Nihang Sikhs | The warrior tradition

The recent attack on the Akali Dal chief in Maharashtra has brought the community, traditionally regarded as ‘Guru’s army’, back to public attention

Published - August 16, 2026 03:19 am IST

Nihang sikhs take part in a march marking 'Miri Piri Diwas', a major festival commemorating the day when the sixth sikh Guru Hargobind donned two swords representing temporal power (Miri) and spiritual authority (Piri), at the Golden Temple, in Amritsar. File | Photo Credit: PTI

They are difficult to miss. In electric-blue robes, with towering conical turbans rising above their heads and steel quoits, insignia and rosaries woven into them, Nihang Singhs move through a gathering with swords, spears and other traditional weapons hanging from their bodies. Their appearance is at once religious, martial and theatrical, but for the Nihangs, little of it is ornamental.

The community has returned to public attention after Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked with a kirpan at the Mata Sahib Devan Ji Gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, on August 13. The accused, identified as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh, had been serving at the gurdwara for two years and was described as a Nihang. Badal suffered an injury to his hand and underwent surgery; the investigation into the attack is continuing.

Nihangs were a conspicuous presence during the farmers’ agitation at Delhi’s Singhu border in 2020-21 and more recently at the student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in July 2026. Their presence, as much as their distinctive appearance, drew attention.

Their origin is associated with the creation of the Khalsa Panth by the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, in 1699. Traditionally regarded as ‘Guru ki fauj’, or the Guru’s army, they represent the armed warrior tradition within Sikhism. The name Nihang is commonly associated with fearlessness and freedom from worldly attachment; another interpretation traces it to the Persian nahang, or crocodile, invoking the creature’s ferocity and toughness.

The tradition took shape in an age when Sikh communities faced repeated military persecution. Nihang warriors became mobile fighting groups, defending Sikh settlements and religious institutions against Mughal forces and, later, Afghan invaders. The martial tradition was subsequently woven into the military structures of the Sikh misls and the forces of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

With the end of that era of warfare, their battlefield role gradually receded. But the discipline associated with it survived. Training in weapons, horsemanship and physical endurance, along with distinctive dress and rituals, became ways of preserving the Khalsa’s military heritage. Today, Nihangs are not a standing army. Their role is largely that of custodians and practitioners of a religious and martial tradition.

There is no single Nihang organisation representing the entire community. Historically divided into two broad dals, Baba Budha Dal and Taruna Dal — associated broadly with older and younger bands, respectively — both have since split into several factions. Researchers estimate there are more than 30 Nihang factions, large and small, in Punjab, making it difficult to arrive at a precise count of Nihangs. Their mobile and decentralised nature means there is no central command or membership registry, and one group does not necessarily speak for another.

Mobility is part of the tradition. The chalda vaheer, or travelling bands, move with their horses and jathas, following an annual religious circuit that links major Sikh centres and festivals. Muktsar, Anandpur Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, Baba Bakala, Amritsar and Hazur Sahib in Nanded feature prominently in this cycle. The movement is not simply travel; it keeps alive a relationship with places associated with Sikh history and allows the Nihangs to gather, worship, train and demonstrate their skills, according to Sikh historian Dr. Balwant Singh Dhillon.

At Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of the Khalsa, this martial identity is displayed most dramatically during Hola Mohalla. Nihangs gather in large numbers, riding horses and demonstrating Gatka, the Sikh martial art, mounted manoeuvres and mock battles with swords, spears and other traditional weapons. The spectacle keeps alive the sant-sipahi ideal — the Sikh as both saint and soldier.

The weapons are not merely accessories. They represent readiness and of the historical responsibility to protect the vulnerable and defend dharam. Chardi Kala, an elevated and resilient state of mind, is another central principle.