Misl
Encyclopedia
Misl generally refers to the twelve sovereign state
s in the Sikh Confederacy. The states formed a commonwealth that was described by Antoine Polier
as an "aristocratic republic". Although the misls were unequal in strength, and each misl attempted to expand its territory and resources at the expense of others, they acted in unison in relation to other states. The misls held biannual meetings of their legislature, the Sarbat Khalsa
in Amritsar
.
and other Mughal
rulers, several of the later Sikh Gurus
established military forces and fought the Mughal Empire
and Hindu
hill chiefs in the early and middle Mughal-Sikh Wars. Banda Singh Bahadur continued Sikh resistance to the Mughal Empire
until his defeat at the Battle of Gurdas Nagal. For several years Sikhs found refuge in the jungles and the Himalayan foothills until they organized themselves into military bands known as jathas.
Each Misl was made up of members of soldiers, whose loyalty was given to the Misl's leader. A Misl could be composed of a few hundred to tens of thousands soldiers. Every soldier was free to join any Misl he chose and free to cancel his membership of the Misl to whom he belonged. He could, if he wanted, cancel his membership of his old Misl and join another. The Barons would allow their armies to combine or coordinate their defences together against a hostile force if ordered by the Misldar Supreme Commander. These orders were only issued in military matters affecting the whole Sikh
community. These orders would normally be related to defense against external threats, such as Afghan military attacks. The profits of a fighting action were divided by the misls to individuals based on the service rendered after the conflict using the sardari system.
The Sikh Confederacy
is a description of the political structure, of how all the Barons' Kingdoms interacted with each other politically together in Punjab
. Although misls varied in strength, the use of primarily light cavalry
with a smaller amount heavy cavalry
was uniform throughout all of the Sikh misls. Cavalrymen in a misl were required to supply their own horses and equipment. A standard cavalryman was armed with a spear
, matchlock
, and scimitar
. How the armies of the Sikh misls received payment varied with the leadership of each misl. The most prevalent system of payment was the 'Fasalandari' system; soldiers would receive payment every six months at the end of a harvest
.
, although he notes that the Sikh misls generally had greater numbers and a larger number of artillery
pieces than a guerrilla army would. The misls were primarily cavalry based armies and employed less artillery than Mughal
or Maratha
armies. The misls adapted their tactics to their strength in cavalry and weakness in artillery and avoided pitched battles. Misls organized their armies around bodies of horsemen and their units fought battles in a series of skirmishes, a tactic which gave them an advantage over fighting pitched battles. Bodies of cavalry would attack a position, retreat, reload their muskets, and return to attack it again. The tactics used by misl field armies include flanking an enemy, obstructing river passages, cutting off a unit from its supplies, intercepting messengers, attacking isolated units like foraging parties, employing hit-and-run tactics
, overrunning camps, and attacking baggage trains. To fight large armies the misl would completely evacuate the areas in front of the enemy's marching route but follow in the rear of the opposition and reconquer areas the enemy had just captured, threaten agents of the enemy with retribution, and sweep over the countryside in the wake of the enemy's withdrawal.
The Running Skirmish was a tactic unique to the Sikh cavalrymen which was notable for its effectiveness and the high degree of skill required to execute it. George Thomas
and George Forster, contemporary writers who witnessed it described its use separately in their accounts of the military of the Sikhs. George Forster noted:
used by the misls, and land granted by the misl left the responsibility of establishing law and order to the owner of the land. The land under the direct administration of the chief of the misl was known as the sardari and the tabadari and jagirdari systems used land directly given by the chief from the sardari. The patadari and misaldari systems formed the basis of a misl, while tabadari and jagirdari lands would only be created after large acquisitions of land. The type of system that was used in an area depended on the importance of the chief sardar
of the area to the rest of the misl.
The Patadari system affected newly annexed territories and was the original method used by the misls in administrating land. The patadari system relied on the cooperation of surkundas, the rank of a leader of a small party of cavalrymen. The chief of the misl would take his/her portion and divide the other parcels among his Sardar
s proportional to the number of cavalrymen they had contributed to the misl. The Sardars would then divide their parcels among their Surkundas, and then the Surkundas subdivided the land they received among their individual cavalrymen. The Surkundas receiving parcels of land with settlements were required to fortify them and establish fines and laws for their zamindar
s and ryot
s. Parcels of land in the patadari system could not be sold, but could be given to relatives in an inheritance
. The soldiers who received parcels from the Patadari system held their land in complete freedom.
