Tag: Sikh History

Sikh history is marked not only by spiritual enlightenment but also by heroic resistance against oppression. Rooted in the teachings of the Gurus, especially Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the concept of the Sant-Sipahi—the Saint-Soldier—emerged as an ideal for all Sikhs. A true Sikh must be deeply spiritual, yet also courageous enough to fight tyranny and defend the weak.From the early Mughal period to British colonial times, countless Sikh warriors stood as beacons of valor, sacrifice, and justice, often in the face of overwhelming odds. Below are some of the most revered warriors in Sikh history.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
The only ruler of a united Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh is more commonly known as Shere-e Panjab (the lion of Panjab) equally famed for contributing to the rise and fall of Sikh power.
Ranjit Singh was born in 1780 to Mahan Singh Sukerchakia, the leader of one of Panjab’s leading Misls (conferederacies). His youth was spent fighting Afghan invaders, local rajas and other Sikh Misls in order to gain power in Panjab, in fact, he joined his father in his first battle aged just 10. A bout of smallpox at an early age disfigured his face and he lost the sight of one eye, but by the age of 12 he had risen to leadership of his Misl. By his teens, the young leader began drinking alcohol, a habit that would increasingly lead to alcoholism in his older age and contribute to illnesses that would take his and his son’s life and leave a power vacuum after his death.
Ranjit Singh was constantly waging battles in his youth and in 1797, at the age of only 17 he fought against invading Afghans and killed their leader, Shah Zaman. Victories over rival Misls left him in command of the one of the strongest military forces in Panjab. By the age of 21, Ranjit Singh, together with Sada Kaur of the Kanheya Misl jointly entered Lahore and Ranjit Singh was crowned Maharaja of Panjab by defeating the Bhangi Misl.
His first decade was spent consolidating his power by either signing treaties of peace with other Sikh chiefs (as with the Ahluwalia or Kanheya Misls) or conquering their territories by force (as with the Bhangi Misl). However he also showed the intelligence that would serve him well. After the Marathas were defeated by the British, one of their leaders, Jaswant Rao Holkar entered Panjab to ask for Sikh help to attack the British. Ranjit Singh, along with Fateh Singh Ahluwalia entered a British camp in disguise to estimate British power. Taken aback by the power of English weaponry and resources, the young Ranjit Singh refused Holkar any assistance until he felt the Sikhs were in a better position to fight.
After subduing his rivals, he began an expansionist policy that saw the height of centralised Sikh power. After centuries of being the gateway of invasions to India, Ranjit Singh reversed the history of Panjab and built an empire that extended from India into present day Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Nepal. An astute strategist, he solidified his southern boundary with the British and increased the strength and prestige of his nation which reached its extent by the time he died in 1839.
In 1818 the Maharaja conquered Multan, and a year later Kashmir also fell to his forces. and by 1834 he had taken Peshawar, a city on the border with Afghanistan. Whilst some of his forces battled the Chinese in north, others ensured the integrity of the border in the south with the British where many Sikhs had chosen to stay under British protection than fall under the dominion of Ranjit Singh, these Sikhs would eventually be the nail in the Empire (Sarkar Khaksa) Ranjit Singh built up during his life.
Ranjit Singh modernised the Sikh Army, bringing in Europeans to build an army modelled on that of Napolean in France. Jean Francois Allard, Jean Baptiste Ventura (Italy) and Claude Auguste Court are some of the most famous names, however American, Spanish and Dutch soldiers are also documented to have been employed by the Sarkar Khalsa. The country was also the only one in Asia at the time capable of producing its own modern war munitions and had become completely self sufficient in weaponry.
Rani Sada Kaur
The first of three female warriors on my list, Sada Kaur was responsible for the rise of the Sikh Empire through her battlefield bravery and strategic foresight.
