Naina Singh ( fl. 18th century), also known as Narayan Singh, was a

Nihang The Nihang or Akali (lit. "the immortals") is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihang are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "Akali" (lit. Army of the Immort ...

warrior and fifth

Jathedar A jathedar ( pa, ਜੱਥੇਦਾਰ) is a leader of high regard chosen to head and ensure discipline within a jatha, a body of Sikhs. The Jathedar of the Akal Takht is the central head of the Sikhs worldwide, who makes all important decisions ...

Budha Dal Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined forces of 12 Sikh misls that operated in the 18th century (1735–1780) in the Punjab region. History Mughal rule of Punjab The religion of Sikhism began at the time of the conquest of Northern India by ...

and a chief of the Shaheedan Misl during the late 18th century.

Biography

Early life

Very little is known or can be assured about the early life of Naina Singh. He was born as Narayan Singh around 1736, into a

Sidhu Sidhu () is a Punjabi Jat clan found in Punjab.Jat 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 ...

family, in Khudi Kurd located in

Barnala Barnala is a city in the state of Punjab of India. Barnala city serves as the headquarters of the Barnala district which was formed in 2006. Prior to formation of Barnala district, this city was located in Sangrur district. It is situated ne ...

district. According to Harbans Singh, he must have been alive in or before 1734, the year

Baba Darbara Singh Baba Darbara Singh (1644–1734) was second Jathedar of Khalsa Panth Dal Khalsa. He should not be confused with other Darbara Singh of Sirhind who fought in Battle of Anandpur. Darbara Singh was born in the village of Dal as the son of Bha ...

passed away, because Naina Singh had received the '' Pahul'' rites under the supervision of Darbara Singh. He was also caretaker of Darbar Sahib. He learned

Gurbani Gurbani ( pa, ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ) is a Sikh term, very commonly used by Sikhs to refer to various compositions by the Sikh Gurus and other writers of Guru Granth Sahib. In general, hymns in the central text of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, ...

and martial skills from Baba Deep Singh. He became associated with the Shaheedan Misl. He joined Budha Dal at the age of 20, along with his nephew Nihang Kharag Singh. Within the Shaheedan Misl, he rose to the ranks of a junior leader headquartered at Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, located in modern-day Bathinda district. Naina Singh is believed to have been talented performer of ''

kirtan Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

. He became acquainted with a Sikh of the Nishanwalia Misl named Ishar Singh, developing a friendship.

Adoption of Phula Singh

During battle in-which the Nishanwalia and Shaheedan misls jointly partook in, Ishar Singh became mortally wounded. Ishar Singh was the father of two sons, with the elder child named Phula Singh. On his dying breath in the battlefield, Ishar Singh granted custodianship over his two sons to Naina Singh and requested the latter to take care of them. Naina Singh would take the two infants to Damdama Sahib and raise them. He was guardian of

Akali Phula Singh Akali Phula Singh Nihang (born Nihang Singh; 1 January 1761 – 14 March 1823) was an Akali Nihang Sikh leader. He was a saint soldier of the Khalsa Shaheedan Misl and head of the Budha Dal in the early 19th century. He was also a senior ...

(1761-1823) and trained him with scriptures, warfare and martial arts. Bhai Naina Singh, the uncle and the predecessor of

used Akali as a prefix of his name.

Influence on clothing

The unique aspects of the Nihang sect's clothing is attributed to Naina Singh traditionally. He is credited for introducing the tall pyramidal turban, which is common among the Nihangs.''NAINA SINGH, AKALI''
The Sikh Encyclopedia
/ref> As per Nihang lore, Naina Singh wanted to wear a large and tall turban to help make him more recognizable to his fellow warriors of his Misl, since he held the flag-bearer role in the Misl.

Later life and successor

In his later life, he moved to Bharpurgarh village located near Amloh in present-day Patiala district. He was succeeded by his disciple, Phula Singh, as the next chief of the Shaheedan Misl. His successor Phula Singh became even more popular as an Akali.

Legacy

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

located in Bharpurgarh claims to possess clothing and musical instrument relics of Naina Singh, which they display to visitors.

Notes

References

{{Sikhism Nihang 1736 births Year of death unknown