The Misaldari system applied to sardars with a small number of cavalrymen as well as independent bodies of cavalrymen who voluntarily attached themselves to a misl. They kept the lands they held before joining the misl as an allotment for their cooperation with the misl. The leaders of these groups, called misaldars, could transfer their allegiance and land to another misl without punishment.
The Tabadari system referred to land under the control of a misl's tabadars. Tabadars served a similar function to retainers in Europe. They were required to serve as cavalrymen to the misl and were subservient to the misl's leader. Although tabadars received their land as a reward, their ownership was subject entirely on the misl's leader. The tabadari grants were only hereditary on the choice of the chief of the misl.
The Jagirdari system used the grant of jagir
s by the chief of the misl. Jagir
s were given by the chief of the misl to relations, dependents, and people who "deserved well". The owners of jagirs were subservient to the chief of the misl as their ownership was subject his/her needs. Like the Tabadars, jagirdars were subject to personal service when the chief of the misl requested. However, because jagirs entailed more land and profit, they were required to use the money generated by their jagirs to equip and mount a quota of cavalrymen depending on the size of their jagir. Jagirdari grants were hereditary in practice but a misl's chief could revoke the rights of the heir. Upon the death of the owner of a tabadari or jagadari grant, the land would revert back to direct control of the chief (sardari).
The two main divisions in territory between the misls were between those who were in the Malwa region and those who were in the Majha
region. While eleven of the misls were north of the Sutlej
river, one, the Phulkian Misl was south of the Sutlej. The Sikhs north of the Sutlej river were known as the Majha
Sikh while the Sikhs that lived south of the Sutlej
river were known as the Malwa Sikhs. In the smaller territories were the Dhanigeb Singhs in the Sind Sagar Doab
, the Gujrat Singhs in the Jech Doab
,the Dharpi Singhs in the Rechna Doab
, and the Doaba Singhs in the Jalandhar Doab.
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
s in the Sikh Confederacy. The states formed a commonwealth that was described by Antoine Polier
Antoine Polier
Colonel Antoine-Louis Henri de Polier was a Swiss adventurer, art collector, military engineer and soldier who made his fortune in India in the eighteenth century.-Early life:...
as an "aristocratic republic". Although the misls were unequal in strength, and each misl attempted to expand its territory and resources at the expense of others, they acted in unison in relation to other states. The misls held biannual meetings of their legislature, the Sarbat Khalsa
Sarbat Khalsa
Sarbat Khalsa from sarva, a Sanskrit word meaning all or everything, was a biannual deliberative assembly of the entire Khalsa held at Amritsar in Panjab during the 18th century...
in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
.
Sikh women in State Affairs
- Mai Fateh kaur (d.1773) Of Patiala Sikh Dynasty
- Mai Desan kaur (d.1778) Of Sukerchakia Sikh Misl
- Bibi Rajinder Kaur (1739-1791) Of Patiala Sikh Dynasty
- Mai Sukkhan kaur (r.1802) Of Bhangi Sikh Misl
- Mai Lachhmi kaur Of Bhangi Sikh Misl
- Rani Sada kaur (1762-1832) of Kanhaiya Sikh Misl
- Bibi Rattan kaur of Dallewalia Sikh Misl
- Bibi Sahib kaur (1771-1801) Of Patiala Sikh Dynasty
- Rani Raj kaur (d.1838) Of Sikh Empire
- Rani Aus Kaur (1772-1821) Of Patiala Sikh Dynasty
- Maharani Jind Kaur (1817-1863) of Sikh Empire
- Bibi Daya kaur (d.1823) Of Nishanwalia Sikh Misl
- Rani Desa kaur Nabha Of Nabha Sikh Dynasty
- Bibi Khem kaur Of Sikh Empire
- Maharani Chand Kaur (1802-1842) of Sikh Empire
History
In order to withstand the persecution of Shah JahanShah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
and other Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
rulers, several of the later Sikh Gurus
Sikh Gurus
The Sikh Gurus established Sikhism from over the centuries beginning in the year 1469. Sikhism was founded by the first guru, Guru Nanak, and subsequently, all in order were referred to as "Nanak", and as "Lights", making their teachings in the holy scriptures, equivalent...
established military forces and fought the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
hill chiefs in the early and middle Mughal-Sikh Wars. Banda Singh Bahadur continued Sikh resistance to the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
until his defeat at the Battle of Gurdas Nagal. For several years Sikhs found refuge in the jungles and the Himalayan foothills until they organized themselves into military bands known as jathas.
