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70-425: Sikh Army may refer to: Akal Sena , before 1699 Khalsa Fauj , 1699–1735 Dal Khalsa (Sikh Army) , 1735–1799 Sikh Khalsa Army 1799–1849 Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Sikh Army . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to

140-566: A nomadic , pastoral , eastern Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan . They historically were also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the term's meaning had become a demonym for members of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan . The Pashtuns speak the Pashto language , which belongs to the Eastern Iranian branch of

210-652: A Pashtun population of over 1 million, whilst Jaipur and Bangalore have an estimate of around 100,000. The Pashtuns in Bangalore include the khan siblings Feroz , Sanjay and Akbar Khan , whose father settled in Bangalore from Ghazni . During the 19th century, when the British were recruiting peasants from British India as indentured servants to work in the Caribbean , South Africa and other places, Rohillas were sent to Trinidad , Surinam , Guyana , and Fiji , to work in

280-613: A group of opposing Afghans, as also corroborated by Abulfazl Beyhaqi . It is recorded that Afghans were also enrolled in the Ghurid Kingdom (1148–1215). By the beginning of the Khilji dynasty in 1290, Afghans have been well known in northern India. Ibn Battuta , when visiting Afghanistan following the era of the Khilji dynasty, also wrote about the Afghans. "We travelled on to Kabul, formerly

350-470: A jungle near a lake in order to have a better position in battle. Shah Jahan sends to Mughal generals Lala Beg, the governor of Kabul , and Qumae Beg his brother with an army of 36,000. A deadly battle ensues in which the Akal Sena uses guerrilla warfare tactics to win. Both Mughal generals are killed and 35,000 Mughal soldiers are killed along with 100 surrendering. 1200 soldiers of the Akal Sena also fall in

420-499: A local Mughal official named Sulahi Khan to destroy the Sikhs and the Guru. Sulahi Khan conjured up an excuse that he was collecting tax to justify him leading a small contingent against the Sikhs at Amritsar. Due to the local residents of Amritsar fearing for their personal safety, Guru Arjan left the city to prevent tragedy. Arjan made his way to Wadali and then from there to Raur. After Wadali

490-553: A tribe mentioned by Herodotus ( Pactyans ) in 430 BCE in the Histories : Other Indians dwell near the town of Caspatyrus[Κασπατύρῳ] and the Pactyic [Πακτυϊκῇ] country, north of the rest of India; these live like the Bactrians; they are of all Indians the most warlike, and it is they who are sent for the gold; for in these parts all is desolate because of the sand. These Pactyans lived on

560-440: A vast town, the site of which is now occupied by Afghans. They hold mountains and defiles and possess considerable strength, and are mostly highwaymen. Their principal mountain is called Kuh Sulayman . It is told that the prophet Sulayman [Solomon] ascended this mountain and having looked out over India, which was then covered with darkness, returned without entering it." Ferishta , a 16th-century Muslim historian writing about

630-624: The Amu river and west of the Indus River . They can be found all over Pakistan and Afghanistan. Big cities with a Pashtun majority include Jalalabad , Kandahar , Bannu , Dera Ismail Khan , Khost , Kohat , Lashkar Gah , Mardan , Ghazni , Mingora , Peshawar , Quetta , among others. Pashtuns also live in Abbottabad , Farah , Herat , Islamabad , Kabul , Karachi , Kunduz , Lahore , Mazar-i-Sharif , Mianwali , and Attock . The city of Karachi ,

700-559: The Assakenoi of Arrian , which was the name used for ancient inhabitants of the Hindu Kush . Aśvakan literally means "horsemen", "horse breeders", or " cavalrymen " (from aśva or aspa , the Sanskrit and Avestan words for " horse "). This view was propounded by scholars like Christian Lassen , J. W. McCrindle , M. V. de Saint Martin, and É. Reclus , The earliest mention of

770-528: The Battle of Kartarpur , alongside his elder brother Gurditta . The guru is noted as having been skilled in his usage of the kirpan sword. During his guruship, he mostly avoided conflict and was occupied by his missionary tours throughout the Indian subcontinent, focused on spreading Sikhism and meeting with local congregations of Sikhs that had been widely spread-out throughout the land. Whilst Guru Tegh Bahadur

