The Nakai Misl ( (Gurmukhi),  (Shahmukhi)), founded by Sandhu Jats, was one of the twelve Sikh Misls that later became the Sikh Empire.
It held territory between the Ravi and Sutlej rivers to the southwest of Lahore in what is now modern-day Pakistan.
The misl fought against the Sials, the Pathans and the Kharals before being incorporated into the Sikh Empire of the Sukerchakia Misl by Ranjit Singh.
Origin
As the legend goes, in 1595, Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606), the Fifth Sikh Guru, with some of his followers visited the village of Baherwal.
The Guru was not received with due hospitality.
So he passed on to the neighbouring village of Jambar where he lay down on a charpai (cot) under a shady tree.
By this time, Hem Raj, a Sandhu Jat, chaudhari or headman of Bahrwal, who was absent when the Guru passed through his village, heard of what had occurred and ashamed of his town-men's inhospitality went to Jambar and brought the Guru to his town.
The Guru blessed Hem Raj and  prophesized that they would one day rule.
However, it was more than 100 years later that the prophecy was to materialize.
History
By 1748, when the Mughal power in the Punjab was on its decline the Sikhs were on ascendance, Sardar Heera Singh Sandhu (1706–1776) took possession of the lands surrounding his native village, Baherwal and countryside of Kasur which was located in the Nakka country South of Majha Region and his misl took the name of the area they ruled.
He took Amrit Sanchar (Sikh Baptism) in 1731.
Nakka in Punjabi means border or some sort of a gateway and the Nakka country was located between the Ravi and Sutlej south of Lahore.
He also took Chunian from the Afghans but died near Pakpattan in a battle against Sujan Chisti - a devotee of the Shrine of Baba Farid.
His companions brought his dead body to Baherwal where it was cremated.
Hira Singh Sandhu's son, Dal Singh Sandhu, was a minor, so his nephew, Nar Singh Sandhu son of Hira Singh Sandhu's brother Natha Singh Sandhu, succeeded him as leader of the misl.
Only nine months into his reign, in 1768, Nar Singh was killed in a battle against the Kharals at Kot Kumaliah.
Nar Singh was issueless, so he was succeeded by his brother, Ran Singh.
Ran Singh was a very ambitious man and had and greatly expanded the misl's strength so it became dominant among its neighbors.
The misl was at its high point under the leadership of Ran Singh Nakai.
Ran Singh was a fierce warrior and the most powerful of the Nakai chiefs.Hee had exceeded his rule to the taluqas of Bucheke, Chhanga Manga, 69 kms from Lahore, Chhichha, Devsal, Fatahpur, Jethupur, Kasur, Kharal fort of Kot Kamalia, Sharaqpur, Gugera pargana, 5 kms to the west of the Ravi, and Shergarh, Zamburaks, and artillery.
He could field 2,000 horsemen.
Sardar Ran Singh was killed by one of the kharal tribe men peroka kharal.
Ran Singh had fought repeatedly against Kamar Singh, the ruler of Syedwala.
Sometime before his death, he defeated him and captured Syedwala.
Sardar Ran Singh Nakai was killed by one of the kharal tribe men peroka kharal.
Ran Singh was succeeded by his eldest son, Bhagwan Singh, he was unable to hold his territory against Wazir Singh, the brother of Kamar Singh and lost Syedwala to him.
Later his mother, Sardarni Karmo Kaur met with Wazir Singh to get some of her villages released.
Realizing they might lose all of their territories Sardarni Karmo Kaur, in consultation with her people, betrothed her infant daughter, Raj Kaur Nakai to the four-year-old Ranjit Singh, son of the Sukerchakia Chief, Maha Singh to gain a powerful ally.
Wazir Singh was afraid that with Maha Singh, Bhagwan Singh would be able to defeat him, hence tried to break the relationship, but in vain.
Wazir Singh tried to mislead Karma Kaur, saying that the Nakai Sandhu Jatts are superior to the Sukerchakias, but Sardarni Karmo Kaur refused to break off the match and stated as Sikhs we are all equal.Maha Singh tried to bring peace, but Bhagwan Singh and Wazir Singh continued to engage in constant warfare and Bhagwan was killed by Wazir Singh.
