Lohgarh - Khalsa Rajdhani, Lohgarh fort - Lohgarh Trust, S. Daljeet Singh Bajwa [early reader books .txt] 📗

said: ‘Madho Das we have come to see you.’ I knew that yours is a Vaishnu dera. I guess, you don’t know about another bigger dera, this country, where every day hundreds and thousands of innocent people, not animals, are being butchered. I have come to your dera to draw your attention to this human misery.’ These words had magical impact on Madho Das and he, in a trembling voice, said, ‘From today, Gurudev, I am your banda (slave) in mind and body. Tell me as to what I should do for you now.’ The Guru smiled and looked sternly at Madho Das and said: Madho Das! It is very difficult to become a banda of someone and to obey his orders. A banda is one who sacrifices his body, mind and wealth for his master.’

Now, Madho Das was not the earlier Madho Das (a vain yogi). He had renounced his honour and ego and had really become a humble banda of the Guru. On this, Guru again said, ‘Madho Das, our faith (Sikhism) is the house of Guru Nanak. Whosoever joins this house; he needs forget his previous family of birth, faith, actions, hesitations and doubts.’ Madho Das consented, ‘Master, now I have no other resort even to think of... I have become just your banda in and out.’ 4

Banda Singh Initiated into Sikhism

The next day, on 4 September 1708, the Guru himself bestowed five kakaars (Kangha, Kirpan, Karha, Kachhehra, and Keski) upon Madho Das. The former bairagi sadhu now became a Sikh with keski (turban). Madho Das was given Khanday-Di-Pahul by the Guru, along with Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh and two others. He was also given a new name, Banda Singh. The Sikhs present there raised aloud jaikaaraas (Sikh slogans of victory) and thus celebrated Banda Singh’s entry into the Panth. (Max Arthur Macauliffe has wrongly mentioned his name as Gurbakhsh Singh).

The scene of his initiation has been recorded by the writers of the Bhatt Vahis. This event has been presented by Swarup Singh Kaushish, the writer of Guru Kian Sakhian in detail.

Besides Swarup Singh Kaushish, several other writers, of the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries (mostly non-Sikh), e.g. Mirza

Mubarkullah Iradat Khan (Tarikh-i-Iradat Khani, 1714), Mohammed Ali Khan Ansari (Tarikh-i-Muzaffari, 1788), Ghulam Hussain (Siyar-ul- Mutakhrin, 1836), Ali-ud-Din Mufti (Ibratnama, 1854), Ganesh Das Vadera (Char-i-Bagh-i-Punjab, 1855), Kanhaya Lal (Tarikh-i-Punjab, 1881), Ahmed Shah Batalia (Kitab-i-Hind, 1885), Mohammed Latif (Tarikh-i- Punjab), Elliot and Dowson (History of India as told by its Historians), James Brown (Indian Tracts), McGregor (History of the Sikhs), C. H. Payne (The Sikhs) etc. too have mentioned that Banda Singh was initiated by the tenth Guru at Nander before he was given the supreme command of the Sikh army.

After initiating Banda Singh, Guru Gobind Singh explained to him the situation of the Sikh homeland. The Guru also narrated the details of his exit from Anandpur Sahib. This made Banda Singh despondent, but the Guru exhorted him: ‘It is not a time to be sad and lose heart; it is a time to act and bring an end to the cruel regime.’ At this Banda Singh spoke: ‘Guruji, I am your banda... just order me as you please and I will carry it out immediately.’ On this, the Guru asked him to take up the command of the Sikh army and bring an end to the tyranny being perpetrated by the cruel Mughal regime. The Guru further told him that thousands of Sikhs will join him once he reaches the Sikh homeland. For the next one month, Guru Gobind Singh trained Banda Singh in various spheres like Sikh philosophy, history, the art of warfare. The Guru periodically tested his knowledge and when he became sure that Banda Singh was fully trained, he decided to send him to the Punjab on

planned expedition.

Banda Singh Leaves Nanded

During this period, a trade caravan of Bhai Bhagwant Singh Bangeshari happened to pass through Nanded region. When he came to know of the Guru’s presence in that area, he went to him to pay obeisance. The Guru used this opportunity to send Banda Singh with his caravan. Thus, on the fifth of October of 1708, Banda Singh left Nanded with Bhagwant Singh Bangeshari’s caravan. Guru Gobind Singh offered Banda Singh a blue flag (symbol of Sikh sovereignty), a nagara (battle drum), and five

of his personal arrows. The Guru also handed him some hukamnamas (royal letters), addressed to some prominent Sikhs, asking them to give Banda Singh complete support. Bhai Lakhi Rai Vanjara was the owner of Bangeshwari Tanda and it was one of the richest Tanda of that time. Bhagwant Singh Bangeshwari (earlier Bhagu Vanjara) was one the major mansabdar of Aurangzeb and he was a noble of Attock and was having the Mansab of 5000.5

The Guru also sent some Sikhs to accompany Banda Singh. Rattan Singh Bhangu has given the names of these Sikhs as Binod Singh, Kahan Singh, Baj Singh, Ran Singh and Ram Singh. But the Bhatt Vahis mention the names of Bhagwant Singh, Baj Singh, Kuir Singh, Kahan Singh and Binod Singh.6

Banda Singh was still on his way when he got the news of the martyrdom of the Guru. But, he was so dedicated to his mission that it did not dishearten him and he continued his march towards the Punjab. He covered a distance of more than 1500 kilometres in more than one year. He travelled through Khan Desh (Burhanpur etc.), Mandsaur, Ajmer, Phulera, Churu, Bharatpur and reached Bangar Desh. He next encamped in the forest area between the villages of Khaanda and Sehri in Kharkhauda pargana, situated between Sampla and Sonepat.7

This was a desert and scanty forest region, almost without habitation. From here, Bhagwant Singh Bangeshri proceeded towards his home near Multan, with a promise to deliver the Guru’s letters to the prominent Sikh families and also to enlist Sikh soldiers in the Banda Singh’s army. Thus, within a few weeks, the armed Sikhs began joining him. In a month’s time the number of his companions had crossed five hundred and in two months it was above a thousand and every day new recruits were joining the Sikh army.

