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| Sikh Khalsa Army ਸਿੱਖ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਫੌਜ | |
|---|---|
 Captured Sikh battle standard of First Anglo-Sikh War | |
| Active | 1790–1849 |
| Country |  Sikh Empire |
| Allegiance | Khalsa |
| Size | at its greatest height, during 1838–39, before the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab 120,000 men: • 5,500 Fauj-i-Khas elites • 60,000 Fauj-i-Ain regulars • 50,000 Fauj-i-Be Qawaid irregulars (consisting of Jagirdari levies, Fauj-i-Kilajat and Ghorcharas) |
| Headquarters | Lahore, Attock, Kangra, Multan, Peshawar, Srinagar, Sirhind, Lohagarh, Anandpur Sahib |
| Patron | The Maharajas of Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh Maharaja Kharak Singh Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh Maharaja Sher Singh Maharaja Duleep Singh |
| Motto(s) | Deg Tegh Fateh (Cauldron, Sword, Victory or Prosperity in Peace and Victory in War) |
| War Cry | Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal (Whoever utters it shall be fulfilled, God is Eternal) Waheguruji ka Khalsa Waheguruji Ki Fateh (The Khalsa belongs to god, God will be victorious) |
| March | Kirtan |
| Anniversaries | Vaisakhi, Bandi Chhor Divas, Gurpurb, Holla Mohalla, |
| Official Salutation | Wahegur Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh (Khalsa Belongs to God's, Victory belongs to God) is normal but other regiments may vary |
| Wars | |
| Decorations | Bright Star of Punjab, Guru Jee ki sher, Fateh-o Nusrat Nasib, Zafar Jhang |
| Battle honours | Lahore, Amritsar, Gujrat, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan, Attock, Multan, Shopian, Nowshera, Peshawar, Ladakh |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab Raja Fateh Singh Hari Singh Nalwa Misr Diwan Chand Dewan Mokham Chand Sham Singh Attariwala Jean-Francois Allard Jean-Baptiste Ventura Akali Phula Singh |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | Hindu regiments: Various goddesses and gods
Muslim regiments: crescent or others Sikh regiments: Khanda or plain banners Akalis: Katar, dhal, kirpan or aad chand |
| Predecessor |  Dal Khalsa |
| Successor | .svg){kind=small} Presidency armies |
The Sikh Khalsa Army (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਫੌਜ, romanized: Sikha khālasā phauja), also known as Khalsaji[1] or simply Sikh Army, was the military force of the Sikh Empire. With its roots in the Khalsa founded by Guru Gobind Singh, the army was later modernised on Franco-British principles by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.[2] It was divided in three wings: the Fauj-i-Khas (elites), Fauj-i-Ain (regular force) and Fauj-i-Be Qawaid (irregulars).[2] Due to the lifelong efforts of the Maharaja and his European officers, it gradually became a prominent fighting force of Asia.[3][2] Ranjit Singh changed and improved the training and organisation of his army. He reorganized responsibility and set performance standards in logistical efficiency in troop deployment, manoeuvre, and marksmanship.[3] He reformed the staffing to emphasize steady fire over cavalry and guerrilla warfare, improved the equipment and methods of war. The military system of Ranjit Singh combined the best of both old and new ideas. He strengthened the infantry and the artillery.[4] He paid the members of the standing army from treasury, instead of the Mughal method of paying an army with local feudal levies.[4]
- ^ Nalwa, V. (2009), Hari Singh Nalwa - Champion of Khalsaji, New Delhi: Manohar, p. 10, ISBN 81-7304-785-5
- ^ a b c The Sikh Army 1799–1849 By Ian Heath, Michael Perry
- ^ a b History of the Punjab by Prof Manjeet Singh Sodhi ISBN 9789384025311)
- ^ a b Singh, Teja; Sita Ram Kohli (1986). Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Atlantic Publishers. pp. 65–68.
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