1 But refrains, for the
2 present, from meddling
3 with the affairs of the
4 Panjab.
5 The formation of
6 Sikh confederacies.
7 The national league
8 at Auiritsar.
9 The Akdlis or im-
10 mortals.
11 The business con-
12 ducted at these con-
13 ventions.
14 The holy cakes.
15 The system of
16 military service cx-
17 plained.
18 The chiefs and fight-
19 ing mien.
20 . Their mutual rela-
21 tions how rezulatel.
22 290 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB.
23 east, to Attock on the west, and from Multdn and Sindh in the south, to
24 Kangra, Jammu and Bhimber on the north. . Tymur Shah found it beyond
25 his power to settle the affairs of the Panjab, or to check the progress of the
26 Sikhs by force of arms, the Sikh chiefs freely utilizing the services of the
27 zemindars who had revolted from the Durrani king, and being thereby con-
28 siderably strengthened in the prosecution of their exploits of rapine and
29 plunder. The independent Sikh sardars became complete masters of their
30 own districts, exercising supreme power over, and for the benefit of, the
31 clans to which they were respectively attached. Pan
32 The various clans under their respective chiefs were leagued together, and
33 formed a confederacy, which they denominated misé or “ similitude,” thereby
34 implying that the chief and followers of one clan were equal to those of
35 another. As the chieftains administered the country according to the law
36 laid down by the founder of their religion, aud as they were bound, by this
37 law, to aid one another in support of their religion and country, a law which
38 they scrupulously obeyed, this mist may be aptly termed a theocracy, To
39 such a form of government, it was essentially necessary that some person
40 should be appointed to the head of affairs, and they accordingly agreed by
41 common consent to be guided in all matters in which united action might
42 be requisite, by the spiritual head of their church. This personage was
43 appointed, from time to time, by the popular voice of Khdlsdé. A national
44 league was also established at Amritsar by the Akdlis.
45 It was the duty of this convention, aided by their spiritual preceptor,
46 in the interpretation of the “ Daswdén Badshah ka Granth,” or, ‘ The Book
47 of the Tenth Guru,” to look to the administration of home and foreign
48 affairs ; to arrange and plan expeditions; to avert national danger, and to
49 educate the people in the doctrines of their religion. Uoly cakes were
50 distributed on this occasion in commemoration of the injunction of Nanak,
51 saluted by the assembly and eaten. All bowed their heads before the
52 sacred book, the Akélts, the Khdlsdé’s own heroes, exclaiming, “ Wah Guru jt
53 ka Khdlsé ; Wah Guru ji ki Fatteh (“ The Khdlsd is of the Lord; Victory is
54 to the Lord”). During this ceremony the vubabis sang the national
55 anthem, and the musicians played martial and sacred tunes for the diver-
56 sion of the assembly.
57 All booty was equally divided among the chiefs, and these, in their
58 turn, subdivided a portion of it among their dependents. The fighting
59 members, however, received their pay from a national fund, to which they
60 contributed by means of plunder and fraud. They received no fixed salary,
61 but were paid according to the state of the afuresaid fund, and were quite
62 at liberty to abandon the profession of arms or to transfer their military
63 allegiance from one chief to another. Many of the boldest of these adven-
64 turers, succeeded in establishing parties of their own. Those who were
65 fortunate enough to raise large and powerful bands were acknowledged:
66 as independent chiefs, by their compatriots, while those who were less
67 successful, amalgamated their retinues with those of other chiefs, It be-
68 hoved the chiefs, on all occasions, to be very assiduous ia their attention
69 to the wants and wishes of their followers, for it was only by such means
70 that they could hope to retain them in their service, the slightest show of
71 indifference exhibited by a chief to the interests of his fighting men, in-
72 variably ending in the latter going over to another chief.
73 This system of volunteering their services for national emergencies and
74 plunder, with liberty to leave the profession of arms whenever they might
75 ee to do so, was, at least, beneficial to themselves, if not to the State,
76 ey were sure of having their interests and welfare attended to by
77 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com