The Nihang (also spelt as Nihung lit. "Crocodiles") or Akali (lit. "Immortals"), is a martial order of Sikhs originating in the Indian subcontinent. Historically, they were known for their brave fighting skills and ruthless techniques in the battlefield during the Mughal period. Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the Sikh Empire. In the 1901 Census, recorded Nihangs were less than one thousand , but more recently, there has been an increase in the Nihang order.
Early Sikh military history was dominated by the Nihang, known for their victories despite being heavily outnumbered. Nihangs also formed an important part of the Sikh Khalsa Army. Despite their obscured origins, the Nihang claim to be the true form of the Khalsa and representatives of Guru Gobind Singh.Linden, Bob van der. 2021. “Emily’s Eden: Contemporary Sikh Drawings by Emily de Klerk.” Sikh Formations 17 (4): 450–67. doi:10.1080/17448727.2021.1988215. Retrieved on 13 June 2026 from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17448727.2021.1988215
The Akalis of the 20th century cannot be traced back to the historical Nihangs, as since 1920, the term Akali has also been used synonymously to refer to members of a Sikh political party called the Shiromani Akali Dal. Nihangs, also known as Dal Khalsa, are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "Akal Sena" (lit. Army of the Immortal) started by Guru Hargobind.
Etymology The word Nihang may come from the Persian word for a mythical sea creature (). The term owes its origin to Mughal historians, who compared the ferocity of the Akāli with that of crocodiles. The meaning of Akali in Sikhism however, is the immortal army of Akāl (God). According to Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, tracing the term Nihang to the Persian word for a crocodile is a misinterpretation and instead it refers to a "fearless person". Dilgeer states that the term Nihang is also used in gurbani, where it refers to someone carefree.
The word Akāli means timeless or immortal. Literally, it means one who belongs to Akāl (beyond time). In other words, an Akāli is that person who is subject to none but God. Guru Nanak used the term Akal Murat to describe God. The term Akāli, which derived from Akāl, was first used during the time of Guru Gobind Singh. It became popular in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The term came to be associated with “commitment, fearlessness, boldness, struggle, and justice.”
History
Origins The origin of the Nihangs is obscure. However, warrior-ascetic traditions in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the sixth century BCE. Despite this, warrior-ascetics only achieved political power with the collapse of the Mughal state in the 18th century.
There are various theories on the origin of the Nihangs. According to Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech (1999), reiterating the work of Kahn Singh Nabha, there are three main theories regarding the genesis of the Nihangs. These three theories are summarised below:
Began with the son of Guru Gobind Singh, Fateh Singh, with his blue clothing (chola) and turban (dumalla), with the Guru prescribing this uniform for his warriors. Second hypothesis claims that they originate from the blue-clothing disguise of Guru Gobind Singh when he escaped from Chamkaur in 1704 or 1705. Afterwards, the guru burnt the blue disguise at Dhilwan near Kot Kapura. A follower of the guru, named Man Singh, saved a piece of the blue clothing and attached it to his turban. The Nihangs then originated from the band and disciples of Man Singh. Third theory postulates that they can be traced back to the garb of Akali Naina Singh, who was the leader of the Shaheedan Misl. Dilgeer on the other hand narrates an entirely different theory of origination apart from the above three theories in his Sikh Reference Book. According to Dilgeer, the Nihangs originate from the period of Guru Gobind Singh, when during the Battle of Anandpur Sahib on 2 December 1703, the standard-bearer of the Sikhs, Bhai Man Singh, became injured and the pole of the flag broke, thus Guru Gobind Singh tore a strip of cloth from his blue-coloured under-turban (known as a keski) and tied it on the top part of his over-turban, creating what is known as a farla. Mimicking him, other Sikhs of the time, such as Uday Singh, Sahib Singh, Mohkam Singh, and Alam Singh emulated this manner of stylising one's turban with a blue-coloured strip of fabric. Guru Gobind Singh is then said to have mandated all Sikh leaders to follow this practice, so that the Sikh flag can never be lowered. Connecting to the theory regarding Fateh Singh, it is then believed Fateh Singh tried to also decorate his turban with a blue farla in this manner. This change to the Sikh uniform is said to have led to the arising of the Nihangs. Surjit Singh Gandhi hypothesized that the Nihangs originate from the heavy martial emphasis of Guru Gobind Singh.
According to J. S. Grewal, the Nihangs originate from remnants of the Khalsa of the late 18th century who failed or refused to occupy any territory, and were not associated with government or administration. As per Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, the Nihangs likely emerged as a powerful force during the 18th and early 19th centuries, marked by the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of Sikh polities, although there may be origins of the group dating earlier. The Nihang tradition may originate from ascetic Shaivite warrior-traditions, as evidenced by the contents of the Sarbloh Granth and Chandi di Vār. In traditional Sikh martial arts whose custodianship lies with the Nihangs, Shiva is revered as the Adi Akhara Gurdav.
