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A Sikh state is a political entity that is ruled by Sikhs. [1] [2] There were various Sikh states, empires, and dynasties, beginning with the first Sikh state established by Banda Singh Bahadur to the Sikh-ruled princely states of British India.
There was a prevailing Sikh belief in the mid-16th century that Guru Nanak was the master of both spirituality and temporality (din and dunia) but that he allowed Babur to have stewardship over political affairs. [3] However, the Mughals were seen as going against this bestowal when they executed Guru Arjan (in 1606) and Guru Tegh Bahadur (in 1675). [3] Thus, Guru Gobind Singh was envisioned as coming about to destroy the Mughals and their rule. [3]
The bards Satta Doom and Balvand Rai state the following in the Guru Granth Sahib regarding Guru Nanak establishing a raj (governance or rule): [4]
Nanak established the Dominion by raising
the fort of Truth on firm foundations …
With might and bravery of One’s wisdom-sword,
Perfection bestowed the gift of life …
The Light and the method were same,
the Sovereign only changed the body.
Impeccable Divine canopy waves,
the Throne of Guru-ship is occupied.— Satta Doom and Balvand Rai, Guru Granth Sahib, page 966
The Sikh concept of miri-piri emphasizes that spirituality and temporality are intrinsically linked to one another, legitimizing Sikh aims to establish their own sovereignty. [4] Guru Gobind Singh taught the principles of Raj Karega Khalsa as forming the basis for Sikh-rule. [4] In-response to a question posed by Bhai Nand Lal, the tenth guru responded as follows on the issue of sovereignty: [4]
Nand Lal, listen to this truth:
I will establish the Raj (Sovereignty). (56)
The four categories will become one category,
I will recite Vahiguru (Awe-Wisdom) recitation. (57)
[They will] mount horses and fly hawks,
The Turks (empire) will flee seeing them. (58)
I will make one fight a hundred and twenty-five thousand.
I will free those Singhs (warriors) who ascend (die). (59)
The spears will wave and the elephants will be caparisoned,
The nine-instruments will resound from gate to gate. (60)
When a hundred and twenty-five thousand guns will discharge,
Then the Khalsa will be victorious from wherever the sun shines and sets. (61)
The Khalsa will rule and no one will be a dissenter,
All will unite after exhaustion, those who take refuge will survive. (62)— Bhai Nand Lal of Goya, Nasihatnamah/Tankhahnamah, stanzas 56-62
Rattan Singh Bhangu's Panth Prakash describes Guru Gobind Singh as being the ruler of Ananpur in the 1690's, later blessing the Sikhs to rule over the Majha region. [5]
The first Sikh polity, albeit a short-lived one, was founded by Banda Singh Bahadur in 1710, after his forces captured Sirhind and issued silver rupee coinage from the Mukhlisgarh Fort based at the Shivalik range. [6] This was a republic that existed from 1710 to 1716. [4] The issuing of coinage was a mark of sovereignty, marking the beginning of Banda's rule over Sirhind. [6] Furthermore, Banda rejected using both the traditional Indic Bikrami calendar and the Islamicate calendar, creating his own calendar where the first year commenced on the date of his victory over Sirhind. [6] Banda's state issued coins in the name of the Sikh gurus. [6]
Between the period of 1726–1733, Zakaria Khan, the Mughal viceroy of Lahore province, enacted a genocidal policy against the Sikhs. [7] After the oppressive anti-Sikh government policy failed to get rid of the Sikh threat, the Mughal government decided to try pacifying the Sikhs by granting them an official jagir (estate) grant. [7] Upon Sikh request, a Nawab title was offered to the Sikhs, which was bestowed upon Kapur Singh in 1733 (since Darbara Singh had rejected it), alongside a khilat and bag of gold. [7] In 1734, Nawab Kapur Singh divided the Sikh congregation into two groups: the Taruna Dal and the Buddha Dal. [7] Each of these Dals ("armies") were further sub-divided into five groups (with Kapur Singh's own grouping being the additional). [7] After a short period of peace between the Mughals and Sikhs, differences between them started to grow again due to the restless and provocative antics of the Taruna Dal, and the Nawab-ship that was bestowed upon the Sikhs earlier