Dal Khalsa Period and The Empire:In August 1708, Guru Gobind Singh renamed Madho Das as Banda Singh Bahadur to reclaim Punjab from the Mughals. Captured in 1716 while defending his fort, Banda Singh was executed for refusing to convert to Islam. From 1716 to 1799, Punjab endured turmoil, filled by the Sikh misls and later unified under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Sikh Empire expanded from Punjab to the Khyber Pass, Kashmir, Sindh, and Tibet. In 1799, Ranjit Singh moved the capital from Gujranwala to Lahore. The Khanda: The King finial is inspired by the double-edged sword of the Sikh Khanda symbol (not to be confused with the Emblem of Iran). Derived from the Sanskrit word "khaḍga," meaning "to break, divide, cut, destroy," the King stands at 4.5 inches with a 1.9-inch base and two beautifu.
