Nishanwalia Misl

{{short description|Sovereign state of the Sikh Confederacy}}{{Infobox country

| conventional_long_name = Nishanwalia Misl

| common_name = Nishanwalia Misl

| image_flag =

| flag_border = no

| flag_caption = Flag

| capital = Ambala and Shahbad (initial)
Zira (later)

| languages_type = Common language

| languages = Punjabi

| religion = {{plainlist|

Sikhism {{small|(dynastic)}}
Islam
Hinduism

}}

| demonym =

| government_type = Aristocratic republic

| legislature = Sarbat Khalsa

| status = Misl

| title_leader = Misldar

| year_leader1 = 1748-1767

| leader1 = Dasaundha Singh Shergill

| year_leader2 = 1767-1774

| leader2 = Sangat Singh Shergill

| leader3 = Lal Singh and Gurbakhsh Singh

| leader4 = Mohar Singh, Kapur Singh, and Anup Singh

| year_leader5 = 1786–1808, 1809–1823{{Cite book |editor-last=Singh |editor-first=Harbans |title=The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: A-D |volume=1 |publisher=Punjabi University |url=https://archive.org/details/TheEncyclopediaOfSikhism-VolumeIA-d/page/538/mode/1up |page=538 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Kaura |first=Bhupindara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tv4QAQAAIAAJ&q=%22in+1786,+she+assumed+the+control+of+her+estate.+Daya+Kaur+held+the+estate+till+1823,%22 |page=27|title=Status of Women in Sikhism |date=2000 |publisher=Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee |language=en}}

| leader5 = Daya Kaur

| today = India

}}

The Nishanwalia Misl, also spelt as Nishananvali Misl, was a Sikh misl.{{cite book |last=Dhavan |first=Purnima |title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799 |year=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-975655-1 |page=60 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7HJ5idB8_QC&pg=PA60}}{{Cite book |last=GUR SHABAD RATNAKAR |title=Mahan kosh |publisher=Bhai Baljinder Singh|language=Punjabi}}{{Cite book |last=Dilgeer |first=Harjinder Singh |title=The Sikh Reference Book |publisher=The Sikh Educational Trust |year=1997 |pages=555}} The Misl was founded by Dasaundha Singh Shergill a leader of Tarna Dal.{{Cite book |last=Dilgeer |first=Harjinder Singh |title=The Sikh Reference Book |publisher=The Sikh Educational Trust |year=1997 |pages=555}} The misl was ruled by the Shergill Jats.{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Dr. Bhagat |title=A History of the Sikh Misals |publisher=Punjabi University |year=2009 |pages=169 |language=English}} The misl was based in Ambala, Shahbad, and parts of the present-day Ludhiana district. The Nishanwalia Misl was more akin to a brotherhood rather than resembling a large, family clan like most of the other misls of the Sikh Confederacy.{{Cite book |last=Herrli |first=Hans |title=The Coins of the Sikhs |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |year=2004 |isbn=9788121511322 |edition=2nd |pages=11–13 |chapter=The Sikh Misls}}