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840-566: The British Raj in colonial India . These include Bombay (now called Mumbai ), Farrukhabad , Delhi , Calcutta , Saharanpur , Rohilkhand , Jaipur , and Bangalore . The settlers are descended from both Pashtuns of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan ( British India before 1947). In some regions in India , they are sometimes referred to as Kabuliwala . In India significant Pashtun diaspora communities exist. While speakers of Pashto in

910-670: The Ghilji Pashtuns to the Mazandaran Province in northern Iran. The remnants of this once sizable exiled community, although assimilated, continue to claim Pashtun descent. During the early 18th century, in the course of a very few years, the number of Durrani Pashtuns in Iranian Khorasan, greatly increased. Later the region became part of the Durrani Empire itself. The second Durrani king of Afghanistan, Timur Shah Durrani

980-547: The Iranian language family . Additionally, Dari serves as the second language of Pashtuns in Afghanistan, while those in Pakistan speak Urdu and English. In India, the majority of those of Pashtun descent have lost the ability to speak Pashto and instead speak Hindi and other regional languages. There are an estimated 350–400 Pashtun tribes and clans with a variety of origin theories . In 2021, Shahid Javed Burki estimated

1050-466: The Mughal empire and its allies, winning all four of the major battles in-which Hargobind was leader, as well as more minor skirmishes. The first commanders of the Akal Sena were Bidhi Chand Chhina , Baba Jattu, Baba Peda, and Baba Praga, commanding a force around 400 strong. Later a special regiment of Pathans led by Painde Khan joined the Akal Sena. Initially, the Akal Sena was a policing force that

1120-687: The Oxus at that time. Others however have suggested a much older Iranic ancestor given the affinity to Old Avestan . According to one school of thought, Pashtun are descended from a variety of ethnicities, including Persians , Greeks , Turks , Arabs , Bactrians , Dards , Scythians , Tartars , Huns ( Hephthalites ), Mongols , Moghals (Mughals), and anyone else who has crossed the region where these Pashtun live. Further they are also, and probably most surprisingly, of Israelite descent. Some Pashtun tribes claim descent from Arabs , including some claiming to be Sayyids . One historical account connects

1190-767: The Red Sea , many of the Copts became converts to the Jewish faith ; but others, stubborn and self-willed, refusing to embrace the true faith, leaving their country, came to India, and eventually settled in the Sulimany mountains, where they bore the name of Afghans. The ethnogenesis of the Pashtun ethnic group is unclear. There are many conflicting theories amongst historians and the Pashtuns themselves. Modern scholars believe that Pashtuns do not all share

1260-538: The Sogdian language , as well as Khwarezmian , Shughni , Sanglechi , and Khotanese Saka . It is suggested by some that Pashto may have originated in the Badakhshan region and is connected to a Saka language akin to Khotanese. In fact major linguist Georg Morgenstierne has described Pashto as a Saka dialect and many others have observed the similarities between Pashto and other Saka languages as well, suggesting that

1330-599: The 982 Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam , where a reference is made to a village, Saul, which was probably located near Gardez , Afghanistan. "Saul, a pleasant village on a mountain. In it live Afghans ". The same book also speaks of a king in Ninhar ( Nangarhar ), who had Muslim, Afghan and Hindu wives. In the 11th century, Afghans are mentioned in Al-Biruni 's Tarikh-ul Hind ("History of the Indus"), which describes groups of rebellious Afghans in

1400-521: The Afghans, so [you should] impose a penalty on Nat Kharagan ... ...lord of Warnu with ... ... ...the Afghan... ... " The name Afghan is later recorded in the 6th century CE in the form of "Avagāṇa" [अवगाण] by the Indian astronomer Varāha Mihira in his Brihat-samhita . "It would be unfavourable to the people of Chola, the Afghans (Avagāṇa), the white Huns and the Chinese." The word Afghan also appeared in