by the Mughal Empire was revoked and the jagir was confiscated in 1735. [7] Thus, the former anti-Sikh genocidal policies of the Mughals was put in-place again and the Sikhs once again had to disperse to places of safe haven, such as the Lakhi Jungle. [7] With the invasion of India by Nadir Shah between January–May 1739 and the total destruction of the Mughal administration in the Punjab as a result, the Sikhs saw an opportunity for themselves and pillaged and sought revenge on their enemies. [7] On 1 July 1745, Zakarian Khan died and he was succeeded by less-effective Mughal administrators, such as Yahiya Khan. [7] After this point, Kapur Singh divided the Sikh congregation into twenty-five bands ( jathas ), with each band consisting of about a hundred young Sikh men under the command of a respective leader. [7] With this reform, a basic confederation structure for military activities of the Sikhs was forming shape. [7] After an initial invasion of India by Ahmad Shah Abdali, Kapur Singh realized that the Afghan invader would surely return for more loot, additionally due to the strict ruling-style of Moin-ul-Mulk, Kapur Singh resolved to reform the then sixty-five (the number of Sikh bands had since swelled from the twenty-five bands that had been established earlier) Sikh bands into eleven misls on the annual Vaisakhi gathering at Amritsar on 29 March 1748, establishing the Sikh Confederacy and its constituent misls, with the united army of all the Sikhs called the Dal Khalsa . [7] The earlier Taruna Dal and Buddha Dal division system that was established earlier in 1734 was retained, with each of the eleven misls being assigned as part of a dal, with the seminal division being as follows: [7]
After the fall of Sirhind in 1763, many Sikh kingdoms began to take root after being founded by sardars of the precursory Sikh misls, such as Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Kalsia, Manimajra, and Kaithal. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] The sarkar of Sirhind was cut-up and distributed amongst hundreds of both petty and prominent Sikh sardars. [14] A breakthrough was achieved when the Sikhs successfully took-over Delhi in the early 1780's, which allowed them to construct gurdwaras in the area. [3] The Sukerchakia Misl formed the Sikh Empire after the capture of Lahore in 1799. [15] [16]
Some segments of the Sikh community advocate for an independent state called Khalistan. [17]
Parganas , 'ilaqa, and ta'alluqa administrative divisions of Sikh polities tended to much smaller scale in-size compared to the Mughal administrative system and more numerous. [14] An example of this is the Gujranwala district, which consisted of twenty-six ta'alluqas during Sikh-rule but three or four parganas during Mughal-rule. [14] An explanation of this is when Sikhs occupied formerly Mughal-controlled territory, they divvied up the Mughal parganas amongst the Sikh sardars . [14] A subdivision of a pargana or ta'alluqa was a tappa or topes. [14] Sikh-rule over Kashmir led to the establishment of four new Kashmiri parganas. [14] The Mughal pargana was comparable in-nature to the Sikh ta'alluqa. [14] At the ta'alluqa-level, the Mughal office of the 'amil was comparable to the Sikh office of the kardar. [14] The basis of revenue administration came from the positions of the muqaddam, chaudhari, and the qanungo. [14]
The Sikh polities did not made radical changes to the pre-existing system but rather made slight changes, which do make them discernible from their predecessors. [14] Whilst in main areas during the Mughal-period the zabt method was predominant, during Sikh-rule it was the ghallabakhshi and kankut that were dominant. [14] However, the most dominant systems of assessment and collection during Sikh-rule were the batai and kankut, however the zabt method was employed in some areas. [14] Outside of main areas, older methods continued unabated for the most part. [14] The ijara practice became popularized during Sikh-rule but this method led to lower shares of produce being received by the state due to lower rates of assessment. [14]
