Banda Singh Bahadur (Punjabi: ਬੰਦਾ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਹਾਦਰ)(1670-1716) (Lachhman Das) was born in a Minhas Rajput family. He is considered one of the greatest and most hallowed warriors and martyrs of the Sikhs. He become a Sikh warrior known for his struggle against the Mughal Empire in the early eighteenth century after meeting with Sri Guru Gobind Singh. He became a warrior against the Mughal Empire and Guru Gobind Singh gave him the new name of Banda Singh Bahadur.
Famous for the sack of the Mughal provincial capital, Sirhind, he is revered as one of the most hallowed martyrs of the Khalsa. His confrontation with the Mughal administration in Northern India, though brief, was strong enough to shake its foundations. The agrarian uprising that he led in the Punjab was the foundation on which the Dal Khalsa, the Sikh Misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh built the edifice which finally culminated with Ranjit Singh capturing Lahore in 1799 and establishing the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab.
One of the most revolutionary acts of Banda Bahadur, after establishing his authority in Punjab, was the abolition of the zamindari system, and granting proprietary rights to the actual tillers of the land.
Early life
Banda Singh Bahadur was born in a Minhas Rajput family, on October 16, 1670 at Rajouri in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. He was named Lachman Dev. Wrestling, horseback riding, and hunting were his major hobbies. As a young man, he shot a doe and was shocked to watch the mother and her aborted fawn writhing in pain and dying. After this gloomy scene, he had a change of heart. He left his home and became a disciple of a Bairagi Sadhu, Janaki Das, who gave him the name, Madho Das. In the company of the Sadhu he traveled through Northern India and finally arrived at Nanded (in present-day Maharashtra), situated on the bank of the river Godavari, where he built a hut to meditate upon. Almost all writers agree that he was Rajput by birth.
Very little or of little account is known about the first forty years of his life.There is no certain account of his ancestry, place of birth and formative years.[1] He has been presented as a Rajput, a Peshwa, a Sodhi Khatri, a mohyal Brahmin, and a Gujjar.
The only thing that is certain about Banda Bahadur's pre-Khalsa life is that he was a hermit (bairagi), who was baptised by Guru Gobind Singh as Khalsa. Some of the views regarding his origins include the following:
- According to Dr. Ganda Singh and some other scholars, he was a Dogra Rajput.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] According to this version, he was born on October 16, 1670 at Rajouri in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. He was named Lachman Dev. Wrestling, horseback riding, and hunting were his major hobbies. As a young man, he shot a doe and was shocked to watch the mother and her aborted fawn writhing in pain and dying. After this gloomy scene, he had a change of heart. He left his home and became a disciple of a Bairagi Sadhu, Janaki Das, who gave him the name, Madho Das. In the company of the Sadhus he travelled through Northern India and finally arrived at Nanded (in present-day Maharashtra), situated on the bank of the river Godavari, where he built a hut to meditate upon.
- H.A. Rose was not sure if Banda Bahadur was a Rajput or a Sodhi Khatri.[13].
- P.N. Bali calls him a Mohyal Brahmin.[14]
- Hakim Rai calls him a Punjabi Sodhi.[15]
- J.D Cunningham labelled him a native of South India.[16]
- Major A.E. Barstow called him a runaway Peshwa Maratha.[17]
- Major James Brown thought he was a native of Punjab.[18]
- Some authors such as Dr. Sukhdyal Singh of Punjabi University, Patiala, have claimed that Banda Bahadur was a commander of the Sikh Regiment in the imperial army of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah.
- In the Mahan kosh, a Sikh encyclopedia written by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, (Bhasha Bibhag Punjab, Patiala), it is stated that he was Minhas Rajput, either from Rajouri in Jammu region or Doaba region of Punjab.
