The twelve misls

The Sikh confederacies of the eighteenth century, and where they held power. Their territory shifted constantly, so each marker shows a main seat and not a border.

• Ahluwalia

  Founder:

  Jassa Singh Ahluwalia

  Main seat:

  Kapurthala, taken in 1777

  Territory:

  Around Kapurthala in the Jalandhar Doab, with some Majha villages, among them Sarhali, Jandiala and Vairowal, and holdings south of the Sutlej.

  The misl took its name from the village of Ahlu, near Lahore. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was chosen to head the Dal Khalsa at Amritsar on Vaisakhi 1748, and he led the Sikhs in taking Sirhind in 1764. His successors ruled Kapurthala as a princely state until 1948, when it became part of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union.[EoS]

• Singhpuria

  Founder:

  Nawab Kapur Singh

  Main seat:

  Jalandhar, from 1759; later Manauli

  Territory:

  Parts of the Jalandhar and Bari Doabs, with Bharatgarh, Chhat and Banur south of the Sutlej.

  Also called Faizullapuria, after Faizullapur in Amritsar district, which Nawab Kapur Singh captured and renamed Singhpura. He gave up overall leadership to Jassa Singh Ahluwalia in 1748 and stayed at the head of this misl. His nephew Khushhal Singh made Jalandhar the capital. Maharaja Ranjit Singh took the lands north of the Sutlej, and the British later annexed the rest.[EoS]

• Karorsinghia

  Founder:

  Sham Singh of Narli began the band. It is named after a later leader, Karora Singh.

  Main seat:

  Chhalaudi, in the Karnal area, under Baghel Singh

  Territory:

  A long strip south of the Sutlej from Samrala in the west to Jagadhri in the east, after earlier holdings around Hoshiarpur.

  Under Baghel Singh the misl raided across the Yamuna. In 1783 he entered Delhi with other chiefs and won leave from the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II to raise gurdwaras on Sikh sites. A branch survived as the Kalsia state until 1948, when it became part of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union. The map marker stands at Karnal because the exact position of Chhalaudi has not been confirmed.[EoS][EoS]

• Nishananwali

  Founder:

  Dasaundha Singh

  Main seat:

  Ambala, after 1764

  Territory:

  Sahnewal, Doraha, Machhiwara and Amloh, with pockets around Zira and Ambala.

  Its men carried the standards of the Dal Khalsa, and the name comes from nishan, a flag. It began at Amritsar as a reserve force guarding the Harmandir Sahib. After the taking of Sirhind in 1764 it moved south of the Sutlej. Ambala passed to the British in 1823, on the passing of Daya Kaur, its last ruler.[EoS]

• Shahid

  Founder:

  Baba Deep Singh

  Main seat:

  Talwandi Sabo (Damdama Sahib); Shahzadpur under Karam Singh

  Territory:

  Shahzadpur and Kesri in present-day Ambala district, and the country around Rania and Talwandi Sabo, south of the Sutlej.

  The band led by Baba Deep Singh became known as the Shahid misl after he attained martyrdom near the Harmandir Sahib in November 1757. Many of its men were Nihangs. Under Karam Singh it gained land in Ambala district in 1764 and in Saharanpur in 1773. It ceased to exist as a misl in 1809, when the states south of the Sutlej accepted British protection.[EoS]

• Dallewalia

  Founder:

  Gulab Singh

  Main seat:

  Rahon, under Tara Singh Ghaiba

  Territory:

  The upper Jalandhar Doab and northern Ambala and Ludhiana, including Lohian and Shahkot north of the Sutlej and Dharamkot and Tihara south of it.

  The name comes from Dallewal, near Dera Baba Nanak, the founder's village. Its men were posted at Amritsar in the early years to protect the city. After 1759 Tara Singh Ghaiba led the misl and extended it on both sides of the Sutlej, and he became a close ally of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Maharaja annexed its lands after Tara Singh passed away in 1807.[EoS]

• Sukerchakia

  Founder:

  Budha Singh, born Desu, laid its foundation. His son Naudh Singh raised the band.