The jagirs bestowed by Sikh states were similar to the mansabdari jagirs that were granted by the Mughals. [14] The dharmarth grants issued by Sikh states were similar to the madad-i-ma'ash grants of the Mughals. [14] A key difference however was the proportion of revenue alienated by the way of jagir was much smaller during Sikh-rule in-comparison to Mughal-rule. [14] However, the proportion of revenue alienated by the way of dharmarth was much larger during Sikh-rule compared to the predecessor Mughals. [14] Another difference was that the proportion of hereditary jagirs was larger during Sikh-rule. [14]
The three classes in-relation to land tenures was the same between Mughal and Sikh-rule: [14]
During Sikh-rule, the position of the peasant proprietor improved in-relation to the ta'alluqdar whilst the position of the tenant improved in-relation to the other two classes above it. [14] Sikh ruling classes received a relatively smaller share of surplus land revenue in-comparison to their Mughal counterparts, with the revenue during Sikh-rule being distributed to many sardars and rajas (with both being relatively equal in importance). [14] Thus, the peasant proprietor and tenant classes were able to enjoy much of the produce they produced. [14] During the reign of Ranjit Sikh of Lahore State, there were no instances of agricultural crises. [14]
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The following list enumerates historical Sikh states, empires, and dynasties in chronological order, ordered by their establishment year: [18]
| State or Dynasty | Established | Disestablished | Founder(s) | Capital(s) | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Sikh states | |||||
| Anandpur | 1655 | 6 December 1704 | Tegh Bahadur | Anandpur | [10] |
| First Sikh State | 1709 | 1715 | Banda Singh | Lohgarh | [10] |
| Nawabship of Amritsar | 1733 | 1735 | Kapur Singh | Amritsar | [10] |
| Daranat Shah's State | 1740 | 1741 | Deep Singh | Unknown | [10] |
| Sikh Confederacy | 1748 | 1799 | Kapur Singh | Amritsar | [10] |
| Constituent Misls of the Sikh Confederacy | |||||
| Ahluwalia Misl | 1748 | 1846 | Jassa Singh | Baggoki (1748 - 1754) Fatehabad (1754 - 1780) Kapurthala (1780 - 1825) Jagraon (1825-1826) Kapurthala (1826-1846) | [10] |
| Bhangi Misl | 1748 | 1802 | Chhajja Singh | Sohal (1748 - 1750) Gilwali (1750 - 1756) Amritsar (1756 - 1802) | [10] |
| Kanhaiya Misl | 1748 | 1811 | Jai Singh | Sohian (1748 - 1752) Batala (1752-1762) Mukerian (1762 - 1811) | [10] |
| Ramgarhia Misl | 1748 | 1816 | Jassa Singh | Hargobindgarh(1748 - 1778) Tosham (1778 - 1783) Hargobindgarh (1783 - 1816) | [10] |
| Singhpuria Misl | 1748 | 1804 | Kapur Singh | Jalandhar | [10] |
| Panjgarhia Misl | 1748 | 1809 | Karora Singh | Shamchaurasi | [10] |
| Nishanwalia Misl | 1748 | 1809 | Dasaundha Singh | Ambala | [10] |
| Sukerchakia Misl | 1748 | 1799 | Charat Singh | Gujranwala | [10] |
| Dallewalia Misl | 1748 | 1807 | Gulab Singh | Rahon | [10] |
| Nakai Misl | 1748 | 1803 | Heera Singh | Baherwal Kalan | [10] |
| Shaheedan Misl | 1734 | 1809 | Deep Singh | Shahzadpur | [10] |
| Sikh monarchal states | |||||
| Patiala State | 1762 | 20 August 1948 | Ala Singh | Patiala | [19] : 1398 |
| Jind State | 1763 | 20 August 1948 | Gajpat Singh | Jind | [19] : 1395 |
| Nabha State | 1763 | 20 August 1948 | Hamir Singh | Nabha | [19] : 1398 [20] |
| Ladwa State | 1763 | 1846 | Gurdit Singh | Ladwa | [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] |
| Faridkot State | 1763 | 20 August 1948 | Hamir Singh | Faridkot | [19] : 1395 |
| Kalsia State | 1809 | 1948 | Gurbaksh Singh | Chhachhrauli | [19] : 1396 |
| Manimajra State | 1764 | 1875 | Gharib Das | Manimajra | [26] : 158–160 [27] |
| Kaithal State | 1767 | 1843 | Desu Singh | Kaithal | [28] [29] |
| Kapurthala State | 1774 [note 1] | 20 August 1948 | Nihal Singh | Kapurthala | [19] : 1396 [30] |
| Sikh Empire | 1799 | 1849 | Ranjit Singh | Gujranwala (1799–1802) Lahore (1802–1849) | |
The Sukerchakia Misl was one of twelve Sikh misls in Punjab during the 18th century, concentrated in Gujranwala and Hafizabad districts in western Punjab and ruled from (1752–1801). The misl, or grouping with its own guerilla militia (jatha), was founded by Charat Singh of Sandhawalia, grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The last Sukerchakia Misldar was Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh united all the misls and established an independent Sikh Empire.