History

The misl was formed on 29 March 1748. The leaders of this Misl used to carry the blue nishans (the flags) of the Sikh army during the battles; hence their name become Nishanwalia.ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਵਾਲੀ ਮਿਸਲ - nishān vālī misala - निशान वालीमिसल ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਬਾਰਾਂ ਮਿਸਲਾਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਇੱਕ ਮਿਸਲ, ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਸਰਦਾਰ ਸੰਗਤ ਸਿੰਘ, ਮੋਹਰ ਸਿੰਘ, ਦਸੋਂਧਾ ਸਿੰਘ, ਭੰਗਾ ਸਿੰਘ ਜਿਲਾ ਫ਼ਿਰੋਜ਼ਪੁਰ ਦੇ ਮਨਸੂਰਵਾਲ ਪਿੰਡ ਦੇ ਸ਼ੇਰਗਿੱਲ ਜੱਟ ਸਿੰਘ ਸਨ. ਜਦ ਕਿਧਰੇ ਖ਼ਾਲਸੇ ਦਾ ਧਰਮ ਯੁੱਧ ਹੁੰਦਾ, ਤਦ ਇਸ ਮਿਸਲ ਦੇ ਸਰਦਾਰ ਝੰਡੇ ਫੜ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਅੱਗੇ ਹੋ ਤੁਰਦੇ. ਇਸ ਲਈ ਇਸ ਮਿਸਲ ਦਾ ਨਾਉਂ ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਵਾਲੀ ਪੈ ਗਿਆ. ਇਸ ਦੀ ਰਾਜਧਾਨੀ ਅੰਬਾਲਾ ਸੀ. ਹੁਣ ਅੰਬਾਲੇ ਜਿਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼ਾਹਬਾਦੀਏ ਸਰਦਾਰ, ਲੁਧਿਆਨਾ ਜਿਲੇ ਦੇ ਲੱਧੜ ਸਰਦਾਰ, ਫ਼ਿਰੋਜ਼ਪੁਰ ਜਿਲੇ ਮਨਸੂਰਵਾਲੇ ਦੇ ਰਈਸ ਅਤੇ ਇ਼ਲਾਕ਼ੇ ਨਾਭੇ ਦੀ ਸੌਂਟੀ ਵਾਲੇ ਸਰਦਾਰ, ਇਸੇ ਮਿਸਲ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਹਨ{{Cite web |title=Search Gurbani : Gurbani Research Website |url=https://www.searchgurbani.com/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=www.searchgurbani.com |language=en}} The misl which was responsible for bearing the Nishan Sahib was the Nishanwalia Misl, named after this role.{{Cite web |last=Kulim |first=Gurcharan Singh |date=5 October 2012 |title=The Sikh Flag ~ Nishan Sahib |url=https://www.sikhnet.com/news/sikh-flag-nishan-sahib |access-date=6 September 2023 |website=SikhNet}} The Nishanwalia Misl also was responsible for appointing the flag-bearers for the other misls. The role assigned to carry the flag in procession was considered an honourable one.

Dasaundha Singh, son of Chowdhry Sahib Rai of village Mansurwala (near Kot Issa Khan) was the first chief of this Misl.{{Cite web |last=Copyright reserved |first=Nishanwalia misl |title=Misls & Maharaja (1799-1860) |url=http://thesikhs.org/sikh-history/misls-maharaja-1799-1860/ |website=thesikhs.org}} Dasaundha Singh was assisted by his brother, Sangat Singh. Some other prominent figures of the Nishanwalia Misl were Jai Singh of Kairon village, and Kaur Singh and Man Singh of Dhand Kasel village in Amritsar district. These Nishanwalia figures all were earlier baptized into the Khalsa order by Diwan Darbara Singh (d. 1734).

The Nishanwalia Misl had strength of twelve thousand cavalry in 1765. It had captured Ambala, Shahbad-Markanda, Sarai Lashkari Khan, Doraha, Amloh, Zira, Singhanwala and some area around Sahnewal too; Dasaundha Singh died in a battle against Zabita Khan in 1767; he was succeeded by his brother Sangat Singh. Sangat Singh shifted his headquarters from Ambala to Zira, where he died in 1774.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= 19 December 2000|title=DASAUNDHA SINGH |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/dasaundha-singh/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}} Sangat Singh had three sons, namely Kapur Singh, Mehar Singh, and Anup Singh, all of whom were children when their father died. After reaching adulthood, Mehar Singh took on the mantle of leadership of the misl in 1779 but was killed shortly after. Kapur Singh died in-battle. Thus, the sole-surviving son of Sangat Singh, Anup Singh, became the next head of the misl. Anup Singh died without an issue in 1797. In 1807, Maharaja Ranjit Singh occupied the land of the Nishanwalia Misl.

Leaders

The list of rulers of the Nishanwalia Misl are as follows:{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Bhagat |title=A History of the Sikh Misals |publisher=Publication Bureau, Patiala Punjabi University |year=1993|chapter=Chapter 12 - The Nishanwalia Misal|url=https://archive.org/details/history-of-the-sikh-misals/page/n168/mode/1up}}

Dasaundha Singh (r. 1748–1767)
Sangat Singh (r. 1767–1774)
Mohar Singh (r. 1774–1785)
Gurbakhsh Singh (r. 1785–1786)
Daya Kaur (r. 1786–1808 & 1809–1823)

Nishanwalia Misl

History

Leaders

References

Further reading