Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji (1670-1716), a brave Sikh warrior and founder of the
Sikh Rule in Punjab was born on October 27, 1670, at Rajauri in Punchh District of
Jammu and Kashmir. His early name was Lachhman Dev. His father Ram Dev, a
Rajput farmer trained him in martial arts in early childhood.
At the age of fifteen, the sight of a dying pregnant doe during one of his hunting
excursions made him leave his home as penitence and become an ascetic. He joined
Bairagi Ram Das who named him 'Madho Das'. After his extensive tours, he settled in
the Panchvati woods near Nasik in Maharashtra. Later on, he established
a math (monastery) of his own in Nanded, Maharashtra on the left bank of the river
Godavari. It was here that he came in contact with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth
Sikh Guru happened to visit his monastery on September 3, 1708. After some
discourse, he fell at the feet of Guru Sahib pronouncing himself as his banda i.e., slave.
He was immediately converted to the Sikh faith. Guru Sahib named him 'Banda Singh'
and bestowed upon him a drum, a banner and five arrows as symbols of authority. At
the site of his meeting with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Gurdwara Baba Banda Bahadur
Ghat, Nanded has been established.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji along with five Sikhs - Binod Singh,
Kahan Singh, Baj Singh, Daya Singh and Ram Singh set out towards the north with a
determination to chastise the tyrannical Mughal faujdar of Sirhind Wazir Khan and other
tyrannical imperial officers who were persecuting Hindus and Sikhs compelling them to
come into the fold of Islam.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Punjab, India
On reaching Punjab, wherever he went the Sikhs welcomed him and gave him their full
support. On November 26, 1709 he attacked Samana in Patiala District of Punjab, the
native town of (i) Jalal ud-Din, the executioner of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, the
ninth Sikh Guru and (ii) of the two executioners Shashal Beg and Bashal Beg who had
beheaded Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji's two younger sons Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji and
Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji aged 7 years and 9 years respectively at Sirhind.
After conquering Samana he occupied Ghurham, Thaska, Shahabad and
Mustfabad. After this he razed to the ground the town of Kapuri in Haryana
whose faujdar Qadam ud-Din was persecuting Hindus and Sikhs and was indulging in
debaucheries. His next mission was to punish Usman Khan, the chief of Sadhaura,
which presently falls in Ambala District of Haryana, who was notorious for persecuting
Hindus and Sikhs. On March 21, 1704 Usman Khan had tortured to death the muslim
saint Sayyid Buddhu Shah, who taking along with him 700 of his followers, his brother
and four sons had helped Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in the battle of Bhangani in
Himachal Pradesh. The Hindus of this place had complained to Baba Banda Singh
Bahadur that they were not allowed to cremate their dead or to perform any other
religious ceremony. They also said that cows were slaughtered before their houses and
their blood and entrails were left in the streets which had compelled some Hindus to
leave this place. In a fierce battle which took place at Sadhaura Usman Khan was killed.
In Sadhaura to commemorate the bravery of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur a Gurdwara
named Quilla Gurdwara has been established.
Before attacking Sirhind, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji took a long route to seek
the support of the Sikhs from Doaba and Majha. On his call, the Sikhs came forward
and gave him their full support because they wanted to avenge the killing of the two
younger sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji who had been bricked alive in a wall at
Sirhind on the orders of Wazir Khan. His aim was (i) to avenge the killing of the two
younger sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada
Fateh Singh Ji whom Wazir Khan, the imperial faujdar of Sirhind had first ordered to be
sealed alive in a wall, and who were later on executed by his orders at Sirhind and (ii)
put an end to the Mughal imperialism under which Hindus and Sikhs were being forcibly
converted to Islam.
