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Khalsa Fauj

Summary

The Khalsa Fauj (lit. 'Army of the Pure') were the military forces of the Khalsa order of the Sikhs, established by the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699.[1][2] It replaced the Akal Sena that had been established by the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind.[1][3]

Khalsa Fauj
Active13 April 1699 – 29 March 1748
Country First Sikh State
AllegianceKhalsa
BranchAkali-Nihang
Type
HeadquartersAnandpur (1699–1704)
Lohgarh (Bilaspur) (1709–1716)
Wars
Commanders
Leaders
Commanders
Notable warriors
Predecessor Akal Sena
Successor Dal Khalsa
Insignia
Iconography

History edit

Origin edit

 
Guru Gobind Singh with three of his sons (minus Fateh Singh) and retinue at the Anandpur Darbar in the year 1698

Guru Gobind Singh succeeded his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, as guru in 1675. He felt that the Akal Sena was not living up to the challenge and sought to reform the Sikh military forces.[3] Therefore, it was replaced by the Khalsa Fauj after the formalization of the Khalsa order into the sanctified framework of Sikhism at Anandpur on 13 April 1699.[3] Guru Gobind Singh had an ultimate vision of Sikh sovereignty.[4]

It is a Holy Army of the Deathless (Akal), at once pure and perfect, baptized and sculptured in purity of love and total sacrifice. It sustains itself purely on the Divine Name. Khalsa remains untouched by the world of sin, impurity and evil.

— Partap Singh Jaspal, Eternal Glory of Guru Gobind Singh Ji & Khalsa (2003 reprint), page 59[5]

The precedence and authority for establishing the Khalsa Fauj was traced back to the teachings of Guru Nanak.[6] It was committed to freeing the Punjab of foreign domination.[6] The army followed the principle of violence only when all other means to address an issue have been exhausted, a principle of dharamyudh (righteous warfare).[7][8]

Guru Gobind Singh edit

 
Painting of Guru Gobind Singh on horseback and holding bird of prey while marching with the Khalsa Fauj

The Khalsa Fauj frequently warred with the Mughal Empire and Rajas belonging to various Hill States of the Shivalik Hills.[9] The army had to relocate from Anandpur in 1704.[9][10] A short-lived reconciliation between the Mughals and Sikhs occurred in 1707, when Gobind Singh and his Khalsa Fauj spent around 10 months encamped alongside the Imperial Mughal Army of Bahadur Shah whilst the latter was campaigning in Rajasthan.[11] However, Gobind Singh felt that the Mughal emperor was avoiding having discussions with him on the issue of Punjab and therefore he sent Banda Singh Bahadur to the northwest to place pressure on the Mughals.[11]

Banda Singh Bahadur edit

 
Painting from an illustrated folio of a Mughal manuscript depicting the Battle of Sirhind (1710), also known as the Battle of Chappar Chiri. From the ‘Tawarikh-i Jahandar Shah’, Awadh or Lucknow, ca.1770. The Sikh Khalsa forces are dressed in blue whilst the Mughals are wearing white
 
Painting of Banda Singh Bahadur being blessed with five arrows by Guru Gobind Singh, by Gian Singh Naqqash, ca.1930

Banda Singh Bahadur had been given the mantle of leadership by the Guru himself when he was blessed with five arrows from the Guru's own quiver as a symbol of victory.[12] The Guru saw potential in Banda as a warrior against tyranny and injustice, therefore he prepared him for future missions and assigned a group of Panj Pyare (five beloved ones), consisting of Binod Singh, Kahan Singh, Baj Singh, Daya Singh, and Ram Singh, to assist the newly converted Sikh in his affairs, alongside 20 other Sikh warriors.[12] Banda Singh was promoted to Jathedar of the Panth (General of the Khalsa) on 5 October 1708 by the Guru.[13] Banda and his retinue were instructed to go to Sirhind to take revenge for the tyranny of the local Mughal governor of the area.[13] After the passing of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded in the Deccan (located modern-day Maharashtra), Banda Singh Bahadur became the caretaker of the Khalsa Fauj.[12] He would go on to rebel against the Mughal empire and form the first sovereign Sikh republican state, ruling over parts of the Punjab, especially in the southeastern regions, albeit the polity was a short-lived one.[14][9][15] Most of the recruits into the Khalsa Fauj during the years of Banda's reign drew from the Jat peasantry.[9] The headquarters at this time was Lohgarh.[8] Banda and 2,000 of his followers were captured and publicly executed in 1716 by the Mughals.[16][8]

