Nihang

The word Akali/akaali means timeless or immortal.

Literally, one who belongs to Akaal (beyond Time). In other words, an Akaali is that person who is subject of none but God only. Conceptually speaking, the terms Akaali, Khalsa and Sikh are synonymous. The term Akaali was first used during the time of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. It became popular in the last decades of the eighteenth century.

The term came to be associated with “commitment, fearlessness, boldness, struggle, and justice.”[4]

Akalis at the Fatehgarh Sahib Sarovar

The word Nihang may come from the Persian word for a mythical sea creature (Persian: نهنگ).[5] The term owes its origin to Mughal historians, who compared the ferocity of the Akali with that of crocodiles. The meaning of Akali in Sikhism however, is the immortal army of Akal (God).[6]

According to Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech, there exists three main theories regarding the genesis of the Nihangs. These three theories are summarized below:[7]

• Began with the son of Guru Gobind Singh, Fateh Singh with his blue clothing and turban with the Guru prescribing this uniform for his warriors.
• Second hypothesis claims that they originate from the disguise of Guru Gobind Singh when he escaped from Chamkaur in 1704 or 1705.
• Third theory postulates that they can be traced back to the garb of Akali Naina Singh of the Nishanwalia Misl.

Nihang Abchal Nagar (Nihangs from Hazur Sahib), 1844. Shows turban-wearing Sikh soldiers with chakrams.

Traditional Nihang dress is known as Khalsa Swarupa. This comprises full attire of navy blue selected by Guru Gobind Singh after conflicts with Vazir Khan, the Mughal Governor of Sirhind,[8] 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.[9][10] 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.[11]

A Nihang Singh and a Nihang Singhani

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 naka (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).

A group of Nihangs from Anandpur Sahib

There are four main factions amongst the Nihangs of the modern-era, them namely being:[12][7]

A nihang singh wearing a dastar bunga

Some Nihang groups consume cannabis or shaheedi degh (ਭੰਗ), purportedly to help in meditation.[18] [19][20] Sūkha parshaad (ਸੁੱਖਾ ਪ੍ਰਰਸਾਦ), "Dry-sweet", is the term Nihang use to refer to it. It was traditionally crushed and taken as a liquid, especially during festivals like Hola Mohalla. It is never smoked, as this practice is forbidden in Sikhism.[21]

In 2001, Jathedar (leader) Santa Singh, the leader of Budha Dal, along with 20 chiefs of Nihang sects, refused to accept the ban on consumption of shaheedi degh by the apex Sikh clergy - in order to preserve traditional Sikh practices.[22] According to a recent BBC article, "Traditionally they also drank shaheedi degh, an infusion of cannabis, to become closer with God"[23]

The Nihangs carry the original Nishan Sahib, being navy/electric blue, and (sometimes) bright yellow or basanti with a tegha, dhal (shield) 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 system is not limited to ones heritage.

• 
  Flag used by Guru Hargobind
• 
  The flag of the Sikhs given by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh
• 
  Nihang reading from the Sarbloh Granth, with the Dasam Granth and Adi Granth on his left

The Nihang sect equally reveres the Guru Granth Sahib, Dasam Granth, and Sarbloh Granth.[24] They attribute the later two works to Guru Gobind Singh.[24] They consider the Dasam Granth and the Sarbloh Granth as extensions of the Guru Granth Sahib. As such, they refer to these scriptures as Sri Dasam Guru Granth Sahib, and Sri Sarbloh Guru Granth Sahib.[25] 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.[25] 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.

The Nihangs have developed their own coded language, known as Khalsa bole.[26]

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.[27][28]

• Dasam Granth , The Dasam Granth website
• Book review of the Nihang book The Beloved Forces of the Guru
• "Tribes and Castes of Punjab and N.W. Frontier Province" by H.A. Rose (1892)
• Bhai Sahib Amrit Pal Singh 'Amrit' has presented well-researched articles on Nihangs on his website
• www.Budhadal.com

• Sikh Photography Images of Nihangs by photographer Charles Meacham
• Sarbloh.info
• Nihangsingh.org
• Nihang SGPC
• Photography of the daily lives of the Nihang Singhs of Punjab by photographer Nick Fleming