On May 12, 1710 to conquer Sirhind he attacked the imperial forces at Chapar
Chiri which are twin villages (Chapar Chiri Large and Chapar Chiri Small) in Kharar
Tehsil of District Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab which are at a distance of about
20 kms from Sirhind. Wazir Khan who had 25, 000 warriors at his command had
reached Chapar Chiri. A fierce battle took place. Toward the end of this battle as the
author of Ahwal-i-Salatin-i Hind has stated "The Sikhs came face to face with the
Mohammedans... Wazir Khan then came face to face with Baj Singh saying 'be careful,
you dirty dog'........" In the meantime, Fateh Singh took out his sword and struck Wazir
Khan so strongly that it passed through his shoulder down to his waist and his head fell
to the ground. To commemorate this victory Gurdwara Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji
has been established between Chapar Chiri Large and Chapar Chiri Small.
On May 14, 1710 Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji and his troops captured the
city of Sirhind and razed it to the ground. The province of Sirhind at that time
extended from Karnal to Ludhiana. This victory named as Sirhind Victory virtually
paved the way for Khalsa Raj which ended with Maharaja Dulip Singh, the
youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1849. At the place of execution of
Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji which is 5 kms north
of Sirhind the city named Fatehgarh Sahib was established and at the exact site
of execution Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib has been established. By this time Baba
Banda Singh Bahadur Ji was the virtual master of territories between Yamuna
and Sutlej.
After the victory of Sirhind, he made Mukhlisgarh, which falls in-between
Sadhaura and Nahan in the Himalayas as his headquarters and renamed it
'Lohgarh'. Fort of Lohgarh in this way became the first capital of Sikh Raj (Rule).
He introduced new coins and a new calendar dating from May 14, 1710. He put an end
to the feudal system.
After crossing Yamuna, he seized Saharanpur in U.P. in the summer of 1710 after
which he returned to Punjab and conquered Batala and Kalanaur in Gurdaspur District
of Punjab and marched towards Lahore. The Governor of Lahore Syyid Aslam was so
much awe stricken that he shut himself in a fort. By now, except for the city of Lahore
the whole of Majha and Riarki were under his command. On Oct 3, 1710 he occupied
Rahon in Jalandhar Doab.
His increasing power and influence roused the anger of the Mughal Emperor
Bahadur Shah (Rule 1707-1712) who came from the Deccan and commanded the
Governors of Delhi and Oudh and other Mughal officers to punish the Sikhs. The Sikhs
were so much on Bahadur Shah's brain that he looked at every bearded man with
suspicion. On September 8, 1710, he issued an order that 'all Hindus employed in the
imperial offices should get their beards shaved because he was afraid that Sikhs may
be disguised in them. On December, 10, 1710 Bahadur Shah issued orders to all of
his faujdars to kill 'worshippers of Nanak' i.e. the Sikhs wherever found. As per the
imperial orders all Government officers were ordered to kill Sikhs wherever found. The
Sikhs were handed over to the Mughal soldiers in lieu of pay who sold them in the
horse-market (nakhas) at Lahore where they were butcherd. Even in the face of the
imperial order of killing of all Sikhs Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji was tolerant towards
the Muslims. Thus, 5000 Muslim in the areas surrounding Kalanaur and Batala joined
his army. These muslims were allowed to shout their religious call azan and
recite khutba and namaz in the army of Sikhs.
In the face of the imperial orders, the Sikhs in Sirhind and other places were
compelled to take shelter in the Fort of Lohgarh. But the imperial forces which included
60, 000 soldiers besieged this fort. Due to lack of sufficient provisions, the Sikh soldiers
were getting desperate. On the night of December 10, 1710 Baba Banda Singh
Bahadur Ji escaped Lohgarh and took control of the States of Bilaspur, Mandi, Kullu
and Chamba in Himachal Pradesh. In June 1711, he came down to the plains and
defeated the Mughal troops at Bahrampur near Jammu and then again returned to the
hilly areas.
Ghulam Husain Khan in his book Siyar-ul-Mutaakherin written in Persian language
has reported that towards the end of his life Bahadur Shah lost his mental balance and
gave some very ridiculous orders such as killing of all dogs and donkeys in the city and
removal of all faqirs from the city. He became melancholic and died on February 27,
1712.
