Nihang

The word Nihang may come from the Persian word for a mythical sea creature (). The term owes its origin to Mughal historians, who compared the ferocity of the Akāli with that of crocodiles. The meaning of Akali in Sikhism however, is the immortal army of Akāl (God). According to Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, tracing the term Nihang to the Persian word for a crocodile is a misinterpretation and instead it refers to a "fearless person". Dilgeer states that the term Nihang is also used in gurbani, where it refers to someone who is carefree.' The term Akāli, which derived from Akāl,' == History ==

Origins There are various theories on the origin of the Nihangs.''' Dilgeer on the other hand narrates an entirely different theory of origination apart from the above three theories in his Sikh Reference Book. The Nihang tradition may originate from ascetic Shaivite warrior-traditions, as evidenced by the contents of the Sarbloh Granth and Chandi di Vār. In traditional Sikh martial arts whose custodianship lies with the Nihangs, Shiva is revered as the Adi Akhara Gurdav. Pre-colonial period s. It is claimed that the Nihangs arose as early as the period of the Akal Sena of Guru Hargobind, while other theories trace them to the period of Guru Gobind Singh, yet there are few Nihangs recorded in the history of the 18th and 19th centuries aside from Akali Naina Singh and Akali Phula Singh. Nihangs claim that their modern organisations sharing the same name can be traced back to these historical organisations of the Misl-era Sikhs. Baba Santa Singh was excommunicated for a different issue, and replaced with Balbir Singh, who agreed to shun the consumption of bhang. Due to their promotion of the Dasam Granth, the Nihangs have succeeded in preventing, or at least slowing, the SGPC from censuring and removing the scripture entirely from the confines of modern Sikh spirituality. Many Nihang deras now operate their own Internet websites. == Arms and attire ==

Traditional Nihang dress is known as Khalsa Swarupa or bana. several edged bracelets of iron round on each of their wrists (jangi kara) and quoits of steel (chakram) tiered in their lofty conical blue turbans, together with the either a dori kirpan (an open blade kirpan that is worn with a rope attached and was meant to be used as a quick access weapon) or a pesh kabaz – a predecessor to the modern kirpan. When fully armed a Nihang will also bear one or two swords (either the curved talwar or the straight khanda, or another type of sword like saif or sarohi on his right hip), a katar (dagger) on his left hip, a buckler made from buffalo-hide (dhal'') on his back, a large chakram around his neck, and an iron chain. In times of war, arms worn on the Nihang's person would generally be reserved until the warrior lost the weapon he held, often a bow (kamaan) or spear (barcha). Armour consisted of sanjo or iron chainmail worn under an iron breastplate (char aina). Nihang war-shoes (jangi mozeh) were constructed of iron at the toe, making their pointed toes capable of inflicting cuts and stab wounds. The firearms carried by Nihangs are either a toradar (matchlock) or a musket. In modern times nihangs also carry revolvers, semi-automatic pistols, double-barreled shotguns and bolt-action rifles The Nihangs favour the dark blue colour for their clothing, which they adopted to emulate Guru Gobind Singh's attire when he escaped from Chamkaur through the Machhiwara jungle.The Nihang were particularly known for their high turbans (dastar bunga) and their extensive use of the chakram or war-quoit. Their turbans were often pointed at the top and outfitted with a chand torra or trident called astbhuja which could be used for stabbing in close-quarters. Other times, the turbans would be armed with a bagh nakh'' (iron claw) and one or several chakram to slice at an opponent's eyes. These steel-reinforced turbans, it was said, afforded enough protection so that there was no need for any other form of headgear. Today, Nihang still wear miniature versions of five weapons (pancha shastra) in their turbans, namely the chakram, the khanda (sword), the karud (dagger), the kirpan, and the tir (arrow). The Nihangs engage in horsemanship and traditional Sikh martial arts. They have a special affinity to steel (sarbloh) weaponry.'''''' == Organisation and leadership ==

There are four main factions amongst the Nihangs of the modern-era, them namely being: Confined to Sur Singh locality. ==Use of intoxicants==

Some Nihang groups consume cannabis or shaheedi degh (), also known as sukha,' Sūkha parshaad (), "Comfort-gift", is the term Nihang use to refer to it. While consuming cannabis, the Nihangs strictly shun and forbid usage of any tobacco or alcohol.' According to a BBC article, "Traditionally they also drank shaheedi degh, an infusion of cannabis, to become closer with God." == Deras and gurdwaras ==

The Nihangs operate their own deras (also known as chhaunis, meaning "cantonment"), which are similar to akharas and taksals, except that the Nihang deras focus more on martial training and there is a maintenance of warlike qualities. Each Nihang dera has a special area where sukha is prepared. At Nihang deras, weapons are kept and this is normalised. Nihang deras traditionally kept horses but in the modern-period, automobiles are also kept for transport. Nihangs also operate their own gurdwaras, with groups of Nihang run gurdwaras being associated with a particular Nihang dera. Nihang deras are under the command of the jathedar of their respective associated dal. == Nishan Sahib ==

