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

The Bhangi Misl ( Punjabi pronunciation: ə̃˨ŋɡiː mɪsəl was a large and most powerful Sikh Misl headquartered was in Amritsar. It was founded in the early 18th century by Sardar Chhajja Singh Dhillon,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 with no violations against

Sikhi Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

. 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.

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 Ganda Singh, whose home town was Ferozepur in India, was a prominent member of the Ghadar Party. He spent some time in Hankou, China, where he met Chiang Kai-shek. in 1926, and M. N. Roy, in 1927. On the occasion of the visit of the former, he w ...

# 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 old ...

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 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