sikh history

Publication No.

SELECTED EPISODES

FROM

SIKH HISTORY

(Part-IV)

RUPEES

Published By

SIKH MISSIONARY COLLEGE (RECD.)LUDHIANA

Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji

The martyrdom of fifth Guru had proved that withoutstern actions and steps, a foe can never become a friend.That is why the sixth Nanak Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Jiwore two swords, signifying the worldly and spiritualleadership, raised Akal Takht in the pricincts of Sri DarbarSahib. He unfurled two flags and by so doing, he broughtboth Bhagati (Spiritual) and Shakti (Temporal) togetherand made them inseparable part of a man's life. In order touproot the tyranny, Guru Ji demanded the offerings ofweapons and youth through edicts to the Sangat (Divinecongregation). The response to this Divine Order wasoverwhelming. Many devotees rushed to Guru Ji.Macauliffe writes that the young Sikh devotees pleadedwith folding hands that they had nothing more to offerexcept their youth. They only demanded two meals a dayand a Kurta (long shirt) once in six months. Thousands ofHindus and Muslims started coming in the refuge of GuruJi immediately. The first ones to come under his protectionwere Subedar Yaar Khan and military commander KhuajaSarai. Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji also dedicated his mind, bodyand wealth for the service of the Master.

Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji had adopted Sikhism during theperiod of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji. He was much impressedby the towering personality of a Sikh named Bhai Adali Ji.Bhai Adali Ji forbade him from bad company andmotivated him towards Gur Sangat. According to BhaiKahan Singh Ji, Bhai Adali Ji was a resident of villageBhaini (Cholha Sahib). He was a spiritual teacher (since thetimes of Guru Ram Das Ji) by whose influence andteachings, Bhai Bidhi Chand gave up dacoity and adoptedSikhism. Giani Gian Singh writes in 'Tareekh Guru Khalsa'

3

Selected Episodes from Sikh History (Part - IV)

that when Bhai Adali Ji presented him before Guru Arjan

Sahib, he introduced himself as a dacoit and requested him

that he be made a thief Sikh of his home. Guru Arjan Sahib

smiled and advised him to lead a philanthropic life,

forbade him to do wrong deeds and counselled him to

adopt truth firmly and live truthful life.

Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji was born in the house of Bhai

Wasan Singh in village Sur Singh, It is mentioned in the

Mahaan Kosh that he was the grandson of Bhai Bikhi and

his early name was Bidia. He was a tall man with someone

rare as brave as him. His maternal grand parents were at

Sarhaali and it was here that he fell in a bad company and

developed the bad habit of stealing. Bhai Adali Ji inspired

him towards Guru Ji and at last he presented himself in the

court of Guru Arjan Sahib. From there, he adopted Sikh

religion and started preaching Guru's teaching.

When a feeling of disappointment crept into the

minds of Sikhs after the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Sahib,

Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji visited the villages of Majha and

inspired the Sikhs to shed their decadence or

demoralization. He inspired the panegyrist of the villages

to recite the vaars (odes) in praise of Gurus. Those minstrels

created a new enthusiasm amongst the Sikhs. When Guru

Hargobind Sahib Ji demanded the services of young and

brave Sikhs, Bidhi Chand Ji took fifty two brave young men

and two minstrels from the village Sur Singh and reached

in the service of Guru Patishah Ji.

As the number of warriors increased, they weredivided into groups/ bands. Each band had its own leaderwith a specific area of operation. History has mentionedfive such organisations. The leader of the first organisationwas Bhai Langah Ji who was always in the vanguard ofbattle. The second band was under the leadership of BhaiBidhi Chand Ji who was adept in Guerilla type of warfare,its aim was to create confusion amongst the rank and file

4


of the enemy. Since Bhai Pirana was well familiar with the

villages of the Punjab, he was entrusted with theresponsibility of bringing information or locate thewhereabouts of the enemy. Bhai Piraga was assigned theresponsibility of supplying ration, weapons andgunpowder. Bhai Jetha Ji was the leader of the cavalry.These five organisations worked as a well knit team andfull determination that brought in a feeling of ascendencyamongst the Sikhs everywhere. Bhai Bidhi Chand'sorganisation adopted new techniques and after the arrestof Guru Hargobind Ji, he moved from one village to theother to keep the torch of Guru's love burning amongst thepeople. Baba Budha Ji and Bhai Gurdas Ji used to createstrong impression on the minds of the people by virtue oftheir scholarship, pious and truthful life style. The membersof Bhai Bidhi Chand Jit s band used to create a congenialatmosphere through the services of panegyrist before thearrival of Bhai Gurdas Ji. The propagation of the glory ofthe Guru created such an impact on the Sikhs that a largenumber of villagers from Punjab reached Gwalior and afterperforming the circumambulation of the fort would returnhome. 'Mohsin Phani' renders the testimony of this fact inhis book 'Dabistan-e-Mazahib'.

After the release of Guru Hargobind Ji from Gwalior,

Bhai Ji functioned as a bodyguard of Guru Ji. A great

caution was needed then and Bhai Ji accomplished his job

with great tenacity. When Jahangir sent Chandu in Guru

Jit s custody, he was handed over to Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji

and Bhai Jetha Ji by Guru Ji. Chandu was punished at

Lahore in front of everyone so that others could also learn

a lesson. When Meharbaan, son of Prithi Chand started

creating disturbance at Lahore, Guru Ji sent Bhai Bidhi

Chand Ji to counsel him.

With the coming of Bibi Kaulan in the refuge of Guru

Ji, the possibility of attack from Lahore increased. So Bhai Ji

5


shifted his camp to Pipli Sahib. His garrison exploited the

weaknesses of the enemy upto Lahore. He kept himself

fully informed of the enemy's activities. As a result the

Sikhs achieved victory when Amritsar was attacked

suddenly.

After the death of Jahangir, Lahore rulers becamemore independent. When a falcon of the royalty wascaught by the Sikhs, they Sent Mukhlis Khan Jafar with agarrison of seven thousand soldiers against the Sikhs on thepretext that they have challenged the rulers. On the otherhand, the writer of 'Gur Bilas Patishahi Chheveen' writesregarding the high spirits of the Sikhs and mentions whatGuru Hargobind Ji had said :

nn ko båj nahin hum denä

TQi bäj tin te sabh leynä.

On 14th May, 1629, the army of Nawab of Lahoreraided Sri Amritsar. The strength of Mughal army wasseven thousand. The first skirmish took place with thegarrison of Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji, Bhai Ji contained theadvancing army and sent a message to Guru Sahib. BhaiBidhi Chand Ji along with Jatti Mal a son of Bhai Singhaattacked the army with a force that resulted in greatcommotion amongst the royal soldiers. Mukhlis Khanaddressed the pride of the Royal Army and said, "You arethe progeny of brave, warriors and what is facing you is aband of Faquirs. Ensure that no one escapes alive." But thisgarrison of /faquirs' fought with such bravery as to acquirea special place in Sikh history. On the second day of thebattle, Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji challenged Sultan Beg. SultanBeg launched a strong attack with his lance but Bhai BidhiChand Ji evaded the attack. In return, he attacked sostrongly that Sultan Beg retreated with fear. The retreatingSultan Beg was called a 'Coward' by Bidhi Chand. It hurthis pride and he started his assaults fresh. Bhai Bidhi

6


Chand shot an arrow which struck straight in his chest

and he fell there and then. Once Sultan Beg fell, Mukhlis

Khan came face to face with Guru Ji in a direct encounter.

He was killed with a single blow of Guru Jits sword.

Similarly during the second battle, when Rattan

Chand son of Bhagwan Dass, his relatives Lal Chand andChandu's son Karam Chand sent Abdullah Khan (theGovernor of Jalandhar) on a campaign to Hargobindpur,Guru Ji entrusted the command of His Army into the handsof Bhai Jattu Ji. Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji's garrison was kept inreserve so that they could reach as help wherever needed.Wherever weakness became apparent, Bhai Ji would sendreinforcement immediately. The continuous attacks of theenemy forced Bhai Jattu Ji, then Mathara Ji and thereafterBhai Nannu Ji who knew the art of motivating the menand faced the enemy directly. Bhai Bidhi Chand Jitsgarrison had put a halt in the battle. Bhai Bidhi Chand Jihad a direct encounter with Karam Chand. Karam Chandescaped saving his life and took shelter with Nawab. Heinformed the Nawab that Sikhs were now few in number.The Nawab attacked with a strong force but his son andhis associates were killed. The battle was won by Guru Ji.

The episode of abduction of two horses (which weresnatched by Mughal soldiers from some unarmed Sikhs) isvery famous.

The devotees of Kabul presented offerings throughBhai Dyal Chand and Bakhat Mal at Gurusar Sudhar. Theyalso stated that Bhai Karori was coming with two horsesnamed Gulbaag and Dilbaag to present them to Guru Ji,but these had been forcibly taken away by Inayat UllahKhan near Lahore. Guru Ji consoled them and said that theofferings of Karori Mal would be brought by Bidhi Chand.

