Lesson-15 Sikh Misls
1 Mark Questions
1.
Misl is the word of which language?
1. Arabic
2.
What does the word misl mean?
2. Equal
3.
What was the total number of misls?
3. Twelve (12)
4.
Who was Nawab Kapoor Singh?
4. Famous leader of Faizalpuria Misl
5.
Who was the founder of Ahluwalia Misl?
5. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
6.
Which was the capital of Ramgarhia Misl?
6. Shri Hargobindpur
7.
Who was the founder of the Shukrchakkia Misl?
7. Charhat Singh
8.
Who was the founder of The Phulkia MisI?
8. Choadhury Phuool Singh
9.
Who was the most qualified leader of the Dallewalia Misl?
9. Tara Singh Gheba
10.
Who was Sardar Sudha Singh?
10. Founder Shaheed Misl
11.
Which was the central body of sikh misls?
11. Gumata
12.
What is meant by Gurmata?
12. Guru’s Decision
13.
What is the meaning of Sarbat Khalsa?
13. Akal Takht, Conference to be
called at Amritsar
14.
What was the mode of warfare of the Misls Army?
14. Chhapamar or Gurila
Fill in the blanks:-
15.
.......was the founder of Ramgarhia misl.
15. Khushhal Singh
16.
Jhanda singh was a famous leader of ... ... misl.
16. Bhangi misl
17.
........was the foundr of Kanhaiya Misl.
17. Jai Singh
18.
The main source of income during sikh misls was........
18. Land reveneue
19.
Rakhi Pratha was introduced in Punjab in the.....century.
19.18th Century
20.
Founder of Phulkia Misal in Patiala was.......
20. Baba Aala Singh
(Correct/wrong)
21.
Misl is the Arabic word which means equal.
21. Correct
22.
Nawab Kapoor Singh was the founder of FaizalpuriyaMisl.
22. Correct
23.
Faizalpuriya Misl was also known as Ahluwalia Misl.
23. Wrong
24.
Nawab Kapoor Singh established Dal Khalsa in 1734 AD.
24. Wrong
25.
Nawab Kapoor Singh was the general of DalKhalsa.
25. Wrong
26.
Nawab Kapoor Singh died in 1753 AD.
26. Correct
27.
The capital of Shukrchakiya Misal was lahore.
27. Wrong
28.
Jai Singh was the founder of kanhaiya Misl.
28. Correct
29.
The founder of the Nishanwalia Misl was Hamir Singh.
29. Wrong
30.
The head of the misl was called misidar.
30. Correct
Multiple choice:-
31.
Which was the most powerful misl in sikh misis?
(a)
Shukrchakia Misl (b) Bhangi Misl (c) Kanhaiya Misl (c) Phulkia Misl
31. Shukrchakia Misl
32.
When did Maha Singh died?
(a)
1770 AD (b) 1780 AD (c) 1782 AD (d) 1792 AD.
32.1792 AD
33.
Who was Sada Kaur?
(a)
Leader of Kanhaiya Misl
(b)
Maha Singh's mother-in-law
(c)
Leader of Bhang Misl
(d)
None of these
33. Leader of KanhaiyaMisal
34.
Who was the founder of the Shukrchakkia misI?
(a)
Khushal Singh (b) Nawab Kapoor Singh (c) Chhaja Singh (c) Charhat Singh
34. Charhat Singh
35.
Which was the Central Institute of Sikn Misls?
(a)
Rakhi pratha (b) Jagirdari pratha (c) Gurmata (d) Misl
35. Gurmata
36.
What did the district chief say in the Misl period?
(a)
Ziledar (b) Kardar (c) Thanedar (d) Sardar
36. Kardar
37.
What was the Rakhi system?
(a)
Protecting of crops
(b)
Protecting women
(c)
Protecting the village from foreign invaders
(d)
All above
37. Protecting the village from foreign
invaders
38.
Which army was considered the most important army in the Misl period?
(a)
Horse-riding army
(b)
Infantary
(c)
Chariot Army
(d)
Navy
38. Horse riding army
Three Marks question-answer:-
Q:
1. What is the meaning of the word misl? Describe the misl period.
Ans:-Misl is the Arabic word which
means equal. In the 18th century, the sikh groups were based on the principle
of equality and hence the states under them were called misl. When Abdali
returned to Afghanistan in despair, the Sikhs took advantage of this and
established 12 independent states in different parts of Punjab, called
sikhmisls. These kingdoms were present from 1767 to 1799 AD. This period is
called the MislYug in the history of Punjab.
Q2.
Write a short note on Nawab Kapoor Singh?