1470-522: The Akaal Sena (God's army) the Sikhs, would protect and uphold the integrity of faith promulgated by Harmander Sahib and all it stood for. The Sikhs would become renowned for their bravery as warriors, who protect the integrity and faith of one and all. They would fight oppression and tyranny, relinquishing risk to life; they would make daring attacks on foes, defending their strong principles of righteousness. It had been described as an "elite army corps" for

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1540-506: The Akal Sena army of the Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh changed the uniform and colours of the Akal Sena to blue after witnessing his youngest son, Fateh Singh , donning such garbs in this colour. Even after the Guru had implemented reforms to the Akal Sena, he believed it was not enough and something different must be done. Therefore, Guru Gobind Singh formalized the Khalsa order in Anandpur in

1610-479: The Akal Sena fought in no major battles until the Battle of Amritsar which occurred on April 14 of 1634. It was a two-day battle which began over a hunting dispute between Guru Hargobind and the Mughals. The Mughals attacked the Akal Sena and a minor scuffle occurred. Blows were exchanged and many Mughals died. The Mughals were forced to fall back. This was used as an excuse for Shah Jahan to send an army of 7,000 under

1680-511: The Akal Sena's presence and destroyed ideas of Mughal invincibility. In revenge over recent Mughal defeats Shah Jahan stole Guru Hargobind's horses and kept them in Lahore . Bhai Bidhi Chand broke into Lahore Fort and brought the horses back to Guru Hargobind. Guru Hargobind knew of Mughal retaliation coming and prepares for battle. The Akal Sena number's 3,000 and is aided with Rai Jodh's army of 1,000. The Akal Sena and Rai Jodh's army moves into

1750-504: The Akal Sena, as Har Rai had deployed the army against Aurangzeb 's troops in-support of Dara Shikoh . This is recorded in a Sikh source, the Mahimā Parkāsh Vārtak , which states that Har Rai deployed the Akal Sena at Goindwal to prevent Aurangzeb's forces from pursuing the fleeing Dara Shikoh, after the latter had lost the Battle of Samugarh . Guru Har Rai did not let the Akal Sena stall during these times of peace but rather he

1820-876: The British/ Commonwealth links of their respective countries, and modern communities have been established starting around the 1960s mainly in the United Kingdom , Canada , Australia but also in other commonwealth countries (and the United States ). Some Pashtuns have also settled in the Middle East, such as in the Arabian Peninsula . For example, about 300,000 Pashtuns migrated to the Persian Gulf countries between 1976 and 1981, representing 35% of Pakistani immigrants. The Pakistani and Afghan diaspora around

1890-575: The Mughal empire and to protect their sovereignty. Later-on, the Ahom king honoured the Guru at the Kamakhya shrine after Guru Tegh Bahadur brokered peace between the imperial Mughal army under the command of Raja Ram Singh and the local Ahom resistance. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by beheading on the orders of Aurangzeb , partly because the Mughal emperor had grown jealous over the growing wealth and success of

1960-469: The Pashtuns nowadays constitute a clear ethnic group with their own language and culture, there is no evidence whatsoever that all modern Pashtuns share the same ethnic origin. In fact it is highly unlikely." Pashto is generally classified as an Eastern Iranian language. It shares features with the Munji language , which is the closest existing language to the extinct Bactrian , but also shares features with

2030-463: The Sikh community to meet the "Mughal challenge". Sikhs were called upon to bring horses and equipment for the army, which they obliged. The warriors of the Akal Sena came to be known as Akalis (the immortals). The army was founded by Guru Hargobind . During his time, it consisted of 700-800 horses, 300-500 cavalrymen, 60 musketeers, and 60 artillery men. The Akal Sena fought major battles against

2100-402: The battle. Painde Khan, a Pathan general of the Akal Sena, had double-crossed his former master and mentor, Guru Hargobind, and sided with the Mughal forces. Since he served as a general in the Sikh army, he was convinced he could use that as an advantage and persuaded the Mughals to assist him in this affair against a common enemy due to his inner knowledge. He was accompanied by Kale Khan

