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why did buddha and tarna dal split? or did they?
As far as I remember, Buddha Dal and Tarna Dal were not split as a result of some conflict but it was a conscious decision of Panth led by Nawab Kapur Singh jee. Tarun means youth and Tarna Dal means the Dal of the youth. Buddha Dal as the name implies, means Dal of old people. Nawab Kapur Singh and other Gursikhs, in the mid 1700s split the Sikh army into Tarna Dal and Buddha Dal. All Sikh warriors younger than 45 years (or 50) were made part of the Tarna Dal and others became part of the Buddha Dal.
The function of the Tarna Dal was to engage in direct combat with the enemy whereas the Buddha Dal was mainly responsible for managing the logistics. This did not mean tha the members of Buddha Dal could not engage in combat. This was just a general split. Nawab Kapur Singh stayed the overall supreme leader of the Sikhs and he was followed by Sultan-ul-Quom Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. After Sardar Ahluwalia, Sikhs never got united under a single leader and this is why the character downfall of the Sikhs started.
The format of governing in Sikhs was set by Siri Guru Gobind Singh jee by installing Baba Banda Singh as the leader of the Sikhs. Baba Banda Singh was in turn answerable and accountable to 5 Singh Sahibaan led by Baba Binod Singh and Baba Kahn Singh. This model of government stayed till Sardar Jassa Singh but later on it got lost and since then the Sikhs have never recovered. Our glorious time was the time up to the big Ghallughara. Later with the rise of Raja Ranjit Singh, many basic concepts of Sikhi like the concept of leadership, Sarbat Khalsa etc. vanished from Sikhi.
Kulbir Singh
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