The Nihangs carry a unique Nishan Sahib, being navy/electric blue, and (sometimes) bright yellow or basanti with a tegha, dhal and katar. Yellow in Punjabi culture signifies sacrifice, revolt and honour while blue signifies courage, bravery and patriotism. In Punjab, blue is the colour of Khalsa, and yellow the colour of Kshatriyas. Due to various passages from the Dasam Granth, the Nihangs see themselves as Kshatriyas, but believe that the varna is not limited to ones heritage. == Scriptures ==

, with the Dasam Granth and Adi Granth on his left The Nihang sect equally reveres the Guru Granth Sahib, Dasam Granth, and Sarbloh Granth. They call the Guru Granth Sahib, Aad Guru Granth Sahib. They also sometimes refer to the scriptures as "Durbar", such as Aad Guru Durbar. The Sarbloh Granth has another name, as Sri Manglacharan Purana. They believe that all three of these scriptures are authentic, written by the Gurus and are one and the same. For this reason, they will often place the Dasam and Aad Granths on the same level and on the same throne (also known as the palki). They also sometimes do this for the Sarbloh Granth as well. == Festivals ==

The Nihangs celebrate Sikh festivals like other Sikhs, with the Dalpanth sub-division (but also other Nihang groups) travelling to Amritsar to celebrate Vaisakhi, Anandpur for Hola Mohalla, Muktsar for Maghi Mela, and Baba Bakala for Rakharh Punnian. The largest Nihang celebration tends to be at Hola Mohalla in Anandpur. Places associated with the Sikh gurus are frequented by Nihang organisations during festivities. == Diet ==

Nihangs tend to be non-vegetarians. They practice the jhatka method of slaughter, where the animal is killed in a single strike. They make use of iron or steel (sarbloh) utensils.'''''' == Nihang women ==

According to a 19th-century account by Giani Gian Singh, a small number of Nihang women also chose to wear turbans. An 1838 watercolour by Emily Eden depicts a Nihang woman with a turban the same size as her husband's. == Dialect ==

The Nihangs have developed their own coded language, known as Khalsa bole. The Nihangs use certain vocabulary with distinct semantics. They may have developed this unique linguistic quirk due to their relative isolation. It may have also developed in-order to keep the user in good-spirits and demoralize their enemies.'''''' == Relationship to other Sikhs ==

Whilst Nihangs have gained a reputation of being brave and fearless fighters, being remembered for their sacrifices in the form of martyrdom for the Sikh community (Quom), they are treated rather indifferently and ambivalently by other Sikhs despite the visible presence (due to their unique clothing and behaviour) and symbolism of the Nihangs. Some Sikhs view Nihangs in a negative-light, marking them as creating mischief and connecting them to murders and land-grabbing. Ordinary Sikhs may view Nihangs as being bhang (or sukha) consumers but also as trouble-makers who avoid paying for train or bus tickets. The tellings of the Sikh past narrated and performed by ragis and dhadis highlight on the sacrifices the Nihangs have made throughout Sikh history. Thus, Nihangs can be described as being a "neglected" segment of the Sikh community, being subjected to puns, but also being viewed as being particularly orthodox Sikhs. Therefore, the current situation of the Nihangs is one where they have mostly lost their relevance and significance in the Sikh faith in the eyes of other Sikhs. However, their contributions to gatka and promoting the Dasam Granth keep them relevant in the present-day. Nihang beliefs and practices differ from those ordained in the Sikh Rehat Maryada promulgated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. A key difference is the importance the Nihangs place on the Dasam Granth, meanwhile many other Sikh groups, such as the SGPC, prefer to maintain distance from the work or even deny it outright. Despite these differences, the SGPC and other Sikh bodies generally hold back from criticising Nihangs on their traditions, with both Nihangs and other Sikhs usually not making critical comments about each-other's differing practices and beliefs. However, there have been times where the Nihang practice of holding prakash (installation of a Sikh scripture) of the controversial Dasam Granth beside the Guru Granth Sahib at their places of worship have raised criticism from some SGPC representatives, which are met with refutations from the Nihang. Nihangs tend to be sensitive to criticisms of the Dasam Granth. == Popular culture ==

The Nihang is featured as a unique unit for the city-state Lahore in Civilization VI. The city-state and unit were brought into the game during the New Frontier Pass. In September 2023, a depiction of a Nihang Sikh was painted on the top-right section of an official illustration of the Dallas Cowboys football team as part of the Carpe Omnia ('seize everything') theme for the upcoming sports season. ==See also==