Bhai Ji understood Guru Jits hint. In order to maintainself respect of Guru Ji and his Sikhs, he set out to retrieve

7

Selected Episodes from Sikh I listory (Part - IV)

the horses. He stayed at Bhai Jeevan's house at Lahore. In

the guise of a grass cutter Bhai Ji used to sit near the wall of

the fort with a bundle of fresh grass with him. SoundheyKhan the care taker of the horses used to buy grass fromhim every day. One day Bidhi Chand Ji took the bundle ofgrass near the horses. So he would bring the grass and feedit to the horses everyday. When horses became familiar

with Bhai Ji, he then etnployed as the caretaker. Bhai

Bidhi Chand Ji used to serve the horses, as well as keep a

watch around. He behaved like a simpleton, immature and

foolish. He acted so stupid that he would call the preciousjewels embedded in the saddle as the grains of millet andmaize. He repeatedly asked why such a saddle was usedon the horses? On the other hand he would throw a bigstone in the river Ravi everyday. The river Ravi used toflow touching the wall of the fort then. A little disturbancewas observed for the first few days and afterwards it wasthought that there must be some animal who was kickingagainst the wall of the fort. Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji used tospend all his earnings on the others. On his last pay day hegave such a grand feast that everybody fell due tointoxication. Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji took the keys, locked theworkers in one room and jumped from the wall of the fortalong with the horse, and reached Guru Ji via Pattan. Thisepisode has been written in brief in Tareekh-e-Punjab.

In order to retrieve the second horse, Bhai BidhiChand Ji reached Lahore again. This time he stayed at BhaiBohru's house. Bhai Bohru told him that since the missingof the horse, Soundhey Khan is taking the help ofastrologers and search people. This time Bhai Ji settledhimself near the fort in the disguise of a fortune-teller.

When Soundhey Khan passed by Bhai Ji, Bhai BidhiChand Ji stated whatever thoughts were in his mind. Hestopped and started listening and took Bhai Ji to Nawab.Bhai Ji told him the name of the grass cutter, his

8

Selected Episodes fronl Sikh History (Part - IV)

appearance and the method used by him in eloping with

the horse. Bhai Sahib said that at that moment it wasdifficult to know the whereabouts of the horse but if thesarne santries and guards are in position, and the samecircumstances prevail then everything can be conjectured.Thus the same situation was created at the same timeduring the night. Kanahiya Lal writes that Bhai BidhiChand Ji nnet the enlperor second time in the disguise of anhonourable astrologer. Locking the doors of the palaceroonls, he fled with the second horse. The horse waspresented before Guru Ji. Guru Ji embraced Bhai Ji andstated

Bidhi Chand Chhina

the heart of Guru.

The cause of the third battle was these horses only.Inayat Ullah sent Lalla Beg with his brother Kamar Begand Mugli Beg along with Behlol Khan and ten thousandstrong army. He was defeated badly at Nathana. Paindey

also met Wazir Khan and provoked him against Guru Ji.

When no action was taken by Wazir Khan thenPaindey Khan took Kaaley Khan brother of Mukhlis Khan,Anwar Khan, Khoja and Malak Anwar son of Lalla Begalong with him and attacked Kartarpur. Mohsin Phani haswritten eye witness account of this battle. The swordsclashed with swords. Horses collided with each other. Duststorms and heat was at its peak. Both nature and thesoldiers of both side were at their utmost fury. So muchdust had been kicked up that it became dark. PaindeyKhan and Kaaley Khan lost their lives at the hands of GuruJi. The victory fell into the lap of Guru Ji. Mohsin Phaniwrites "Guru Ji was attacked by the Royal Army many atime, but every time he was saved by the grace of God."Both armies clashed again but every time Mughal Armyhad to face defeat. Guru Ji shifted his abode fromKartarpur to Kiratpur. He gave a new shape to hispreaching. New preaching centres were established under

Baba Gurditta Ji, Baba Almasat, Baba Phool, Goinda Ji and

9


So Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji spent his whole life in servilthe Sikh community. He breathed his last in Deo Nagar inAugust 1638.

The life of Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji is a living example thata true Guru can totally transform living style of a bad maninto a good person. What to speak of turning men intoGod, Satguru can even change demons into Gods.

11


The Battle of Bhangaani

The Battle of Bhangaani is the first battle fought byGut-u Gobind Singh Ji in his life. Small clashes used to takeplace with Hindu Kings of the hilly area before this battle,but this was the first battle among many fought by thetenth Guru. Before describing this battle it will be better todiscuss the causes of all the battles fought by him.

The first and the foretnost reason of these battles wasa principle of the Sikh religion which lays emphasis onserving one humanity and eradication of high and lowdiscrimination in the society. But this principle was againstthe Brahaminic religion. Since the day Guru Nanak Dev Jiinfluenced millions of people with the ideology of Sikhreligion, the Brahmins and the Rajput Hindu Kings startedattacking the Sikh institutes vehemently. This clash hadreached at its pinnacle at the times of tenth Guru. On theother hand Guru Sahib and his Sikhs considered it as theirmoral duty to confront these challenges and they werepreparing themselves to face impending development.Many young Sikhs had learnt horse-riding and use ofweapons in order to stand guard on the religious ideologyof Sikhism. Proceeding on hunting expedition by GuruSahib and his Sikhs, the beating of Ranjit Nagara, faith ofmany kings on Guru Sahib and so on were making the hill

chiefs jealous of Guru Sahib. Guru Sahibs area

(Makhowal) was adjoining hill state. The institute ofLangar had become one of major cause of anguish amongst

the Brahmins.

Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib purchased some land ofvillage Makhowal in the state of Kehloor and colonised thecity of Anandpur Sahib. During this time, many Brahminswho were harassed by Muslims came and settled underGuru Jiis shelter, Brahmins are known for their acts offlattery and hypocrisy. As soon as their aim is achieved ortheir intrerest is served, they can turn the table on theopponent. Because of such insincerity, they first tookshelter of Guru Ji due to the fear of the Mughals and there

12

Selected Episodes fronl Sikh I listory (Part - IV)

after joined hill chieftains to create disturbance. Thetraditions Of Inngar and Sikhs training themselves in theuse of weapons was becoming intolerable for them. Theywere looking for sonle excuse to pick up cudgels with theSikhs. Really speaking this was a clash of principles.

During this tinne, the young prince of Gouripur atown in East Bengal along with his mother came toAnandpur Sahib to nneet Guru Sahib. Being a true devotee,he brought sonne valuable and rare gifts like Prasaclielephant, a nitllti-use weapon, a beautiful canopy andhorses. The devotees from Kabul also presented a valuablecanopy to Guru Sahib. The hill chiefs were envious of theglory and elegance of Guru's court.

The village of Anandpur Sahib was located in thestate of Kehloor whose ruler was Raja Bhim Chand. Thecapital of this state was Bilaspur. Tara Chand thegrandfather of Raja King Bhim Chand was released fromGwalior Jail along with Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji. Raja andBhim Chand was the master of the biggest state and wasthe leader of all hill chieftains. Pamma, the priest(Parmanand) was the religious leader of the hill chiefs whoinstigated Raja Bhim Chand who in turn while forgettingall the past beneficences developed animosity with GuruSahib. The Ranjit Nagara was sounded loudly when Guru

Ji would proceed on hunting with great pomp and show.Fully armed Sikhs on decorated horses used to be in

attendence of Guru Sahib. Raja Bhim Chand harboured a

latent fear that these Sikhs from lower stock of the society

may go beyond his control. Bhim Chand was also envious

of the splendour of Guru's Darbar.

During this time, Ajmer Chand son of Raja Bhim

Chand was bethrothed to the daughter of Fateh Shah.

Fateh Shah was the king of the Sri Nagar of Garhwal and

an ardent devotee of Guru Ji. Bhim Chand worked out a

plan to cheat Guru Ji of his valuable gifts and decided to

borrow elephants, weapons, horses and tents with the

intention of not returning them afterwards. But since Guru

Ji had sensed his evil intentions, he plainly refused. This

13


nnoyed Raja Bhim Chand but was cooled down by his

ministers. Within his heart Raja Bhim Chand was restless

with grudge and was ever looking for opportunities tocause harm to Guru Ji. Pamma, the priest was alsoinstigating him perpetually.

Soon, Guru Gobind Singh Ji started his preaching tourin hilly areas. He would visit the small helmets founded onsniall hills and valleys and apprise them with the principlesof Sikhisnl. He reached Rawalsar on Baisakhi day, Atradition had been in vogue since the days of Guru NanakSahib's, that wherever crowd would gather in goodnumber, Guru Ji would himself reach there and educatethem on the tenets of Sikhism. Therefore the tenth Gurureached Rawalsar to show right way to the misguided andmisled people. The hill chiefs had also reached there in abig number. Finding the appropriate opportunity GuruSahib suggested the kings to work for the well-being of thepeople and to shed doubts of belonging to a particularbrotherhood as well as discriminating amongst high andlow caste, colour and creed, etc. Guru Ji suggested them tobecome Sikhs in case they wished to live a truthful life. Thesuggestion was made to help them lead an honourable lifeof self-respect and not of slavery. Some kings wereimpressed by Guru Ji while others remained sans Sikhismbecause of their ego and pride. They were afraid of publicrebuff. (Even now-a-days if some one is motivated to keephis hair or to adopt Sikhism, remains deprived of this boonof Guru Ji for fear of public rejection.)

During this Baisakhi celebrations, Medni Parkash theKing of Sirmour state was much impressed by Guru Jitspersonality and Gurmat. He requested Guru Ji to visit hisstate, stay there for some time and preach Gurmat to thepeople. He also requested Guru Ji to help him take backsome of this area which had been taken by Fateh Shah.Raja Fateh Shah was ever trying to expand his area ofjurisdiction but now with his becoming a relative of BhimChand, he had become more mischievous.

Satguru Ji planned his daily routine so as to have

14

alo]

a]

ti

rr

in

:o

(e

Bil

3iJ

[i

of

Selected F,pisodee, frotn Sikh History (Part - IV)

Ballu Hasna. They were sent to far off places to spreadSikhism. Mohsin Phani writes that there was no place inthe countlY where Sikhs were not found,

Sunder Shah a disciple of Budhan Shah came toKiratpur fronl Deo Nagar (Ayoclhya). Suncler Shahenjoyed a good respect and recognition in the town of SriRani Chandev. When he saw the preaching of SriHargobind Sahib and his life-style at Kiratpur, and of theothev Sikhs, he offered his services to Guru Ji for spread ofSikhisnl.

