After the decline of Sarkar Khalsa in 1850's, Khalsa population dwindeled very fast. There were over 1.5 million Sikhs when Ranjit Singh was ruling in the 1830-40s, but in the first sensus conducted by the British they found the Sikhs population to be approximately 780,000 in the Punjab. This survey furthers reiterates that Sikh numbers had declined due to people returning to their Hindu roots. Many people, who had become khalsa during Ranjit Singh's rule did so only to take advantage of his largess. They now left the Khalsa. Hindu reform movements led by many reformists like Arya Samajis, etc all over India and Punjab were striking hard and zealously working to cut the numbers of the Khalsa.