Shaheedan Misl

Last updated March 21, 2024

The Shaheedan Misl,^[1] also known as the Shahid Misl^[2], was one of twelve Sikh Misls that later became the Sikh Empire. It held a small amount of territory in the Malwa (Punjab) area around the Damdama Sahib ^[3] before being incorporated into the Sikh Empire of the Sukerchakia Misl by Ranjit Singh.

Deep Singh (later Baba Deep Singh), son of Bhagta, of village Pahuwind (now district Amritsar) was the founder of this Misl. Earlier this Misl was known as Deep Singh’s Misl but after the martyrdom of Deep Singh in 1757 and another Sikh general Gurbakhsh Singh (of Leel village) in 1764, this Misl came to be known as Shaheedan Misl.

Origins and history

In 1748, Baba Deep Singh was appointed the leader of the Shaheedan Misl and the Mahant of the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. In 1757, Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India^{[ citation needed ]} and sent an army to the Harmindar Sahib to block Sikhs from entering the Gurdwara. Baba Deep Singh and a company of men who rode with him to free the gurdwara were killed in the Battle of Amritsar (1757) ^[4] against the Durrani Army. His successor, Suddha Singh, later led the misl into a skirmish against the Afghan government of Jalandhar City. The first two leaders of the misl were considered Shaheeds, or martyrs, by their contemporaries so the misl became known as, Shaheedan Misl, or the misl of the martyrs. The misl was annexed by the Sikh Empire at some point in the early 19th century and became a part of the Sikh Empire. The Nihang order of Sikhs maintains the traditions of this misl.^[3]

List of leaders

Gallery

Fresco of shaheed Baba Deep Singh from Gurdwara Baba Atal, Amritsar
Fresco of Bijla Singh from Gurdwara Baba Atal. He was a warrior of the Shaheedan Misl and accomplice of Baba Deep Singh
Detail of Karam Singh Sidhu of the Shaheedan Misl from a painting three seated Sikh sardars, circa late 18th century
Photograph of the Bunga Amar Shaheed Baba Deep Singh at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, it has since been demolished

Related Research Articles

The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.

The Damdamī Ṭaksāl, also sometimes referred to as Giani Samparda, Jatha Bhindra(n), or Sampardai Bhindra(n) is an orthodox Khalsa Sikh cultural and educational organization, based in India. They are known for their teachings of vidya as well as gurbani santhya. Its headquarters are located in the town of Mehta Chowk, approximately 40 km north of the city of Amritsar. It has been described as a seminary or “moving university” of the Sikh countryside.

Gurdwara Sri Tarn Taran Sahib is a gurdwara established by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan Dev, in the city of Tarn Taran Sahib, Punjab, India. The site has the distinction of having the largest sarovar of all the gurdwaras. It is famous for the monthly gathering of pilgrims on the day of Amavas. It is near Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar.

The Nishan Sahib in Sikhism is a triangular flag made of cotton or silk cloth, with a tassel at its end. The current form of the Nishan Sahib that is in use throughout Gurdwaras around the world has an orange (saffron) background color that has the Khanda symbol in the center of the flag. It is commonly hoisted on a tall flagpole outside Gurdwaras.

The Takht Sri Darbar Sahib Damdama Sahib, is one of the five takhts or Seat of Temporal Authority of Sikhism, located in Talwandi Sabo in Punjab, India. At this place Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, prepared the full version of the Sikh scriptures called Sri Guru Granth Sahib in 1705. The other four Takhts are the Akal Takht, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Takht Sri Patna Sahib and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib.

Majha is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region split between India and Pakistan. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as the river Jhelum. People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Mājhī" or "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the Punjabi language. The most populous city in the area is Lahore on the Pakistani side, and Amritsar on the Indian side of the border.

Gurdwārā Bābā AṭṭalRai is a famous Gurdwara in Amritsar dedicated to Atal Rai, a son of Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanaki. It consists of nine-stories and is around forty metres in-height. It is just a short walk from the famous Harmandir Sahib.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fateh Singh (Sikhism)</span> Fourth son of Guru Gobind Singh

Fateh Singh, commonly referred to with honorifics as Baba Fateh Singh or Sahibzada Baba Fateh Singh, was the fourth and youngest son of Guru Gobind Singh.

Baba Deep Singh is revered among Sikhs as one of the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism. He is remembered for his sacrifice and devotion to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. Baba Deep Singh was the first head of Misl Shaheedan Tarna Dal – an order of the Khalsa military established by Nawab Kapur Singh, the then head of Sharomani Panth Akali Buddha Dal. The Damdami Taksal also state that he was the first head of their order.

Akali Phula Singh Nihang was an Akali Nihang Sikh leader. He was a saint soldier of the Khalsa Shaheedan Misl and head of the Budha Dal in the early 19th century. He was also a senior general in the Sikh Khalsa Army and commander of the irregular Nihang of the army. He played a role in uniting Sikh misls in Amritsar. He was not afraid of the British who at many times ordered for his arrest but were not successful. During his later years he served for the Sikh Empire as a direct adviser to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He remained an army general in many famous Sikh battles up until his martyrdom in the battle of Nowshera. He was admired by the local people and had a great influence over the land and his settlement was always open to help the poor and helpless. He was well known and was a humble unique leader and prestigious warrior with high character. He was also known for his effort to maintain the values of Gurmat and the Khalsa panth.