Meeting with Guru Gobind Singh
In the September of 1708, Guru Gobind Singh, who had come to the Deccan along with the Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah, happened to go to Madho Das’ hut. Madho Das was away. He had learnt Tantra and was locally famous for his occult powers. He attempted to conjure his magic to humiliate the Guru,but his magic would not prevail on the Guru. Defeated he fell at the Guru's feet and said with great humility, "I am your banda" (meaning i surrender my whole self to you). The Guru inquired, if Madho knew who he was talking to. Banda said "yes,you are Guru Gobind Singh". The Guru soon gave Banda the title of Bahadur. Becoming one of the the Guru's Singh (lion or champion) he took up the duties to fight against the Mughals in Punjab. Banda was baptized and converted into the Sikh fold,and was given the name Gurbaksh (meaning blessed by the Guru) Singh. He is popularly known as "Banda Bahadhur"..Banda's Mission
Guru Gobind Singh hoped that Emperor Bahadur Shah would fulfill his promise against the Governor of Sirhind, and his accomplices for persecuting the people of Punjab. It was the Governor of Sirhind that had captured and murdered the Guru's mother, Mata Gujri and his two younger children, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, for their continued refusal to convert to Islam. The promise was made by Bahadur Shah to the Guru earlier, when Shah asked the Guru to help him consolidate his rule over India, following the death of his father, Emperor Arungzeb. Guru Gobind Singh had rendered help to Bahadur Shah in the war of succession after the death of Auranzeb, in which Bahadur Shah emerged as a victor. Bahadur Shah never carried out his promise, he may have be reluctant to do so or unable to do so during his delicate rule. The Guru had no ill-will towards the new Emperor, and though he and his Sikhs had been traveling with the Emperor to the Deccan, the Guru decided to part ways with the him.
In a few days, the Guru held a darbar and administered Pahul (ceremonial initiation into Khalsa) to Madho Das and naming him Gurbaksh Singh (beloved by the Guru). He appointed him as his jathedar (military commander) t and invested him with full political and military authority as his deputy to lead the campaign in the Punjab against the Mughal administration and to punish Nawab Wazir Khan and his supporters.
The Guru gave Banda five arrows from his quiver by as a symbol of temporal authority. He was given an advisory council of five devoted Sikhs (Hazuri Singhs), who on their arrival in the Punjab were to assure the Sikhs that Banda was the Guru's nominee and deputy and to organize them in order to lead an expedition against Sirhind:
- Baj Singh, a descendant of the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das.
- Baj Singh's brother Ram Singh.
- Binod singh, a descendant of the second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad Dev.
- Binod Singh's son Kahan singh
- Fateh Singh.
Twenty five soldiers were to accompany Banda from Nanded to Punjab. A Hukumnamah (edict) by the Guru, instructing Sikhs to join Banda Bahadur in his struggle against Wazir Khan (Mughal Goverener of Punjab) was provided. As an insignia of his temporal authority invested in him, the Guru also gave Banda Bahadur his own sword, green bow, nagara (War drum) and a Nishan Sahib. Three hundred Sikh risaldari ( cavaliers) in battle array accompanied Banda up to a distance of eight kilometres to give him a final send off.
Banda in present-day Haryana
Narnaul
Here, Banda Singh Bahadur witnesses first-hand, the complete destruction of the Satnami sect which had risen in revolt against the Mughals. Men, women and children, one and all had been wiped out of existence. It was here that Banda Singh Bahadur suppressed some dacoits and robbers.
He was well received by local Hindus and Sikhs as a leader and a deputy of Guru Gobind Singh. Liberal offerings were made to him, which he distributed among the poor and the needy.
Tohana
Here, Banda Singh Bahadur issued letters to the Sikhs of Malwa, to join him in his crusade against Wazir Khan of Sirhind.
Banda Singh Bahadur made proper arrangements to escort Mata Sahib Kaur to Delhi. From Kharkhauda about fifty kilometres north-west of Delhi, Mata Sahib Kaur was sent to Delhi under armed escort, to join Mata Sundari, who was acting as the head of the Khalsa after the death of her husband, Guru Gobind Singh.
At Sonepat, fifty kilometres north of Delhi, early in November 1709 Banda Singh Bahadur commanded about five hundred followers. He attacked the government treasury, plundered it and distributed it among his retinue. This was his second success against the government and it considerably raised his prestige. Marching slowly, he advanced towards Sirhind.