Dal Singh, the son of Hira Singh, subsequently killed Wazir Singh in revenge but was himself killed later by a servant of Wazir Singh.
Since Bhagwan Singh had no children, he was succeeded by his brother, Gyan Singh as the head of the Nakai Misl in 1789.
With the family's old enemy Wazir Singh being killed by Dal Singh, son of Heera Singh Sandhu, Gyan Singh had a relatively peaceful reign and was able to consolidate his power.
He married Sardarni Rai Kaur and had three children, a son, Kahan Singh-who succeeded him father after his death in 1807 and two daughters, Bibi Rattan Kaur and Bibi Daya Kaur.
In 1798, Gyan Singh,on his mothers behest,married his sister Raj Kaur to Ranjit Singh who become his second but most favourite queen and he fondly called her Mai Nakain.
After marriage she was given the name Datar Kaur to avoid confusion with Ranjit Singh's mother and aunt (father's sister) who were both named 'Raj Kaur'.
The name "Datar" meaning 'Giver', was given to her due to her maternal gentleness and understanding nature.
In 1801, she gave birth to Kharak Singh, the heir apparent of the Sikh empire.
She was granted a jagir, by Ranjit Singh, at Sheikhupura.
She took control of the Sheikhupura Fort when her six-year-old son, Kharak Singh had conquered it.
She gave birth to her second son, Rattan Singh in 1805.
Sikh Khalsa Army was under her and her minor son, Kharak Singh's command during the Battle of Multan (1818).
In 1807, Gyan Singh died and his son, Kahan Singh succeeded him.
Before having his estate seized by Ranjit Singh in 1810, Sardar Kahan Singh had conquered Pakpattan.
After Ranjit Singh had declared himself the Maharaja of Punjab in 1801 he had kept consolidating majority of the Misls.
The ambitious Maharaja had been eyeing the Nakai territory, but had spared it till the death of Sardar Gyan Singh in 1807.
But soon after suggested Sardar Kahan Singh, who succeeded his father as the sixth chief of the Nakais to join the Lahore Darbar, which the proud newly crowned Nakai chief steadily refused to obligate.
Mohkam Chand conquered the fortresses of Chunia, Dipalpur and Satghara.
Sardar Kahan Singh came back from Multan to find his territories gone out of his hands.
Consequently, Ranjit Singh ordered the annexation of his holdings and granted Kahan Singh a Jagir at Baherwal then valued at Rupees 15,000.
A Jagir at Nankot was also granted to Sardar Khazan Singh, a son of Sardar Ran Singh Nakai, the third chief of the Nakai Misl.
List of Nakai Misl Rulers from 1748–1810
Sardar Heera Singh Sandhu Nakai (1706–1767)
Sardar Nar Singh Nakai (d. 1768)
Sardar Ran Singh Nakai (d. 1784)
Sardar Bhagwan Singh Nakai (d. 1789)
Sardar Gyan Singh Nakai (d. 1807)
Sardar Kahan Singh Nakai (r. 1807-1811; d. 1873).
Descendants
Even after the Nakai Misl was incorporated into the Sikh empire, the Nakai Sardars continued to wield considerable influence in the land of their ancestors.
The last Chief lived long but after his territory was annexed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he stayed throughout in village Bahelwal.
After annexation of the Punjab by the British, he stayed strictly neutral and loyal.
As a result, he was appointed Jagirdar Magistrate in 1860, an office he held till his death.
Even during the British rule in Punjab (1849–1947) the descendants of Nakai Sikh Misl, were still great Sikh Sardars of Baherwal and were respected by the British as well.
Former Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan) Sardar Muhammed Arif Nakai are direct descendant of the Nakai misldars.
Late Lt Gen Jagdishwar Singh Nakai who joined the Indian army just when the Second World War broke out and served in the Burma Campaign, was also a direct descendant.
Lt Gen Nakai was a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
References
Bibliography
http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPage.jsp?ID=4554&page=1&CategoryID=1&Searched=W3GX&sbtsro=1&viewall=1 http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPageContent.jsp?ID=4554&page=308&CategoryID=1&Searched=W3GX http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPageContent.jsp?ID=7907&page=23&CategoryID=1&Searched=punjab+chiefs