There was a great influence of the devotees of Sri RamChander in Ayodhya. So on the request of Sunder ShahGuru Ji sent Bhai Bidhi Chand Ji to Ayodhya on apreaching mission of Sikh religion.

On the way to Ayodhya, Bhai Ji used to give Guru Jit smessage to the Sangat. On reaching Ayodhya, he reachedthe teachings of Sikhism in every house. On seeing BhaiBidhi Chand Ji, people would often comment how greatGuru Ji was whose miraclous touch makes an ordinaryperson a warrior, and in knowledge, he is no less either.

Where every courageous act of Bhai Bidhi Chand wasbeyond description, his love for Gurbani was no less praiseworthy. According to 'Gur Bilas Patishahi Chheveen'whenever he set out for any task, he would remember Godand keep reciting Bani on the way.

Chalat Panth Gurbäni Gävai.

When he realised that the number of availablevolumes of Sri Guru Granth Sahib are very less and evenrequisite number of Potllies are also not available to thepeople, he requested Guru Hargobind Ji to arrange forsome more copies. He had some volumes prepared underhis own supervision and distributed them to the devotees.

Jt is written in 'Gurbilas Patishahi C/lheveen'Tad chhin kagad li-ey mangäey.

Rach sainchiån man rneh sukh päey.

10

Selected Episodes Sikh I listory (I'art - IV)

enough time in solitude to enable him compose literature,and at the sanw time help him preach Sikhism in the stateof Sirmoun Guru Ji reached Nahan, tho capital of Sirmouralong with his fifty two poets and some Sikhs in the year1685. Guru Ji was given a warm respect and reception byKing Medni Parkash, First of all, Guru Ji summoned KingFetch Shah and had the diqputo Gottlecl between MedniParkash and hinn. All the area under unlawful jurisdictionof Fateh Shah returned to Medni Parkash, During thistime five hundred armed Sikhsaccompanied Guru Ji.

King Medni Parkash had a keen desire that Guru Ji•may stay in his state for a longer time so that he couldpreach Sikhism and at the same time prevent other chiefsIngressing into his territory. The king offered a place forGuru Sahib, on the bank of river Yamuna to establish hiscamp. Guru Ji accepted this offer and built a fort in thisplace. Devotees used to throng from far off places to listento Guru Jits sermons. This place was named as 'Paonta'.The word means a place to keep the foot on. The singing ofLords gJorv and praises was a regular feature in this camp.Keerta17 of sacred hymns, recitation of poems that filled theSikhs with zeal and enthusiasm was the order of the daySikhs were trained in the use of weapons. Hunting

expeditions were organised. Guru Ji himself composedmuch literature and Bani. It was here that Baba Ram Raiexpressed his desire to meet Guru Ji to express and

*lacknowledge his mistake. During the preaching tour GuruJi himself visited Kapaal Mochan and educated thedevotees of Shiva with true worship. Five hundred PathansOf Kunjpura (Distt. Karnal) approached Guru Ji here with

the recommendations of Pir Budhu Shah for employment.

Guru Ji accepted them. These Pathan warriors had been

expelled from the army of Aurangzeb and no king wasprepared to give them employment for fear of Aurangzeb.

Guru Ji gave them the jobs. (This act is proof enough thatGuru Ji was not against any community). These fivehundred Pathans were under the command of Nazabat

15

Selected TipiQodes fronl Qikh History (Part IV)well all his tricks. A little clash took place but the Sikhssaved the gifts intelligently. They reported the wholeincident to Guru Jig Divan Ji also informed Guru Ji thatRaja Bhim Chand was planning to attack them withconfl)ined force of all the hill chieftains.

Satguru also started preparing for the impendingbattle. After a through recconnaisance of the terrain, GuruJi selected a place called Bhangaani for occupation whichwas seven tniles fronl Paonta Sahib. It was the rightbank of rivet Yatnuna and slightly behind of river Giri.Theplace Was tnost suitable tactically. Guru Ji drew the wholeplan Of the battle with the help of his maternal uncle KirpalChänd, Diwan Nand Chand and five sons of Bibi Veero(who was Guru Ji's aunt Buå). They were Sangho Shah,Jeet Mal, Mohri Chand, Gulab Rai and Ganga Ram.Primarily, the plan consisted of how the enemy will beconfronted when he crosses river Yamuna and attackthem. There was a small plain ground, then a hillock andagain some plain area where the enemy could be dealt ablow. If at all the retreating enemy would try to escape, itwould be dealt a crushing blow while crossing riverYamuna. Bhai Ram Koir Mehra and Kaale was entrustedthe task of security of Paonta.

The hill chiefs sent a messenger to meet the leaders ofthe five hundred Pathans and motivated them to desert.Thus four hundred Pathans deserted on the first night andjoined the enemy. Only Kala Khan with his hundred menstayed in faith and patience. Beside them Guru Ji also hada band of five hundred hermits under the leadership ofMahant Kirpal Das. They too fled away on hearing thenews of possible blood shed. Their leader Mahant KirpalDas however stayed with Guru Ji.

Fateh Shah, Bhim Chand Kehlooria, Gopal ChandGuleria, Kirpal Chand Katoch (Kangra), Bir Sein Mantri,Kesri Chand and Umaid Singh Jaswalia, Dayal ChandKathgarh, Hari Chand Hidooria (Nalahagarh), KaramChand Hambor, Anant Chand Prithipur, Jhagar Chand

17

Selected Episodes fro'" Sikh History (Part - IV)

Mansawalia, Bhao Singh Seebe wala, Dharam Pal

Kutlehria, Daya Singh Noorpur, Bhaag Singh Tilokpur, Tek

Singh Kishatwaar, Gurbhai Indore, Jai Chand Bijharwal,Thodi Singh Sandhriwal, Sansar Chand Nadon, HariChand Kotiwala, Lacchhu Chand Kasoli and Bhoom SinghThiora were the chiefs who had joined hands for an attackon Guru Ji.

This battle took place on Fridav, the 15th April, 1687.Guru Ji had very less number of Sikhs with him. But whenthe people of the neighbourhood heard the treachery of thehill chieftains, they marched in strength to the help of GuruJi. Even then the fighting strength of the Sikhs was verysmall, compared to the combined force of hill chiefs. Sincethe Pathnns and the hermits haå run away, the strength ofGuru's camp had decreased further. However Guru Sahibkept the Sikhs in high spirits and prepared them to meet allchallenges with courage. When the news of deceit of thePathans reached Pir Budhu Shah at Sadhora, he alongwith his four sons, two brothers and seven hundreddisciples rushed into the thick of battle at Bhangani. Thefive sons of Bibi Veero who was paternal aunt of Guru Jihad also joined in the battle. Uncle Kirpal Chand, DiwanNand Chand and several other Sikhs were ready tosacrifice their lives. Mahant Kirpal Dass bludgeoned thehead of Hyat Khan with his cudgel. A carpenter Sikh fromKashi named Bhai Rama brought two wooden cannons ona bullock cart. Bhai Lal Chand a sweet seller performedmany laudable deeds. The other leaders of this small armywere Lal Chand son of Bhai Bidhi Chand, Diwan NandChand, Bhai Udha (Udhai Singh) Bhai Bachittar (BachittarSingh), Aalam (Singh), Chandan Rai, Ganga Ram Prohit(who adopted Sikh religion), Sahib Chand, Sangatia, etc. Afierce battle was fought the whole day. Both sides launchedattacks surpassing each other. Sangho Shah and two of hisbrothers, other leaders, Pir Budhu Shah and Pathan KaaleKhan fought with full vigour putting their lives at ståke.After the martyrdom of Sangho Shah, Guru Ji himself

18


pounced into the battlefield and clashed with Raja HariChand who was causing much havoc in the field. HariChand was also a brave and skilful archer. He let loose avolley of arrows on the Sikhs. Seeing this, Guru

lSahib

himself came forward and killed him. With this KesriChand Jaswalia and Dhadwalia ran away from thebattlefield with their army. The other ill chiefs too madetheir escape. Sikhs went in pursuit f them for a longdistance and after pushing them into river Yamuna they

•heaved a sigh of relief. Three other hill chiefs were killed inthis battle. Among the Pathans, Nazabat Khan and HayatKhan were also killed. Raja Medni Parkash remained

•neutral during this confrontation. He however wassympathetic towards Guru Ji.

Before the battle, Bhim Chand thought that he wouldput an end to this rising power and secondly; Aurangzebwould be pleased with him. Also, people of low castewould become his slaves for long period and lastly hewould also be able to plunder the valuable goods of GuruJi. But when Raja Bhim Chand was defeated badly onlythen he could realise that suppressing this power was notonly difficult but impossible.

In this battle, Sayed Ashraf and Sayed Mohammadthe sons of Pir Budhu Shah and his brother BhureShah became martyrs but he felt happy in serving Guru Ji.One day he asked Guru Ji for his comb along with hair as atoken of love and Guru Ji blessed him with a dress, adagger, a turban and an edict. Mahant Kirpal Dass wasalso honoured with a turban. Both these devotees werehonoured in the royal court of Guru Ji. Raja Medni Parkashwas presented with one of his sword.

In this battle the two sons of Bibi Veero-Sangho Shahand Jeet Mal and many other Sikhs became martyrs. Onthe other side four hill chiefs and a large number of Hinduand warriors of hill states were killed.