After the Afghan ruler, Ahmed Shah Abdali’s invasions of India had receeded, the Sikhs not having an external enemy began fighting with each other. The era of the Sikh Confederacy, or Misls was characterised by a number of competing Sikh kingdoms that would come together when presented with an external enemy, but would go back to intra Sikh fighting once any danger receeded. Sada Kaur took the leadership of the Kanheya Misl following the death of her husband in a battle against the Sukerchakia Misl and the death of her father-in-law the famous Jai Singh Kanheya. At her disposal, Sada Kaur had over 10,000 cavalry and other sizeable resources. In what is widely regarded as one of the most farsighted decisions supporting Sikh growth, she arranged for the marriage of her daughter, Mahitab Kaur Kanheya with the son of the Sukherchakia Misl, Ranjit Singh. Sada Kaur then pushed her troops to support Ranjit Singh in his quest to become the premier Sikh chief, She also realised that anyone that wanted to control Panjab first had to control the capital Lahore and pushed Ranjit Singh to enter the city.
Sada Kaur and Ranjit Singh entered Lahore together as joint rulers, however Sada had Ranjit Singh crowned Maharaja of Panjab. Sada Kaur joined Ranjit Singh in a number of battles against rival Sikh chiefs until he was unquestionably the dominant leader of the Sikh nation.
Baghel Singh Karora Singhia
Despite being the only Sikh to conquer Delhi, very few people know about the extraordinary life of Baghel Singh Dhaliwal. Born in 1730 to humble origins, Baghel Singh joined Sardar Karor Singh of the Karora Singhia Misl during the age of the Sikh Confederacy in the 1750s. In 1764, Baghel Singh was one of the Sikhs caught up in the Wada Ghallughara (the Great Holocaust) where two thirds of the entire Sikh population in existence at the time was wiped out in a campaign led by Ahmed Shah Abdali. Baghel Singh fought day and night over a period of weeks protecting a slow moving baggage train of Sikh civilians while the Afghan invaders would constantly break through the cordon of Sikh fighters, slaughter thousands of women, children and the elderly and then disperse. Even Sikh historians noted the effectiveness of Afghan attacks and their Muslim soldiery.
Showing great leadership potential, bravery on the battlefield and an excellent understanding of politics, Baghel Singh succeeeded Karor Singh to become the leader of his Misl in 1765 and according to Mughal comentator Syed Ahmad Latif, he had 12000 men under his command.
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia (1723 – 1803) was a prominent Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy. He became the Misldar (Chief/Leader) of the Ramgarhia Army (misl). This period was an interlude, lasting roughly from the time of the death of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716 to the founding of the Sikh Empire in 1801. The period is also sometimes described as the Age of the Misls.
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia is not to be confused with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia; both were prominent Misldars of separate powerful Sikh army groups, called Misls. Ramgarhia’s father was called Giani Bhagwan Singh.
The Ramgarhia Misl
In 1716 Ahmed Shah Durrani left Lahore, Adina Beg the Afghan Governor of Punjab was hunting for the heads of the sikhs, they dispersed and scattered in all directions. Jassa Singh and others in the band took refuge in the mud fort of Ram Rauni near Amritsar where they were surrounded and attacked during the ensuing period. In 1758 Adina Beg died and there was a power vacuum in Punjab and those who escaped from the fort of Ram Rauni assumed the name of Ramgarhias and Jassa Singh became its head. The Misal (Confederacy) was called Ramgarhia.
The main concentration of the Misl was in and around the Riarki area of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Batala (in Majha). The Ramgarhia constructed and fortified the mud fortress of Ram Rauni just outside Amritsar. It was named in honour of the founder of the city, the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. His Misl contained more than 10000 cavalry who were always on the move, helping the Dal Khalsa whenever the Mughals or Afghans attacked. Whilst the Mughal administration controlled the cities, it was the Sikhs who were in control of the villages. Twenty years earlier, Banda Bahadur had wreaked havoc on the Mughal administration by abolishing all taxes and the Zamindari system. Now only a “dasvand” (10% of income) was levied on the Sikhs – as protection tax to pay for the armies.
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh
Sikh history is filled with famous last stands, but one of the best documented was the last stand at the Battle of Saragarhi by 21 Sikhs of the British Indian Army.
Following 1849, British Indian soliders, in particular Purbiyas (east Indians) were promoted to high civilian posts in Panjab. To add further insult to Sikh injury, these Indian soliders would constantly remind the Sikhs that they had defeated the Khalsa Army. The Sikhs felt that the treachory of their leaders coupled with superior British Arms were the cause of their downfall and they began to resent the foreign Indian Purbiyas.