As per the Nihangnama, various historical works discuss the Nihangs and their origin, such as Daya Singh's Rehatnama, Prachin Panth Prakash, Suraj Prakash, Sri Gurpad Prem Prakash, and Naveen Panth Prakash.
Pre-colonial period
It is claimed that the Nihangs arose as early as the period of the Akal Sena of Guru Hargobind, while other theories trace them to the period of Guru Gobind Singh, yet there are few Nihangs recorded in the history of the 18th and 19th centuries aside from Akali Naina Singh and Akali Phula Singh. Nihangs claim Baba Deep Singh as being a Nihang and also trace their legacy back to the bifurcation of the Dal Khalsa into two groups, the Buddha Dal and Taruna Dal, by Nawab Kapur Singh in the 18th century. Nihangs claim that their modern organisations sharing the same name can be traced back to these historical organisations of the Misl-era Sikhs. Akali Phula Singh was the overseer of the Akal Takht in Amritsar during his time and participated in the military conquests of the contemporary Sikh Empire. The deras of the Nihangs during Sikh-rule were kept independent from those of other Sikh groups. According to Dilgeer, the Nihangs reached the zenith of their influence during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During Sikh-rule, the Nihangs maintained many Sikh places of worship. With the oncoming of the mantle of leadership of Akali Phula Singh, the Nihangs also became known by a new term, Akali. Phula Singh and his followers were a source of military-strength for the Sikh Empire but they were also a potential threat to the Sikh throne. As per William G. Osborne, who had a disparaging view of them, the Nihangs frequently disrespected Ranjit Singh while he was parading. Meanwhile, Emily Eden found them picturesque.
During the Sikh Empire and particularly after the death of Phula Singh, the Nihangs became increasingly addicted to cannabis and lost their influence. However, another change marked by the death of Phula Singh is Maharaja Ranjit Singh made an order of Sikhs, namely the sarbarahs and mahants, the custodians of Sikh shrines, with Nihangs assisting in this management structure. The Nihangs played a role in the Sikh court but were antagonistic to Europeans and sometimes disobeyed orders, sometimes physically and verbally abusing the Sikh maharaja himself.Sandhra, Sharanjit Kaur. "Problematizing the Problematic: The Nihangs within the Great Sikh Court of 19th Century India." T. University of British Columbia, August 2008. Web. 7 May 2026. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) 2008+. PDF European visitors to the Sikh kingdom often wrote negatively about the Nihangs. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Nihang order experienced a decline.
British rule During British rule, the Nihangs continued to face a decline, with there being fewer Nihangs, as they had lost the former prestige they held during the pre-colonial period. Some of them were addicted to cannabis. In the 1892 census, 1,376 persons recorded themselves as being Nihangs, which this number declining to 431 in the 1901 census. The system of managing Sikh shrines through sarbarahs, mahants, and the Nihangs introduced during the Sikh Empire was continued by the British administration.
During the Singh Sabha Movement, the Sikh reformers may have adopted the unique markers of Nihangs in order to formulate and promote a separate Sikh identity, encapsulated as the Tat Khalsa. Aspects of the Nihang dress was adopted by other Sikhs, as it was seen as being "quintessentially" Sikh, alongside the martial aspects of the Nihangs, which was promoted by the British administrators as being ideal Sikh traits. The Akalis of the 20th century cannot be traced back to the historical Nihangs. Since 1920, the term Akali is also used synonymously to refer to members of a Sikh political party called the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Post-independence After the independence of India, Nihang deras started thriving. The Nihangs were renowned for their martial qualities but this popular image was damaged in 1978 and thereafter. During the Punjab insurgency, the Nihangs tended to not support the Khalistan movement, with there only being a few Nihangs who became militants, such as Avtar Singh Brahma and Pipal Singh (as per Ajit Singh Poohla, former leader of the Taruna Dal), who fought for the movement. On the contrary, there are claims of fighting between the Khalistanis and Nihangs. It is alleged that a Nihang dera, the dera of Ajit Singh Phoola, was involved in the murder of the family of a Sikh militant named Joga Singh of the Khalistan Commando Force in Khanpur, Amritsar district. Similarly, Piara Singh Nihang is suspected of murdering over a dozen family members of the Sikh militant Jagir Singh.
The Nihang leader Santa Singh and Ajit Singh Poohla had ties to the Indian National Congress party. Santa Singh was excommunicated from the Sikh religion in 1984. In 2001, Baba Santa Singh, the jathedar of Budha Dal, along with 20 Nihang jathadars (leaders), refused to accept the ban on the consumption of bhang by the SGPC.Nihangs ‘not to accept’ ban on bhang . The Tribune. March 26, 2001. Baba Santa, Singh was excommunicated for a different issue, and replaced with Balbir Singh, who agreed to shun the consumption of bhang.No ‘bhang’ at Hola Mohalla . The Tribune. March 10, 2001.
Due to their promotion of the Dasam Granth, the Nihangs have succeeded in preventing, or at least slowing, the SGPC from censuring and removing the scripture entirely from the confines of modern Sikh spirituality. Many Nihang deras now operate their own Internet websites.
Arms and attire