The word Misl is the Punjabi version of Confederation. Sikh Misls have an important place in Sikh History as the foundations for the Sikh empire were laid by the formation of Sikh Misls.Misls were historic necessities without which the survival of the Panthic organisation was not tenable. Misls not only helped keep the Panthic organisations united but also helped in the development and spread of Sikhism.

Merits of Misl Organisations :

• The Panth got saved from division into small independent self-governing states at logger-head with each other. Nawab Kapur Singh realised that if 63 Jathâs can come up in 15 years, their strength can climb to hundred or more. They then will not only become independent but also break away from their pivot.So Nawab Kapur Singh organised them into eleven Jathas after consolidating them into ‘Dal Khalsa’. Formation of eleven misls also satisfied the ego of the Jathedars beside saving them from getting scattered. Innately, it also provided them with time for development.
• The organisation of misls increased the area of influence of the Sikhs. With the help of their associates,the misls sardars ran over the whole of Punjab. It may be a matter of surprise for the historians, but if they knew the history and development of the misls it was a natural thing to get inspired by each other. It is in the nature of everyone to lead the others in a competition. When the complete account of achievements was read out every misl wanted to surpass the other. This inspiration helped them with their resolve to take over the entire Punjab.
• This misl system proved very useful in protecting the country against the external invaders. This system made the Sikhs invincible. Defeating a misl was not the total defeat of the Sikhs. The other misls used to face the enemy unitedly and with courage. This is why the Mughals, Marahttas and then Afghans could not succeed in their missions. One could be confronted, but sometimes they would become eleven or even twelve. The misl system was such that no one could say that a strike at such and such place would prove decisive. Every misl revolved around a pivot, and any break away group would attach itself with other misl. The services rendered by Phoolkian Misl during the Major Holocaust and ‘Ramgarhia Misl’ during the reign of cruelty of Mir Mannu are two examples.Once the field of operation had reduced, the Jathedârs of the misls and the soldiers were familiar with every inch of the ground. The outsiders often became helpless in tracing them. Every river and brook became their friend.
• Once the wishes of every misl was respected, the feeling of enmity and opposition reduced. Since the area of operation of every misl was defined, there was complete freedom. If at all any dispute or discord would arise, the ‘Jathedar’ of Dal Khalsa would give a decision without taking sides.
• The unwritten charter of the ‘misls’ was such that every soldiers was the master of his own will. A soldier could leave a misl to join any other. Similarly, every soldier would get adequate opportunity to progress. By his own traits, a soldier could rise to the level of deputy Jathedar or even Jathedar. This possibility maintained a feeling of perpetual prosperity amongst the Sikhs. It did not permit the birth of feudalism. It was the result of the organisation of misls that the Afghans who did not spare the Marahtta Chief Madhav Rao Ji Scindia in his dream were pushed across the river Attock and ideal rule was established in the Punjab including the areas of North West frontier.

Demerits of the Misl System :

Although the misls rendered many historic and timely merits, yet after 1767, they proved very harmful. This time was a period of vacuum in the history of India. Any stable, progressive, strong willed and opportunist nation could exploit the conditions to establish a lasting rule by filling up the void. The Sikhs had all the characteristics to do so. It was not some thing impossible for the Sikhs to establish an empire in Northern India. Forester, who came to India as a traveller in 1783 writes his impressions in his travelogues. He wrote that he had no hesitation in recording that the Sikhs would become the primary force among the Indian states and shortly after that they would prove destructive for their neighbours.What Maharaja Ranjit Singh desired could have been fulfilled a century earlier. On the death of Najaf Khan in 1782, there was no strong minister in Delhi. Sikhs wasted away that golden opportunity.Shah Alam Second had reached an accord with Marahattas and the British Government started direct indulgence in his affairs. With the stepping in of the Britishers the entire area under the Sikh protection was lost. The Sikhs remained confined to the land of five rivers.

The following are the harms done by the misls :

• Mutual Discords and Opposition : The misls gave birth to jealousy–a trait that was alien to the Sikhs. It now became a part of their character. Once the external threat was over, the inner strife took birth. Scramble for land commenced. They started fighting with each other with the same gusto as they fought with the Durranis. After the invasion of Durranis, the external threat would end and its place was taken over by doubts and suspicions. This commenced fight within the house. When they should have been interfering in the larger areas of India, they were wasting their time in fighting with each other.
• End of Gurmata and Break up of Organisational Structure : The misl system virtually ended the principle of Gurmata. The Gurmata system that had guided the community at most arduous times, its end broke the pivot of unity. The common congregation at Baisakhi and Diwali ended. The respect of one leader ended. The greatness of an organisation broke. If these had remained, it can be said with certainty that Sikhs would have succeeded in laying the foundation of a mighty empire and would have presented unparallel front in India. But everything that happened was against the expectations. As a results, the organisational structure broke and the authority of Sikhs remained confined to Punjab.
• A Blow to the Democratic Set up : The birth of Sikh nation and its organisational structure was in favour of democracy and democratic values. Guru Gobind Singh Ji had adopted this concept. The selection of five beloveds and passing of Gurmata was aimed at the fulfillment of this ideology. The truth is that this was the main concept behind raising eleven organisations so that the existence of all could be maintained. But the misl system ended the sentiment of democracy. When Maharaja Ranjit Singh adopted the age old regal system of governance, he had also sown the seeds of the decline of the empire. It is said that he had thought of all making his kingdom into a democratic set at the fagend of his kindship, but his age went against it. the feudalism against which the Sikhs were fighting became strong amongst them.
• Breaking of Associations Led to Debacles : The commencement of rat race for achieving selfish ends destroyed the earlier associations and closeness of purpose. Earlier the misls used to become one in the event of any external aggression but their mutual enmity increased to such an extent in 15 years that they never came together even in the face of common threat to them. When united, they were capable of facing the might of Abdali, but the greatest joke of the history took place when the misls of trans Satluj were defeated by Amba Ji Pingley Rane Khan and then Peron in 1787, 1790 and 1796 respectively. Some Sardars of misls accepted defeat and took up payment of yearly tribute to their vanquishers.
• Sikhs Could not Become Mighty Power : The period from 1767 to 1799 was a period of turmoil in India. The big powers had ended while the smaller had not found their feet on the ground. The Mughal empire had been reduced to just a name. The Marahttas were also a spent force. Ahmad Shah Durrani of Afghanistan had expired in 1772 and the Britishers were still in the far East of India. Rohillas, Jats, Rajputs and Nawabs of Avadh enjoyed some authority in Northern India but they were not strong enough. There was infighting amongst them. There was not even one power that could be called strong due to its organisational structure.There was internal fights and the country was crying in pain. That was a blessed time for the Sikhs because the threat of the Durrani’s had also ended. Ahmad Shah died in 1772 and his successor remained engrossed in his domestic affairs. He had neither the time nor the power to invade the Punjab.The Sikhs took no advantage of the situation and remained involved in their petty disputes. The misls dealt an unforgetable loss. They could not fulfil their dreams of becoming a mighty power in India.

Conclusion :

So, we can say it with conviction that the misls who had caused the Afghans, Mughals and Marahttas to eat a humble pie, got themselves involved in such small inner strifes that they proved themselves no better than local power.