The Rise of Sikh Power in Punjab: 1709-1760s

1
The Rise of Sikh Power in Punjab 1709-1760s

• Similarities and Differences with Maratha States

2
Bandas Rebellion 1709-1715

• Begins as raids on important administrative
  cities and trading centers (Sirhind,Samana)
• By 1710 many parts of E. Punjab are in the hands
  of rebels, Bahadur Shahs army attempt to root
  them out
• Between 1711-1713 Banda moves from hills to
  plains, remains free.
• Succession struggle b/w Bahadur Shahs sons
  allows rebellion to continue
• Banda finally captured in 1715

3
Areas Of Sikh Rebellion
Raids towards Sirhind
4
Impact of Bandas Rebellion

• Wholesale targeting of Sikh creates more problems
  and alienates Khatris (sikh traders/officials,
  but not Khalsa)
• Mobilization of local ethnic feuds against Jat
  Sikhsparticularly groups such as Bhattis, Rangar
  Rajputs, etc. was more successful, but created
  ethnic tensions
• Jagir revenues from Panjab unavailable at a
  crucial time
• Khalsa Sikhs in particular further alienated from
  Mughal government, would rebel periodically
  through the mid 18th century, finally occupying
  Punjab by the 1760s.

5
Problems faced by Punjab Governors

• Little support from Delhi court to deal with
  continuing problems of rebellion
• By early 18th c. includes Sikh and Non-Sikh
  groups including powerful Afghan families of
  Qasur
• New problems of Persian invasion (1739) and
  Afghan invasions (13 from 1748-1765) create new
  pressures
• Turani faction at court not as powerful after
  Nizam-ul Mulks retreat, Punjab governors, who
  are Turanis, lose negotiating power
• After Abd-us Samads death, his sons Zakarya and
  Yahya Khan fight each other for Punjab, as if it
  was their inheritance

6
Why do Sikhs thrive by mid-18th century?

• Get support from Jat zamindars (Sikh and
  non-Sikh) who provide refuge and resources
• Use Punjab hills and Lakhi Jungle as hiding
  places from Mughal army
• Create a system of shared resources at Amritsar
  (main Sikh shrine) sustained by material from
  raids
• Brief grant of a jagir from governor in 1739
  backfires
• Khalsa Sikhs attract new recruits from Jat
  dominant areas, train and arm them, organize them
  into war bands

7
Impact of Afghan Invasions

• Have a devastating effect on Mughal
  administration in Punjab and also in Delhi
• Have a less negative impact on Sikh bands, since
  they can retreat to safe havens and return once
  the Afghans have moved on
• Although some Mughal officers join Afghans,
  relationships are tense and not fully
  collaborative
• By contrast, Khalsa Sikhs, due to their
  persecution by Afghan and Mughal officers are
  united by a shared religious ideology
• Afghan attacks on Sikh shrines and war bands only
  strengthen resistance.

8
Maratha and Sikh Expansion

• slow conquest controlled by Peshwa in Pune
• Chauth (25) and Sardeshmukhi (10) most common
• System of Kamavisdars creates regularity and
  uniformity by late 18th Century
• De-facto recognition of revenue rights from
  Mughals

• No single Sikh leader in charge, bands form misal
  groups that capture territory
• Ask for rakhi but amount varies from chief to
  chief
• Lots of variation in revenue arrangements, size
  and boundaries of misal states
• No recognition from Mughals or their allies
  formally until very late 18th C

9
Coordination among Sikh chiefs

• Each Sikh chief attempted to create an
  independent rule
• Only bound by shared notions of honor, regard for
  their reputation, and shared moral world-view
• Occasional meetings called gurmatas function as a
  sounding board for Sikh chiefs, but their binding
  force is debatable (contrary to Grewals claim)
  and limited to common issues of offence and
  defense rather than revenue and administration

10
What causes strife among chiefs? What resolves it?

• Disagreements about territorial boundaries and
  revenue claims (no peshwa like figure to mediate
  these)
• Kanhaiya and Ramgarhia feud in 1770s
• Honor feuds generated by insults or local rivalry
• Case of the wedding at Jind
• Accusations of creating unilateral alliances with
  Khalsas enemies
• Alha Singh of Patiala and Ahbad Shah Abdali in
  1760s

11
Context of Feud

• Both misals agree to conquer and create a shared
  revenue system in Upper Bari Doab (north of
  Amritsar)
• Later they disagree on how to divide the revenue,
  the Kanhaiyas attack Jassa Singh Ramgarhias fort
  in Batala and capture it.
• Ramgarhias have feuds with other Sikh chiefs are
  chased away from Central Punjab, only regain
  their territories in 1790s with the assistance of
  other Sikh allies.

12
The Jind Wedding dispute

• The phulkian misal (chiefs of Jind, Nabah,
  Patiala) had territories in SW Punjab
• The ruler of Jind hosted the wedding of his
  daughter to an important chief from the NW
  grooms guests pastured their horses in the
  neighboring lands of the Nabha estate.
• Nabha officials attack the bridegrooms people,
  insult their kinsmen (the brides relatives)
• This feud is only settled years later when other
  Sikh chiefs intervene

13
Alha Singh and Abdali

• In 1761, after defeating the Marathas at the
  Third Battle of Panipat, Ahmed Shah Abdali is
  returning to Afghanistan via Punjab.
• Detours in Patiala to punish Alha Singh, who had
  helped the Marathas. Impressed with Alha Singhs
  courage in 1765 grants him title of raja
• Sikhs want to punish Alha Singh and expel him
  from the Khalsa community
• Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, a respected senior chief,
  intervenes and re-baptizes him into the Khalsa to
  create peace within the community.

14
Sikhs Marathas Similarities

• Both from peasant stock experience upward social
  mobility through soldiering
• Both mobilize religious ideology to generated
  internal unity within the groupsuccess of this
  varied
• Both create revenue systems that are more
  streamlined and cost-efficient (for the state)
  but have fewer checks and balances for revenue
  payers

15
Sikhs and Marathas Contrasts

• Maratha system more expansionist, although Sikhs
  do raid Delhi and upper gangetic plains, do not
  extend their rule out of Punjab
• Maratha warrior identity forms sooner under
  Bijapuri Sultanate, has a longer history of both
  opposition and interaction with Mughals. By
  contrast, Sikh warrior identity stabilizes in the
  18th C and has limited interaction with Mughal
  norms.
• Maratha administrative systems become uniform
  under Peshwas. Sikh states have great internal
  variation and only achieve some uniformity under
  Ranjit Singh.
• Revenue farming more common under MarathasMost
  Sikh states are smaller, deal directly with
  peasants (until 19th c)