Near Kaithal, about a hundred kilometres further north, Banda Singh Bahadur seized a government treasury, which was being sent from the northern districts to Delhi. He kept nothing out of it for himself and gave it away to his rank and file.
Samana
Samana, fifty kilometres farther north, was the native place of Jalal-ud-din Jallad, the professional executioner, who had beheaded Guru Teg Bahadur, while his son had beheaded the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh. Ali Hussain, who by making false promises had lured Guru Gobind Singh to evacuate the fort of Anandpur also belonged to Samana. It was an accursed place in the eyes of the Sikhs. The entire peasantry of the neighbourhood was now up in arms, and Banda Singh Bahadur's following had risen to several thousands. Banda Singh Bahadur fell upon the town on November 26, 1709. The inhabitants were massacred in cold blood and the town razed. Samana was the district town and had nine Parganas attached to it. It was placed under the charge of Fateh Singh. Samana was the first territorial conquest and the first administrative unit of Banda Singh Bahadur.
Then, Kunjpura, Ghuram, and Thaska inhabited by Muslim Ranghars were destroyed. Damla was the village of the pathan contingents who had taken employment with Guru Gobind Singh after being dissmissed from the Mughal forces, who had deserted Guru Gobind Singh at the start of the Battle of Bhangani, It was ravaged. Shahabad Markanda also fell to Banda Singh Bahadur.Sadhaura
Usman Khan, the chief of Sadhaura, about twenty-five kilometres away, had persecuted Sayyid Budhu Shah for helping Guru Gobind Singh in the Battle of Bhangani. On the approach of Banda Singh Bahadur , the leading Muslims of the town gathered in a big and strongly built mansion. They were all massacred. This building came to be known as Qatal Garhi (The Fort of Murder). Banda Singh Bahadur attacked the town and destroyed it.
A contemporary historian, Khafi Khan wrote: "In two or three months time four to five thousands pony-riders, and seven to eight thousand warlike footmen joined him. Day by day their number increased, and abundant money and material by pillage fell into their hands. Numerous villages were laid waste and he appointed his own police officers (thanedars) and collectors of revenue (Tahsil-dar-e-mal)"
Mukhlisgarh becomes Lohgarh
The ultimate aim of Banda was to punish Wazir Khan and conquer Sirhind. It required time to consolidate his material and territorial gains. He also wanted to study the military resources of Sirhind. He was anxious to see what steps the government would take against him. He therefore established his headquarters, in the beginning of February 1710, at Mukhlisgarh situated in the lower Siwalik Hills south of Nahan, about twenty kilometres from Sadhaura. His fort stood atop a hill top. Two kuhls or water channels flowed at its base and supplied water to it. This fort was repaired and put in a state of defence. All the money, gold and costly material acquired in the expeditions were deposited here. He minted coins and issued orders under his seal. The name of Mukhlisgarh was changed to Lohgarh (Fort of Steel), and it became the capital of the first Sikh state.
Banda's kingdom
Banda ruled over the region bounded on the north by the Shiwalik hills, on the west by the river Tangri, on the east by the river Jamuna, and in the south by a line passing through Samana, Thanesar, Kaithal and Karnal. He abolished the Zamindari System of land prevailing under the Mughals and declared the actual cultivators as the owners of land. Thus he established peasant proprietorship, and won the approbation and support of the overwhelming majority of the population. Khafi Khan says that Banda "issued orders to imperial officers and agents and big jagirdars to submit and give up their business."
The invasion of Sirhind
Banda's Troops
Banda Singh Bahadur devoted three months in organizing his civil and military administration. Bahadur Shah was still away from Delhi. The Delhi Government had made no attempt to recover their lost territory from Banda Singh Bahadur. Wazir Khan of Sirhind was making his own preparations independently to meet the danger from Banda Singh Bahadur.
Banda's troops were mostly untrained, raw levies and not fully armed. Banda possessed no elephants, no good horses and few guns. His followers had matchlocks, spears, swords, bows and arrows. According to Khafi Khan, the number of Banda's troops rose from thirty to forty thousand.