Post-Banda edit

After the death of Banda Singh Bahadur, the Khalsa Fauj divided into various jathas (armed group or band of Sikhs).[17][18][19] Since the Sikh community had dispersed to the jungles, deserts, and mountains to avoid state persecution, the focus of the Khalsa Fauj turned to plunder for the time being.[20][21] There was no clear leader during this period.[22] Small groups of bands of Sikh horsemen still carried out guerilla ambushes on the enemy when the opportunity arose.[22] The period between the death of Banda Singh Bahadur and the hegemony of the Sikh Confederacy is one of the darkest annals in Sikh history, with the Khalsa Fauj fighting for the very survival of the Sikh community faced with certain elimination by genocide perpetrated by Emperor Farrukhsiyar.[23] By the 1720s, the rebellion of the Sikhs had been extinguished.[8] During this time, Abdus Samad Khan, a Turani official and commander of the Mughal military stationed in Punjab, had a very harsh policy against the Sikhs.[8] Any Sikh which was found was given the choice of conversion to Islam or death.[8] When Zakaria Khan, son of Abdus Saman Khan, became the subahdar (governor) of Lahore subah (province) in 1726, he wanted the Sikhs to join the Mughal cause against the Afghan invaders or at the very least remain neutral but things did not work out that way.[8]

Army details edit

Tactics edit

Significance was heavily placed on cavalry and hand-to-hand combat on horseback.[24] The Khalsa Fauj used guerrilla warfare tactics.[24]

Equipment edit

 
Illustration titled 'Guru Govind Singh’s armed disciples, the early soldiers of the Khalsa' from The Sikhs (1904) by John James Hood Gordon

Horses for the army were sourced from small zamindars (feudal lords) located between the Ravi and Beas rivers.[8] Some warriors possessed matchlock guns whilst others still used bows and arrows.[8]

Organization edit

Various village chieftains made-up the ranks of the Khalsa Fauj under Guru Gobind Singh.[8] Some chiefs had a larger group of warriors under them (up to hundreds) whilst others only had a few.[8] The base-of-operations for these chiefs was usually their native village, which were often fortified.[8]

Pay edit

There was no regular salary for soldiers in the Khalsa Fauj during the period of Guru Gobind Singh.[8] Rather, they had the chance to plunder their enemies' estates under a religious cause.[8]

Symbols edit

Coiled snake edit

Guru Gobind Singh compared the Khalsa Fauj to a coiled snake ready to pounce, which he calls the pechida maar,[25] in his Zafarnama (epistle of victory) letter addressed to Aurangzeb:[26][27][28][29]

چھا شد کہ چوں بچگان کشته چار
که باقی بماند است پیچیده مار
You killed my four sons:
What difference does that make,
When after their deaths there still
Remains behind a coiled snake?

— written by Guru Gobind Singh, translated by Navtej Sarna, Zafarnama, verse 78[30]

Colour edit

 
Illustrated folio depicting a Nishan Sahib (Sikh religious flag) from a Guru Granth Sahib manuscript housed at Takht Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur and dated to 1714 CE

The uniform and colours of the Khalsa Fauj were blue due to Guru Gobind Singh witnessing his youngest son, Fateh Singh, donning such garbs in this colour.[3] Thereafter he standardized them in his army.[3]

Successor edit

It was succeeded by the Dal Khalsa of the Sikh Confederacy, established by Nawab Kapur Singh in the 1730s.[31] The Sarbat Khalsa united the various jathas of the Khalsa Fauj into more organized and streamlined formations.[32] This reform would lead to the Sikh Confederacy, ruled by various misls.[32]

Legacy edit

Sikh armies in later periods up till the present are sometimes called "Khalsa Fauj", including the military forces of the Sikh Empire, the Sikh Khalsa Army.[33][4] During the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, songs were made that compared the victorious protesting farmers to the Khalsa Fauj of Guru Gobind Singh.[34]