List of Misls
| Strength (1780) | Name | Capital | Misl Period (1707-1799) Territory (1759) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Phulkian Misl | Patiala Nabha Nabha Nabha is a city and municipal council in the Patiala district to the south-west of the Indian state of Punjab. In 1998, the annual income of Nabha state was Rs 1,50,000/-.- Princely State of Nabha :... |
Rajpura, Bathinda, Sangrur, Tohana, Sirhind, etc. |
| 2. | Ahluwalia Misl | Kapurthala Kapurthala Kapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic... |
Nurmahal Nurmahal NurMahal or Noor Mahal is a city and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian State of Punjab. It is a small town located near the Lohian Khas-Nakodar -Ludhiana line in Punjab. This town is also connected with its sister towns of Phillaur and Nakodar by a road which goes side by... , Talwandi Talwandi Talwandi is a town and Union Council of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Chunian Tehsil located at 30°53'60N 74°7'60E and has an altitude of 175 metres .... , Phagwara Phagwara Phagwara is a city and a municipal council in Kapurthala district in North India, in the central part of the Punjab.-Location:Phagwara lies on the Delhi–Amritsar national highway No.01 and is also served by the rail link between Delhi and Amritsar. It is located between the two big cities of... , Kana Dhillon, Hariana Hariana Hariana is a city and a municipal council in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state of Punjab.Hariana is named after Guru Hari Sen; the guru of the singer Tansen. It was a famous music gharana once. Gujjar Mal Vasudev raagi & Pandit Telu Ram were singers & residents of hariana... |
| 3. | Bhangi Misl Bhangi Misl The Bhangi Misl was a large Sikh Misl centered around a village around Amritsar. It was founded in the early 18th century by Hari Singh. It grew in strength and territory to cover an area from Attock to Multan and emerged as the strongest power in the western Punjab region. However, deaths among... |
Amritsar Amritsar Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077... |
Tarn Taran Tarn Taran Sahib Tarn Taran Sahib a city in the Indian state of Punjab. It is the district headquarters and hosts the municipal council of Taran Taran district.-History:Tarn Taran Sahib was founded by the fifth Sikh Guru Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji... , Gujrat Gujrat Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan... , Wazirabad Wazirabad AYAZ KHANWazirabad is an industrial city located in Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan. Wazirabad is situated on the banks of the Chenab River nearly 100 kilometres north of Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. It is 45 kilometres from Sialkot, 30 kilometres from the district capital - Gujranwala... , Sialkot Sialkot Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The... , Chiniot Chiniot Chiniot is a city and administration headquarter of Chiniot District, in the state of Punjab, Pakistan. Located between the heart of river Chenab with the heads of small rocky hills, it is known for its wooden furniture architecture which has a great attraction in all over the world.- Name and... , Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Sialkot, Jhang, Bhera, Lahore, Hasan Abdal, Bhairowal, Majitha, Firozpur, Bedian, Bulaki, Bazidpur, Multan. |
| 4. | Kanheya Misl Kanheya Misl The Kanheya Misl was first led by Sardar Jai Singh Kanhaiya. It had a Strength of 5,000 regular horsemen.The Kanhaiya Misl was founded by Sardar Jai Singh , a Sandhu Jatt of the village of Kahna, 21 km south-west of Lahore on the road to Firozpur. His father Bhai Khushhal Singh sold hay at Lahore... |
Sohian | Ajnala, Sohiau, Nag, Gurdaspur, Dera Baba Nanak Dera Baba Nanak Dera Baba Nanak is a city and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the state of Punjab, India.-Demographics: India census, Dera Baba Nanak had a population of 7493. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Dera Baba Nanak has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the... , Kalanaur, Pathankot Pathankot Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir... , Sujanpur Sujanpur Sujanpur is a city and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is 6Km from Pathankot towards Jammu on Jallandhar - Jammu National Highway .-Demographics:... |