The graves of these kings are still seen at the place ofBhangani which remind us of the misdeeds of the Hindu

19

Selected Episodes from Sikh History (Part IV)

kings. Dr. G.C. Narang has well written that -

"The Battle of Bhangani made a great impressionupon the hill chiefs and they now began to regard Guru'spropaganda with seriousness it deserved. They hastened tomake an offensive and defensive alliance with him andsupported by the Guru at once took up the course ofpassive resistance and refused to send their yearly, tributeto the Imperial exchequer."

20

Selected Episodes front Sikh History (Part - IV)

Ganga Ram Brahamin

Sensible and intelligent people know that a humanbeing is not only leading life with conscious mind butunconsicous mind also plays an important role in mouldinghis personality. Thus unconscious mind is the treasurehouse of consciousness. All the sacraments starting frombirth are stored in this unconscious mind. This unconsciousmind can be called a power house of human life in whichthe electric surges of emotions and sentiments work to runthis life.

In order to form good sacraments or to control thecurrent thoughts of unconscious mind, the inevitableprinciple of the tenets of the Gurnzat is - refuge of Guru,Sangat of Guru and love for Gurbani.

Many episode from Sikh history teach us that a greatlife can be moulded by Sangat causing transformation inlife. Among these episodes, an incident related to oneGanga Ram Brahamin a resident of Bathinda is presentedhere.

Ganga Ram was a grain trader who used to sell grains

as a vendor. Once he purchased hundreds of mounds ofmillet and loaded it on his camels. He heard that a bigreligious place is being built at Chak Guru Ramas, andthousands of people are coming to settle there. Several men

are working for raising this holy place. Many hundredquintals of food is cooked daily in the Langar to feed thesevolunteer workers. He reached Chak Ram Das with hisloaded camels. On reaching, he observed that many richand well to do people were busy serving the Guru's housewith great devotion. Gurbani was echoing all around.Seeing the love of Sikh Sangat for their Guru, he too felt anardent desire to serve Guru Ji and make a success of his life.With these thoughts, he reached Guru Jits court to have aglimpse of Guru Ji.

21

Selected Episodes from Sikh I-listory (Part - IV)

God's will, the ration in the Langar had exhausted. Nomeal was being served that day. He requested Guru Ji toaccept his barley. Guru Arjan Dev Ji ordered to takehundred mounds of millet from him.

Guru Ji also stated that its payment would be madeduring the large gathering of the Sikh devotees on Baisakhi.So Ganga Ram sent hundred mounds of millet. Next dayagain the same shortage of food resulted. Thus he supplieda hundred mound of millet for next: five days. So theLangar continued for next five days.

Ganga Ram started serving the Sangat along with Sikhdevotees. So he developed more and more love, and faithfor Guru Ji. His greed for wealth started decreasing and hewanted to sacrifice himself for Guru Ji.

Then the Baisakhi came and a fair was held.Thousands of devotees from near and far off placesreached Guru Ka Chak fair, Handsome donations andofferings were made. After a few days, Ganga Ram wascalled by Guru Ji and offered the cost of millet. But humblyand with folded hands, Ganga Ram requested Guru Ji thathe was neither interested in money nor he wanted to gohome. instead he wanted to stay with Guru Ji and servehim so that he could lead a successful life. The requestmade by Ganga Ram has been found recorded in 'SurajParkash' by Bhai Santokh Singh Ji.

Guru Ji again asked Ganga Ram to take his paymentand return home but he requested Guru Ji to accept hisofferings and at the same time allow him to stay there andgive him the boon of Sikhism.Seeing Ganga Ram's love and service, Satguru Ji madehim his Sikh, blessed him with God's name. Bhai Sahibstayed at Amritsar for a long period and then Guru Ji senthim to Bathinda as a preacher.Ganga Ram who had visited Guru Ka Chak for his

infatuation of wealth had an inverse affect and sacrificedall his wealth and home for the love and service of Guruand God. This is a miracle of the Guru, his Gill"bani and hisSangat.

22


Saain Mian Mir

The principles of the Sikhism being clear, concise andeasy to follow attract every human being. Persons of otherreligions also consider this religion to be supreme anddispenser of purposeful sermons to its followers. Manyanecdotes are available in the Sikh history that show thatmany leaders of other religions adopted Sikhism andbecame famous follbwers of Guru's house. Of the manyanecdote, one of the famous incident found mentionedrelates to Saain Mian Mir Ji who was a jewel of the Qadrisect of the Muslims. He developed such an ardent affinityfor Sikhism that he stayed with Guru Ji for ever.

Saain Mian Mir was born in the year 1550 at Sustan,which is in between Tatha and Bhakar in Sindh. Mian MirJi was a descendent of Khalifa Umar. His full name wasSheikh Muhammad Mir Shah. He was fond of singingpanegyres and worship since his childhood. His father wasa Quazi. During his early youth days, he came in contactwith Pir Sheikh Bandagi Muhammad Gaus. He was adisciple of Sheikh Abdul Qadar Aljalani of Qadri sect.When Mohammad Gaus came to Bahawalpur state wherehe established a seat at a place called 'Uch', the throne ofPirs commenced here. These Pirs became famous amongthe people by the name of 'llcll de Pir'. Mian Mir becamethe follower of these 'Llcll de Pirs'. Bhai Mullah ShahBukhari was the disciple brother of Saain Mian Mir. Thecelebrity status of the 'Uch da Pirs' is also found mentionedduring Guru Gobind Singh Jit s period.

In 1575, Saain Mian Mir came to Lahore from Sindh.The preaching of Sikhism was at its peak in Lahore at thattime. All these Pirs, Faquirs and Saeen were preachers ofIslam. The Muslim preachings were retarded when GuruNanak Dev Ji (in year 1521-1539) established a Sikhpreaching centre at Kartarpur. More and more commonpeople started adopting the Sikh religion. Guru Angad DevJi (1540-1552) established Khadur as the Sikh preachingcentre. Guru Amardas Ji (1552-1574) established preaching

23

Selected Episodes frotü Sikh I listory (Part - IV)

centre at Goindwal. The construction work of Amritsarhad ccmnnnenced in 1570 which was going to be the centralreligious place in Majha. The population of Sikhs in Majhawere quite high. In the year 1577 Guru Ram Das Jipurchased five hundred Bighas of more land thataccelerated the construction work of Sri Darbat• Sahib. TheSikhs were reciting Gurbani, earned their livelihoodthrough honest work and contributed lavishly to Guru'shouse for spending on welfare projects. Not only this, theyhelped the needy also. Saain Mian Mir Ji was highlyimpressed by these qualities and yearned for a meetingwith Guru Ji. When he visited Guru Ji, listened to hisalluring words, he became a dedicated devotee of Guru Ji.Guru Ji gave him the honour of laying the foundationstone of Sri Darbar Sahib in 1588.

In the year 1598, the city of Lahore was on the vergeof ruination due to famine. Guru Arjan Dev Ji stayed therefor eight months, ran a langar, gave the medical aid to theneedy and encouraged the people to fight against thefamine. Saain Mian Mir was also there in Lahore. He alsoserved the people during this natural calamity. The onegreat aim of Sikhism is to help the poor. Everyone ensuresthat his own interests are well protected but to help otherswithout reservation is also a righteous act. This quality oflove for mankind, was responsible for development andflourishing of Sikhism. Saain Mian Mir was already apopular Pir and he had many followers also. He becamemore popular and famous among the Sikh devotees afterjoining Guru Ji and serving him whole heartedly. He andMullah Shah Bukhari, who was his spiritual companionbeing disciple of the same Pir, enjoyed a good rapport inthe royal court.

Emperor Akbar died in Oct. 1605 and Jahangir sat onthe throne. Because of the influence of Nakshbandi sect inthe royal court and the conspiracy of high caste Brahmins,a plan to kill Guru Arjan Dev Ji was being hatched in thecourt of Jahangir. Confidential orders were issued bywhich Guru Arjan Dev Ji was going to be tortured to deathon 30th May, 1606 at Lahore. Saain Mian could not sit idle.He felt deeply distressed on hearing the news. He

Selected Episodes frotM Sikh I listory (Part - IV)

immediately reached Lahore fort and exercising hisinfluence in the court, he met Guru Sahib, But it was toolate then. The conspiracy was very strong and it was theorder of the king. So the implementation had begun. SaainMian Mir was greatly annoyed on seeing Guru Ji sitting ona hot plate, while hot sand was poufed on his head andbody. He sought Guru Ji's permission to end this cruel rule,but the peace loving Guru commented which is expressedby a poet as under

Miån, chhodo preeti chäm se.

Tan tap rahå to kiyä huä

hum shant hain Harinäm se.

The mighty composer of Divine Bani displayed itsmiraculous power practically. The granter of peace,tolerance, patient, humility and goodwill towards allshowed its characteristics through Guru Arjan Dev Ji. MianMir Ji returned helplessly. He could do nothing in thepolitical conspiracies i and therefore bore all the anguishand pain on his mind.

After the martyrdom of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, SriGuru Hargobind Sahib sat on the throne. He paid moreattention towards Malzoa and Doaba region in spreadingSikhism. Majha had been completely controlled. There werepreachers and leaders everywhere. Saain Mian Mir spentmost of his time at Lahore but he remained in contact withGuru Ji. When through a confidential order, Jahangirprisoned Guru Hargobind Sahib at Gwalior fort, then MianMir Ji had a meeting with the king. As it is, Jahangir wasscared of saints and Sadllus. So after this meeting, hereleased Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji. He too startedrespecting Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji.

