Sikh Khalsa Army
Encyclopedia
Punjab Army was the military force of the Sikh Empire responsible for land defense from 1801-1849.
s. The army was divided into six main military divisions: Infantry
, Cavalry
, Artillery
, Medical, Engineering
and logistical support. The regular military force was backed up and supported by a further 52,000 well-trained and equipped professional-grade irregulars. In addition, a large reservoir of feudal and militia
forces was available. Artillery
division in 1838 had 188 heavy artillery guns
. The army at the time was regarded as the premier fighting force of Asia.
The Sikh Army was strongly Punjabi with a predominantly Sikh and Hindu cadre but also had a significant multi-religious component made up from other parts of the Punjabi people
: different religious backgrounds: Muslim
, Hindu
, Sikh
and different tribal backgrounds: Pashtuns, Dogra
s, Khatri
s, Jatts, Nepali
s and European mercenaries. A promotion
to a higher military rank
was based on military skill, not hereditary background, so was a classic meritocracy
. Sikhs formed the bulk of the Sikh Empire's army.
The Cavalry was divided into three divisions:
Background
The military strength consisted fully of professional soldierSoldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s. The army was divided into six main military divisions: Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
, Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
, Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, Medical, Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and logistical support. The regular military force was backed up and supported by a further 52,000 well-trained and equipped professional-grade irregulars. In addition, a large reservoir of feudal and militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
forces was available. Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
division in 1838 had 188 heavy artillery guns
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
. The army at the time was regarded as the premier fighting force of Asia.
The Sikh Army was strongly Punjabi with a predominantly Sikh and Hindu cadre but also had a significant multi-religious component made up from other parts of the Punjabi people
Punjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
: different religious backgrounds: Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
and different tribal backgrounds: Pashtuns, Dogra
Dogra
The Dogras are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group in South Asia. Being a diversified group, the Dogras include both Savarnas such as Brahmins, Rajputs and Non-savarnas. The Dogras also incluide merchant castes such as Mahajans...
s, Khatri
Khatri
Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
s, Jatts, Nepali
Demographics of Nepal
The population of Nepal is estimated at 29,391,883 people in July 2011, with a population growth rate of 1.596% and a median age of 21.6 years. Female median age is estimated at 22.5 years, and male median age at 20.7 years...
s and European mercenaries. A promotion
Promotion (rank)
A promotion is the advancement of an employee's rank or position in an organizational hierarchy system. Promotion may be an employee's reward for good performance i.e. positive appraisal...
to a higher military rank
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
was based on military skill, not hereditary background, so was a classic meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
. Sikhs formed the bulk of the Sikh Empire's army.
The Cavalry was divided into three divisions:
- Regular Cavalry
- Ghorchara Fauj Cavalry
- Jagirdari Cavalry
See also
- MislMislMisl generally refers to the twelve sovereign states in the Sikh Confederacy. The states formed a commonwealth that was described by Antoine Polier as an "aristocratic republic"...
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Generals
- Sikh ConfederacySikh ConfederacyThe Sikh Empire was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The empire, based around the Punjab region, existed from 1799 to 1849. It was forged, on the foundations of the Khalsa, under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh from a collection of autonomous Punjabi Misls...
- Punjab Chiefs
- Ranjit SinghRanjit SinghMaharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
- History of Punjab