Sikh Misl Institute

Misl generally refers to the sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, that rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern 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. Misl(s) can also be known as Unit(s) of Sikh groups which were formed by Sikh soldiers to fight against Mughal/Islamic governmental tyranny and oppression.

On the Vaisakhi of 1748, Nawab Kapur Singh Ji decided to submerge all small groups of Sikh warrior forces into 11 different groups which were later called Sikh Misls.

The era of the Guru’s

During the time of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s second Udaasi, when Guru Ji reached ‘Sumer Parbat’, Guru Ji had a religious discussion with the Sidhs (Hindu Saints), where the Sidhs asked Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji “on what support are you going to build this Fort of Sikhi?” Guru ji replied, “it would be on two Code of Conduct pillars” – ‘Guru Sangat’ (Disciples of the Guru) and ‘Guru Bani’. The gathering of ‘Guru Sangat’ in the respect of ‘Gurbani’ develops Sikhs into a strong organization. Later, Sri Guru Angad Dev Ji and Sri Guru Amar Das Ji teach ‘Guru ki Sangat’ how to uphold the sanctity and respect of Gurbani and take ‘Guru Shabad’ (Guru’s word or Gurbani) as the ultimate truth and will of the Guru. They rejected other Bani’s as ‘Kachi Bani’ and abandoned all other rituals and traditions, placing their devotion in the feet of the Guru. Sri Guru Ram Das Ji creates the centralization of Sikh Sangat and Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji paves the way for the tradition of ‘Shaheedi’ (Martyrdom) by sacrificing their human manifestation for the protection of the Sikh Organization and ‘Guru Shabad’.

ਇਕ ਸਿੱਖ ਦੋਇ ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗ, ਪੰਜੀ ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ਰ || (Bhai Gurdas Ji V:13)

One alone is Sikh, two Sikhs create a congregation and in a gathering of five Sikhs, they are the form of the Eternal God. These ideas make Sikhs more united. By the time of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Sikhs got more strongly attached to Sangat and Gurbani that even those who challenged Sikhi tried to create a rift between the Sikhs and their faith in Gurbani but they never succeeded. Meanwhile, during the physical presence of the Sikh Gurus, they were equally preached as ‘Gurbani’ and ‘Sangat’.

Lastly, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji ended the tradition of the Guru Lineage in Human form, instead, giving the Guru Sangat the Hukam (Order) that when Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji leaves their body, their Jyot (Soul/Light) as of the 9 Gurus before them will be emerged into Shabad Guru (Gurbani) along with their teachings, and from now forward, the only Living and Eternal Guru will be Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. Sikhs should now fully follow the principle of ‘Sangat’ and ‘Gurbani’.

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji felt that Sikhs are now able to follow Sikhi without any physical Guru guiding them, as per Bhai Gurdas Ji bani “ਗੁਰ ਸੰਗਤ ਬਾਣੀ ਬਿਨਾ ਦੂਜੀ ਓਟ ਨਾਹੀ ਹਹਿ ਰਾਈ || I have no support except the Guru (God), holy congregation, and the Word (Bani). (Bhai Gurdas Ji V:1)” Guru Sahib Ji makes Sangat into Khalsa and Khalsa into Guru itself. Even beyond this, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji made Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj the only and last Guru of the Sikhs, and every task was to be performed according to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj by taking a Hukamnama Sahib.

Baba Banda Singh

Guru Gobind Singh Ji got Jyoti Jot (Leaving physical body) in 1708, before that he sent Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, along with his 5 Sikhs, to Punjab to take revenge for Mughal brutality toward mankind, especially with Sikhs. Baba Banda Singh Ji fought with Mughals and destroy their frame of terror in the eyes of the Indian Nation, but he didn’t get full success and was captured and Martyrdom on June 1716 along with almost 4000 Sikhs.