Sikh history tells us that a royal Quazi of Lahore whowas a resident of Mujangi had a daughter named BibiKaulan who was a disciple of Saain Mian Mir. She oftenlistened to the Bani of Satguru Ji from Saain Ji, Graduallyshe also practised recitation and singing of these hymns,

25

Selected Episodes fronl Sikh I-listory (Part - IV)

her heart was perforated by the simple, clear and easyGurbani and her interest in it started increasing day by day.When Quazi came to know about it, he was flushed withanger as to why a daughter of a Muslim should recite thehymns of an infidel? But the girl had adopted the Sikhreligion whole heartedly. She thought Sikhs to be mosthumble community who were ever devoted to share thepains of the poor. On the contrary, the royal administrators(in which her father was also included) had forgotten theirduties. They were careless about their subjects. She escapedfrom the scare of her Quazi father and became moreengrossed in Gurbani. But by a decree of Islam, he decidedto put his daughter to the gallows. The girl sought SaainMian Mir Ji's help. Saain Ji arranged for her escape toAmritsar in the refuge of the Sixth Master. The royaladministrator also didn't interfere as the king himself hadcome closer to Guru Ji.

How much goodwill and rapport Saain Mian Mir Jihad and to what extent he loved poor and needy can begauged from a reference recorded in 'Tuzak-e-Jahangir'. In1619, when Jahangir halted at Lahore on his way toKashmir, he was pleased to meet Saain Mian Mir. Hewrites, i' When my habit of drinking increased too much, Iwas impressed by the magical words of Mian Mir Ji that Ireduced the intake of liquor to such an extent that I couldnot even believe myself. He was above the wordly interests.I, a poor fellow used to go to the saint who imparted deepdivine knowledge. Saain Mian Mir was beyond the worldlyattachments. So I dared not present any gift to him."

Shah Jahan met Saain Ji twice and his elder son DaraShikoh met Saain Ji several times. When Dara Shikoh feltseriously ill in 1633, he was treated by Saain Ji andrecovered. Shah Jahan presented a shawl and a necklace ofdates. He returned the shawl and with a lot of reluctancekept the necklace which was later distributed amongst thepoor. Dara Shikoh has also written this in his book 'SafinaUlian'.

26

Selected Episodes frot" Sikh History (Part - IV)

Mian Mir Ji died on 11 th Aug, 1635. He was crematedin the village Hashimpur near Lahore. A monument wasbuilt on this place later on.

Mian Mir Ji a man deeply in love of God, of highcharacter, helper of the poors and always served themunflinchingly. It was for these qualities that he washonoured to lay the foundation stone of Sri Darbar Sahib.

27

Selected Episodes frotn Sikh I listory (Part - IV)

Bhai Langah Ji

Gurntat is a great way of life. Whosoever has come

near it with dedicated heart, has not escaped adopting it.

When Guru Nanak Dev Ji showed the true path to this

distressed world, then not only lakhs but crores of people

adopted this true path. According to Mirza Gulam Ahmed

Radian, Guru Nanak Dev Ji initiated three crore seekers

and brought them in the fold of Sikhism. Even the great

Saints, Sadhus, Pandits, Cltaudllris and Kings started

adopting Sikhism.

After Guru Nanak Sahib, the people became more

inclined towards Sikhism, During Guru Amardas Ji's reign

it had spread so much that it became difficult to control the

activities from one centre. So Guru Sahib Ji established 22

main centres and 52 sub-centres. Each centre had one

Gursikh preacher.

During the periods of Sri Guru Ramas Ji and Guru

Arjan Dev Ji Sikhism spread to uncontrollable state. So

Guru Sahib sent Masands to different areas who received

offerings of the devotees and reached them to the Guru.

Bhai Gurdas Ji has entered the names of many Sikh

leaders in his eleventh Vaar. It is unfortunate that we are

unable to find the life details of these honourable elders.

However some efforts when made would produce results.

Bhai Gurdas Ji has written in twenty second pauri of

the eleventh Vaar.

'Patti andar choudhry dhillon Lal Langah suhanda'

(Bhai Lal and Bhai Langah appointed by Guru Ji

adore the area of Patti).

A village named Jhabal is located at about 8 Kos(about 16 Kms) South of Sri Amritsar. The seed Of Sikhismwas sown here by Choudhry Langah. He was the residentand chieftain of Jhabal in Patti area.

During the reign of Muslims, Patti was a state. Theannual revenue of Patti state was rupees nine lakhs. That is

28

Selected Episodes fronl Aikh I ligtoryy (Part - IV)why it is still known as Nau Lakh Pattian- The entire areaof Patti was under the control of thi•eé chieftainc, each ofwhonl were payees of three lakhs whether they collect thatmuch or not, Athong these were- Jhabaliaye who WereDhillons, Nusheht•iaye who were Punnus; The otherNushehriayes were Sandhus. These chieftains had thepower to destroy or to colonise any village. They couldpunish or forgive any one,

Choudhary Langah was son of Abul Khait% Sikandar,Umri, Hoshang and Mubarak were his offsprings.Choudhary Langah was contemporary of Akbar, Jahangirand Shah Jahan. He had eighty four villages whichincreased to 105 during the time of his son ChoudharySikander. He was a Sarvaria as other residents of Punjabwere. He had a 'Pirkhana' in his house.

In order to help the poor and to bring the Sarvariasunder Sikhism. Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji went and camped atTaran Taaran and had a 'Sarovar' (water reservoir) dug.The devotees were always in high spirits while serving andreciting the Gurbani. They never felt tired while doingvoluntary service. Guru Arjan Dev Ji would serve the lepershimself. This noble service brought many strayed peopleunder Sikhism. Bhai Langah Ji too felt inspired and joinedSikh brotherhood.

After entering Sikh folds Choudhary Langah hadadopted a daily routine of reaching a pot of curd on hishead and making its offering to Guru Ji. Thereafter hewould return home and start his day's work. When thisroutine had been in vogue for some times, Guru Ji decidedto put Bhai Langah Ji to a test without informingChoudhary Langah. Guru Ji went to Amritsar. He broughtthe curd in his normal routine. The next day, when heheard that Guru Ji had gone to Amritsar, he also set out forAmritsar. When he reached there, he came to know thatGuru Ji has returned to Taran Taaran. He decided to go toTaran Taaran at once and on reaching there, he presentedthe pot of curd to Satguru Jiv In doing so, he covered aboutforty miles on foot. But without seeing Guru Ji he didn't

29


return home. Guru Ji was much pleased to see patience

and faith of an honourable and respected member oft the

society. It was no small matter. Guru Ji hugged Bhai

Langah and said your labour has borne fruits. He was then

appointed as Masand of Patti area. In order to show the

frue path to the people, he raised a Dharamshala in theplace of Pirkhana in his house. This is the miracle of Guru's

house.

He earmarked a piece of pasture land for Guru Ji'sdomestic animals. Baba Buddha Ji used to live there andtook care of the animals. This place is known as 'Birh ofBaba Buddha Ji' now-a-days.

Jahangir succeeded Akbar on the throne of Delhi.Khusro, his son rebelled against his father. The royal forcesdefeated Khusro. The people who had helped Khusroduring his rebellion were tortured and put to death. GuruJi was also accused of helping Khusro. On the basis of thisfalse accusation, Jahangir ordered death sentence bytorture to Guru Ji. The five Sikhs who accompanied Guru Jito Lahore included Bhai Langah Ji. Associating with GuruJi at that time was risking one's life, authority and respectbut Bhai Langah Ji didn't bother about anything for thecompany of his Guru. This shows how sacrificing BhaiLangah Ji was.

The testing of sacrifice was yet to be done. Shah Jahansucceeded Jahangir. Battles were fought with Guru Ji. Onthe day of marriage of Bibi Veero Ji, the daughter of SriGuru Hargobind Sahib, the royal forces attacked Amritsar.Guru Hargobind Sahib immediately decided to send thefamily away from Amritsar since the preparations ofmarriage were complete. Guru Ji sent the family toChoudhary Langah at Jhabal. It should be rememberedthat Guru Ji was a recalcitrant in the eyes of the regime atthat time and whosoever helped Guru Ji had the fear ofgetting his properly impounded or being killed. ButChoudhary Langah remained indaunted and bold. Hesheltered Guru's Jits family and the marriage of Bibi Veerowas solemnised at Jhabal. Spending his life in the service of

30

Selected Episodes frotn Sikh History (Part- IV)

Guru Ji and Sikh Sangat Bhai Langah Ji departed for theworld hereafter.

Choudhary Langah had two sons named Sikandarand Jamast and a daughter names Umri. Jamastpura wasraised on the name of Jamast. His descendents resided inJamastpura, Phatikhara and Jhabal. Sikandar had onehundred and five villages. He had a son named Mubarakwho was the contemporary of Aurangzeb. When DaraShikoh reached Lahore after, escaping from Aurangzeb, hesought the help of Guru Har Rai Ji for the preparation of apossible confrontation with his brother. Guru Ji was then atLahore with His eleven hundred cavalier. ChoudharyMubarak with his horsemen was also with Guru Ji then.

Post Aurangzeb, when the Sikhs in Punjab were beingkilled and the Choudharies of the areas had a big hand inlocating and killing of the Sikhs, the Jhabaleye Choudariessheltered the Sikhs without considering the royal orders.This resulted in their whole property being confiscated.

Of all the Choudharies of Punjab the JhabalieyeChoudharies were the only one who adopted Sikhism andjoined Khalsa Dal and used swords against the tyrants.When the Sikhism was on its ascendency, manyChoudharies became Sikhs but during the most adverseconditions Jhabalieyas were the only ones who fearlesslyand boldly adopted Sikhism.

After Choudhary Mubarak, comes the name of MataBhaag Kaur Ji who was the descendent of Pairo Shah theyounger brother of Choudhary Langah. After this duringthe period of confideracy (misels) there comes a famousname of Sardar Baghel Singh who was the head of CroreSinghia misel. He is known as a great stateman in the Sikhhistory. He defeated royal army many a times. During theperiod of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji, Sardar Khazaan SinghJi was the Subedaar of Mankere. S. Karam Singh the greathistorian also belonged to this family, who taught the rightway of writing history. The whole credit goes to BhaiLangah Ji who himself adopted Sikhism and attached thecoming generation to it as well. He sacrificed everything forhis Guru and served him whole heartedly.

