DASAUNDHA SINGH (d. 1767), founder of the Nishanavali misl, was the son of Chaudhari Sahib Rai belonging to the village of Mansur, in Firozpur district of the Punjab. He received pahul, the Khalsa initiatory rites at the hands of Diwan Darbara Singh, a prominent Sikh leader of the post Banda Singh period. By 1734, Dasaundha Singh was a leading figure in the Taruna Dal. At the time of the formation of the Dal Khalsa in 1748, he was proclaimed the leader of the Nishanavali misl.
The Nishanavali misl, kept as a reserve force at Amritsar, used to act as standard bearers of the Khalsa army. Hence the name (nishan = flag or standard; vali= owning or unfurling). In January 1764 after the conquest of Sirhind, Dasaundha Singh took possession of Singharivala in Firozpur district, Sahneval, Sarai Lashkari Khan, Doraha, Amioh, Zira and Ambala. At the last named station, he established his headquarters. He was killed in May 1767 at Meerut in a sudden attack by Jahan Khan and Zabita Khan and was succeeded to the headship of the misl by his younger brother, Sarigat Singh.
References :
1. Griffin, Lepel, and C.F. Massy, Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. Lahore, 1909
2. Seetal, Sohan Singh, The Sikh Misals and the Panjab. Ludhiana, n.d.