When the Mutiny happened in 1857, the Sikhs decided to side with the British against the Indians and help put down the rebellion. For their support, the British, who were hesitant to raise soldiers from the fiercely independent Sikhs, began to employ Khalsa soldiers in large numbers. Within decades, Sikhs made the backbone of the British Indian Army, making up a quarter of the Indian Army officers despite being less than 2% of the population.
The Battle of Saragarhi took place on the North-West Frontier Province, the volatile border area between British India and Afghanistan, an area formerly controlled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikhs. Despite British suzerainty, the tribal Afghans would attack the area from time to time. To counter this, the British decided to consolidate a series of forts that Ranjit Singh had built in the area nearly 75 years earlier. On 12 September 1897, 10,000 Afghan tribesmen decided to attack a signalling post at the village of Saragarhi to ensure communications would be lost between the forts, therefore ensuring local army units would be isolated and defeated.
The Sikhs were led by Ishar Singh, and the battle is very well recorded due to the presence of Gurmukh Singh who signalled the events using a heliograph to the British. At 9am he signalled that the post was under attack and in response the British replied that they would not be able to send reinforcements the same day. At this point Ishar Singh decided the Singhs would continue the ancient Sikh tradition of dying on the battlefield. Bhagawan Singh was the first casuality and by midday the British had estimated that the Saragarhi signalling post was under attack by 10,000-14,000 Afghans. After making two strong attempts to breach the post, but being repulsed by the Singhs on both occasions, the Afghans began making promises of safety and riches to entice the Singhs to leave the post. The 21 Sikhs rejected all offers. Later that afternoon, the Afghans finally managed to breach the walls and the Singhs met them with fierce hand to hand combat. Ishar Singh ordered all his men into the inner layer of defences while he provided cover, falling on the field after ensuring the safety of his men.
As Singhs started falling around him, Gurmukh Singh communicated to the British that he was the last of the 21 alive. He signed off by communcating that he was going to join the battle. From his communication of the battle, and the bodies the British found the next day, Gurmukh Singh is stated to have killed 20 Afghans by himself, the tribesmen having to set fire to the post to finally kill him.
The Afghans finally took control of the signalling post, but the defence put up by the Sikhs meant they had lost too much time and reinforcements soon arrived to drive the tribesmen away. The British were astounded to see the scene that they arrived to, Fallen Sikhs in the signalling post still clutching their swords and guns, and the bodies of approximately 600 Afghan tribesmen scattered around them.
The battle is compared to that at Thermopylae where 300 Spartans fought to the death against the invading Persians. In this instance, just 21 Singhs held off 10,000 Afghans and like the Spartans, and Singhs before them, they all chose to fight to the death.
Deep Kaur
Deep Kaur is the second female warrior on my list and one who’s actions are needed in a country where sexual abuse of women has reached epidemic levels. Living in northern India, her husband had joined a group of Singhs who went to visit the 10th Guru. Deep Kaur had remained at home to protect the house as her family were the only Sikhs in a relatively hostile area. Having a change of heart she left to join her husband and visit the 10th Guru for herself, however, after travelling a short while on the outskirts of the village she came across a contingent of Mughal solders (Turkish mercenaries according to some sources).
At first trying to conceal herself off the main road, she was discovered by the group of 6 soliders. Various witnesses describe the leader of the group making sexual advances towards Deep Kaur, after spurning his advances, he finally decided to force himself on her. As he pulled her close to him, she pulled out her dagger and stabbed him in the stomach.. She then snatched his sword and began stabbing at the other soliders. Two more fell although not after they had mortally wounded the warrior princess.
At this juncture, a passing Jatha of Singhs heard the commotion and rode over on their horses, frightening the remaining Mughal soliders into flight. On arriving at the scene, they saw a dying Deep Kaur surrounded by the bodies of Mughal soliders. The dying Deep Kaur was then taken by the Singhs to the Guru’s court where the Guru bowed down to Deep Kaur in a sign of respect.