2170-420: The chief of the Afghans, ' the judge of Tukharistan and Gharchistan . Moreover, ' a letter [ has come hither ] from you, so I have heard how [ you have ] written ' ' to me concerning ] my health . I arrived in good health, ( and ) ( afterwards ( ? ) ' ' I heard that a message ] was sent thither to you ( saying ) thus : ... look after the farming but the order was given to you thus. You should hand over

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2240-486: The command of general Mukhlis Khan, Shamas Khan, Murtaza Khan, and Mustafa Khan. The Akal Sena was only 700 in number under the lead of Guru Hargobind, Bhatt Kirat , Bhai Bhanno, Bhai Peda Das, Rao Bulla, and Painde Khan. The Akal Sena was not prepared for a fight as they were busy preparing for the Guru Hargobind's daughter's wedding. It was a two-day battle. On the first day the Mughals took over Lohgarh and attacked

2310-675: The connection of the Pashtuns with names such as the Parsiētai (Παρσιῆται), Parsioi (Πάρσιοι) that were cited by Ptolemy 150 CE: "The northern regions of the country are inhabited by the Bolitai, the western regions by the Aristophyloi below whom live the Parsioi (Πάρσιοι). The southern regions are inhabited by the Parsiētai (Παρσιῆται), the eastern regions by the Ambautai. The towns and villages lying in

2380-773: The country of the Paropanisadai are these: Parsiana Zarzaua/Barzaura Artoarta Baborana Kapisa niphanda" Strabo , the Greek geographer, in the Geographica (written between 43 BC to 23 AD) makes mention of the Scythian tribe Pasiani (Πασιανοί), which has also been identified with Pashtuns given that Pashto is an Eastern-Iranian language, much like the Scythian languages : "Most of the Scythians...each separate tribe has its peculiar name. All, or

2450-581: The country only number 21,677 as of 2011, estimates of the ethnic or ancestral Pashtun population in India range from 3,200,000 to 11,482,000 to as high as double their population in Afghanistan (approximately 30 million). The Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh is named after the Rohilla community of Pashtun ancestry; the area came to be governed by the Royal House of Rampur , a Pashtun dynasty. They also live in

2520-531: The eastern frontier of the Achaemenid Arachosia Satrapy as early as the 1st millennium BCE, present-day Afghanistan. Herodotus also mentions a tribe of known as Aparytai (Ἀπαρύται). Thomas Holdich has linked them with the Afridi tribe: The Sattagydae, Gandarii, Dadicae, and Aparytae (Ἀπαρύται) paid together a hundred and seventy talents; this was the seventh province Joseph Marquart made

2590-659: The entertainment industry and sports. Pashtuns are also found in smaller numbers in the eastern and northern parts of Iran . Records as early as the mid-1600s report Durrani Pashtuns living in the Khorasan Province of Safavid Iran . After the short reign of the Ghilji Pashtuns in Iran , Nader Shah defeated the last independent Ghilji ruler of Kandahar , Hussain Hotak . In order to secure Durrani control in southern Afghanistan, Nader Shah deported Hussain Hotak and large numbers of

2660-515: The financial capital of Pakistan, is home to the world's largest urban community of Pashtuns, larger than Kabul and Peshawar . Likewise, Islamabad , the country's political capital also serves as the major urban center of Pashtuns with more than 20% of the city's population belonging to the Pashto speaking community. Pashtuns in India are often referred to as Pathans (the Hindustani word for Pashtun) both by themselves and other ethnic groups of

2730-452: The governor of Peshawar , Kutab Khan the Faujdar of Jalandhar and his son-in-law Anwar Khan. The army was accompanied by plunderers and mujahedeen who all together numbered from 52,000 - 100,000. Painde Khan and the vast majority of his army were killed in the Battle of Kartarpur at the hands of Guru Hargobind during a duel between the two. In his last moments, the Guru showed mercy for