After Bahadur Shah's death Jahandar Shah ascended the throne for a few
months. On January 10, 1713 Farrukh-Siyar who ascended the throne accelerated the
campaign against the Sikhs. The Sikhs were forced to leave Sadhaura and Lohgarh.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji fought the last battle with the Mughals at the village
of Gurdas Nangal 6 kms from Gurdaspur where the main column led by Baba Banda
Singh Bahadur Ji was subjected to a severe siege. Due to lack of food supplies his
warriors had to live on grass, leaves and bark of the trees. On December 7, 1715 after 8
months of difficult conditions he had to surrender. He along with his followers was taken
, prisoner. About 200-300 Sikhs were bound hand-and-foot and handed over to the
Mughal and Tartar soldiery, who killed them with their swords. Their blood-filled the
battlefield as if it was a dish full of blood. The heads of the dead Sikhs were stuffed with
hay and mounted on spears.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji was first taken to Lahore and paraded in a
gruesome manner in the streets of Lahore. Then heavily chained, enclosed in a cage
which was set on an elephant he was sent to Delhi by the road along with 740 prisoners in
heavy chains seated on camels (two on each camel tied together wherein one hand of
each of them was tied to his neck), 700 cartloads of heads of Sikhs, with another 2000
heads of Sikhs stuck upon pikes. All of them were given food only when they fainted
because of hunger. The amount of food was as little could keep their breath going.
Cunningham in his book A History of the Sikhs (1849) has stated that, 'Banda (Singh)
and others were sent to Delhi under such miserable conditions that only vulgar and
semi-barbarian victors could do. This gruesome cavalcade arrived in Delhi on February
27, 1716 and was taken through the main bazars of Delhi. From Agharabad to Lohori
Gate in Delhi thousands of Muslims had lined up on the road-side who cut dirty jokes
and taunted the Sikhs.
In Delhi, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji along with about two dozen leading Sikhs
was imprisoned in the Fort while the remaining 740 were handed over to
the kotwal Sarbrah Khan to be executed at the Kotwali Chabutra opposite Delhi Railway
Station at the rate of 100 a day. The butchering of the 740 Sikhs started on March 5,
- Each of them courted death with pleasure and reciting Gurbani (sacred hymns).
Mirza Mohammed Harisi, the author of Ibratnama, who was present in Delhi during
these scenes, writes that:
"Such a crowd in the bazars and lanes had rarely been seen. The Mussalmans could
hardly contain themselves for joy. But the unfortunate Sikhs, who had been reduced to
this condition, were quite happy and contented with their lot. Not the slightest sign of
dejection or humiliation was visible on their faces. In fact, most of them, as they passed
along on their camels, seemed to be happy and cheerful, merrily singing their sacred
hymns. If anyone from the lane called out to them that their own excesses had brought
them where they were, they quickly retorted that it had been so decreed by the
Almighty and that their capture and misfortune was in accordance with His will. And if
anyone said, 'Now you will be killed', they shouted, 'Do kills us. When were we afraid of
death? Had we been afraid, how could we have fought so many battles with you? It was
only through want and hunger that we fell into your hands; otherwise, you know already
what deeds of bravery we are capable of."
William Irvine in his book Later Mughals (1922) has stated that "All observers
Indian and European "unite in remarking on the wonderful patience and resolution with
which these men underwent their fate. Their attachment and devotion to their leader
were wonderful to behold. They had no fear of death; they called the
executioner Mukt or the Deliverer, they cried out to him joyfully, "O Mukt ! Kill me first !"
Ghulam Husain Khan in his book Siyar-ul-Mutaakhirin has stated that 'But what is
singular these people not only behaved firmly during the execution, but they would
dispute and wrangle with each other for priority in death, and they made interest with
the executioner to obtain the preference.' To evade death all the Sikhs were given the
option to court Islam. The letter dated March 10, 1716 and addressed to the President
and Governor of Fort William by John Surman and Edward Stephenson, members of
the British Embassy to the court of Farrukh Siyar who were present at the venue of
execution in Delhi states: 'It has not been found that one apostatized from this newly
formed religion'. For a whole week, the butchering of Sikhs went on until all of them were
beheaded. At night their bodies were removed in carts and hung up on trees outside the
city.