The history of the Sikh after the martyrdom of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716 was eventful and fresh waves of oppression of the Sikhs started. During this dark period, 1716 to 1733, the Sikhs were left without any permanent leader, who could guide them through this critical period. In the history of the Sikhs, this dark period is recorded as the titanic struggle between the Khalsa, on the one hand, the Mughals and Afghans on the other, in which the sons of the soil had not only to fight for their lives but were able, after long and determined suffering, to assert their superior right to rule over their own land.

During the time of Banda Singh Bahadur, the Sikhs had experienced freedom and after his demise, they struggled incessantly for it. The onus on them was not only to save themselves from the oppression and tyranny of the Mughals but also to organize themselves into strong units in order to retrieve their lands from the hands of Mughal and Afghan usurpers.

After the fall of Banda Singh Bahadur, Abdus Samad khan also known as Diler-i-Jang was appointed the new Governor of Lahore by the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar. On his accession, strict orders were issued by the new Governor to his forces to eliminate the Sikhs and to proselytize the Sikh masses through forcible conversions. If the Sikhs refused to embrace the Islamic faith, they were to be put to the sword. Valuable rewards were also offered by the Government to the heads of the prominent Sikhs. Left to their own devices, the Sikhs fled from the plains to the Shivalik hills and the desert of Bikaner and Jodhpur.

Sarbat Khalsa concept creation

After the Jyoti Jot (Leaving physical body) of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and the martyrdom of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, Sikhs made Sri Amritsar Sahib the epicenter of their struggle and they gathered there twice a year, on ‘Vaisakhi’ and ‘Diwali’. Under the annual Sikh gathering called ‘Sarbat Khalsa’, where they pass a “ਮਤਾ – Matta” (resolutions) in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. After passing the “ਮਤਾ – Matta” (resolutions), it becomes ‘ਗੁਰ ਮਤਾ – Gur Matta’ (Guru’s Resolution). All Sikhs followed the resolution as the Guru’s order as it was taken in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and with the agreement of ‘Sarbat Khalsa’.

Word ‘Misl’

Some historians, like Bute Shah, believe that ‘Misal’ is a territory conquered by a brave Sardar with the help of his comrades and placed under his protection ^[1]Bute Shah, Tawarikh-i-Punjab, part-II, folio nos. 95-96, DPHS, PUP. J.D Cunningham says the Misal is an Arabic word that has been used to denote the sense of ‘alike’ or ‘equal’. In some references it is understood as a derivative of the Arabic term ‘Misluhut’ which means armed men and war-like people ^[2]J. D Cunningham, A History of the Sikhs. 96. And Rattan Singh Bhangu defined the Misal, as a term yielding the sense of groups ^[3]Rattan Singh Bhangu, Prachin Panth Parkash, p.364.

but the reality is 1748 onward, after the formation of the Dal Khalsa, it appears that some sort of record of the activities of such associations (Jathas) began to be maintained at Sri Akal Takhat Sahib at Amritsar in the form of files. So the term Misal was originally used to mean loose papers tagged or stitched together, forming a sort of file and the Sikh Sardars posted detailed reports of the territories conquered by them to their leaders. The president of the assembly prepared the separate Misals (files) of the individual Sardars. These records or Misals helped to resolve the territorial dispute whenever and wherever they arose between any two Sardars ^[4]Sita Ram Kohli, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjabi), Delhi, 1953, p. 22; Bhagat Singh, History of the Sikh Misals, p. 363.

Later on, Misal began to be understood as the army of the Sardars of the territory under a Sardar. Sometimes the Sardar was also called a Misaldar. So we can say that Misal is a term that came into currency in the eighteen-century history of the Sikhs to describe a unit or brigade of Sikh warriors and the territory acquired by it in the course of its campaign of conquest following the weakening of the Mughal authority ^[5]H T. Prinsep, Origin of the Sikhs power, pp. 35-36.