31

Selected Episodes froni Sikh I-listory (Part - IV)

Bhai Udai Singh

Bhai Udai Singh Ji was a renowned Sikh of GuruGobind Singh Jits era. He was the brother of Bhai BachittarSingh. His father Mani Ram Ji (famous martyr Bhai ManiSingh Ji), who was the resident of Alipur (Distt. Multan)dedicated Bhai Udai Singh as well as his four otherchildren to Dasmésh Ji.

Bhai Udai Singh was a great marksman and afearless hunter. He used to go deep into the jungles aroundAnandpur for hunting. Once he hunted a lion all byhimself. He presented the lion's skin to Guru Ji. Guru Jidraped this skin on a donkey and sent him in the open.People were petrified. After watching the other donkeys,when it started braying, the people then came to know thereality and heaved a sigh of relief. The donkey's mastercame and took him away. Guru Ji taught a lesson to thepeople (mind's code of conduct is more important thancode of conduct of the body) otherwise impersonated Sikhswould be no better than this donkey.

Once Guru Gobind Singh Ji went on a hunt. SomeSikhs who had to gather grass and green fodder for thehorses were also in the entourage of Guru Ji. When BaliaChand and Aalam Chand two hill cheifs saw Guru Ji witha few Sikhs, they attacked him. Bhai Udai Singh displayedan exemplary acts of bravery in this skirmish. First BhaiAlam Singh fought with Aalam Chand. Bhai Alam Singhserved the right arm of Alam Chand. Then Balia Chandthought of facing Bhai Udai Singh, but Bhai Udai Singhwounded him with a gun shot and he fell down. ThePaharieys fled away and the Sikhs were victorious.

Many examples of bravery of Bhai Udai Singh areavailable in the Sikh history. He participated in all thebattles of Anandpur Sahib and fought with zeal andenthusiasm. He was great Military General of Guru'sArmy.

During the second battle of Anandpur Sahib (year

32

Selected Episodes front Sikh I-listory (Part - IV)

1701) Bhai Udai Singh was entrusted with a specialresponsibility by Dashmesh Satguru Ji. He was assigned to

look after the fort of Fatehgarh when the hill chiefs had put

a siege around Anandpur. Bhai Sher Singh and BhaiNahar Singh were assigned the task of defending Lohgarhfort. Each of these forts had five hundred armed Sikhsapproximately.

The hill chiefs army encircled the fort. It remained

under siege for twenty days without any result. At last,tired Jaswaliye brought a drunkard elephant in the field. It

had to break the front door of the fort. Initially they werepressinc on Fatehgarh but Sikhs tried to manoeuvre themto Lohgarh so that they could attack with greater force.According to their planning Sikhs started retreating andbecame successful in bringing the hill states army to

Lohgarh. The soldiers of hill states were already trying to

break open the front gate of the fort with the help of adrunkard elephant. Bhai Bachittar Singh was sent to

encounter the elephant and Bhai Udai Singh took Guru Jit s

permission to confront Kesri Chand of Jaswal who was the

commander of this campaign. With Guru Ji's permission

taking some brave Sikhs with him, Bhai Udai Singh

pounced upon the hill kings like a hungry lion and within

no time mauled the hill state army. They were awfullydisheartened. Bachittar Singh, the brother of Bhai Udai

Singh attacked the elephant with his spear, badly

wounding the elephant. The wounded drunkard elephant

in agony of pain turned about and stampeded soldiers of

the hill states. This caused much anger in Kesri Chand of

Jaswal. At that time Bhai Udai Singh jumped into the field

and challenging Raja Kesri Chand said, "If you have the

courage then come face to face with me and have a fight."

Bhai Udai Singh came forward and attacked Kesri Chand

with his sword so briskly and dextrously that with the first

blow, his head was severed. Bhai Udai Singh returned to

the fort with the head fixed on his spear. (Kesri Chand had

boasted amongst the Hindu hill chiefs that he would sleep

on the floor, eat chapati on his hand and would not wear

turban until he crushed Guru Jit s head). Bhai Udai Singh

33

Sq•lected V.pieodes from Sikh I listorv (Part - t V)

came and placed the head on Guru Ji's feet. In thestampede that resulted among the enemies army, the Sikhsput many to sword. Sikhs achieved a great victory becauseof Bhai Udai Singh. Guru ji praised the brave deed of BhaiUdai Singh.

The bravery shown by Bhai Udai Singh in the Battleof Nit-moh, and the third Battle of Anandpur Sahib hasbecome an unforgettable incident in the Sikh history. In thefifth Battle of Anandpur Sahib Bhai Udai Singh was theleading general of the Sikhs. He killed the enemy soldiers ina large number. the hill chiefs and the Mughal armycould do nothing to prevent loss of life, they laid a siegearound Anandpur Sahib. During the siege there weremany skirmishes over a period of six, seven months. At lastGuru Ji left Anandpur Sahib on a dark night of December1704. Vs71en Guru Ji came out of the fort, Bhai Udai Singh,Bhai Daya Singh and Bhai Alam Singh were in thevanguard. Satguru Ji first went to Ram Ghanola and thenturned towards Kirtpur. When they reached near Nirmoh,the enemy attacked them from behind. Bhai Udai Singh Jijoined that band of Sikh soldiers which was under thecommand of Baba Ajit Singh. A fierce battle was fought onthe bank of river Sirsa. Bhai Udai Singh fought bravely.Once he saved Baba Ajit Singh and stood defiantly till BabaAjit Singh extricated himself out of the reach of the enemy,Fighting bravely, bhai Udai Singh Ji died and became a

Such were Guru's Sikhs who sacrificed their lives fortheir Guru. On the other hand look at our leaders,Jathedars, Presidents, Secretaries who organise preachingby Sants, Mahants and Jogis contrary to the teachings ofGuru. They are bent upon reducing their Guru's teachingsto the dust and that too to maintain their ego and falseau thority.

34

Selected Episodes from Sikh History (Part - JV)

The Martyrdom of Baba Deep Singh Ji

Baba Deep Singh Ji was a great Sikh saint warrior ofthe seventeenth century. He partook Amrit at the hands ofSri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. He was not only a leader,commander, warrior or a devotee but a great scholar too.He produced many copies of Guru Granth Sahib at DamDama Sahib (Sabo ki Talwandi). A copy each was sent tothe four Takhts. He was born in 1682 in the village PahuWind (Majha). His mother was Mata Jeeooni and fatherBhai Bhagata Ji who was a farmer.

He came to Anandpur Sahib in the year 1700 with hisfather and partook Amrit. After joining Khalsa Panth hespent his whole life in service of the Panth. He took part inmany battles and fought with full zeal and bravery. Duringthe period of Baba Banda Singh Ji he participated in manybattles. During the time of misals he took up the leadershipof Misal Shaheedan. Though the strength of Singhs in thisIllisal had remained small but the name, fame and braveryof this Illisal will always be remembered.

After the fourth invasion of Ahmed Shah Abdali in(1756-57) Lahore came under the control of his sonsTaimur Shah and Jahaan Khan. Soon after this invasion,when Ahmed Shah was returning home, the Sikhsfollowed him from Delhi to river Chenab. They kept onattacking his army and would rob him of all that he hadlooted. Once the attack of the Sikhs was so fierce that arumor had spread that Taimur Khan has also beencaptured. Before departure, Abdali had ordered that the

Sikhs be dealt with severly.

In order to meet the impending threats, Sikhs decided

to assemble at Amritsar. Taimur and Jahaan Khan were

thinking of taking straight action against the Sikhs. When

they heard about the gathering of Sikhs at Amritsar theythought it to be the right time of attacking the Sikhs. Tomake it a religious issue, they inspire the Muslims on the

35

Selected Episodes front Sikh I-listory (Part - IV)

name of Jehad.

Jahaan Khan was told by someone that the only wayof destroying the Sikhs was to demolish Sri Darbar Sahib atAmritsar and to fill the holy tank with sand. He thoughtthat Sikhs were becoming immortal after drinking the holywater from the Sarovar and they acquire extra energy forfighting. So Jahaan Khan reached Amritsar at the head ofan army of seven thousand men and demolished SriDarbar Sahib. He had the holy Sarvoar filled with sand.

When this news of sacrilege reached the Sikhs, theywere outraged with anger. It jolted their pride.

When Baba Deep Singh heard this news at Bhatinda,he could not contain himself without taking action. Hevowed to teach a lesson to the Muslims for this insult oftheir most sacred shrine. He sent messages to the SikhSangat living in far off places and wrote that whosoeverloves his religion should offer his services to restore theglory of Darbar Sahib. On receiving this message, peoplestarted thronging Bhatinda. People from villages, cities andfrom the Lakhi jungle of Malwa or wherever they livedstarted responding to the call of Baba Deep Singh Ji.

Around five thousand Singhs assembled with Baba Ji.He advised the Singhs that a life of self-respect is the reallife. One should live as well as die respectfully and withpride. Hearing these bold and inspirational words of BabaJi, Singhs resolved and prepared themselves for theimpending confrontation with the sinners.

All the Singhs who had assembled made asupplication to the Almighty and marched towardAmritsar via Harike under the leadership of Baba DeepSingh Ji. After a brief halt at Taran Taaran, these horsemenreached Chabba a place half way between Amritsar andTaran Taaran.