Timeline edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Sethi, Chitleen K. (2020-04-14). "Who are Nihang Sikhs? 'Guru di laadli fauj' warrior sect in news for chopping off cop's hand". ThePrint. Retrieved 2023-03-08. The Nihangs trace their origins to the founding of the Khalsa Panth by the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, around 1699. Many claim the sect to be "guru di laadli fauj" (the guru's favourite army). The armed sect is believed to have emerged from the Akaal Sena, a band of soldiers of Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru. Later, the Akaal Sena metamorphosed into the 'Khalsa Fauj' of the 10th guru.
  2. ^ Jawandha, Nahar Singh (2010). Glimpses of Sikhism. New Delhi. ISBN 978-93-80213-25-5. OCLC 895111680. Guru Gobind Singh was blessed by God to take up arms against the cruel rulers by creating the Khalsa Brotherhood and the Khalsa Fauj (army).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e Singh, Nidr (1998). The Fighting Traditions and Fighting Arts of the Traditional Sikh Warriors the Beloved of Guru Gobind Singh Ji the Akali Nihangs (PDF) (2nd ed.). Budha Dal and Tarna Dal. pp. 8–9.
  4. ^ a b Mann, Gurinder Singh (2016). Religions in the Modern World. Linda Woodhead, Christopher H. Partridge, Hiroko Kawanami (3rd ed.). Taylor and Francis. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-317-43960-8. OCLC 934769655.
  5. ^ Jaspal, Partap Singh (1999). Eternal Glory of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Khalsa (reprint ed.). New Delhi: Reliance Publ. House. p. 59. ISBN 9788175101098.
  6. ^ a b Bhamra, Rabinder Singh (2015). Sikhism And Spirituality. Xlibris. ISBN 978-1-5035-7239-3. OCLC 1124438602. Guru Nanak's mission continued under nine succeeding Gurus in whom spiritual enlightenment was given at the same level and thus responsibility was transferred by each preceding Guru to the next: "Jot ohaa jugat saaiaa seh kaayaan pher platteeay" p-966. It took almost two hundred years before a cowardly nation of Punjab was transformed into Khalsa, the Saint Soldiers, the army of God, created by God's own plan by the tenth Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh Ji: "Khalsa Akaal Purakh ki fauj. Pargattio Khalsa Parmaatam kee mauj." Khalsa fought fearlessly to free the nation from foreign yoke. They were given the name of Lion and they proved worthy of that name. This completed the mission of Guru Nanak in the tenth form and the people who were meek like lambs, now became lions and were able not only to fight the tyrants but also to defend and support others from them.
  7. ^ Singh, Harjinder (2020). Sikh Fauj - The Sikh Army. Akaal Publishers. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Jee clearly states that the use of arms is only as a last resort, ਚੁ ਕਾਰ ਅਜ਼ ਹਮਹ ਹੀਲਤੇ ਦਰ ਗੁਜ਼ਸ਼ਤ ॥ ਹਲਾਲ ਅਸਤੁ ਬੁਰਦਨ ਬ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ੇਰ ਦਸਤ ॥੨੨॥ When all peaceful methods have failed, it is just to draw the sword. Similarly, military action and/or use of violent means is only used by most nation states as a final response.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Roy, Kaushik (2022-11-01). "Sikh insurgency in pre-British India: origin, context and legacies". Small Wars & Insurgencies. 34 (3): 597–626. doi:10.1080/09592318.2022.2136922. ISSN 0959-2318. S2CID 253264030.
  9. ^ a b c d History of civilizations of Central Asia. Ahmad Hasan Dani, V. M. Masson, J. Harmatta, Baij Nath Puri, G. F. Etemadi, B. A. Litvinskiĭ, Guangda Zhang, R. Shabani Samghabadi, Muḣammad Osimī, Clifford Edmund Bosworth, C. Adle, Irfan Habib, Madhavan K. Palat, Anara Tabyshalieva, Unesco. Paris: Unesco. 1992–2005. p. 800. ISBN 92-3-102719-0. OCLC 28186754.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ "Proceedings". Proceedings of the Department of Punjab Historical Studies. 35. Publication Bureau of Patiala Punjab University: 93. 2003.
  11. ^ a b Grewal, J. S. (2019). Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) : master of the white hawk (1st ed.). New Delhi, India. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-19-949494-1. OCLC 1121651952.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. ^ a b c Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh gurus retold. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 898. ISBN 978-81-269-0859-2. OCLC 190873070.
  13. ^ a b c Jagraj Singh (2009). A complete guide to Sikhism. Chandigarh, India: Unistar Books. p. 236. ISBN 978-81-7142-754-3. OCLC 319683249.
  14. ^ Singh, Pritam (2008). Federalism, nationalism and development : India and the Punjab economy. London: Routledge. pp. 25–26. ISBN 978-0-415-45666-1. OCLC 172521666.
  15. ^ Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (1997). Fighting for faith and nation : dialogues with Sikh militants. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 107. ISBN 0-585-12702-6. OCLC 44966032. After Guru Gobind Singh's death, Banda Singh Bahadur and his band took over most of southeastern Punjab, where they proclaimed a republic in the name of the Gurus.
  16. ^ a b c d Mahajan, V. D. (2007). "Rise and Growth of Sikh Power". History of Medieval India (10th ed.). Ram Nagar, New Delhi, India: S. Chand & Company Ltd. p. 217.
