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

cannon balls at the gates of the Fort. After a lot of shelling one of the gates crashed and the Sikhs entered the Fort. Here, again, some loyal imperial soldiers resisted but were killed soon and the rest of them surrendered; they were arrested.

Now, the Sikhs had full control of Sarhind. Wazir Khan was dead; his son had fled to Delhi and all other officials had been either killed or arrested; the only person yet missing was Sucha Nand, who had fled from the battlefield at Chappar Chiri, the previous day. It was believed that he had hidden himself in some building in the city.

In the evening, Banda Singh called a meeting of the prominent local residents and assured them that no innocent person needed to be afraid, and, no one would be allowed to do injustice to anyone, but no criminal would be forgiven. This announcement gave the common man a sigh of relief. Most of them began co-operating with the Sikhs; one of them also gave the Sikhs information about the hideout of Sucha Nand. After fleeing from Chappar Chiri he had gone to Sarhind but had not fled further as he wanted to manage his wealth. Soon, he was arrested and paraded through the streets of Sarhind like an animal, with a string through his nostrils, and, around his neck with a rope. He was asked to beg alms from the folk. While he was being paraded through the streets of Sarhind the common Hindu and Muslim folk, who had been victims of his cruelty and injustice, threw stones at him. Due to stoning and torture he died in the evening.

Sucha Nand had hoarded immense wealth; all this was confiscated and deposited in the Sikh treasury. Mohammed Qasim writes: ‘It seems that he had collected all this wealth for this day...People said that there

 

 

was no form of injustice that Wazir Khan had not perpetrated on the poor people; and, now, there was no seed of (cruelty) which did not sprout; as he sowed, so did he reap.’ 15

Sucha Nand’s family too got its share of punishment; they were stripped of their precious clothes and allowed just under clothes and were compelled to beg through the streets of the town. The residents were told that none should give them more than one kaudi (one twentieth of a paisa) i.e. trifling. The Sikh army sentenced all the criminals and guilty to death (Tarikh-i-Mohammed Shahi). Paradise-like mansions of Sucha Nand and Wazir Khan became playgrounds of the crows (Mohammed Qasim).16

Bahadur Shah Receives the News of the Fall of Sarhind

Bahadur Shah was on his way from South towards Delhi, when on the 20thof May 1710, he got the news of the fall of Sarhind to the Sikhs and the death of Wazir Khan; he issued orders to the chiefs of Lahore and Delhi to suppress the Sikh rebellion.17

Correct Date of the Battle of Chappar Chiri: Irvine18 mentions the date of this battle as 24 Rabbi-ul-Awwal, but he calculates it as 22 May 1710 (whereas 24 Rabbi I corresponds to 12 May). It seems that he had relied on an undated entry of Akhbarat-I-Darbar-I-Mualla,19 which was written as a commentary, and, is not a daily diary of the Mughal court, and, it seems that the translator had erred in converting the date from Hijri to Julian/Gregorian calendar. On the other hand, as per an entry of Akhbarat-i-Darbar-i-Mualla,20 the report of this battle was given to Bahadur Shah on the 20th of May 1710 when he was at Bahasu. It took this news eight days to reach him (he could not have the report two days in advance of the battle). So, the 12th of May 1710 is the correct date.21

Banda Singh’s Treatment of the Muslims

After their victory, the Sikhs hoisted the Sikh blue flag22 on the top of the Fort.23 Banda Singh appointed Baj Singh Bangeshari as the Governor of Sarhind and Aali Singh of Salaudi as his deputy. Although Banda Singh

 

 

punished all the criminals and cruel officials, but he did not trouble any innocent person; he did not take revenge from anyone; he did not punish even the Sheikhs of Nakshbandi cult who had provoked the Mughal Emperors to execute Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur, and had celebrated their (Gurus’) killings.

In fact, the Sikhs’ war was not against any person, religion or cult; it was against injustice, cruelty and inhumanism; that is why Banda Singh did not destroy any Muslim shrine, mosques, mausoleum, tomb or grave. Even today, in 2017-18, dozens of Muslim shrines and memorials of that period are still intact in old Sarhind: including the tomb of Sheikh Ahmad Sarhindi (known as Roza Sharif, which is considered as one of the most holy shrines by some Muslims), Laal Masjid (built by Aurangzeb), and the mosque of Sadna, as well as the makbaras (tombs) of Ustad and Shagird, tomb of Meir-I-Miran and several others. These monuments speak of the Sikhs’ respect for the faith of even enemies. Had the Sikhs been anti-Islam, they would have demolished at least the memorials of the fanatic Muslims who were the cause of cruelties against the Gurus and the Sikhs. On the other hand, whenever the Muslims had a chance, they attacked, demolished or at least damaged the shrines of the non-Muslims.