2800-487: The grain and then request it from the citizens store: I will not order, so.....I Myself order And I in Respect of winter sends men thither to you then look after the farming, To Ormuzd Bunukan, Greetings" "because [you] (pl.), the clan of the Afghans, said thus to me:...And you should not have denied? the men of Rob [that] the Afghans took (away) the horses" "[To ...]-bid the Afghan... Moreover, they are in [War]nu(?) because of

2870-618: The greatest part of them, are nomades. The best known tribes are those who deprived the Greeks of Bactriana, the Asii, Pasiani, Tochari, and Sacarauli, who came from the country on the other side of the Iaxartes (Syr Darya)" This is considered a different rendering of Ptolemy's Parsioi (Πάρσιοι). Johnny Cheung, reflecting on Ptolemy's Parsioi (Πάρσιοι) and Strabo's Pasiani (Πασιανοί) states: "Both forms show slight phonetic substitutions, viz. of υ for ι, and

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2940-648: The history of Muslim rule in the subcontinent , stated: He [Khalid bin Abdullah son of Khalid bin Walid ] retired, therefore, with his family, and a number of Arab retainers, into the Sulaiman Mountains, situated between Multan and Peshawar, where he took up his residence, and gave his daughter in marriage to one of the Afghan chiefs, who had become a proselyte to Mahomedism. From this marriage many children were born, among whom were two sons famous in history. The one Lodhi ,

3010-449: The home of Guru Hargobind. On the second day the Akal Sena launched a counterattack. Bhai Banno was killed in battle after which Guru Hargobind took command. The battle ended when Guru Hargobind killed Mukhlis Khan in hand-to-hand combat. All the Mughal generals were killed with no Mughal soldier surviving. This battle proved that Guru Hargobind and the Akal Sena were powerful and not a small militia. The victory cemented Guru Hargobind and

3080-451: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sikh_Army&oldid=1147716634 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Akal Sena During the time period of Guru Arjan , an enemy of the Sikhs and the brother of Arjan, named Prithi Chand , instigated

3150-452: The largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan , constituting around 18.24% of the total Pakistani population and around 47% of the total Afghan population. In India , significant and historical communities of the Pashtun diaspora exist in the northern region of Rohilkhand as well as in major Indian cities such as Delhi and Mumbai . Pashtuns are spread over a wide geographic area, south of

3220-452: The length and breadth of India, with the largest populations principally settled in the plains of northern and central India . Following the partition of India in 1947, many of them migrated to Pakistan . The majority of Indian Pashtuns are Urdu-speaking communities , who have assimilated into the local society over the course of generations. Pashtuns have influenced and contributed to various fields in India, particularly politics,

3290-558: The loss of r in Pasianoi is due to perseveration from the preceding Asianoi. They are therefore the most likely candidates as the (linguistic) ancestors of modern day Pashtuns." In the Middle Ages until the advent of modern Afghanistan in the 18th century, the Pashtuns were often referred to as "Afghans" . The etymological view supported by numerous noted scholars is that the name Afghan evidently derives from Sanskrit Aśvakan , or

3360-408: The man he had loved and raised as his own and shielded him from the sun's direct rays with his shield as he lay dying and offered a prayer for him. Guru Har Rai mostly kept the peace during his guruship , avoiding major conflicts for the most part, but he still maintained a large size for the Akal Sena, consisting of 2,200 mounted soldiers. However, this period was not a totally pacifist one for

3430-598: The name Afghan ( Abgân ) is by Shapur I of the Sassanid Empire during the 3rd century CE, In the 4th century the word "Afghans/Afghana" (αβγανανο) as a reference to a particular people is mentioned in the Bactrian documents found in Northern Afghanistan. "To Ormuzd Bunukan, from Bredag Watanan ... greetings and homage from ... ), the ( sotang ( ? ) of Parpaz ( under ) [ the glorious ) yabghu of Hephthal ,

3500-468: The oldest and most clever of the tribe, can give satisfactory information on this point." Others have suggested that a single origin of the Pashtuns is unlikely but rather they are a tribal confederation. "Looking for the origin of Pashtuns and the Afghans is something like exploring the source of the Amazon . Is there one specific beginning? And are the Pashtuns originally identical with the Afghans? Although

