According to legend, in 1595
Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606), the Fifth Sikh Guru, visited the village of Baherwal with some of his followers. The Guru was not received with hospitality, so he continued to the village of Jambar where he lay down on a charpai (cot) under a shady tree. Hem Raj, a Sandhu Jat, the Chaudhari or headman of Bahrwal, was absent when the Guru passed through his village. Hem Raj was ashamed of his town's inhospitality and went to Jambar and brought him back to his town. The Guru blessed Hem Raj and prophesied that they would one day rule. However, it took more than 100 years for the prophecy to materialize. By 1748 when
Mughal power in
Punjab was on its decline, Sikhs were in ascendance. Sardar
Heera Singh Sandhu (1706–1776) took possession of the lands surrounding Baherwal. The countryside of Kasur was located in Nakka country South of
Majha Region. His misl took the name of the area they ruled. He took
Amrit Sanchar (Sikh Baptism) in 1731.
Nakka means border, or gateway, and Nakka country was located between the
Ravi and
Sutlej south of
Lahore. He also took
Chunian from the
Afghans, but died near
Pakpattan in a battle against Sujan
Chisti - a devotee of the
Shrine of Baba Farid. His companions brought his corpse to Baherwal where it was cremated. Hira Singh Sandhu's son, Dal Singh Sandhu, was a minor, so his nephew Nar Singh Sandhu, son of Natha Singh Sandhu, succeeded him as leader of the
misl. Nine months into his reign in 1768, Nar Singh was killed battling the
Kharals at Kot Kumaliah. Nar Singh was issueless, and was succeeded by his brother
Ran Singh. Ran Singh was ambitious and had expanded the misl's strength so that it became dominant among its neighbors. The misl reached its high point under Ran Singh. Ran Singh was a fierce warrior and the most powerful of the Nakai chiefs. He extended his rule to the talukas of Bucheke, Changa Manga, 69 km from Lahore, Chhichha, Devsal, Fatehpur, Jethupur,
Kasur,
Kharal fort of Kot Kamalia,
Sharaqpur, Gugera pargana, 5 km to the west of the Ravi, and Shergarh,
Zamburaks, and
artillery. Realizing they might lose all their territories Sardarni Karmo Kaur, in consultation with her people, betrothed her infant daughter,
Raj Kaur Nakai to the four-year-old
Ranjit Singh, son of
Sukerchakia Chief
Maha Singh, to gain a powerful ally. Wazir Singh was afraid that with Maha Singh, Bhagwan Singh would be able to defeat him, and so tried to break the relationship, but failed. Maha tried to bring peace, but Bhagwan and Wazir continued to engage in warfare, and Bhagwan was killed by Wazir. Dal Singh, the son of Hira Singh, subsequently killed Wazir in revenge but was himself killed later by one of Wazir's servants. inscription on a cannon of the Nakai Misl at
Lahore Fort Bhagwan had no children and was succeeded by his brother Gyan Singh as the head of the Nakai Misl in 1789. With the family's old enemy Wazir Singh killed by Dal Singh, the son of
Heera Singh Sandhu, Gyan Singh had a relatively peaceful reign and consolidated his power. He married Sardarni Rai Kaur and had three children; a son Kahan Singh who succeeded him after his death in 1807, and two daughters named Bibi Rattan Kaur and Bibi Daya Kaur. In 1798 Gyan Singh married his sister Raj Kaur to
Ranjit Singh at his mothers behest, who became Ranjit's second but most favourite queen, whom he fondly called Mai Nakain
. After the marriage, she was renamed
Datar Kaur to avoid confusion with Ranjit's mother and aunt who were also both named 'Raj Kaur'. She received the name "Datar", meaning 'Giver', due to her gentleness and understanding nature. In 1801 she gave birth to
Kharak Singh, the heir apparent of the
Sikh Empire. She was granted a
jagir by Ranjit Singh at
Sheikhupura. She took control of the
Sheikhupura Fort when her six-year-old son
Kharak Singh conquered it. She gave birth to her second son Rattan Singh in 1805. The
Sikh Khalsa Army was under her and her minor son Kharak Singh's command during the
Battle of Multan (1818). In 1807 Gyan Singh died and his son,
Kahan Singh succeeded him. Before having his estate seized by
Ranjit Singh in 1810, Sardar Kahan Singh conquered
Pakpattan. After Ranjit Singh had declared himself the Maharaja of Punjab in 1801, he continued consolidating the majority of the Misls. The ambitious Maharaja eyed the Nakai territory, but spared it until Sardar Gyan Singh's death in 1807. Mohkam Chand conquered the fortresses of Chunia, Dipalpur, and Satghara. Sardar Kahan Singh came back from Multan to find his territories out of his control. Consequently, Ranjit Singh ordered the annexation of his holdings and granted Kahan Singh a Jagir at Baherwal, then valued at 15,000 Rupees. A Jagir at Nankot was also granted to Sardar Khazan Singh, a son of Sardar Ran Singh Nakai. == Leaders ==