Dal Khalsa to Misls

By 1733, when Sikhs were gathering in Sarbat Khalsa, there were many ‘Jathas’ (bands of Sikhs) formed. On Vaisakhi of 1733, Sardar Kapur Singh Faizalpuria (Singhpuria Misl) entitled Nawabi (role of Deputy Ruler) was granted by the Mughal Governor. In the following year 1734, the Sikh Army divided itself into the category of Jathas (bands) ‘Taruna Dal’ (the youth, below forty years of age) and ‘Buddha Dal’ (the veterans, above forty years of age).

Budha Dal was given the duty of protecting Sri Amritsar Sahib and other Gurdwaras and other places associated with Sikh History. On the other hand, Taruna Dal was given the duty of fighting on the battlefield. Jathedars (Leaders) and Sikh soldiers contributed their share of money to the community’s shared treasures. All of them submit it to Sri Akal Takhat Sahib to Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (appointed by Nawab Kapur Singh) and acquire access to it at the time of need.

ਅਰਬਦ ਖਰਬਦ ਜੋ ਸਿੰਘ ਲਿਆਏ ਕਮਾਏ | ਨਿਜ ਢਿਗ ਨਾ ਰਾਖਈ ਦੇਤ ਖਜ਼ਾਨੇ ਪਾਏ |

By the passage of time, the number of Jathas (Sikh bands) continued to increase, a total of 65 Jathas were formed by the year 1748. Sikh leadership wasn’t happy with increasing the division of Sikhs into more Jathas (bands), so Nawab Kapur Singh decided to re-organize Sikh power to confront current and future challenges. On the Vaisakhi of 1748, he dismissed all Jathas (bands), even Budha Dal and Taruna Dal. Uniting them under the name of Dal Khalsa Jathebandi (organization).

Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia became the Jathedar (leader) of Dal Khalsa (Nawab Kapur Singh retired himself) and he divided into 11 Jathas (12 if we also count Phulkian Misl). Those 12 Sikh Misls names along with their founder’s names were:-

All these Jathas (bands) later became Misls (Units).

The division of the Dal Khalsa into Budha Dal and Taruna Dal was retained and the following eleven Misals were constituted at Amritsar under Budha Dal and Taruna Dal under separate Sardars.

Budha Dal consists of six Misals as under: Misl Ahluwalia,  Faizullapuria, Nishanwalia, Dallewalia, Nihangsinghia and Karorsinghia Misl.

Taruna Dal comprised of the following: Misal Bhangian, Sukerchakia, Kanahiya, Nakai, and Singhaniya Misl.^[6]Ahmed Shah Batalvi, Tarikh-i-Punjab, pp. 37-38; J D Cunningham, A History of the Sikhs, pp. 96-97 Syed Muhammad Latif, History of the Punjab, pp. 291-92; Major Henry Court, History of the Sikhs, pp. 61-62; Sohan Singh Seetal, Sikh Misalan, pp. 14-15

Although Phullkian Misl under the leadership of Baba Ala Singh operated independently and separately in Malwa it has been considered the twelfth Misal by the historians ^[7]Ahmed Shah Batalvi, Tarikh-i-Punjab, pp. 37-38; Hari Ram Gupta, History of the Sikhs, Vol-II, pp. 91-92.

Thereafter every Sikhs soldier and leader was enjoined to join the Misal of their choice. Every baptized Sikh was considered to be a member of the Dal Khalsa and an equal partner in the organization. Every Misal was declared independent with regard to all internal matters but in matters involving common action, the Misal was to obey the orders of the Dal Khalsa. ^[8]Major Henry Court, History of the Sikhs, p. 65; J D Cunningham, A History of the Sikhs, pp. 96-97; Hari Ram Gupta, History of the Sikhs, Vol-II, pp. 91-92 Thus, the institution of the Misal came into being and the new circumstances of the Panth took shape. ^[9]Ahmed Shah Batalvi, Tarikh-i-Punjab, p. 38; J D Cunningham, A History of the Sikhs, p. 99

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