Answer: - Kapoor Singh was born in
1697 AD. In The Village of Kaloke in ShekhupuraParganas. His father's name was
Chaudhry Dalip Singh Virk. Kapoor Singh was the first bigsikh leader after the
martyrdom of Banda Bahadur. They had established Dal-Khalsa in 1748 AD.Nawab Kapoor
Singh was the founder of FaizalpuriaMisl. He was fearless and brave from
childhood. Bhai Mani Singh had given amrit-pan. He took a major part in many battles
against the Mughals. In 1733, he received the post of Nawab from The Mughal
SubedarZakaria Khan of Punjab and an estate of 1 lakh rupees per annum.
Q3.
Who was the founder of RamgarhiaMisal? How was it named? Who was its most
powerful sardar?
Answer: - The founder of
RamgarhiaMisl was Khushhal Singh. He was a resident of Guga village near
Amritsar. He had received amrit-pan from BandaBahadur. The capital of this mis]
was Shri HariGobindpur. The powerful sardar of RamgarhiaMisl was S. Jassa Singh
Ramgarhia. Pleased with his bravery, the Sikhs gave Jassa Singh the fort of
Ramroni. He rebuilt the fort and renamed it Ramgarh. The name of this misl is
Ramgarhia after Ramgarh Fort.
Q4
Who was the founder of the Shukarchakkia Misl? Name the capital and famous
leader.
Answer: - The founder of the ShukarchakkiaMislwas
Charhat Singh. His predecessors Buch Singh and Nodh Singh belonged to a village
called Shukrchak, so the name of the misl became ShukarchakkiaMisl. Its capital
was Gujrawala. After the death of Maha Singh in 1792 AD, his 12-year-old son
Ranjit Singh took charge of the ShukarchakkiaMis]. Seven years after his rule,
he conquered Lahore. He then conquered many misland kingdoms and established a
vast empire.
Q5.
What did the Gurmata mean? Write down some three works of gurmata.
Answer: - The Gurmata was the central
institution of the Sikhs in the 18th century. It literally means "the
guru's wisdom". Sikh sardars used togather at Amritsar and take decisions
on important matters in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. This gathering
of Sikhs and its decisions were called 'Gurmata’. Over time, the assembly was
called 'Gurmata’.
Three functions of the
Gurmata:-
1. Electing the supreme leader of the
Dal Khalsa.
2. Planning a war against common
enemies.
3. Preparing a schedule for the
promotion of Sikhism.
Q.6
Write a short note on the Rakhi system.
Answer:-In the 18th century due to
chaos and anarchy prevailing in different parts of Punjab, the peasants were
subjected to great prsecution. Not only did the landlords and government
servants exploit them, but afghan invaders also robbed them and at times the
Sikhs also attacked them and took away food etc from them. Finally, the people
of many villages requested the Sikhs to protect them. As per the decision of
Dal khalsa, many villages gradually came under the protection of sikhjathas or
mislsardars to save the villagers from being looted by other bandits and
invaders and in return the people of that villageused to give 1/5 percent of
the production of the Rabi andkhrif crops to the sardars.
Q7.
Write down any of the three features of the justice-system under Misls.
Answer: - Justice under Misls:-
1. The justice system was not
particularly advanced at the time of Misls. The laws were not written and
determined, and decisions were in accordance with the old customs or religious
norms.
2. The chiefs of Misl also considered
justice as a source of income. The criminal and the innocent side were charged
money for some reason or another.
3. The justice system was in
compatible with the people's nature and time and there was no legal complexity.
Q8.
What was the Mode of Warfare of Misls?
Answer: - The Mode of Warefare of misls:-
1. Due to the unlimited resources and
heavy artillery of the Mughals and
Afghans, the Misls soldiers adopted
the Gurilla war method or raiding.
2. ‘Kill and Run’ was the main basis
of this war policy. According to this war strategy, the Sikh soldiers had taken
refuge in the forestby causing great damage to the enemy.
3. This sikh war system was the main
reason for success against the Mughals.
6 marks questions
Q1.
Write down the main features of the military system of the misls?
Answer: - The
main features of the military system of Misls are as follows:-
1. Cavalry:-The most important and main part of
the Misl army was the Cavalry Army. The infantry was not so important then and
the Sikh soldiers considered it against their dignity to fight without a horse.
He was a skilled horseman and could fight well on horseback. They traveled 50
to 120 miles a day.
2. Recruitment and Salary:-The Misl Force was
recruited voluntarily. No one was forced to join. Physical strength and fighting
skills were considered the essential conditions for recruitment in the army.
The soldier could have joined forces with the exception of one misaldar. The
names of soldiers and their whereabouts were not recorded.
The soldiers were not paid in cash.
They were given part of the loot. Twice a year, a portion of the
lagaancollected from the crops of rabi and kharif was also given.