Wazir Khan's preparations
Wazir Khan had proclaimed a jihad or a holy war against Banda. He was joined by the Nawab of Malerkotla, other Muslim chiefs and jagirdars as well as Ranghars in large numbers. The majority of his soldiers were trained men. Wazir Khan's own forces were six thousand horsemen, eight to nine thousand musketeers (burqandaz) and archers, and with these about ten guns of artillery and many elephants. In addition, there were about ten thousand Ghazis. The total number of Wazir Khan's troops was about thirty thousand.
Banda advanced from Lohgarh and halted at Banur, near Ambala, fourteen kilometres from Rajpura. Banda sacked the town, and then went towards Sirhind.
The Battle of Chhappar Chiri
The battle was fought on May 12, 1710 at Chhappar Chiri, twenty kilometres from Sirhind. On the Mughal side, Sher Muhammad Khan, the Nawab of Malerkotla was the leader of the right flank. Wazir Khan was in command of the centre. Suchanand, Diwan of the Nawab was put on the left. Suchanand instigated the death of Guru Gobind Singh's youngest two children. On the Sikhs' side, Baj Singh and Binod Singh (two of the five Sikhs sent by Guru Gobind along with Banda to the Punjab) headed the right and left flanks respectively while Banda commanded the centre facing Wazir Khan's army.
Suchanand could not withstand Baj Singh's attack and fled. Sher Mohammed Khan was about to overpower Binod Singh's wing when he was suddenly struck by a bullet and was instantly killed. His men immediately dispersed. Wazir Khan was rushing upon Banda who stuck fast to his ground and discharged arrows relentlessly. Baj Singh and Binod Singh now joined Banda. During their combined assault, Wazir Khan was killed.
Wazir Khan's death is variously described. According to the most accepted view Baj Singh rushed upon Wazir Khan, who threw a spear at the Sikh. Baj Singh caught hold of it and flung the same spear upon Wazir Khan. It struck the forehead of his horse. Wazir Khan discharged an arrow which hit Baj Singh's arm, before rushing upon him with his sword. At this juncture, Fateh Singh came to Baj Singh's rescue. It is related that he swung his sword with such force that Wazir Khan was sliced from shoulder to waist.
Pursuit of fugitives
Wazir Khan's head was stuck up on a spear and lifted high up by a Sikh who took his seat in the deceased's howdah. Sirhind's troops on beholding the Nawab's head took alarm, and fled in dismay and despair. The Sikhs fell upon them and there was a terrible carnage. The Sikhs reached Sirhind by nightfall. The gates of the city were closed. The guns mounted on the walls of the fort commenced bombardment. The Sikhs laid siege to the place. They took rest at night. Wazir Khan's family and many Muslim nobles fled to Delhi at night.
By the next afternoon, the Sikhs forced open the gates and fell upon the city. The Government treasury and moveable property worth two crores fell into Banda's hand which was removed to Lohgarh. Several Muslims embraced Sikhism. Dindar Khan, son of Jalal Khan Rohilla became Dindar Singh. The official newswriter of Sirhind, Mir Nasir-ud-din changed his name to Mir Nasir Singh.
The province of Sirhind occupied
Sirhind was the economic and provincial capital of Mughals.The entire province of Sirhind consisting of twenty-eight paraganas and extending from the Satluj to the Jamuna and from the Shiwalik hills to Kunjpura, Karnal and Kaithal, yielding Rs. fifty-two lakhs (one lakh = one hundred thousand Rupees) annually came into Banda's possession. Baj Singh was appointed the governor of Sirhind. Ali Singh was made his deputy. Their chief responsibility was to be on guard against the Mughal troops from Lahore and Jammu. Fateh Singh retained charge of Samana. Ram Singh, brother of Baj singh became the Chief of Thanesar. Binod singh in addition to his post of the revenue minister, was entrusted with the administration of Karnal and Panipat. His main duty was to guard the road from Delhi. Banda retired to his capital at Lohgarh. His era began from May 12, 1710, the date of his victory in the battle of Sirhind. The Zamindari system was abolished in the whole province in one stroke.