Banda Singh Captures Royal Treasury

One day Banda Singh got the information that the royal treasure was being taken to Delhi. When this party reached near Bahun village, near Kaithal, it stopped for some rest; the Sikhs, under the command of Banda Singh attacked the party carrying the treasure. On seeing the Sikhs, the

mercenary soldiers ran away, leaving the treasure behind. After fleeing from Bahun, those Mughal soldiers went to the chief of Kaithal and reported him about the incident. The chief of Kaithal was a Hindu but was very much loyal to the Mughals. Having got the information about the Sikhs, he led his forces to attack them. The Sikhs got intelligence about his march; and they prepared themselves to give him a good fight. The Sikhs hid themselves among the trees and when the Mughal soldiers came near them, they made a surprise attack on them. Several of the royal soldiers were killed in this sudden but swift attack. The chief of Kaithal himself was captured by the Sikhs. When he was presented before Banda Singh, he begged for his life. Banda Singh forgave him, but relieved him of all his horses, arms and ammunition. Banda Singh also appointed him as the Sikh chief of Kaithal. After this, Banda Singh distributed the horses and the arms among his fighting force and did not keep anything for himself. This increased his respect among his companions.

A few days after this incident, several young Sikh men belonging to the families of Bhai Rupa, Bhai Bahilo and other families of the present Malwa zone, reached Banda Singh’s camp. Within a few weeks the number of the Sikh soldiers grew more than four thousand. They wanted to punish Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sarhind immediately. Banda Singh advised the spirited youth to restrain them for the moment as Sirhind had a big army. Moreover, the chiefs of the surrounding towns Samana, Malerkotla, Sanaur, Ghuram, Shahbad, Mustafabad and Kunjpura etc. too could come to his help. So, in order to attack Sirhind, the Sikhs needed a big force fully equipped with arms, ammunition and horses. To get the necessary arms, the Sikhs did not have money; so, Banda Singh attacked Narnaul, Bhiwani and Hissar Firoza etc. and captured enough arms and horses. During these attacks the Sikh army plundered

state treasuries too.

The First Sikh Victory: Samana Captured

Banda Singh was a wise general. In order to make Sarhind weak, he decided to capture the Forts around it. The first to be attacked was

Samana. This town had been the capital of the Punjab up to 1360, before Firoz Shah Tughlak moved it from Samana to Sarhind. But, in spite of this, Samana city was still the abode of very rich persons. It had several big mansions of the Sayyads8 and the Mughals. There were 22 such umraa (plurals of amir, literally: very rich and affluent persons and chiefs,

i.e. the aristocracy) in this city, who had a right to move about in the city in their own palanquins. These umraa’s houses were not less than mini Forts; and there were heaps of gold and diamonds in these mansions. The city had a big Fort too (a part of the wall of that Fort is still in existence). Though there was no force, the umraa had no apprehension that anybody would even think of attacking Samana.

Samana had a notorious image in the Sikh history and Sikh psyche. This place was known as a ‘city of the jallads (executioners)’. Sayyad Jalal-ud-Din, the executioner of Guru Tegh Bahadur belonged to this town. Shashal Begh and Bashal Begh executioners, who had executed the younger Sahibzadas at Sarhind, too belonged to Samana. The Qazi who delivered the Aurangzeb’s letter (in fact not written by Aurangzeb) to the Guru at Anandpur on the 4th of December 1705 (asking the Guru to quit Anandpur and reach Kangar village) too belonged to this town. Many Sikhs had disdain for this town.

Banda Singh assessed the situation of attack on Samana and in the early hours of the 26th of November 1709 he attacked this town. The Sikh soldiers entered the town just before dawn when most of the city was asleep and began killing all those who dared to stop or attack them. When the umraa saw the Sikh army, some of them tried to confront the Sikhs but could not fight for long and finally shut themselves in their mansions.

After capturing the main Fort, Banda Singh announced that the Sikhs would not be revengeful towards any one; only the cruel officials and the jallads (executioners) would be punished. After this declaration, the local common Muslim workers sided with the Sikhs. As they had also been the victims of the atrocities of their Sayyad and Mughal landlords, they had no sympathy for the umraa. They helped the Sikhs with secret information about the treasures of the umraas. After this,

the Sikhs attacked the mansions of the ruling families as well as the cruel officials. The umraa began firing, arrow-shooting and throwing burning wood on the Sikh soldiers from the roof-tops of their houses. When this continued for long, the Sikhs had no option but to set fire to their mansions; hence a good number of Sayyads and Mughals were burnt alive in their own houses, and, those who tried to come out and fight their way were slain. The fighting continued till evening. Some Mughals and Sayyads fought bravely, but before dusk almost all of them were dead or had fled the city to save their lives.