| 5. | Ramgarhia Misl | Sri Hargobindpur Sri Hargobindpur Sri Hargobindpur is a city and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. Situated on the banks of the Beas River, the city is also the erstwhile capital of the Ramgarhia Misl.-Demographics:... |
Batala Batala Batala is a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the state of Punjab, India. It is located about 30 km from Gurdaspur, the headquarters of the district.... , Jukerian, Kangra. |
| 6. | Singhpuria Misl | Jalandhar Jalandhar Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh... |
Haibatpur, Patta, Bunga, Banga, Bela, Attal Garh, Adampur, Singhpura, Sirhind, Bhareli, Kandhola, Manauli, Bharatgarh. |
| 7. | Panjgarhia Misl | Bhunga | Nawashahr, Burka, Bassisn, Pindorian, Hoshiarpur, Kathgarh Kathgarh Kathgarh is a town and union council on Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 32°9'2N 71°1'18E and has an altitude of 173 metres .-References:... , Bhangs |
| 8. | Nishanwalia Misl | Ambala Ambala Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other... |
|
| 9. | Sukerchakia Sukerchakia The Sukerchakia Misl was one of 11 Sikh Misls in Punjab during the 18th century concentrated in Gujranwala and Hafizabad district in Western Punjab and ruled from... |
Gujranwala Gujranwala Gujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011... |
Kunja, Ladhe Wala Waraich, Ramnagar, Eminabad, Sodhra, Qila Didar Singh, Rohtas Rohtas Rohtas can refer to:*Rohtas, Pakistan, a village located in Rohtas Fort, Pakistan*Rohtas Fort, Pakistan*Rohtas District, a district in Bihar, India*Rohtas Plateau in north-western Bihar... . |
| 10. | Dallewalia Misl Dallewalia Misl The Dallewalia Misl, was first led by Sardar Gulab Singh Dallewalia it had a strength of 5,000 regular horsemen.The Misl was founded by Sardar Gulab Singh Dallewalia , who belonged to the Khatri community. He hailed from the village Dallewal near Dera Baba Nanak on the left bank of River Ravi, 50... |
Rahon Rahon Rahon is a city and a municipal council in the Nawanshahr district of the Indian state of Punjab.-Geography:Rahon is located at . It has an average elevation of 250 metres .Situated on the Jullundur City Jaijon Doaba line of the Northern Railway, Rahon is 7 KM from Nawashahr, the... |
Nakodar Nakodar Nakodar is a city and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab.The city is almost 424 km from Delhi, 24 km from Jalandhar, 45 km from Ludhiana, and about 114 km from Amritsar. Surrounding villages include[Mehatpur]Nawan Pind Jattan, Heran, Bir... , Talwan, Badala, Rahon, Philluar. |
| 11. | Nakai Misl Nakai Misl The Nakai Misl, was one of the twelve Sikh Misls that later became the Sikh Empire. It held territory between the Ravi and Sutlej rivers to the west of Lahore... |
Chunian Chunian Chunian is an historic city of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 30° 58' 0N 73° 58' 60E. The is located at an elevations of 177 metres , and lies about 70 km south of Lahore, the Punjab capital. It is the headquarters of a tehsil or revenue sub-division of the same name in Kasur District... |
Baharwal Baharwal Baharwal, also spelt Barwal, is a town and union council of Gujrat District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Kharian Tehsil and is located at 32°46'0N 73°56'0E with an altitude of 264 metres .... , Khem Karan, Khudian Khudian Khudian is a town and Union Council of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Kasur Tehsil and is located at with an altitude of 177 metres .... , etc. |
| 12. | Shaheedan Misl Shaheedan Misl The Shaheedan Misl, was one of twelve Sikh Misls that later became the Sikh Empire. It held a small amount of territory in the Malwa area around the Damdama Sahib before being incorporated into the Sikh Empire of the Sukerchakia Misl by Ranjit Singh.... |
Shahzadpur | Talwandi Sabo, Nothern Ambala. |
Military
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
community. These orders would normally be related to defense against external threats, such as Afghan military attacks. The profits of a fighting action were divided by the misls to individuals based on the service rendered after the conflict using the sardari system.
