailed more land and profit, they were required to use

1750-496: The ground where his army used to pitch its tents is still known as Tees Hazari (literally: associated with thirty thousands). Baghel Singh died in 1802 without an heir. Jodh Singh and Sukhu Singh each claimed to be the chief of this Misl. During this interregnum, Baghel Singh's two widows, Ram Kaur and Rattan Kaur, ruled this Misl. (Birth–Death) This Sikhism-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sikh Confederacy The Sikh Confederacy

1800-471: The high degree of skill required to execute it. George Thomas and George Forster, contemporary writers who witnessed it described its use separately in their accounts of the military of the Sikhs. George Forster noted: "A party from forty to fifty, advance in a quick pace to a distance of carbine shot from the enemy and then, that the fire may be given with the greatest certainty, the horses are drawn up and their pieces discharged, when speedily, retiring about

1850-402: The misl would completely evacuate the areas in front of the enemy's marching route but follow in the rear of the opposition and reconquer areas the enemy had just captured, threaten agents of the enemy with retribution, and sweep over the countryside in the wake of the enemy's withdrawal. The Running Skirmish was a tactic unique to the Sikh cavalrymen which was notable for its effectiveness and

1900-530: The misl. The Sardars would then divide their parcels among their Surkundas, and then the Surkundas subdivided the land they received among their individual cavalrymen. The Surkundas receiving parcels of land with settlements were required to fortify them and establish fines and laws for their zamindars and ryots . Parcels of land in the patadari system could not be sold, but could be given to relatives in an inheritance . The soldiers who received parcels from

1950-454: The misls were unequal in strength, and each misl attempted to expand its territory and access to resources at the expense of others, they acted in unison in relation to other states. The misls held biannual meetings of their legislature, the Sarbat Khalsa in Amritsar . Each Misl was made up of members of soldiers, whose loyalty was given to the Misl's leader. A Misl could be composed of

2000-440: The money generated by their jagirs to equip and mount a quota of cavalrymen depending on the size of their jagir. Jagirdari grants were hereditary in practice but a misl's chief could revoke the rights of the heir. Upon the death of the owner of a tabadari or jagadari grant, the land would revert to direct control of the chief (sardari). The Rakhi system was the payment-for-protection tributary protectorate scheme practiced by

2050-577: The mountains and mercilessly plundered the treasure of the Persian Army. Afterwards the Dal Khalsa established a fort at Dallewal near the Ravi river and began levying taxes in the area around Lahore . During this period, the Muslim historian Nur Mohammed, though full of contempt for Sikhs, was constrained to pay tribute to them of their character, in the following words: "In no case they would slay

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2100-483: The persecution of Shah Jahan and other Mughal emperors , several of the later Sikh Gurus established military forces and fought the Mughal Empire and Simla Hills' Kings in the early and middle Mughal-Sikh Wars and the Hill States–Sikh wars . Banda Singh Bahadur continued Sikh resistance to the Mughal Empire until his defeat at the Battle of Gurdas Nangal . For several years Sikhs found refuge in

2150-430: The rest of the misl. The Patadari system affected newly annexed territories and was the original method used by the misls in administering land. The patadari system relied on the cooperation of surkundas, the rank of a leader of a small party of cavalrymen . The chief of the misl would take his/her portion and divide the other parcels among his Sardars proportional to the number of cavalrymen they had contributed to

2200-471: The sixth Guru, Guru Har Gobind , to declare Sikh sovereignty in the creation of the Akal Takht and to establish a fort to defend Amritsar . Jahangir attempted to assert authority over the Sikh by jailing Guru Har Gobind at Gwalior and released him after some time with 52 other Rajput ( Hindu ) kings on Guru Hargobind's orders. Sikhism did not have any further issues with the Mughal Empire until

2250-404: The use of primarily light cavalry with a smaller amount heavy cavalry was uniform throughout all of the Sikh misls. Cavalrymen in a misl were required to supply their own horses and equipment. A standard cavalryman was armed with a spear , matchlock , and scimitar . How the armies of the Sikh misls received payment varied with the leadership of each misl. The most prevalent system of payment

2300-542: The whole Sikh community. These orders would normally be related to defense against external threats, such as Afghan military attacks. The profits of a fighting action were divided by the misls to individuals based on the service rendered after the conflict using the sardari system . The Sikh Confederacy is a description of the political structure, of how all the barons' chiefdoms interacted with each other politically together in Punjab . Although misls varied in strength,

2350-537: Was a confederation of twelve sovereign Sikh states (each known as a Misl , derived from the Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal'; sometimes spelt as Misal ) which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent and is cited as one of the causes of the weakening of the Mughal Empire prior to Nader Shah's invasion of India (1738–1740). In order to withstand

2400-477: Was executed. Guru Gobind Singh , assumed the guruship in 1675 and to avoid battles with Sivalik Hill Rajas moved the guruship to Paunta . He built a large fort to protect the city and garrisoned an army to protect it. The growing power of the Sikh community alarmed Sivalik Hill Rajas who attempted to attack the city but the Guru's forces routed them at the Battle of Bhangani . He moved on to Anandpur and established

2450-409: Was injured by agents of Wazir Khan, the governor of Sirhind . After this incident his wounds were stitched and he began to recover. A few days after, some Sikhs brought a very stiff bow to present to Guru Gobind Singh. As they were discussing whether anybody would ever be able to put a string on the bow, Guru Gobind Singh accepted the challenge. Though the bow was stringed, due to the force he applied on

2500-624: Was the 'Fasalandari' system; soldiers would receive payment every six months at the end of a harvest . Fauja Singh considers the Sikh misls to be guerrilla armies , although he notes that the Sikh misls generally had greater numbers and a larger number of artillery pieces than a guerrilla army would. The misls were primarily cavalry based armies and employed less artillery than Mughal or Maratha armies. The misls adapted their tactics to their strength in cavalry and weakness in artillery and avoided pitched battles. Misls organized their armies around bodies of horsemen and their units fought battles in

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