On June 9, 1716 Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji along with his 26 companions were
taken out in a procession through the streets of the old city of Delhi to the tomb of
Khwaja Qutb ud-Din Bakhtyar Kaki near the Qutab Minar. By this time, he along with his
companions had been continuously tortured for more than three months. When Baba
Banda Singh BahadurJi was brought to this place, because of tortures inflicted on him
his hands, arms, feet and legs had been so severely distorted that he could not even
stand. He was given a stick to enable him to support his body and in addition a few
officials gave support to his shoulders. The historians feel that the details of Baba
Banda Singh Bahadur Ji's execution are too horrible to be related. On June 9,
1916 upon his refusal to court the Islam religion his four-year-old son Ajay Singh was
hacked to pieces before his eyes and the pieces of his flesh were forcibly put into his
mouth. After that, he was deprived of his right eye, and then of his left. Then his hands
and feet were cut off, his flesh was torn with red-hot pincers, and finally, his head was
chopped off. Until his last breath this brave warrior was reciting Gurbani (sacred
hymns), was fully composed and his face was gleaming. To commemorate his bravery,
at the site of his execution, Gurdwara Baba Banda Bahadur Ji has been established
in Mehrauli, New Delhi.
Three years after the painful shaheedi of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji Farrukh Siyar was killed on the night of 27-28 April, 1719 by his own men who pricked needles
into his eyes and then choked him to death.
In October-November, 1899 Rabindranath Tagore composed a poem in Bengali
titled Bandi Bir (Warrior Bound) based mainly on McGregor's History of the Sikhs and
Cunningham's A History of the Sikhs. In the opening stanzas Tagore has described how
Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji's message had turned the Sikhs into a self-respecting and
dauntless people and in the rest, he has highlighted the resistance put up by Baba
Banda Singh Bahadur Ji against the Mughal oppression, and has heroic death. As
reported by Himadri Banerjee this poem was a source of inspiration for the Bengali
writers as well as the Bangali militant youth engaged in the struggle for India's
independence.
The tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Divas i.e. the day of conquering Sirhind was
celebrated all over the world on May 14, 2010. One Fateh Divas March was started on
March 30, 2010 at Gurdwara Baba Banda Bahadur Ghat, Nanded in Maharashtra. The
a pompous procession led by Palki Sahib i.e. the palanquin carrying Sri Guru Granth
Sahib Ji and Punj Piaras along with devotees riding elephants, horses, and thousands of
vehicles passed through the big cities and reached Fatehgarh Sahib on May 14, 2010.
The second Fateh Divas March originated at Rajauri in Jammu and Kashmir, the birth
place of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji and also reached Fatehgarh Sahib on May 14,
- Millions of Sikhs came to have a darshan (holy glimpse) of Fateh Divas March at
Chapar Chiri on May 13 and at Fatehgarh Sahib on May 14, 2010.
Whenever we think of the martyrdom of Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji and Sahibzada
Zorawar Singh Ji, the two younger sons aged 7 years and 9 years respectively of Sri
Guru Gobind Singh Ji, we are reminded of the cruelty of Wazir Khan the then faujdar of
Sirhind, who first ordered that these two young children be bricked alive in a wall but
when because of some miraculous happening that wall cracked and the masons found
it impossible to complete it, then he ordered that these two young children be
beheaded. On hearing about the death of her naive grandsons Mata Gujri Ji died of
shock. Wazir Khan's forces were also part and parcel of the army which on December
7, 1705 raided the Garhi, the high walled fortified house being used as a temporary
citadel by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji where a fierce battle took place between Sri Guru
Gobind Singh Ji and his Sikhs one side and the imperial army, which included
reinforcements from Malerkotla and Sirhind, on the other. It was in this battle that took
place in December 7, 1705 at a nearby place west of this Garhi that the two elder sons
of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh Ji
aged 18 years and 14 years respectively earned martyrdom.
