Nishan Sahib Khanda Sikh Symbols Sikh Museum History Heritage Sikhs

The Sikh Empire

The Sikh Empire - The Nihangs

The Nihangs or Akalis are a warrior sect that have always considered themselves as the Guru’s standing army, ready for battle at any time. They emphasize the martial tradition and their Nishan Sahib has always been distinct in appearance from other Nishan Sahibs.

The Nihang Nishan Sahibs seem to have had very little variations over time and have usually been a plain dark blue cloth without any emblems or pattern and sometimes with a thin border. Today at Nihang run gurdwaras in Punjab the dark blue Nishan Sahib can still be seen, with the only variation being the modern khanda emblem at its center.

Nihang Chieftain and Procession

ca. 19th century, paint on paper, private collection

The Nishan Sahib in this painting has a navy blue background with a gold/yellow stripe along its lower edge.
Nihang Chieftain and Attendants

ca. 19th century, paint on paper, private collection

The Nishan Sahib has a dark blue background with no visible borders.
Nihang Chieftain and Procession

ca. 19th century, wall painting, Punjab, photograph Ranjit Singh 'Freed'

The Nishan Sahib is a dark magenta color with possibly a narrow lighter colored border.
Closeup of previous image.
The capture of the Sikh standards from Mooltan

Artist John Dunlop, ca. 1849, London, paint on paper, Victorial & Albert Museum

The British capture a Nihang banner during the Second Sikh War. The Nishan Sahib has a dark background with a light colored border. Its plain dark color identifies it as a Nihang banner.
Closeup of the previous image.
Captured Nihang Banner

Captured at the Battle of Ferozeshah, ca. December 22, 1845, Lichfield Cathedral, England, photographer Amarpal Sidhu

Part of a regimental monument within the cathedral dedicated to the fallen British soldiers in the first Sikh War. The inscription on the monument reads: The Sikh colours on this memorial were taken by H.M.; s 80th Regiment at the Battles of Ferozeshah and Sobraon. The capture of the Black Standard at Ferozeshah cost the lives of some of those commemorated.' The Nishan Sahib after 150 years of exposure to light in the cathedral is now a plain dark green with a red/orange border. It is similar to the one captured at the siege of Multan in 1849.
Nihang procession

ca. 1994, Punjab, photographer Sondeep Shankar

A modern Nihang procession, with a plain navy blue Nishan Sahib, quite similar to paintings of such processions in the 19th century.
Nihang Nishan Sahib

Baba Phoola Singh di Burj, Amritsar, photographer Jasleen Kaur

The modern Nihang Nishan Sahib consists of a plain navy blue background with a khanda emblem at its center.

The Dark Banner

The Nihangs have historically emphasized the color blue and early travellers noticed this distinction between the larger Sikh community and the Nihang sect when it came to their attitudes regarding color.

They do not tie on their heads red turbans from the dye of safflower. Most of them put on blue turbans. The wearing of kachhha (short breeches) is very common in this community. They are divided into two named groups. The first, comprising those who put on blue attire which Guru Gobind Singh used to wear at the time of battle, are designated Akali Sikhs (Sikh Akalia); the second, simply called Sikhs, do not follow any restriction on the colour of their dress.
Tashrihu ‘I Aqwam, James Skinner, 1825, [1]

This emphasis on blue has not only been reflected in the clothing worn by the Nihang sect, but also their Nishan Sahib which has historically been a dark blue. The Nihang interpretation of why their Nishan Sahib is blue according to the former leader of the Budha Dal, the largest faction within the Nihangs is as follows:

“Blue clothing has been ordained in the Rehat of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. At the time the Akali Panth was created the colour blue was chosen. Our Nishan Sahib are blue, I do not know why this tradition of orange/yellow Nishan Sahibs has come about. We are the Panth of Akaal Purakh (Timeless Being) and blue is the colour we have been decorated with. For this reason where there is an encampment of Nihang Singhs a blue battle standard stands high, this is the symbol of our panth. So Nihang Singhs are the Akali Singhs, this is the panth of the Guru and this is the uniform of the panth.”
Jathedar Baba Santa Singh, Audio Recording May 1996 [2]

As the Nihang sect has traditionally been a military order, no distinction has existed between religious / civilian banner and military banners. For the Nihangs they were one and the same. The dark Nihang battle standard displayed at Lichfield Cathedral in England and captured by the British during the Battle of Ferozeshah in 1845 differs from the other captured Lahore battle standards in this regard. While the Lahore battle standards were not used as Nishan Sahib’s, but as military banners, the Nihang battle standard was also their Nishan Sahib.

Footnotes

1. J.S. Grewal & Irfan Habib, Sikh History from Persian Sources, New Delhi, 2001

2. www.nihangsingh.org/website/trad-bana.html