The Sikh Empire, officially known as Sarkār-i-Khālsa and Khālasa Rāj, was a regional power based in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the British East India Company in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was forged on the foundations of the Khalsa from a collection of autonomous misls. At its peak in the 19th century, the empire extended from Gilgit and Tibet in the north to the deserts of Sindh in the south and from the Khyber Pass in the west to the Sutlej in the east. It was divided into four provinces: Lahore, which became the Sikh capital; Multan; Peshawar; and Kashmir from 1799 to 1849. Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 4.5 million in 1831, it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to be annexed by the British Empire.
Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined military forces of 11 Sikh misls that operated in the 18th century (1748–1799) in the Punjab region. It was established by Nawab Kapur Singh in late 1740s.
The Sikh Confederacy was a confederation of twelve sovereign Sikh states 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).
Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion in the Punjab region of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the 15th century and opposed many traditional practices like fasting, Upanayana, idolatry, caste system, ascetism, azan, economic materialism, and gender discrimination.
Nawab Kapur Singh was a major Sikh leader who led the community during the early-to-mid 18th century. He was the organizer of the Sikh Confederacy and its military force, the Dal Khalsa. He is held in high regards by Sikhs.
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was a Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy, being the supreme leader of the Dal Khalsa. He was also Misldar of the Ahluwalia Misl. This period was an interlude, lasting roughly from the time of the death of Banda Bahadur in 1716 to the founding of the Sikh Empire in 1801. He founded the Kapurthala State in 1772.
Sarbat Khalsa, was a biannual deliberative assembly of the Sikhs held at Amritsar in Punjab during the 18th century. It literally translates to the "entire Sikh Nation" but as a political institution it refers to the meetings of the Dal Khalsa and the legislature of the Sikh Confederacy.
Sirhind is the older name of Fatehgarh Sahib, a city and Sikh pilgrimage site in Punjab, India. It is situated on the Delhi to Lahore Highway. It has a population of about 60,851 . It is now a district headquarters in the state of Punjab; the name of the district is Fatehgarh Sahib.
A Jatha is an armed body of Sikhs that has existed in Sikh tradition since 1699, the beginning of the Khalsa. A Jatha basically means a group of people.
Sardar Charat Singh, also romanised as Charhat Singh, was the founder of Sukerchakia Misl, father of Mahan Singh, and the grandfather of Ranjit Singh, the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He distinguished himself at an early age in campaigns against Ahmad Shah Abdali and along with 150 horsemen split from the Singhpuria Misl to establish the Sukerchakia Misl, a separate grouping with its distinct guerilla militia.
The Sikh Rule in Lahore initiated from the conquest and rule of the Sikh Misls and extended till the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh which ended in 1849. The Sikhs began gaining power following the decline of the Mughal Empire in Punjab and consisted of a collection of autonomous Punjabi Misls, which were governed by Misldars, mainly in the Punjab region.
Banda Singh Bahadur; born Lachman Dev;, was a Sikh warrior and a general of the Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī. In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation to meet Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I in southern India, he visited Banda Singh Bahadur in 1708. Banda became disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was given a new name, Gurbaksh Singh(as written in Mahan Kosh), after the baptism ceremony. He is popularly known as Banda Singh Bahadur. He was given five arrows by the Guru as a blessing for the battles ahead. He came to Khanda, Sonipat and assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire.
Binod Singh, a Trehan Khatri and a descendant of Guru Angad, was an army man and disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was among few Sikhs who accompanied him to Nanded in 1706. In Budha Dal Chronicles, Guru Gobind Singh made Baba Binod Singh the head of the Khalsa.
Baba Darbara Singh, also known as Diwan Darbara Singh, was second Jathedar of Budha Dal and third leader of the Akal Takht. He should not be confused with other Darbara Singh of Sirhind who fought in the Battle of Anandpur.
The Jathedar of the Akal Takht is the head of the Akal Takht and head of the Sikhs worldwide. The jathedar has the de facto power as the supreme spokesperson of the Khalsa to summon, trial and sentence any person who identifies as a Sikh from the Akal Takht.
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.
Baba Gurbaksh Singh was a Sikh warrior from the 18th century who served under the Shaheedan Misl of the Sikh confederacy. Gurbaksh Singh along with 29 other Sikh warriors led a last stand against the Afghan and Baloch forces on December 1, 1764, at Amritsar. It was in this skirmish that Baba Gurbaksh Singh along with 29 other Sikhs were killed.
The Khalsa Fauj were the military forces of the Khalsa order of the Sikhs, established by the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699. It replaced the Akal Sena that had been established by the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind.