The news of preparation of the Singhs for a fight alsoreached Jahaan Khan. So he came over to face them withan Army of twenty thousand soldiers. Both the Armiesfaced each other at' a place called Gohlwarh which is aboutten kilometers away from Amritsar. As soon as they saweach other, they took to fighting. A fierce battle was fought.

36


Jahaan Khan was watching the proceeds sitting on hiselephant. Dyal Singh a companion of Baba Deep Singhtook five hundred warriors with him and attacked JahaanKhan. Dyal Singh made his horse jump and in a split ofsecond, severed the head of Jahaan Khan.

Seeing this, the Sikhs became more bold and brave.They attacked with full vigour once again like hungrylions. An impressive display of sword fighting took place.The Muslim army which was three times more than theSikhs was uprooted and it started retreating hurriedly. It so

happened that reinforcement from Lahore arrived in thenick of the time that gave them fresh courage. It gave them

a new lease of life. The commander of the enemyreorganised his men and encouraged them with freshvigour.

When a companion of Baba Deep Singh saw him

hurt severly and falling unconsciously on the ground, he

reminded Baba Deep Singh that his vow of setting Darbar

Sahib free had not yet been completed.

As soon as he heard this, Baba Deep Singh supported

his head with one of his hands while with the other, hepicked up the sword and started fighting. A fierce battle

was fought. Dharam Singh, Khem Singh, Mann Singh and

Ram Singh took a heavy toll of the enemy. Hira Singh

killed commander Sabar Ali while Balwant Singh ended

the life of Jabardast Khan. With this killing the Muslim

soldiers lost their courage. They withdrew from battlefield

and heaved a sigh of relief on reaching Ataari.

When Baba Deep Singh reached near Chatiwind, he

stoped there because of severe injuries and he took his last

breath near Ramsar Sarovar. It was 11 th November, 1757.

He fulfilled his promise before leaving for his heavenly

abode. He was 75 years old at that time.

37

9•lected Episodes from Sikh History (Part - IV)

The Martyrdom of Bhai Taaru Singh Ji

Every human being desires that others too shouldadopt that philosophy of life as he himself is following. Thedisciples of all the religions follow this policy. Everybodydesires that all others should become •the followers of thatreligion to which he himself adheres. Similarly theadherents of Sikhism wanted that others should also adoptSikhism but our approach of bringing other people underSikhism is different. The use of force and coercion onothers to bring them into Sikhism is prohibited in Sikhreligion. On the contrary, Muslims do not adopt this policy.It is legitimate for them to adopt any legal or illegalmethods of converting people to Islam. When Muslimpower came into India, it adopted every means, legal orillegal to convert India into a Muslim state. Theytyrannized the other religionists to such an extent thateven the Satan must have felt aggrieved.

In order to stop this lunacy on the name of religion,the fifth Guru sacrificed his life on the hot plates, ninthGuru laid his life and the tenth Guru (Dashmesh Pita)staked his whole family.

In 1716, after the pathetic martyrdom of Baba BandaSingh Jif the storm of tyranny became fierceful; an examplethat is not found in the world history.

Bhai Taaru Singh Ji also became a victim of thebrutality of the Muslims under their policy of religiousconversion.

During the martyrdom of Bhai Taaru Ji, ZakariaKhan was the Governor of Lahore. By then Nadar Shahhad gone back after oppression of Hindus and Muslims.Singhs had taught him a good lesson. Much impressed bythe bravery of the Sikhs, he had told Zakaria Khan thatthese people with long hair and beards would soonbecome the rulers of this country.

38


As an extension of the religious madness' ZakariaKhan perpetrated countless atrocities on Sikhs. He fixedthe price on the head of each Sikh. The patrolling partiesstarted searching out the Sikhs. Leaving their houses, theSinghs moved towards the deserts, forests and hills. Theirstrength in the villages and towns reduced to rarity.

As he grew young Bhai Taaru Ji started farming.During that critical period he was ever ready to serve theSikh with Langar and other essentials. Singhs would oftenstay at his house for several days. Being a man of highlyreligious and spiritual leaning, he was much respectedamongst the Hindus and Muslims even of theneighbouring villages. Everyone had praise for him. That iswhy he was still living in the village fearlessly when Sikhswere in dire strait.

S. Rattan Singh Bhangu, the author of 'Prachin PanthParkash' writes that one day Nawab Zakaria Khan askedhis reporters :-

Ncuub muJchian kopüchhio, séak kahan te khähey.

Neh ugrähi halwahi, neh chäkri banj kamahey

(ky bhuzkhey dülä khülä>l Whey nä}üu

Fanj toley un banh ke rähi, khoj tol kai märai tähin..6

silgh ko bhØJ0. rnåu dayo.

Chhod gaye apney des(u). Bhukhey hæy t,utäbåu bhß. 7 ...

R,ük bålä koi>etxn• nähi æy rink båui h?

Rd sag khüey manukh kab—ai J0Ftxu• kin thitaP

Living in palaces, how would Nawabs know andrealize the hardships of the Sikhs which they had to bearin order to preserve their religion. Among the informers orthe spy was the ungrateful 'Harbhagat Niranjania'.

This often happens when greedy, covetous andcoward people throw aside their righteousness. During thetimes of the British regime in India, in order to achieve tljetitle of 'Sir' or 'Sardar Bahadur' many Sikhs indulged in

39

Selected Episodes front Sikh History (Part - IV)

the flattery of Englishmen and received the desired status.

By their treachery and deception, they reduced the Sikhs to

slavery. These very Englishmen had put many Sikhs to the

sword earlier In various battles.

Those whose ancestors were protected by the ninth

Guru, who had laid down his life, so that their identity can

be saved, instead of appreciating or valuing Guru's

martyrdom, they became the assassins of Guru's own

people. The reply given by Niranjania to Zakaria Khan asmentioned in the Prachin Panth Parkash is as under

"Harbhagat Niranjaniey yon. phir kahi.

Püloh Pind ik mqjhey mahi.

Tam Singh teh kheti karai.

Sath Pind veh hålä bharai. 17.

Deh håkam kachh thorhä khävey.

Bachai singhan ke päss puch ävai.

Hai us ke ik bhain ar mä-ee.

Pees hit vai karain kamä-ee. 18

Shabad chaunki gur apney ki karey.

So mam te naik n darai.20

Gangajamuna ke nikat njävey.

Apney gur ki chhapri nahävai.

Jagan Nath ko tundå äkhai.

Ram kojäp n bhåkhai.21.

Rät turey din beh rahey turkan ankh bachäey.

Sir par pand uthåey kai, singhan pai pahunchäey.22This was the life style of the Sikhs at that time. Except

Aknl Purakll and Sri Guru Granth Sahib, they neveraccepted anyone else as their deity. This was the reason oftheir boldness and fearlessness. These ancient Gursikhs

40

Selected Episodes froth Sikh I listory (Part - IV)

"lilai'. That is how they could strengthen the foundationsof Sikhism with their blood and marrow.

Harbhagat Nirjanian Inade many frivolous butinflated complaints against Bhai Taaru Singh in the courtof Khan Bahadur. Thus he became the recepient of hismalevolence. To this, Zakaria Khan answered Niranjaniaas under •

Aou' Taanz Singh ikallå joü. Aehdijae lai aavey soü.

ms ku ås pyadey do. Rastioil chaokas us kar 1m.

So Niranjania by the order of Zakaria Khan tooktwenty foot soldiers and moved to arrest Bhai Taaru SinghJi. He was happy since this task will place him in the list of

accepted category of the authorities.

The soldiers reached Lahore along with Bhai Taaru

Singh Ji who was put in the prison. He was givenunbearable tortures but :

Jim jim Singh ko turk satäwai.

Tim tim mukh Singh läli ävai.

Jim jim Singh kachh(u) piey n khüey.

Tim tim Singh santokh huai äey.

Bhai Taaru Singh Ji was presented before the Nawab.

The conversation that took place between Nawab Zakaria

Khan and Bhai Sahib is written by S. Rattan Singh Bhangu

as under

Taaru Singh Nawab bulåiä. Unai ahidian cin miläiä.

Wahgurü ki Fateh bulåæ. Akül akül keh üch sunåæ.

Taaru Singh Ji tab kahio tün. sun båt nawab.

Hum tumro n bigarhio tum kim det ajån.

Jo hum tumi bhcxjrn bigruin tao bhi turnko IXIisey bhann.

Aojao tnnj tgxfxr bhi k.arui, too bhi hålå bharubl.

Turn ko de kejo rehjåey, so hum apney peyton påey.

41

Selected Episodes fronl Sikh I-listory (Part - IV)

N)ney tan I-ryt tukh hai üni deyt aor chalxm chalnoni,

kaho tai githon. *icy? Hüm ko tum kin deyt saFey?s

so' Bhai Taaru Singh Ji boldly answered Zakaria

Khan that he pays the revenue of the land and tax on his

traded commodity. What is left is served to the needy even

by keeping our own needs unfulfilled. Hey Nawab! You

tell what do you lose from your pocket? For what offence

are you giving me the punishment?

On hearing the truth from Bhai Taaru Singh Ji

Zakaria Khanturned red and blue with anger. As he could

not find any relevant reply, he repeated the same words

which many staunch Muslims had already said to many

Singhs :

Nawab kahai tün ho Muslmän.

Tao chhadängä tumri jän.

Singh kahio hum dar kia jäno.

Hum hovai kim Muslmanö.

In this context Giani Gian Singh Ji had recorded the

following in Tareekh Guru Khalsa Part 2, page 142.

When after adopting Islam one can't escape death,happiness and distress will still remain part of life thenwhy should one become dishonest with one's religion (i.e..why to sell one's conscience) and for that religion wherewithout committing any crime one becomes a criminal.Nawab once again said -

Phir Nawaäb ehi kahi, jind chåhain tan äwouh din.

