Late 19th Century - Places & Objects

The Nishan Sahibs and their emblems found on buildings in this era, specifically at the Darbar Sahib complex seem to fall into three general categories.

1) Plain Nishan Sahibs similar to those seen during the early years of the Sikh Empire.

2) Nishan Sahibs with weapons, primarily the tulwar sword, dhal shield and katar dagger in a similar configuration as found on the exterior and interior of Darbar Sahib that date to the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

3) Rectangular shaped Nishan Sahibs with a solid light inner section and a darker border along its edges. The shapes of these Nishan Sahibs are more rectangular with an irregular edge. All other Nishan Sahibs including the modern banner have always had a triangular shape with straight edges. These unusual rectangular Nishan Sahibs are seen in paintings from the 1850’s to the 1860’s and were eventually replaced by triangular banners with tulwar sword, dhal shield and katar dagger configurations in the 1870’s.