3570-407: The original Pashto speakers might have been a Saka group. Furthermore, Pashto and Ossetian , another Scythian-descending language, share cognates in their vocabulary which other Eastern Iranian languages lack Cheung suggests a common isogloss between Pashto and Ossetian which he explains by an undocumented Saka dialect being spoken close to reconstructed Old Pashto which was likely spoken north of

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3640-399: The other Sur ; who each, subsequently, became head of the tribes which to this day bear their name. I have read in the Mutla-ul-Anwar , a work written by a respectable author, and which I procured at Burhanpur , a town of Khandesh in the Deccan , that the Afghans are Copts of the race of the Pharaohs ; and that when the prophet Moses got the better of that infidel who was overwhelmed in

3710-413: The region in February 1669. Whilst stationed in Dhubri , Kamrup near the bank of a river, an encampment of the Akal Sena with Guru Tegh Bahadur had come under attack from the other side of the river by local Assamese forces. The Sikhs were able to defeat the enemy using archery. Afterwards, the Guru made peace with the locals after the latter informed him that they were rebelling to resist the conquests of

3780-410: The same origin. The early ancestors of modern-day Pashtuns may have belonged to old Iranian tribes that spread throughout the eastern Iranian plateau . historians have also come across references to various ancient peoples called Pakthas ( Pactyans ) between the 2nd and the 1st millennium BC, Mohan Lal stated in 1846 that "the origin of the Afghans is so obscure, that no one, even among

3850-459: The same year in Amritsar , it was called the Ranjit Akhara (alt. spelt as 'Ranjeet'). Rajput converts to the Sikh faith had given the new institution much strength and information regarding the art of war. Battles The Akal Sena fought many battles under Guru Hargobind. The first was the Battle of Rohilla in 1621 which occurred after Akal Sena soldiers killed Bhagwan Das Ghererh, a relative of Chandu , over his blasphemous remarks. His body

3920-439: The states of Maharashtra in central India and West Bengal in eastern India that each have a population of over a million with Pashtun ancestry; both Bombay and Calcutta were primary locations of Pashtun migrants from Afghanistan during the colonial era. There are also populations over 100,000 each in the cities of Jaipur in Rajasthan and Bangalore in Karnataka . Bombay (now called Mumbai ) and Calcutta both have

3990-502: The subcontinent. Some Indians claim descent from Pashtun soldiers who settled in India by marrying local women during the Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent . Many Pathans chose to live in the Republic of India after the partition of India and Khan Mohammad Atif, a professor at the University of Lucknow , estimates that "The population of Pathans in India is twice their population in Afghanistan". Historically, Pashtuns have settled in various cities of India before and during

4060-451: The sugarcane fields and perform manual labour. Many stayed and formed communities of their own. Some of them assimilated with the other South Asian Muslim nationalities to form a common Indian Muslim community in tandem with the larger Indian community, losing their distinctive heritage. Some Pashtuns travelled as far as Australia during the same era. Today, the Pashtuns are a collection of diversely scattered communities present across

4130-432: The total Pashtun population to be situated between 60 to 70 million, with 15 million in Afghanistan. Others who accepted the 15 million figure include British academic Tim Willasey-Wilsey as well Abubakar Siddique, a journalist specialized in Afghan affairs. Although this figure is disputed due to the lack of an official census in Afghanistan since 1979 . They are the second-largest ethnic group in Pakistan and one of

4200-478: The tribal lands west of the Indus River in what is today Pakistan. Al-Utbi, the Ghaznavid chronicler, in his Tarikh-i Yamini recorded that many Afghans and Khiljis (possibly the modern Ghilji ) enlisted in the army of Sabuktigin after Jayapala was defeated. Al-Utbi further stated that Afghans and Ghiljis made a part of Mahmud Ghaznavi 's army and were sent on his expedition to Tocharistan , while on another occasion Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked and punished