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
Forty years before Ranjit Singh was made Maharaja of Panjab, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia conquered the provincial capital of Lahore and was bestowed the title Sultan-ul-Quam, the leader of the nation.
Jassa Singh spent his entire life during the darkest period of Sikh history, born in 1718, two years following the collapse of Banda Bahadurs Sikh state and dying in 1783, just under 20 years before Ranjit Singh’s Sikh state. It was under Jassa Singh’s leadership that the Sikhs managed to get through the difficult 18th century and its a testament to his leadership that they came out stronger than they entered.
Reclaiming the honour of Golden Temple
Sikhs were under great pressure because of government violence against them. They became enraged when they found that Massa Rangar, the official in charge of the Amritsar region, drank alcohol and smoked in the Golden Temple. Two Sikhs, Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh, came disguised as revenue collectors and cut off his head. It was a signal to the government that the Sikhs would never tolerate any disrespect to their sacred Harimandar Sahib.
The Governor of Lahore sent military squads to kill the Sikhs. When Jaspat Rai, brother of Lakhpat Rai, the Dewan (premier) of Lahore, faced the Sikhs in a battle, one of the Sikhs held the tail of his elephant and got on his back from behind. With a quick move, he chopped off his head, giving another blow to the government’s image.
Lakhpat Rai, after this incident, committed himself to destroying the Sikhs. In 1746, a new wave of violence was started against them with all of the resources available to the government. The army was sent to destroy the Sikhs. All of the village officials were ordered to cooperate in the expedition. About 15,000 Sikhs including Jassa Singh and other important leaders were camping in riverbeds in the Gurdaspur district (Kahnuwan tract). Local people were forcibly employed to search for the Sikhs to be killed by the army. An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 Sikhs were thus murdered. Those Sikhs who were arrested alive were taken to Lahore, tortured and executed near the Horse Market. There now stands a Gurdwara called Shaheed Ganj. Even the Sikhs living in peace in the city were arrested without any reason. They were also butchered. This first massacre of 1746 is known as the Chhota Ghalughara (the small massacre) of the Sikhs.
Formation of the Dal Khalsa and the Misls
Until 1745, the Sikh forces were divided into 65 jathas(bands). Sardar Nawab Kapur Singh reorganised them into eleven bands, each of with its own name, flag and leader. These Armies or jathas, which came to known later on as Misls (literally “equal”, also “an example”) together were, however, given the name of the Dal Khalsa (or the Army of the Khalsa). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was nominated as the Supreme Commander of the Sikh Confederacy in addition to being Sardar of the Ahluwalia Army (misl). Nawab Kapur Singh appointed him as his successor on the eve of his death in 1753. Elated at his successful helmsmanship, the Khalsa honoured Jassa Singh with the title of Sultan-ul-Qaum (King of the nation), when they captured Lahore in 1761. He has been credited for rebuilding the present day holy Harmandir Sahib, in the year 1764, which was destroyed, during the Afghan Invasions.
Mai Bhago
Not much is known about early life of the highest ranking female warrior on my list, but her later life is well documented.
Her father, Malo Shah, was a part of the Akaal Sena created by Guru Hargobind and passed on his Shaster Vidhya (knowledge of weaponry and fighting) to his daughter a young age.
In 1704 a large Mughal force attacked the 10th Guru, Gobind Singh at Anandpur. After defeating the expeditionary unit led by Saiyad and Ramjan Khan, the Mughals returned under Wazir and Zaberdast Khan in May to kill or capture the Guru. They began laying a protracted siege. During the siege, many of the Guru’s followers began to doubt their leader, openly rebelling. In response, the Guru told his followers that they were free to leave after signing a document stating that he was no longer their Guru and they were no longer his Sikhs. After consultation, 40 Sikhs from the Majha area agreed to sign the document and escaped from the siege. According to Max Arthur Macauliffe, a noted British historian, the number of Sikhs that left the Guru was actually considerably more, however the Singhs from Majha formed a significant core of the Guru’s army.