Even after the martyrdom of all the four Sahibzadas of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji
and his mother Mata Gujri Ji, Wazir Khan was still full of fury. He alongwith his troops
followed Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and on December 29, 1705 reached Khidrana Dhab
which is close to the present day city of Muktsar and invaded him but was defeated.
Later on when Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji after staying at Talvandi Sabo now called
Damdama Sahib in District Bathinda from January 20, 1706 to October 30, 1706 left for
the south he despatched two pathans Jamshed Khan and Wasil Begh to kill him. These
two pathans followed Guru Sahib secretly and towards the end of August 1708 when he
reached Nanded in Maharashtra, they ever took him. One of them stabbed Guru Sahib
on the left side below the heart as he lay resting in his chamber in the evening. Guru
Sahib immediately struck him down with his sabre and killed him. The
second pathan was killed by his devotees. The wound of Guru Sahib was stitched and
seemed to have been healed. But one day as he tried to pull a stiff bow, the wound
broke out which ended up being fatal and on 7 October, 1708 after bestowing Guruship
on Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji left for his heavenly abode.
Thus, Wazir Khan ended up being a criminal to the whole family of Sri Guru Gobind
Singh Ji.
As mentioned earlier to take revenge from Wazir Khan for his misdeeds Baba
Banda Singh Bahadur Ji on May 12, 1710 attacked the imperial forces at Chapar Chiri,
Tehsil Kharar, District Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar a place at a distance of about 20 kms
from Sirhind and in this battle Wazir Khan was killed.
Thus, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji the brave Sikh warrior is remembered by the
Sikh community on (i) October 27 his birthday, on June 9 his martyrdom day and (ii) in
December-January during the martyrdom days of the four Sahibzadas. (iii) Sirhind
Fateh Diwas on May 14 and on (iv) His martyrdom Day.
His 300th martyrdom anniversary as per Nanakshahi calendar was observed on
June 24, 2016 all over the world. Multifarious programmes were organized which
included:
(i) Various Shahidi Yatras (Nagar Kirtans) ware arranged: -
(a) Starting from DERA BABA BANDA SINGH BAHADUR JI, Reasi, J&K.
(b) Starting from GURDWARA BABA BANDA SINGH BAHADUR JI, Gurdas Nangal,
District Gurdaspur, Punjab.
(c) Starting from Gurdwara Banda Singh Bahadur Ghat, Nanded, Maharashtra
all culminated at GURDWARA BABA BANDA SINGH BAHADUR JI, Mehrauli, Delhi.
(d) All the Shahidi Yatras (Nagar Kirtans) from all over Haryana culminated
at GURDWARA LOHGARH SAHIB, District Yamuna Nagar, Haryana.
(ii) The Barapula flyover in Delhi was renamed 'Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji Setu'.
(iii) In his sacred memory on June 20 the Postal Department, Govt. of India issued a
postal cover.
(iv) On June 21 the Revenue Minister of India issued 10 gm and 20 gm silver coins
prepared by MMTC.
(v) On June 24, 2016 near the place of his martyrdom where now stands Gurdwara
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji, in the Kutb Minar Festival Park Gurmat Samagam was
held in which millions of Sikhs from all over the world reached to pay homage to the
the great hero of Sikh history.
This year i.e., in 2021 his 305th martyrdom Was observed on June 25, by the
Sikh Community all over the world.
The name of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji will always be remembered
respectfully as a brave Sikh warrior, founder of Sikh Rule, a liberal leader, one who
stood against the cruel treatment of the people by the imperial class and embraced
death heroically.
HAIL THE DAUNTLESS WARRIOR AND SHAHID!
Dr. Amrit Kaur Retd. Professor
Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, India