Banda Singh Moved to His Capital Lohgarh

Banda Singh appointed Baj Singh as the Governor of Sarhind. He handed over the control of Thanesar to Ram Singh and Binod Singh. After this he moved to Lohgarh, the Capital of the Sikh Kingdom. All the money that he had collected till then, was also taken to the State Capital at Lohgarh. According to more than one source, it was about three crore rupees. Kamvar believes it was two crore rupees from the treasury of Sarhind; the wealth captured from Sucha Nand’s palace was separate from it.24 According to an entry of Akhbarat-i-Darbar-i-Mualaa, Rustam Dil Khan had told the Emperor that Banda Singh deposited this money with the ruler of Nahan.25 According to another entry, there was a great amount of gold coins in Sikh state’s treasury at Lohgarh. When Banda Singh came to know about the Mughal army’s attack (of 30 November

 

 

1710), he transported these gold coins on 40 camels and deposited them with the ruler of Nahan for safe custody.26 According to still another entry “the Sikhs realized the State share of the produce (crops and taxes) and took it to Dabar… one day they loaded three hundred wagons and took away the same. None obstructed their way”. As there were several soldiers and their families staying at Lohgarh, which had now become a big township. The Sikh Capital was spread through dozens of hills, and on each hill there were several houses (hand mills, oil pressers, utensils and toys of children found on almost all the hills confirm that several families had been living on these hills).

The Sikh Rule & Promulgation of an Egalitarian System

After taking control of the administration and infra- structure of Sarhind, Banda Singh Bahadur held a public Darbar (court) on the 27th of May 1710. In this open gathering he announced that the Sikh rule would be the ‘rule of the people’; the land would belong to those who till it; no one would be a slave or labourer of any landlord. All the peasants would contribute one third of their crop to the Sikh state’s treasury (under Wazir Khan it was the half of the crop). Banda Singh declared an end to feudal system; now, the Jats became the owners of lands i.e. fully independent landholders; a Jat (farmer) was no more a dalit (so-called low status person). It was Banda Singh, who promulgated an egalitarian system for the first time in the history of the world.

First Sikh Coin Issued

After this, Banda Singh issued a new coin, a symbol of sovereignty, in the name of the Gurus. The Sikh coin had this wording on it:

sikka zad bar har do aalam, tegh-i-naanak vahib ast fateh Gobind Singh shah-i-shahan, fazal-i-sacha sahib ast

(Meaning: Issued with the blessing of the master of both the worlds. Guru Nanak’s sword is the dispenser of everything. With the blessing of the True Master, it was a victory of Guru Gobind Singh).

On the Reverse inscription of the Sikh coin Baba Banda Singh Bahadur wrote the Lohgarh as Khalsa –Takht.

 

 

Zarb Khalsa Mubarak Bakht,

Ba- Aman Ud-Dahr Zinat At- Takht, Mashwarat Shahr.

{Meaning: coined at model city, the refuge of the world, the ornament of the Fortunate Khalsa throne}. These were the titles and epithets used by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur for Lohgarh. Now these two words become more interested in research as Khalsa-Takht is the seat of power in Sikhism. Guru Hargobind Sahib revealed Akal Takht and after that Baba Banda Singh Bahadur (nominee of Guru Gobind Singh) declared Lohgarh as Khalsa Takht and encrypted it in on the first coin of Khalsa Raj. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur calls Lohgarh a beautiful city, now the question is ‘where is Khalsa- Takht, the beautiful city (model City) and Khalsa Raj Capital.

A seal of the Sikh kingdom was also issued. It reads: azmat-i-naanak guru ham zahir-o ham batan ast. padshah din-o-dunia aap sacha sahib ast

(Meaning : Inside and outside, everywhere, it is Guru Nanak’s greatness. True God himself is the master of both, this and the other, worlds).

Later, another ‘seal’ was issued. It said: degh-o-tegh-o-fateh-o-nusrat bedirang yafat az naanak guru gobind singh.

(Meaning: Victory of sword and kettle, i.e. political and economic domains, was achieved, without delay, from Gurus Nanak - Guru Gobind Singh).

This confirms that Banda Singh did not rule in his own name, and, attributed everything to the Gurus and God. He issued the coin and the seal in Guru’s name only. In the history of the world Banda Singh is, perhaps, the only ruler who did not issue a coin in his own name. It is remarkable to note that even the Muslim rulers, who claimed themselves as rulers in the name of Islam or Mohammed or Allah (God), too used their own names on their coins; and, most of them also asked the people to recite their name, along with Allah’s (God’s name), in kalma (prayers).

 

 

New Sikh Calendar Issued

After the victory of Sarhind, Banda Singh issued a new Sammat (calendar) also. The year 1710 C.E., Hijri 1122 and 1767 Bikrami were now year 1 of the Khalsa Raj.

Banda Singh’s March Towards Malerkotla

Though Sher Mohammed Khan, two of his brothers and two of his nephews were dead by now, the Sikhs still wanted to punish the remaining rulers of Malerkotla too. Having settled at Sarhind, the Sikhs now turned towards Malerkotla. When the Malerkotla Pathans got the information that the Sikh army was marching towards Malerkotla, they approached Kishan Chand, a rich Hindu trader and money-lender of the area, and requested him to help them. Kishan Chand had already met Banda Singh more than once, so he agreed to mediate. He went towards the Sikh route and met Banda Singh on the outskirts of Malerkotla. Kishan Chand requested him not to attack Malerkotla. Banda Singh agreed and the state and the umraa of the city offered a huge amount as tribute to the Sikh army and saved the state from destruction.27

Anup Kaur and Bulaka Singh

Sometimes earlier, a Sikh lady named Anup Kaur had laid down her life to save her honour from being molested by some Malerkotla official, and, after her death her dead body was not cremated but buried. Now, after subjugating Malerkotla, the Sikh soldiers found her grave, extracted her body and cremated it according to the Sikh rites. Similarly, at Ghurani, the Ramraiyas (who had been excommunicated from the Sikh Panth by Guru Gobind Singh) had been troubling a Sikh named Bulaka