Organisation
Ahluwalia Misl
The misl of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, based in the Jalandhar Doab; it became the princely state of Kapurthala under British protection in 1846.
What it was: The Ahluwalia misl was one of the Dal Khalsa's misls. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism says it took its name from the village of Ahlu in Lahore district, founded by Sadao, a distiller, and that Sadao's descendant Badar Singh's son, Jassa Singh, founded the misl. Wikipedia says scholars disagree on the founder and that the misl was founded by Kalals.
Its chiefs, in order
- Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was chosen in 1748 to command the Dal Khalsa. The Encyclopaedia says he held joint command at first, with Nawab Kapur Singh still the acknowledged supreme commander. In April 1754 his force routed an Afghan army that had besieged Amritsar. After the September 1761 battle near Gujranwala the Sikhs occupied Lahore and he was proclaimed "King of Lahore", with a coin struck in the names of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. On 14 January 1764 the Sikhs attacked Sirhind and killed its Afghan governor, Zain Khan. He took Kapurthala from the Bhatti chief Rai Ibrahim (1777 in the Encyclopaedia; 1774 in Wikipedia) and died on 20 October 1783, aged 65. His samadhi stands near the Golden Temple.
- Bhag Singh, his second cousin, who died in 1801.
- Fateh Singh, Bhag Singh's son, who died in 1837 and, the Encyclopaedia says, exchanged turbans with Ranjit Singh as his ally. Wikipedia adds that in 1825 Ranjit Singh took a summer house Fateh Singh was building for a fort and sent troops in December. Fateh Singh fled to British Jagraon, came back in 1826, and gave up his lands west of the Beas.
- Nihal Singh, from 1837 to 1846 (Wikipedia).
Territory: Kapurthala and the Jalandhar Doab, including Sultanpur Lodhi, with holdings in the Bari and Rachna Doabs and south of the Sutlej at Kot Isa Khan, Jagraon and Fatehgarh (Encyclopaedia).
Where it stands: After the First Anglo-Sikh War, in 1846, Kapurthala came under British protection. The Encyclopaedia says its rulers held it for more than a century before it merged into PEPSU in 1948, and Wikipedia says the Kapurthala maharajas reigned until 15 August 1947. The misl no longer exists.
Sources
- Misls, The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism (ed. Harbans Singh), Punjabi University, Patiala. eos.learnpunjabi.org
- Jassa Singh Ahluvalia (1718-1783), The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism (ed. Harbans Singh), Punjabi University, Patiala. eos.learnpunjabi.org
- Ahluwalia Misl (used for the Kalal origin, the 1774 date for Kapurthala, Nihal Singh, and the 1825 episode with Ranjit Singh), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org