Dal Khalsa

**Dal Khalsa** was an army initially made up of 11 Sikh groups called as ‘_misls’._ They worked together from 1748 to 1799 in the Punjab region. The Khalsa army was formed by Nawab Kapur Singh in the 1748.

## History

Ahmed Shah Abdali, the new ruler of Afghanistan, wanted to conquer India. He claimed he had the right to do so because he was the successor of Nadir Shah, the Persian king who was murdered in 1747. Abdali got an invitation from Shah Nawaz, which gave him the support he needed. In December 1747, Abdali left Peshawar with 18,000 men and reached Lahore in just 20 days. However, Shah Nawaz changed his mind and tried to stop Abdali, but it was too late.

The Afghans took over Lahore, plundering the suburbs and demanding a heavy tribute. After a month, Abdali marched towards Delhi, where he faced an army of 60,000 men led by Wazir Qamaruddin. The two armies clashed, and although Qamaruddin was killed, his son Mir Mannu took over and forced the Afghans to retreat.

## Establishment of Dal Khalsa

The Sikhs saw a great opportunity to gain power when the Afghans were retreating. The Sikh army broke into smaller groups and attacked the Afghans, taking their supplies and horses. This harassment continued all the way to the river Indus.

At the same time, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, moved into central Punjab, which was left without a strong leader due to the conflict between the Mughals and Afghans. Ahluwalia defeated Adina Beg Khan at Hoshiarpur and arrived in Amritsar, where he was celebrated as a hero during the Baisakhi fair. The Sikhs then decided to unite their separate groups into one army, called the Dal Khalsa. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was chosen as the supreme commander of this new army. The Dal Khalsa was divided into 11 groups, called misls, to make it more organized and effective.

## Misls

The Dal Khalsa, the Sikh army, was divided into 11 groups called misls. Each misl had its own leader:

- Ahluwalia Misl, led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, the supreme commander.
- Fyzullapuria, led by Nawab Kapur Singh.
- Sukerchakia Misl, led by Naudh Singh.
- Nishanwalia Misl, led by Dasaundha Singh.
- Bhangi Misl, led by Hari Singh.
- Kanhaiya Misl, led by Jai Singh.
- Nakkai Misl, led by Hira Singh.
- Dallewalia Misl, led by Gulab Singh.
- Shaheed Misl, led by Deep Singh.
- KaroraSinghia Misl, led by Karora Singh.
- Ramgarhia Misl, led by Nand Singh.

Each Sikh was free to join any misl they wanted. The misls were free to act on their own, but they had to follow the orders of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia in matters that affected the whole community.

The misldari system worked well during its time, especially under leaders like Kapur Singh and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. It gave Sikh soldiers the freedom to act independently while still following a unified command. This system helped the Sikhs work together towards a common goal: removing foreigners from the Punjab and establishing a Sikh state, as predicted by Guru Gobind Singh.

By the time the last of Abdali's men had left the Punjab, the Sikh misls had spread out across the region, covering the areas between the Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. They had a strong presence in Amritsar, which was protected by the mud fortress of Ram Rauni.