Following the Battle of Anandpur, Battle of Sirsa and the Battle of Chamkaur in 1704, the Mughal Army relentlessly pursued the Guru across Panjab. Meanwhile, the 40 Sikhs had returned to their native villages. On hearing the Guru’s plight, the wife of Nidhan Singh Patti, Mai Bhago told her husband to take care of the household as she would go fight for the Guru’s cause. Donning her armour and taking their horse, she began to gather the women of the local village together. Feeling ashamed, the 40 Sikhs had a change of heart and decided to follow the warrior princess into battle.
With the Guru continously pursued, the 40 Sikhs decided to assist the Guru and fight a rearguard action to stall the Mughal advance. in 1705, Mai Bhago led the 40 Sikhs into battle at Muktsar. The battle was fierce, but the Sikhs put together a historic last stand, fighting to the last man. Following the battle, the Guru returned to the field and saw the bodies of dead and dying Singhs. As the Guru cradled the body of one Mahan Singh he asked for a dying wish which the Guru promised he would grant. Mahan Singh asked the Guru to tear up the document of desertion they had signed at the siege of Anandpur. Gobind Singh, on finding the document ripped it up and called Mahan Singh his Sikh. With this the 40 Sikhs from Majha became the 40 liberated ones.
Mai Bhago, although injured, survived the battle. The effect she had on Sikh history is incredible. The battle had brought the Guru considerable time and for the first time in over a year, the Guru was no longer pursued by the Imperial forces. From here the Guru was able to proceed to Nanded, relatively unmolested and so begin the next phase of his mission. Mai Bhago took up service in the Guru’s bodyguard retinue and lived to an old age.
Hari Singh Nalwa
There is a case to be made that in terms of their generalship on the battlefield, Hari Singh is the greatest Sikh on this list. Hari Singh Nalwa was the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Empire (Sarkar Khalsa) under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Times of London wrote an article in 1881 where they not only noted his battlefield prowess but also his success as an administrator and foresight. The article went onto state that “had he had the money and resources of available to European states, it would have been entirely possible that he could have reached the border of Europe.”
Despite reaching lofty heights, Hari Singh Nalwa had humble beginnings. Born in 1791 as Hari Singh Uppal, the youngster, like so many others on this list, lost his father at an early age. In 1804 his mother sent him to the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to resolve a property dispute. While there Hari Singh explained that his father and grandfather had both fought under Ranjit Singh’s Sukerchak Misl for both his father Maha Singh and his grandfather Charat Singh. The Maharaja decided the arbitration in Hari Singh’s favour and impressed by his skill as a musketeer gave him a job as a personal attendant. Hari Singh’s climb to fame began later that year during a hunt where his party was attacked by a tiger. In one of the most famous stories in Sikh history, Hari Singh killed the tiger by ripping it apart using his hands, this earned him the nickname Baagh Maar, or Tiger Killer. As his reputation grew from the story, he was commissioned as a Sardar and given 800 horses and footmen under his command.
Hari Singh led his first independant contingent into battle in 1807 at Kasur under the leadership of the Maharaja, Jodh Singh Ramgharia and Akali Phula Singh Nihang. Hari Singh’s performance was rewarded by a jagir (land based revenue) and his fame continued to grow. A year later Hari Singh led his first command of an army at the Battle of Sialkot where the 17 year old defeated Jiwan Singh.
The young Hari Singh fought numerous battles over the coming years in Attock, Kashmir and Mahmudkot. During the Battle of Multan in 1818, Hari Singh Nalwa led a division of Sikhs against Muzzaffar Khan. The Muslim ruler put up one of the strongest fights the Sikhs had encountered and although instrumental in the victory, Hari Singh Nalwa was badly burnt from a firepot thrown from the fort, putting him out of action for a number of months. However, he was fully recovered by 1819 to lead the reaguard of the Sikh conquest of Kashmir. The victory ended 5 centuries of Muslim rule and the cities of Lahore and Amritsar were lit up in celebration for three nights.