The Sikh Confederacy
Sikh Confederacy
The Sikh Empire was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The empire, based around the Punjab region, existed from 1799 to 1849. It was forged, on the foundations of the Khalsa, under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh from a collection of autonomous Punjabi Misls...
is a description of the political structure, of how all the Barons' Kingdoms interacted with each other politically together in Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. Although misls varied in strength, the use of primarily light cavalry
Light cavalry
Light cavalry refers to lightly armed and lightly armored troops mounted on horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the riders are heavily armored...
with a smaller amount heavy cavalry
Heavy cavalry
Heavy cavalry is a class of cavalry whose primary role was to engage in direct combat with enemy forces . Although their equipment differed greatly depending on the region and historical period, they were generally mounted on large powerful horses, and were often equipped with some form of scale,...
was uniform throughout all of the Sikh misls. Cavalrymen in a misl were required to supply their own horses and equipment. A standard cavalryman was armed with a spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
, matchlock
Matchlock
The matchlock was the first mechanism, or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm. This design removed the need to lower by hand a lit match into the weapon's flash pan and made it possible to have both hands free to keep a firm grip on the weapon at the moment of firing,...
, and scimitar
Scimitar
A scimitar is a backsword or sabre with a curved blade, originating in Southwest Asia .The Arabic term saif translates to "sword" in general, but is normally taken to refer to the scimitar type of curved backsword in particular.The curved sword or "scimitar" was widespread throughout the Muslim...
. How the armies of the Sikh misls received payment varied with the leadership of each misl. The most prevalent system of payment was the 'Fasalandari' system; soldiers would receive payment every six months at the end of a harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
.
Cavalry tactics
Fauja Singh considers the Sikh misls to be guerrilla armiesGuerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
, although he notes that the Sikh misls generally had greater numbers and a larger number of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces than a guerrilla army would. The misls were primarily cavalry based armies and employed less artillery than Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
or Maratha
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
armies. The misls adapted their tactics to their strength in cavalry and weakness in artillery and avoided pitched battles. Misls organized their armies around bodies of horsemen and their units fought battles in a series of skirmishes, a tactic which gave them an advantage over fighting pitched battles. Bodies of cavalry would attack a position, retreat, reload their muskets, and return to attack it again. The tactics used by misl field armies include flanking an enemy, obstructing river passages, cutting off a unit from its supplies, intercepting messengers, attacking isolated units like foraging parties, employing hit-and-run tactics
Hit-and-run tactics
Hit-and-run tactics is a tactical doctrine where the purpose of the combat involved is not to seize control of territory, but to inflict damage on a target and immediately exit the area to avoid the enemy's defense and/or retaliation.-History:...
, overrunning camps, and attacking baggage trains. To fight large armies the misl would completely evacuate the areas in front of the enemy's marching route but follow in the rear of the opposition and reconquer areas the enemy had just captured, threaten agents of the enemy with retribution, and sweep over the countryside in the wake of the enemy's withdrawal.
The Running Skirmish was a tactic unique to the Sikh cavalrymen which was notable for its effectiveness and the high degree of skill required to execute it. George Thomas
George Thomas
George Thomas may refer to:*George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy , British Labour Party politician, Speaker of the House of Commons*George Thomas , American baseball player*George Thomas...
and George Forster, contemporary writers who witnessed it described its use separately in their accounts of the military of the Sikhs. George Forster noted:
Administration
The Sikh Misls had four different classes of administrative divisions. The patadari, misaldari, tabadari, and jagirdari were the different systems of land tenureLand tenure
Land tenure is the name given, particularly in common law systems, to the legal regime in which land is owned by an individual, who is said to "hold" the land . The sovereign monarch, known as The Crown, held land in its own right. All private owners are either its tenants or sub-tenants...
used by the misls, and land granted by the misl left the responsibility of establishing law and order to the owner of the land. The land under the direct administration of the chief of the misl was known as the sardari and the tabadari and jagirdari systems used land directly given by the chief from the sardari. The patadari and misaldari systems formed the basis of a misl, while tabadari and jagirdari lands would only be created after large acquisitions of land. The type of system that was used in an area depended on the importance of the chief sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
of the area to the rest of the misl.
