Punjab history · 1748–1849 · Revision notes

Punjab History for Exams: The Sikh Misls, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Anglo-Sikh Wars

Questions on the misls and on Maharaja Ranjit Singh appear in PSSSB, Punjab Police, PPSC and teaching exams almost every year. The period has many dates and names, but it follows a clear storyline — from scattered Sikh bands to a powerful kingdom and then to British annexation. These notes follow that storyline.

By PunjabExams Editorial Team · Updated 29 October 2026 · 7 min read · How we prepare guides

Background: Punjab after Banda Singh Bahadur

After Guru Gobind Singh's death in 1708, Banda Singh Bahadur led the Sikhs against Mughal authority, captured Sirhind in 1710 and set up a short-lived Sikh rule with its capital at Lohgarh. He struck coins in the name of the Gurus. He was captured in 1715 and executed in Delhi in 1716. For the next few decades the Sikhs faced severe persecution from Mughal governors of Lahore and later from the Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali, who invaded Punjab repeatedly between 1748 and 1767. In this period the Sikhs organised themselves into armed bands called jathas, which grew into the misls.

Dal Khalsa and the misls

In 1748, at a Sarbat Khalsa (general assembly) held at Amritsar on Baisakhi, the jathas were reorganised into the Dal Khalsa, with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia as its supreme commander. Nawab Kapur Singh played a key role in this organisation. Decisions taken collectively at the Sarbat Khalsa were called gurmatas.

The Dal Khalsa was made up of eleven misls, while the Phulkian misl (Patiala, Nabha, Jind) developed separately in the Malwa region. Together they are usually counted as the twelve misls.

Two dramatic events of this period are often asked:

• Chhota Ghallughara (1746) — the "smaller holocaust", a massacre of Sikhs by Mughal forces near Kahnuwan.
• Vadda Ghallughara (1762) — the "great holocaust", when Ahmad Shah Abdali killed thousands of Sikhs near Kup (Malerkotla). Later in 1762 Abdali also blew up the Harmandir Sahib.

The misls also ran the rakhi system — protection of villages in return for a share of produce. In 1765 the Bhangi chiefs captured Lahore, and Sikh coins were struck there.

The rise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh was born in 1780 in Gujranwala, the son of Maha Singh, chief of the Sukerchakia misl. He lost an eye to smallpox as a child and became chief of the misl in his early teens. With the support of his mother-in-law Sada Kaur of the Kanhaiya misl, he built up his power.

The Treaty of Amritsar (1809) is the single most asked fact of his reign. It stopped Ranjit Singh's expansion south of the Sutlej (the cis-Sutlej states such as Patiala came under British protection), and it allowed him to expand north and west instead.

Administration and army

• Title and style: he ruled in the name of the Khalsa, called his government Sarkar-i-Khalsa, and issued the Nanakshahi coins in the name of the Gurus.
• Ministers: Fakir Azizuddin (foreign affairs), Dewan Mohkam Chand (commander), Raja Dhian Singh Dogra (prime minister), Misr Beli Ram (treasury).
• Army: the Fauj-i-Ain (regular army) and the elite Fauj-i-Khas trained by European officers such as Jean-Baptiste Ventura and Jean-François Allard; artillery was strengthened under officers including Alexander Gardner. Hari Singh Nalwa was his most famous general.
• Religious patronage: he covered the Harmandir Sahib with gilded copper, which is why it became known as the Golden Temple, and supported shrines of other faiths too.
• Revenue: land revenue was the main source of income, collected in cash or in kind.

Decline after 1839 and the Anglo-Sikh wars

After Ranjit Singh's death came a period of instability: Kharak Singh, Nau Nihal Singh and Sher Singh ruled briefly, and the child Duleep Singh became Maharaja in 1843 with his mother Rani Jind Kaur (Jindan) as regent.

First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46)

Battles of Mudki, Ferozeshah, Aliwal and Sobraon (February 1846). The war ended with the Treaty of Lahore (March 1846): the Jalandhar Doab went to the British, a heavy indemnity was imposed and the Sikh army was reduced. Kashmir was transferred to Gulab Singh by a separate treaty. The Treaty of Bhairowal (December 1846) placed a British Resident at Lahore and effectively ended Sikh independence.

Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49)

The war began with the revolt of Diwan Mulraj at Multan. Battles of Ramnagar, Chillianwala (January 1849) and Gujrat (February 1849) followed. Punjab was annexed by Governor-General Lord Dalhousie in March 1849, and Duleep Singh was later sent to England. The Koh-i-Noor passed to the British Crown.

Memory aids

• "1-7-9-9 Lahore": Lahore in 1799; Maharaja in 1801 (two years later).
• Treaties in order — "Amritsar, Lahore, Bhairowal": 1809, 1846 (March), 1846 (December).
• Battles of the first war — "My Friends Always Smile": Mudki, Ferozeshah, Aliwal, Sobraon.
• Battles of the second war — "Really Calm Generals": Ramnagar, Chillianwala, Gujrat.

Practice questions

1. Q1. The Dal Khalsa was organised in 1748 under the supreme command of:

   • (a) Jassa Singh Ramgarhia
   • (b) Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
   • (c) Charat Singh
   • (d) Hari Singh Nalwa
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Jassa Singh Ahluwalia — The Sarbat Khalsa of 1748 placed the Dal Khalsa under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.

2. Q2. Maharaja Ranjit Singh belonged to which misl?

   • (a) Bhangi
   • (b) Kanhaiya
   • (c) Sukerchakia
   • (d) Phulkian
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Sukerchakia — Ranjit Singh was the son of Maha Singh, chief of the Sukerchakia misl.

3. Q3. The Treaty of Amritsar (1809) fixed which river as the boundary between Ranjit Singh's territory and British-protected areas?

   • (a) Ravi
   • (b) Beas
   • (c) Sutlej
   • (d) Yamuna
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Sutlej — The 1809 treaty with Charles Metcalfe made the Sutlej the boundary.

4. Q4. Which battle was NOT part of the First Anglo-Sikh War?

   • (a) Mudki
   • (b) Sobraon
   • (c) Chillianwala
   • (d) Aliwal
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Chillianwala — Chillianwala (1849) was fought in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

5. Q5. Punjab was annexed to British India in 1849 during the tenure of:

   • (a) Lord Hardinge
   • (b) Lord Dalhousie
   • (c) Lord Canning
   • (d) Lord Auckland
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Lord Dalhousie — Lord Dalhousie annexed Punjab in March 1849.

6. Q6. The Vadda Ghallughara (1762) is associated with:

   • (a) Nadir Shah
   • (b) Ahmad Shah Abdali
   • (c) Zakariya Khan
   • (d) Mir Mannu
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Ahmad Shah Abdali — Abdali's forces killed thousands of Sikhs near Kup in 1762.

7. Q7. Which European officers trained the Fauj-i-Khas of Ranjit Singh?

   • (a) Ventura and Allard
   • (b) Clive and Hastings
   • (c) Dupleix and Bussy
   • (d) Metcalfe and Lawrence
   Show answer

   Answer: (a) Ventura and Allard — Jean-Baptiste Ventura and Jean-François Allard trained the elite Fauj-i-Khas.

8. Q8. Who was the regent for the young Maharaja Duleep Singh?

   • (a) Rani Sada Kaur
   • (b) Rani Jind Kaur
   • (c) Mai Bhago
   • (d) Rani Raj Kaur
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Rani Jind Kaur — Rani Jind Kaur (Jindan), Duleep Singh's mother, acted as regent.

Frequently asked questions

How many Sikh misls were there?

Twelve are usually counted: eleven in the Dal Khalsa plus the Phulkian misl, which developed separately in the Malwa region.

When did Ranjit Singh become Maharaja?

He captured Lahore in 1799 and was proclaimed Maharaja on Baisakhi in 1801.

Why is the Treaty of Amritsar (1809) important?

It stopped Ranjit Singh's expansion south of the Sutlej, brought the cis-Sutlej states under British protection and shaped the borders of his kingdom.

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