  17. ^ Singh, Sukhdial (2010). Rise, Growth and Fall of Bhangi Misal (PDF). Punjabi University Patiala. pp. 19–20. Acting in accordance with the circumstances the Sikhs assembled at Amritsar on 14 October 1745 on the occasion of Diwali and passed a Gurmata for merging all the small Jathas into twenty five strong Jathas." // "Around 1748, the number of these Jathas rose up to the strength of sixty five.
  18. ^ Gandhi, Surjit Singh (1999). Sikhs in the eighteenth century : their struggle for survival and supremacy (1st ed.). Amritsar: Singh Bros. p. 387. ISBN 81-7205-217-0. OCLC 42719418.
  19. ^ Singha, H. S. (2000). The encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 entries). New Delhi: Hemkunt Publishers. p. 112. ISBN 81-7010-301-0. OCLC 243621542. After the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716 AD and subsequent persecution of Sikhs, the Khalsa dispersed to the hills and forests in small bands or jathas led by a leader called jathedar. The misls grew out of these jathas.
  20. ^ Jain, Harish (2003). The Making of Punjab. Unistar Books. p. 200. The persecution of the Sikhs after the death of Banda Singh Bahadur had forced them to take shelter in the hills and forests and to organise themselves into small plundering bands just for survival. Later, taking advantage of the turbulent times and the declining Moughal power, they had organised themselves into the Buddha Dal and the Taruna Dal under the patronage and supreme command of Nawab Kapur Singh.
  21. ^ Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh gurus retold. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 1041. ISBN 978-81-269-0859-2. OCLC 190873070. After the defeat of Banda Singh Bahadur, the Mughal rulers began persecution of the Sikhs with vengeance. The Sikhs organised themselves into Jathas and fled to local or far-off jungles, hills or deserts of Bikaner.
  22. ^ a b Angelo, Michael (2013). The Sikh Diaspora: Tradition and Change in an Immigrant Community. Studies in Asian Americans. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 9781136527630.
  23. ^ Madanjit Kaur (2007). Guru Gobind Singh : historical and ideological perspective. Chandigarh, India: Unistar Books. p. 241. ISBN 978-81-89899-55-4. OCLC 294940899. After the capture and execution of Banda Singh Bahadur (1716) Punjab again passed under the Mughal rule and became subject to almost regular invasions by the Afghans (Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali). In the post- Banda period the worst type of persecution of the Khalsa was started under the imperial firmans (orders) of Emperor Farruk - Siyyar. The Sikhs were declared outlaws and prices were fixed on their heads. The Mughal ruler hurled intensive military campaigns for the complete liquidation of the Sikh community. But the Khalsa kept their spirits high and carried on the mission of Guru Gobind Singh with greater vigour and enthusiasm. They intensified their fight with the Mughals and the Afghans to free their homeland from the alien rulers.
  24. ^ a b Atwal, Priya (2020). Royals and rebels : the rise and fall of the Sikh empire. London. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-19-755459-3. OCLC 1235906565.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  25. ^ Journal of Sikh Studies. Vol. 2. Department of Guru Nanak Studies of Guru Nanak University. 1975. p. 157. ...as well as the Khalsa , "a deadly coiled snake in the striking posture", pecheedeh maar, as Guru Gobind Singh referred to it in his Zafarnaameh.
  26. ^ Siṅgha, Sukhadiāla (2007). Origin and evolution of the Khalsa commonwealth, 1469-1716 (1st ed.). Amritsar: B. Chattar Singh Jivan Singh. p. 86. ISBN 978-81-7601-817-3. OCLC 176867087.
  27. ^ Singh, Dalip (1992). Guru Gobind Singh and Khalsa discipline (1st ed.). Amritsar: Singh Bros. p. 320. ISBN 81-7205-071-2. OCLC 28583123.
  28. ^ Game of love. Harjinder Singh (1st ed.). [Walsall?]: Akaal. 2008. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-9554587-1-2. OCLC 520493946.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. ^ Singh, Wahenoor (18 April 2023). "Animal Symbolism of the Khalsa". Sikh Research Institute. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  30. ^ Sarna, Navtej (2011). Zafarnama. New Delhi: Penguin Books. p. 79. ISBN 9780670085569.
  31. ^ Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (1997). Fighting for faith and nation : dialogues with Sikh militants. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-585-12702-6. OCLC 44966032.
  32. ^ a b Herrli, Hans (1993). The Coins of the Sikhs. p. 11.
  33. ^ Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. SUNY Series in Religious Studies. John Stratton Hawley, Gurinder Singh Mann. SUNY Press. 1993. p. 152.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  34. ^ Agrarian Reform and Farmer Resistance in Punjab: Mobilization and Resilience. Shinder S. Thandi. [S.l.]: Routledge. 2022. ISBN 978-1-000-81630-3. OCLC 1349274680. For instance, released on November 19, 2021 - the day the three farm laws were revoked - 'Jitt de Jaikaare' [Clarion Call of Victory], sung by Hasanvir Chahal, Kam Singh, and Ricky Sangha was perhaps the first song celebrating farmers' victory. In its opening refrain, the victorious farmers are regarded as 'Guru's Fauj' [Army of the Guru (an embedded reference to Khalsa fauj)].{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  35. ^ Singh, Trilochan (1963). "Guru Gobind Singh's assassination". Sikh Review. 11 (10): 13–38.

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