  Main seat:

  Gujranwala, under Charhat Singh

  Territory:

  The country around Gujranwala, west to Rohtas beyond the Jhelum. Under Mahan Singh it also took Rasulnagar, Pindi Bhattian, Sahiwal, Isa Khel and Jhang.

  The name comes from the village of Sukerchakia in Gujranwala district. Charhat Singh moved the base to Gujranwala and walled the town. His son Mahan Singh built it up into a leading misl. Mahan Singh's son, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, became its head at the age of ten in 1790, and went on to bring the misls north of the Sutlej under one rule.[EoS]

• Bhangi

  Founder:

  Chhajja Singh of Panjwar began the band. Bhuma Singh and his nephew Hari Singh built it up.

  Main seat:

  Amritsar, at Qila Bhangian; earlier Sohal and Gilwali

  Territory:

  Much of Lahore, with Multan, Jhang, Khushab and Chiniot to the west and Sialkot and Gujrat to the east.

  For a time it ranked as the strongest misl. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism links the name to bhang, or hemp. Jhanda Singh took Multan in 1772 and built the fort at Amritsar, and he recovered the great gun known as the Bhangian di Top. Bhangi chiefs held part of Lahore from 1765. Maharaja Ranjit Singh took Lahore in 1799 and Amritsar in 1802, and had absorbed the rest by 1810.[EoS][EoS]

• Kanhaiya

  Founder:

  Jai Singh

  Main seat:

  Sohian, then Batala, then Mukerian

  Territory:

  Most of present-day Gurdaspur district and the Mukerian area of Hoshiarpur, on both sides of the Beas and the Ravi. Hill chiefs at Kangra, Nurpur, Datarpur and Siba paid tribute.

  The name is commonly traced to Jai Singh's village of Kahna, near Lahore, though another account links it to a title for his looks. After he passed away in 1793, control went to his daughter-in-law, Sada Kaur, who helped Maharaja Ranjit Singh take Lahore in 1799. The two later fell out, and the Maharaja took over the Kanhaiya lands.[EoS]

• Nakai

  Founder:

  Hira Singh

  Main seat:

  Chunian; Baharwal under Ran Singh

  Territory:

  The Nakka country southwest of Lahore, between the Ravi and the Sutlej, including Chunian, part of Kasur, Sharakpur and Gugera.

  The name comes from Nakka, the tract crossed by the road from Lahore to Multan. The misl grew strongest under Ran Singh, who kept 2,000 horsemen. His daughter Raj Kaur married Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Maharaja seized the family's possessions after 1807, leaving the heir a grant of land revenue.[EoS]

• Ramgarhia

  Founder:

  Jassa Singh Ramgarhia

  Main seat:

  Batala, from 1787. Ramgarh fort at Amritsar gave the misl its name.

  Territory:

  Both sides of the Beas: Batala, Kalanaur, Dinanagar, Sri Hargobindpur, Gurdaspur and Qadian in the Bari Doab, and Urmur Tanda, Miani and Garhdiwala in the Jalandhar Doab. Hill states such as Kangra and Chamba paid tribute.

  Jassa Singh rebuilt the Ram Rauni fort at Amritsar as Ramgarh, and it gave him his title. Rival misls drove him out of the Punjab in the 1770s. The Encyclopaedia's entries differ on the year, giving 1776 and 1778. He returned after 1783, recovered his lands and fortified Batala. Some modern accounts name Sri Hargobindpur as the capital. Maharaja Ranjit Singh took the misl's territories in 1808.[EoS][EoS][Web]

• Phulkian

  Founder:

  Phul was the ancestor of the line. Baba Ala Singh founded Patiala.

  Main seat:

  Patiala, the capital from 1763. Nabha and Jind were the other Phulkian seats.

  Territory:

  South of the Sutlej: the states of Patiala, Nabha and Jind, with lands such as Bathinda, Mansa and Kot Kapura.

  Counted as the twelfth misl, though it was not part of the Dal Khalsa like the other eleven. The family traced its origin to Phul of Mehraj, who received the blessing of Sri Guru Har Rai Ji. Its chiefs accepted British protection in 1809. In 1948 Patiala and Jind became part of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union. Nabha's ruler acceded to India in 1947.[EoS]