SikhiWiki:Today's featured article/May 13, 2009

From SikhiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
Sant Baba Nihal Singh

Tarna Dal, the army of the youth, was one of the two main divisions of Dal Khalsa, the confederated army of the Sikhs during the eighteenth century, the other one being the Buddha Dal (army of the elders).

These Dals came into existence in 1734 when, during a truce with Zakariya Khan, the Mughal governor of the Punjab, different roving bands of the Sikhs were concentrated in Amritsar.

The Tarna Dal was subdivided into five Jathas or fighting groups of approximately 1300 to 2,000 men each, mostly mounted. The first was commanded by Baba Deep Singh.

Commonly known, after he met with a martyr's death, the Jatha began to be called the Shahidanwala Jatha (meaning: group of the martyrs).

The second, commanded by Bhai Karam Singh and Dharam Singh of Amritsar, came to be known as Amritsarian da Jatha (meaning: group of the Amritsarias). .....More