The conquest of Kashmir ushered in a decade of rapid Sikh conquest, and Hari Singh Nalwa was involved in or led most of the major battles. The 1827 Battle of Saidu was one of the most comprehensive. Sayed Bareli had proclaimed himelf to be a messenger of the Prophet Muhammed tellling all his tribesmen that he would deliver the Muslims from Sikh rule As local Muslim rulers began to heed his call, he eventually managed to command an army of over 15,000 Muslims, ready to raise Jihad against the Sikhs. On 23 February, the Sikhs under Hari Singh and Budh Singh Sandhanwalia met the self proclaimed messenger in battle and routed his army. They then pursued the enemy for 6 miles, plundering and pillaging as they went. By 1834 the Sikhs occupied Peshawar. At this point Hari Singh’s reputation had become so widespread that Afghan women used to scare their children to sleep by mentioning that if they stayed awake “Hari Singh and his Sikhs would get them”.
Banda Singh Bahadur
Banda Singh Bahadur (1670-1716) was a Sikh military leader who fought against the Mughal Empire. He was born as Lachhman Das, later becoming Madho Das before Guru Gobind Singh bestowed upon him the name Banda Singh Bahadur. He is remembered for leading the Khalsa army and establishing Sikh rule in parts of Punjab, particularly after the death of Guru Gobind Singh.
Early Life and Transformation:
– Banda Singh Bahadur was born into a Minhas Rajput family in 1670.
– He initially lived a life of worldly pleasures, including hunting, but a transformative incident led him to renounce the world and become a Bairagi Sadhu.
– He then journeyed to Nanded, where he established an ashram and became a well-known figure known for his ascetic practices.
– In 1708, he was visited by Guru Gobind Singh, who bestowed upon him the name Banda Singh Bahadur and appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the Khalsa army.
Military Leadership and Reforms:
– Armed with Guru Gobind Singh’s blessing and authority, Banda Singh Bahadur began his struggle against the Mughal Empire, leading the Khalsa army.
– His first major action was the capture of Samana, a Mughal provincial capital, in November 1709.
– He established Sikh rule in parts of Punjab and introduced significant reforms, including the abolition of the oppressive zamindari system and the granting of property rights to the tillers of the land.
– He also introduced Nanak Shahi coins, reflecting his commitment to Sikh values.
Capture and Martyrdom:
– Banda Singh Bahadur’s defiance of the Mughal Empire led to his capture and imprisonment in Delhi.
– He and his followers were subjected to brutal torture and execution by the Mughals, with many being martyred publicly.
– Banda Singh Bahadur himself was tortured to death with red-hot irons in 1716, remaining steadfast in his faith.
Baba Deep Singh
After 19 incredible stories, what does it take to be first on this list? Not much, just cheating death, fighting whilst fatally wounded and changing the course of Sikh and Indian history.
He is the most celebrated Sikh warrior and in the period following Guru Gobind Singh’s death is considered the greatest Sikh. His death gave rise to Sikh rule and his story has been noted as a personal inspiration for at least 8 individuals on this list. He is considered the founder of the Damdami Taksaal, a centre of scholastic and weaponry learning, a leader of a Nihang Misl that was named after his death, and considered one of the greatest Akali Nihang Singhs in their celebrated history.
Born as Deep Singh Sandhu in 1682, the young Sikh took Amrit in the presence of Guru Gobind Singh within a year of the establishment of the Khalsa, some sources state he actually took Amrit in 1699 at the founding of the Khalsa. His younger years were spent in the court of Guru Gobind Singh where he learned hunting, weaponry and other martial skills as well as reading, writing and understanding Gurbani under the tutelage of Bhai Mani Singh. He eventually mastered a number of languages including Gurmukhi, Persian and Arabic. His aptitude for learning was rewarded in 1705 when he was summoned by Guru Gobind Singh to make copies of Guru Granth Sahib at Takht Sri Damdama with Mani Singh.
Despite becoming a prolific scholar, Deep Singh continued practising his martial skills, joining Banda Singh Bahadur in two battles; Sadhaura and Sirhind. When Nawab Kapur Singh split the Sikh forces into 12 Misls in 1733, Deep Singh was given leadership of one of the Misls and this meant he was involved in the skirmishes with both Nadir Shah of Persia and Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan. It was during the latter’s invasion of India in 1757 that Deep Singh took his place in Sikh history.