3. The soldiers used weapons and equipment:-Misls used in the battle swords, daggers, arrows, bershes, etc. They used
guns too. The Sikh soldiers had a bag full of roasted chickpeas, a gur, a rope
and two blankets.
4. Method of fighting: - Due to unlimited resources and heavy artillery of the Mughals and the
Afghans, the Misl soldiers resorted to Guerrilla warfare. "Kill and
Run" was the main basis of this war policy. According to this war
strategy, the Sikh soldiers had taken refuge in the forestby causing great
damage to the enemy. This war system of the Sikhs was the main cause of success
against theMughals.
5. Number of Misl Army:-Many views on the number of misls
forces have been presented. According to Forster, in 1783, the Sikh army was
about 2 lakh. According to Broun, there were 73,000 cavalrymen and 25000 pedestrians.
According to George Thomas, there were 60000 cavalrymen and 50000 pedestrians.
Question
No. 2. What does the word ‘misl’ mean? Write about the origin of misls and the
organization of the misls.
Ans: - According to Cunningham, Misl
is an Arabic word which means equal. According to David Akhtarlony, the word
misl meant for a tribe or caste. According to Dr. A.C. Banerjee, the Sikh Misl
was a combination of religious, democratic and unifying doctrines in the
formation. According to general opinion, the misl means ‘file’in which the
details of the misls were recorded. After the martyrdom of
Banda Singh Bahadur, the Mughal subedars
of Punjab committed a heavy crime against them for destroying the sikh power.
From 1716 to 1753, the Sikhs had organized themselves into small military
groups to face the atrocities of the Mughals, but they fought among themselves
because of their lack of unity and could not take any major action. In 1734,
Nawab Kapoor Singh made two sikhjathas, Budha Dal and Taruna Dal. In 1745, 25 sikhgroups
were formed. Each group had 100 Sikhs. Graduallythe number of these groups
increased to 65, and the Dal Khalsa was established at Amritsar on 29th March
1748 AD to counter the atrocities of the Mughals and the attacks of Ahmed Shah
Abdali. 12 Jathey were formed under Dal- Khalsa. Each Jathas had its own
sardar, nagara, name and a different flag. From 1767 to 1799, most of Punjab
was ruled by these misls. He was now considered as 12 independent Sikh misls.
Question
3.write the organisation of internal governance systems of misls?
Answer:-
1.Government and Misaldar: - The head of each misl was called sardar. All power of
the internal administration of the mislswas centered under the sardar. He ruled
the misls as he desired. MisalSardar lived a simple life. Though he had a full
faith in Sikhism, he was also liberal towards other religions. He paid special attention
to the welfare of the farmers. All the MisalSardars established their own
classics and issued coins in the name of Guru Nanak Dev ji and Guru Gobind
Singh ji. Under Sardar, there were 400 to 500 misaldars. These misaldars also
kept their army and helped the Sardar during the war.
2. Districts: - The misls were divided into several districts with the aim of running the
administration in a good manner. The head of each district was called kardar.
He was responsible for running the district administration.
3. Village Panchayat:-Village was the smallest unit of misl
administration as most people belonged to the village and hence the village was
managed by the Panchayat. The Panchayat dealt with the disputes of the
villagers. The pancha decision was considered as the decision of God.
MisalSardar also respected the decision taken by the Panchayat. The numberdars,
Patwaris and chowkidars used to help the panchayat to administer the village.
Question
4. Describe the economic management of the misls.
Answer:-
1. Land LevySystem:-Land Levy was
the main source of the income of the misls. This lagaan was different depending
on the fertility of the land. The land tax was generally 1/3 part of the grain.
But 1/2 part of the more fertile land and 1/4 part of the low yield land was
taken as a tax. Twice a year, the tax was collected on Rabi and Kharif crops.
The Batai system was prevalent for collection of regulars tax. Under this
system, the government would determine its own logging after harvesting the
crop. Grain or cash could be paid.
Four
systems of land and rights of the villages were prevalent:
(a)Pattedari system (b)
Misladar system (c) Tabedari system (d) Jagirdari system
2. RakhiPratha: - Money derived from the Rakhisystem
was also the main source of income of the misls. There were many villages in
Punjab which were not directly under the mislbut were in their protection. The MisalSardars
provided protection to the villages who had come to their shelter from foreign
invaders and looters and in return the villagers gave 1/5 of the crop yield to
the Sardar.
3. Other sources of income:-Apart from the lands
imposing and defence, there were other means of income of the misaldar, such as
looting during the war, a tax on goods in the areas of the misls, income from
the trade of shawls, horses and arms, fines from criminals and the proceeds of
the prosecution from the winner of the trial.
