During the turbulent 18th century, following the execution of Banda Bahadur, the scattered Sikh guerrilla forces were eventually reorganized by Nawab Kapur Singh into a unified army called the 'Dal Khalsa'. This massive force was administratively and militarily divided into 12 sovereign confederacies. What were these confederacies traditionally called?

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To effectively combat Afghan invaders (like Ahmad Shah Abdali) and the declining Mughals, the Dal Khalsa was structured into 12 distinct bands or confederacies known as 'Misls' (Arabic for 'equal'). Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who later established the Sikh Empire, belonged to the Sukerchakia Misl.

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