Jhanda Bunga, Golden Temple complex, Amritsar, late 1920's

The Bhangi Misl (

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

pronunciation: ə̃˨ŋɡiː mɪsəl was a large and most powerful

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

Misl The Misls (derived from an Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and is cit ...

headquartered was in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

. It was founded in the early 18th century by Sardar

Chhajja Singh Dhillon Sardar Chhajja Singh was a Sikh warrior and leader of Jathâ succeeding Banda Singh Bahadur of the early 18th century Punjab region. He was also the founder of the Bhangi Misl He was the first companion of Banda Bahadur, Banda Singh Bahadur to r ...

,Sikh History (2004)
"The Bhangi Misal"
, ''History of the Sikhs'', 2004. Retrieved on 7 September 2016 who was baptised by

Banda Singh Bahadur Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev) (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a commander of Khalsa army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery ...

.Jaspreet Kaur (2000). ''Sikh Ethos: Eighteenth Century Perspective'', p.99. Vision & Venture, Patiala, 2000. Bhangi Misl were comprised orthodox

Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The ter ...

with no violations against Sikhi. It was a first misl to established a Khalsa Raj and publish Khalsa currency coins. The Bhangi Kingdom/Misl was founded by

Dhillon Dhillon ( pronunciation: �i˨llõː is a tribe of Jats found in the Punjab region. Notable people who bear the name, who may or may not be affiliated with the tribe, include: * Amritpal Singh Dhillon, an Indian-born Canadian singer, rapper ...

Jats The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

List of Sardars (Chiefs)

# Chhajja Singh Bhangi # Bhima (Bhuma) Singh #

Hari Singh Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's death, Singh became ...

# Jhanda Singh # Ganda Singh # Charhat Singh Dhillon (died nearly immediately) # Desu Singh Dhillon # Gulab Singh Dhillon # Gurdit Singh Dhillon

Expanse of Bhangi Misl

It grew in strength and territory to cover an area from Gujrat to

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the ol ...

and emerged as the strongest power in the western

Punjab region Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

. However, deaths among the leadership during the late 1760s reduced the Misl's power.

Decline of power

The Bhangi misl engaged in numerous power struggles with the

Sukerchakia Misl The Sukerchakia Misl was one of 12 Sikh Misls in Punjab during the 18th century concentrated in Gujranwala and Hafizabad district in Western Punjab (in modern-Pakistan) and ruled from (1752–1801). Misl was founded by Chaudhary Charat Singh ...

until they were severely weakened at the

Battle of Basin A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

and the loss of Lahore to

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He ...

in 1799. Bhangi Misl held the possession of

Zamzama The Zamzama Gun ( ur, , meaning "thunder" or "roar", sometimes written "Zam-Zammah" or "Zam-Zammeh") also known as ''Kim’s Gun'' or ''Bhangianwali Toap'' is a large-bore cannon. It was cast in about 1757 in Lahore (present-day Pakistan) du ...

, the famous cannon, which was at the time named Bhangi Toap, Bhangianwala Toap and Bhangian di Top, names it retains to this day.Singh, Khushwant ''A History of the Sikhs, Volume 1: 1469-1839''. Oxford University Press, 2004, Page 198, Footnote 11

References

Misls Cannabis and Sikhism {{Sikhism-stub