Aurjü chåhain mäng so, dhan ar mulakh zameen.

Not only this much, the Nawab gave many otherincentives. He said •

Aau Mughal Pathänan beti lehü.

Bich hawélan bäs karéhu.

To this, Bhai Taaru Singh Ji answered as follows :

42

Selected Episodes from Sikh I listory (Part • IV)

m jo hum pey hain meharbün.Akh hamain n höhu musalmün.7üTi dus hamai kutch aisey räh(u).Resti suasiti hoey nibåh(u).Realising firm determination of Bhai Taaru Singh ji

living life of a loyal Sikh even at the cost of his life, Nawabordered removal of his skull. So Bhai Sahib Ji bore all theseunbearable tortures happily. He had his skull removed andachieved martyrdom. He stuck to the lofty ideals ofSikhism till his last breath.

This incident took place on 1st July, 1745 at Lahore.The martyrdom of Bhai Sahib will be like a light

showing path for the Sikh youth. They too would resolveto live life of a Sikh to its last tenet.

43


A Great Achievement of

S. Bhaghel Singh

Many people opine that no sensible or an intelligentpolitician had ever born amongst the Sikhs. But if the Sikhhistory is studied thoroughly then it would be clearlyknown that where as it has given birth to many saint-soldiers and warriors, many intelligent politicians have alsobeen born in this community. This statement would beratified by the incident mentioned below.

This happened in 1778. The king of Delhi was ShahAalam. Abdul-Ahad-Khan was his minister. As he wasvery clever, deceiter, flatterer and an opportunist, he hadtaken the charge of the whole court. But he was not abrave man, only a wheedler. His brother Abdul QasimKhan was killed in a battle by the king of Kaithal, BhaiDesu Singh on 4th March, 1776. Before this in the year1775, he sent Rahim Dad Ruhele to the area of Hansi-Hissar (which was first under the state of Delhi andafterwards annexed by Phoolkian misal) to liberate it fromthe Sikhs. But he was killed by army of King of Jind,S. Gajpat Singh and the Patiala forces on 30th September,1775. Therefore he was thirsty for the blood of Sikhs. Hewas always waiting for an opportunity to crush thegrowing strength of Sikhs.

Upto 1778, Sikh army was able to exercise itsinfluence not only in Punjab but also in Haryana, U.P.,Delhi and Rajasthan. Khalsa Panth was ruling Punjab(including today's Haryana). All Rajwarais and Nawab'swere scared of Sikhs. Even the Delhi rulers had given up itshope. Even then Sirhind used to trouble them off and on.Since Singhs operations were not limited upto Delhi, andthey even went beyond for their exploits. The Sikhs werealways despised by the rulers of Delhi. Therefore the rulersat Delhi were always planning against the Sikhs.

44


'Divide and Rule' policy is generally adopted by all thegoverning bodies. Those nations would procure kingdoms

who manage to safeguard themselves against such policy.The rule of Rajputs, Marathas had come to an end because

of this policy. There was a discord amongst the Sikhs also.Abdul Ahad Khan took advantage of this disunity andtried to develop friendship with some of them. But he wasnot aware of their nature, that they become united whenthere is some danger from outsiders.

In September 1778 S. Karam Singh Shaheed, S. SahibSingh Kunda, S. Baghel Singh Karoresinghia, etc. hadcome to Shalimar Bagh in north-west of Delhi on Sept. 23,Abdul Ahed Khan sent his deputy Behram Kuli Khan towelcome the Singhs. On 29th Sept. he himself came to meetSikhs and presented them the robe of honour and a handof friendship.

Sikhs understood that the rulers of Delhi have coweddown. So on 1st Oct., they demolished the mosque whichwas built on the site of Gurdawara Bangla Sahib. Thegovernment tolerated it.

By April 1779, Shah Aalam had gone to Jaipur. So nodialogue could be held between the Sikhs and him. On hisreturn, S. Baghel Singh held a meeting with Abdul AhadKhan.

S. Baghel Singh was a brave soldier as well as a greatpolitician. He accepted their hand of friendship. After fevvdays Abdul Ahad Khan suggested to S. Baghel Singh that ifhe would help him, then Maltoa region which was underDelhi administration earlier would also come back to them.S. Baghel Singh pretended to be an innocent and gave hisfull consent for help. Abdul Ahad Khan was very muchimpressed by the tall promise made by S. Baghel Singh. S.Baghel Singh said that besides Maltoa, the whole area ofMultan would also come under your control. Actually bothwanted to entrap each other by cheating. Abdul AhadKhan was trapped by the Sikhs. He motivated the king tolead this expedition himself. The king withdrew himself.

45

Selected Episodes from Sikh I listory (Part - IV)

His elder son made an excuse of illness and thereforeescaped, At last under forced circunxstances, the king hadto order his second son Mirza Jahan Shah Pharkhanda•Bakht to proceed on this expedition with Abdul AhadKhan against the Sikhs.

In the mean time S. Beghel Singh through his agentssecretly informed all the Sikhs and Sardars of "lisels abouthis plan. Abdul Khan and the Prince set out towardsPunjab from Delhi on 3rd June, 1779 at the head of a largeArmy. S. Baghel Singh and S. Bhag Singh Dalewalia withfew Sikh warriors were also with them. When theyreached Karnal, S. Gajpat Singh the ruler of Jind alsojoined them. As soon as he arrived, S. Gajpat Singhaccepted payment of rupees two lakhs as tribute. So therewas no question if any suspicion in the mind of AbdulAhad Khan. S. Gajpat Singh along with Baghel Singh alsobecame confidential advisor of Ahad Khan. With theconsent of these two, every Sikh who came was allowed tojoin the force and was given the uniform and the weaponsaccording to the status. On hearing the advance of theroyal army the local Choudharies fled. The Sikhs wouldthen establish their police posts at these places. So the royalarmy was advancing while the Sikhs were setting up theirpolice posts.

The Sardar of Kaithal, Bhai Desu Singh Ji joined themat Karnal. Abdul Ahad Khan demanded rupees three lakhsbut he offered rupees two lakhs only. Then he demandedrupees five lakhs which Bhai Desu Singh refused to pay.One day S. Gajpat Singh suggested to Ahad Khan to arrestall the Sardars including himself in the event of not gettingthe amount from Bhai Desu Singh. Later on, he shouldrelease others excepts Bhai Desu Singh. Ahad Khan fellinto the trap of this plan. So they were all arrested on 12thSeptember. All Sardars agreed to pay the amount.Therefore all were released except Bhai Desu Singh. At lasthe was also released after he had paid rupees one lakh andfor the remaining money his son Bhai Lal Singh was keptas a surety.

46

Selected Episodes (rot" Sikh History (Part - IV)

The family of Bhai Desu Singh Ji was much respectedsince the time of Sri Guru Arjan Dev. This incident arousedanger amongst the Sikhs. Actually the purpose of S. GajpatSingh's plan was to disgrace the Muslim amongst the Sikhs.

On 13th Sept. 1779 the king of Patiala, S. Amar Singhsent his Deewan Nanu Mal and Meer Munshi Ram Dayalto the Wazir with a promissory note of Rs. five lakhs on thecondition that he must return to Delhi. Ahad Khan toldDeewan Nanu Mal that king Amar Singh should presenthimself with the amount, but Deewan and Maharaja Sahibwere not agreeable to his demand. Deewan told Ahad

an that the Maharaja Sahib will not come. Deewanagreed to give one lakh twenty thousand more in returnbut he was persistent that Maharaja should visit himpersonally along with the expenditure of his expedition.But this obstinacy led to nothing. So Ahad Khan orderedthe army to march towards Patiala.

On 23rd September the royal army crossed the riverSaraswati at Pehoha and encamped at Ghurham which isfifteen miles away from Patiala. From here they marchedon to the villages of Patiala with a view to ruin them.According to the planned scheme Sardar Jassa SinghAhuluwalia, Tara Singh Gheba, Sangat Singh, MahanSingh Shukarchariya, Bhangi and Ramgarhia Sardarsreached Patiala along with their armies to encounter theMuslims army. At the same time the Singhs recruited byRaja Gajpat Sihgh revolted.

S. Baghel Singh told Ahad Khan and Prince

Pharkhanda-Bakhat that a huge army from across river

t •tluj had reached for the help of Maharaja Patiala. So the

strength of the Sikhs had risen to two lakhs. The command

of this army was in the hands of the winners of Sirhind

and Lahore S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.

The Muslim army was perplexed to see the

ascendency of the Sikhs on one hand and revolt amongst

the Sikh soldiers on the other hand. So they started

requesting the Sikhs to allow them to return to Delhi.

47

Episodes from listoty (Parf IV)

Singhs were now appearing to thenl as some calamity.They were wet with sweat out of fear.

Sardar Baghel Singh said, "Now Sikhs will not easilyallow you to return and the surrounding area is also under

the Sikhs. Iliose who have paid the revenue are also angry.

other Sikh army is also with them. So the only way to

escape from th1S situation is to return the amount

and pay some more to cool thetn. Abdul Ahad Khan wasbadly entrapped. So he agreed for everything. The revenue

taken from the Sikhs was retumed. Along with this a sumof seven lakh rupees was also given to the Sikh. On 14th

October, 1779 Abdul Ahad Khan and Prince Pharkhanda

Bakhat the son of Shah Aalam returned to Delhicompletely demoralised after returning all their weapons,

horses and the other military hardware to the Sikhs. This

was a back breaking defeat for the Mughal kingdom. This

defeat become a major cause of great bereavement in the

capital Delhi.Would the Sikh leaders be motivated from this episode

of the history?

48

sikh history

Documents