A takht, or taḵẖat, literally means a throne or seat of authority and is a spiritual and temporal centre of Sikhism. There are five takhts, which are five gurudwaras that have a very special significance for the Sikh community. Three are located in Punjab whilst the remaining two are located outside of it.

Jathedar Baba Hanuman Singh, also known as Akali Hanuman Singh or Amar Shaheed Baba Hanuman Singh, was a Nihang Sikh and was the 7th Jathedar of Budha Dal and Jathedar of Akal Takhat. He was the successor of Akali Phula Singh. He was the first one who fought against the British. He attained martyrdom during a battle with the British and Patiala State in 1846.

Naina Singh, also known as Narayan Singh, was a Nihang warrior and fifth Jathedar of Budha Dal and a chief of the Shaheedan Misl during the late 18th century.

The Battle of Amritsar, also known as the Battle of Gohalwar, was fought between the Durrani Empire and Shaheedan Misl of the Dal Khalsa on 11 November 1757. Following the fourth invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani, his army was attacked by Sikh bands under the command of Ala Singh and Baba Deep Singh. Following the attacks, Ahmad Shah desecrated the Sikh holy site known as the Shri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. The news of the desecration reached Baba Deep Singh who vowed to liberate the holy site from the Afghans. This resulted in a pitched battle being fought in the village of Gohalwar, near Amritsar. The battle resulted in Baba Deep Singh being killed and an Afghan victory.

Sardar Chuhar Singh of Jharauli was a general of Shaheedan Misl. He was the paternal cousin of Rai Singh Bhangi and close relative of Sikh warrior Baba Deep Singh. Under the command of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, he fought for Shaheedan Misl in the Battle of Sirhind (1764) against Mughal Faujdar of Sirhind, Zain Khan Sirhindi. He secured Jharauli, Fatehgarh Atri, Ajrana and seven other villages by Markanda River. He had two sons, Karam Singh and Mohar Singh. The younger Mohar Singh took charge of the Jharauli estate. His elder son Karam Singh took control of the family estate at Chung that was finally incorporated to Lahore Darbar by issueless Ranjit Singh after his death in 1808. Mohar Singh lost seven villages of the Jharauli estate to Bhunga Singh of Thanesar in 1780. The Jharauli estate remained under the Court of Wards during 1885-1893 and again between 1922-1947.

Sardar Gulab Singh was the founder of Dallewalia Misl, one of the sovereign states of the Sikh confederacy that rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region. The Dallewalia and Nishanwalia Misl were stationed as a reserve force at Amritsar to protect the holy city and tackle any emergency. The Amritsar and the Punjab region was subject to raids by the Afghans led by Ahmad Shah Abdali therefore the Sikhs had created misls to defend the Punjab region and push back the invaders.

Joginder Singh, or Baba Joginder Singh is a Nihang Singh and is claimed to be 15th Jathedar of Budha Dal after Akali Surjit Singh. He was born in Boparai Kalan, Ludhiana.

The Battle of Darbar Sahib was fought in 1761, during the Afghan-Sikh Wars, between the Shaheedan Misl of the Sikhs and the Durrani Empire of Ahmad Shah Abdali aided by the Khanate of Kalat.

References

↑ Bhagata, Siṅgha (1993). A History of the Sikh Misals. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. p. 241. Deep Singh Shahid, a Sandhu Jat and resident of the village of Pohuwind of the pargana of Amritsar, was the founder of this Misal.
1 2 3 Singha, H.S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 150. ISBN 9788170103011. NAINA SINGH: Naina Singh was the chief of the Shahid misl in the later part of the eighteenth century. His real name was Narain Singh. He is credited with the introduction of the Nihang type turban for his followers. He groomed the famous Sikh hero Akali Phula Singh and handed over the command of the Shahid misl to him.
1 2 McLeod, W.H. (2005). Historical dictionary of Sikhism. The Scarecrow Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-8108-5088-0.
↑ Jacques, Tony (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015.

This Sikhism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Bhagata, Siṅgha (1993). A History of the Sikh Misals. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. p. 241. Deep Singh Shahid, a Sandhu Jat and resident of the village of Pohuwind of the pargana of Amritsar, was the founder of this Misal.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 Singha, H.S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 150. ISBN 9788170103011. NAINA SINGH: Naina Singh was the chief of the Shahid misl in the later part of the eighteenth century. His real name was Narain Singh. He is credited with the introduction of the Nihang type turban for his followers. He groomed the famous Sikh hero Akali Phula Singh and handed over the command of the Shahid misl to him.

[McLeod_2005_186-3] 1 2 McLeod, W.H. (2005). Historical dictionary of Sikhism. The Scarecrow Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-8108-5088-0.

[sarsa-4] Jacques, Tony (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]