Miri, definition

Miri = temporal power (Such as that excercised by a commander, governor, lord, prince, etc.)

It is often defined as being derived from the Persian word “miri”, which came from the Arabic “amir” which means ruler. The words miri and piri are frequently used together in Sikhi.

In a recent article on Dawn.com in reference to Political unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan (once a part of the Sikh Raj during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh) titled, Political unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan, the word miri is defined as “…a type of feudal system”.

The article refers to the end of the 'Colonial' rule of the Dogras, which they claim has now been replaced by the Colonial rule of Pakistan. [1]

Guru Hargobind is usually credited with 'coining' the use of Miri Piri to indicate that the Sikh Gurus were not just the spiritual leader of the Sikhs but also their temporal ruler as well.