4270-509: The world includes Pashtuns. A tribe called Pakthās , one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna , or "Battle of the Ten Kings" , are mentioned in the seventh mandala of the Rigveda , a text of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dated between c. 1500 and 1200 BCE: Together came the Pakthas (पक्थास), the Bhalanas, the Alinas, the Sivas, the Visanins. Yet to the Trtsus came the Ārya's Comrade, through love of spoil and heroes' war, to lead them. Heinrich Zimmer connects them with

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4340-413: The year 1699, which absorbed the functionalities and institution of the Akal Sena into the Khalsa Fauj . The Akal Sena was absorbed into the Khalsa Fauj of the Khalsa order formalized by Guru Gobind Singh in Anandpur on 13 April 1699, on the day of the Baisakhi festival. The Akali-Nihang tradition ultimately traces itself back to the establishment of the Akal Sena. The Nishan Sahib

4410-421: Was an army only nominally. It was only after the release of the sixth Guru from the prison of Gwalior Fort in 1612 that the force began to take on more shape, as 52 Rajput kings also gained freedom from the prison, who then accompanied the Guru as many of them had lost their polity to conquests and absorptions by the Mughal empire. The Guru established an Akhara ( Indic military training centre or arena)

4480-457: Was born in Mashhad . Contemporary to Durrani rule in the east, Azad Khan Afghan , an ethnic Ghilji Pashtun, formerly second in charge of Azerbaijan during Afsharid rule , gained power in the western regions of Iran and Azerbaijan for a short period. According to a sample survey in 1988, 75 percent of all Afghan refugees in the southern part of the Iranian Khorasan Province were Durrani Pashtuns. Indian and Pakistani Pashtuns have utilised

4550-431: Was dumped in the nearby river. On hearing the news of the two sons of Chandu, Rattan and Karam Chand appealed to the Mughal governor of Jalandhar , Abdul Khan, who then led an army of 15,000. The Akal Sena was smaller in number, but managed to defeat the Mughal army killing Abdul Khan, Rattan Chand, Karam Chand and the other generals along with 14,000 soldiers. Bhai Jatu was killed in this battle. Following this battle

4620-457: Was first raised by Guru Hargobind at the consecration of the Akal Bunga in 1606. The flag during this time was known as the Akal Dhuja ("the immortal flag") or Satguru ka Nishan (standard of the true Guru). Pashtuns Pashtuns ( / ˈ p ʌ ʃ ˌ t ʊ n / , / ˈ p ɑː ʃ ˌ t ʊ n / , / ˈ p æ ʃ ˌ t uː n / ; Pashto : پښتانه , romanized:  Pəx̌tānə́ ; ), also known as Pakhtuns , or Pathans , are

4690-405: Was in Dhaka , Raja Ram Singh petitioned that the Akal Sena assist him in his crushing of a rebellion led by King Chakradhwaj Singha of the Ahom Kingdom in Kamrup (located in Assam ) in north-eastern India . The Guru agreed to the request because he had plans to visit that region anyways to rebuild a monument of Guru Nanak 's udasi (travel tour) to the area. The Guru and his forces reached

4760-454: Was ransacked by bandits , Guru Arjan returned and stayed there for two years to provide security for the local residents. Guru Arjan had advised his son, Hargobind, to become martially trained when he was a youth. The Akal Sena came into being at the same time of the consecration of the Akal Bunga on the 15 June 1606. Guru Hargobind believed that the Sikh faith was not limited to spiritual pursuits but martial power and temporal authority

4830-409: Was responsible for further developing it. Not much is known about the Akal Sena during the leadership of the Guru Har Krishan . Sources on his life are scarce. However, he maintained the army of the Akal Sena and an entourage of armed followers guarding him. Originally named Tyag Mal, the ninth Guru was renamed as ' Tegh Bahadur ' meaning "Brave Swordsman" after the valor he displayed fighting in

4900-442: Was vital as well. There are various views as to why the Sikh community and faith was martialized, with one theory being it was caused by the growing religious fundamentalism of the Mughal emperors . Some scholars, notably Trilochan Singh, argue that the roots for the martial tradition in Sikhism date back further to the guruship of Guru Arjan, pre-dating Guru Hargobind's militarization reforms and enactments. The Akaal Takhat and

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