The Patadari system affected newly annexed territories and was the original method used by the misls in administrating land. The patadari system relied on the cooperation of surkundas, the rank of a leader of a small party of cavalrymen. The chief of the misl would take his/her portion and divide the other parcels among his Sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
s proportional to the number of cavalrymen they had contributed to the misl. The Sardars would then divide their parcels among their Surkundas, and then the Surkundas subdivided the land they received among their individual cavalrymen. The Surkundas receiving parcels of land with settlements were required to fortify them and establish fines and laws for their zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s and ryot
Ryot
Ryot was a general economic term used throughout India for peasant cultivators but with variations in different provinces. While zamindars were landlords, raiyats were tenants and cultivators, and served as hired labour...
s. Parcels of land in the patadari system could not be sold, but could be given to relatives in an inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
. The soldiers who received parcels from the Patadari system held their land in complete freedom.
The Misaldari system applied to sardars with a small number of cavalrymen as well as independent bodies of cavalrymen who voluntarily attached themselves to a misl. They kept the lands they held before joining the misl as an allotment for their cooperation with the misl. The leaders of these groups, called misaldars, could transfer their allegiance and land to another misl without punishment.
The Tabadari system referred to land under the control of a misl's tabadars. Tabadars served a similar function to retainers in Europe. They were required to serve as cavalrymen to the misl and were subservient to the misl's leader. Although tabadars received their land as a reward, their ownership was subject entirely on the misl's leader. The tabadari grants were only hereditary on the choice of the chief of the misl.
The Jagirdari system used the grant of jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
s by the chief of the misl. Jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
s were given by the chief of the misl to relations, dependents, and people who "deserved well". The owners of jagirs were subservient to the chief of the misl as their ownership was subject his/her needs. Like the Tabadars, jagirdars were subject to personal service when the chief of the misl requested. However, because jagirs entailed more land and profit, they were required to use the money generated by their jagirs to equip and mount a quota of cavalrymen depending on the size of their jagir. Jagirdari grants were hereditary in practice but a misl's chief could revoke the rights of the heir. Upon the death of the owner of a tabadari or jagadari grant, the land would revert back to direct control of the chief (sardari).
Territory
Majha
Majha is a region of the Punjab comprising the modern districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran in the Indian State of Punjab and the districts of Narowal, Lahore and Kasur in the Pakistani Province of Punjab. The term previously applied to Panjabis living north of the Sutlej...
region. While eleven of the misls were north of the Sutlej
Sutlej
The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.The Sutlej...
river, one, the Phulkian Misl was south of the Sutlej. The Sikhs north of the Sutlej river were known as the Majha
Majha
Majha is a region of the Punjab comprising the modern districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran in the Indian State of Punjab and the districts of Narowal, Lahore and Kasur in the Pakistani Province of Punjab. The term previously applied to Panjabis living north of the Sutlej...
Sikh while the Sikhs that lived south of the Sutlej
Sutlej
The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.The Sutlej...
river were known as the Malwa Sikhs. In the smaller territories were the Dhanigeb Singhs in the Sind Sagar Doab
Sind Sagar Doab
The Sind Sagar Doab, can be classified as one of the main region of Punjab. Punjab historically has been divided into regions based on its various rivers, since the name Punjab is based on its 5 main rivers. The Sind Sagar Doab include the area between the Indus River and Jhelum River, that is the...
, the Gujrat Singhs in the Jech Doab
Jech Doab
The Jech Doab, can be classified as one of the main region of Punjab. Punjab historically has been divided into regions based on its various rivers, since the name Punjab is based on its 5 main rivers. The Jech doaba include the area between the Jhelum River and Chenab rivers, it is the southern...
,the Dharpi Singhs in the Rechna Doab
Rechna Doab
The Rechna Doab, or Rachna Doab , can be classified as one of the main regions of Punjab. Punjab historically has been divided into regions based on its various rivers, since the name Punjab is based on its 5 main rivers...
, and the Doaba Singhs in the Jalandhar Doab.