Shaheedan Misl


The Shaheedan Misl was one of twelve Sikh Misls that later became the Sikh Empire.It was a Sandhu Jat Sikh Misl. 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.

Origins and history

In 1748, Baba Deep Singh was appointed the leader of the Shaheedan Misl and the Mahant of the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. In 1757, Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India and sent an army to the Harmindar Sahib to block Sikhs from entering the Gurdwara. Baba Deep Singh and a company of men who rode with him to free the gurdwara were killed in the Battle of Amritsar against the Durrani Army. His successor, Suddha Singh, later led the misl into a skirmish against the Afghan government of Jalandhar City The first two leaders of the misl were considered Shaheeds, or martyrs, by their contemporaries so the misl became known as, Shaheedan, or the followers of the martyrs. Karm Singh, the next leader of the misl, expanded the territory of the misl by annexing several nearby towns to his control. The misl was annexed by the Sikh Empire at some point in the early 19th century and became a part of the Sikh Empire. The Nihang order of Sikhs maintains the traditions of this misl.
Present day roots can be traced to the descendants of Sirdar Bahadur General Gulab Singh of the Shaheedan Misl and Sikh Army.