A designation originally used for those lands whose tax revenues directly belonged to the Moghal emperor.

The appellation of 'Khalsa' to those Sikhs who directly answered to the Sikh Guru came into use in the times of the Sixth Sikh Guru, Akali Guru Hargobind Sahib. There are edicts of the Guru's period which vouch this. Later, in 1699 the tenth Sikh Guru, Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh formally applied this term to the military order of Sikhs he created. The original Khalsa was the Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa. The diversity of Khalsa we find today only came about with the British Raj.

Also see 'Akali', 'Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa', 'Buddha Dal'.