The order of the Nihangs, a fiercely independent vangaurd of the Khalsa army is said to date back to the time of Guru Arjan and the formation of the Akal Sena. However, Guru Gobind Singh is generally credited for morphing the Akal Sena (Immortal army of God) into a contingent of fiercely independent crack troops in service of the Khalsa.

Akali Phula Singh is amongst the most famed of all Akali Nihang leaders. He rose to fame under the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh after the Maharaja annexed Amritsar from the Bhangi Misal chiefs. At the request of Ranjit Singh, Akali Phula Singh joined his army along with three thousand other Nihangs. The Nihangs of that time were fierce warriors who fought with little regard for life and limb. They are credited for being in the forefront of many of Ranjit Singh’s crucial campaigns such as the battles of Kasur, Multan and Naushera at which they took great losses in the service of the Sikh empire.

Such was Akali Phula Singh’s adherence to tenants of Sikhism that he even publicly reprimanded the Maharaja at the Akal Takht for his moral laxity. Akali Phula Singh died whilst leading a charge against the Ghazis at Naushera in 182. A memorial to his courage still stands across the river in Kabul.