Banda advances towards Lahore
Having set up administrative machinery, Banda advanced from Sirhind to Malerkotla in June, 1710. The town was saved for a ransom of two lakhs on the recommendation of Kishan Das Banya, an old acquaintance of Banda. From there he marched to Morinda whose faujdar had handed over Guru Gobind Singh's mother and his two younger sons to Wazir Khan. Then he visited Kiratpur and Anandpur to pay homage to shrines. He took Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. Banda crossed the Beas into Majha and fell upon Batala. After this, he went on a pilgrimage to Dera Baba Nanak. At Amritsar, Banda made large offerings. He invited young men to embrace Sikhism. Many from Majha joined the Khalsa. Banda marched towards Lahore. Sayyid Islam Khan, the Governor mounted guns on the walls of the city. Banda laid a siege, but was unable to scale the walls of the fort. Lahore could have fallen, but Banda was in a hurry to look after his government.
Though the city remained safe owing to its fortifications, the suburbs were completely destroyed by Banda and his men.
Capture
Banda's rule, though short-lived, had a far-reaching impact on the history of the Punjab. With it, began the decay of Mughal authority and the demolition of the feudal system of society it had created. Banda's increasing influence roused the ire of the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, who journeyed northwards from the Deccan to punish the Sikhs. Instructions were issued to the governors of Delhi and Oudh and other Mughal officers to march towards the Punjab. Prohibitory laws against Sikhs were passed.
On December 10, 1710 Emperor Bahadur Shah issued a general warrant for the faujdars to "kill the worshippers of Nanak (the Sikhs), wherever they were to be found." (Nanak Prastan ra Har ja kih bayaband baqatl rasanand). Chased out of every corner of the Punjab Banda took refuge in the Shivalik hills.
Banda married the daughter of one of the hill chiefs and it was a few years before the Mughals could trace him down. He again started his campaigns against the Mughals, coming down from the hills to the plains, but was overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Mughal forces.
A massive imperial force drove the Sikhs from Sirhind and other places to take shelter in the fort of Lohgarh in the hilly region. Further reinforcements arrived and sixty thousand horse and foot soon surrounded Banda's hill retreat. For want of provisions, the Sikhs were reduced to rigorous straits. When they could stand up to the enemy no longer, they made desperate nightly sallies to escape into the hills of Nahan, but Banda did not lose hope.
Later the Sikhs came out of their mountain haunts to recover their lost territories and once again occupied Sadhaura and Lohgarh. Farrukhsiyar, who came to the throne of Delhi in 1713, ordered against them the sternest campaign yet launched. They were hounded out of the plains and their main column of about 4,000 men under Banda were subjected to a terrible siege at the village of Gurdas-Nangal, about six kilometers from Gurdaspur.
For eight months the garrison resisted the siege of 100,000 Mughal troops under gruesome conditions. Towards the end, an unfortunate dispute arose between Banda and one of his most trusted advisers, Binod Singh. This man along with Baj Singh and three others made up the war council that Banda was supposed to consult in any difficult situation. Binod Singh advised the evacuation of the fortress, but for some reasons of his own, Banda wished to fight it out there. Binod Singh was senior in age, and when this difference of views flared up into an open quarrel, Banda agreed to let Binod Singh take his men out of the Fortress. Binod Singh and his supporters then charged out of the fortress and escaped.
Towards the end of November 1715, the remaining defenders were running out of ammunition and food. They were trying to exist on boiled leaves and the bark of trees, and were gradually reduced to mere skeletons. Then on December 17, 1715, Abdus Samad Khan, one of the Mughal commanders, shouted across the separating moat, that he would not allow any killing by his men, if Banda opened the gate to the fortress. When Banda ordered the gate be opened, the Mughals rushed in to spear or stab as many as three hundred of the half-dead and helpless defenders. About seven hundred were captured alive and handcuffed in twos. Banda had chains round his ankles and his wrists, and was then locked in an iron cage. The Mughals were still afraid that he might escape and so they placed a guard on each side of the cage with swords drawn and the cage was placed aloft an elephant, which led the procession, which paraded through Lahore, before proceeding towards Delhi. Zakarya Khan, the son of the Lahore Governor, then ordered his men to lop off more Sikh heads on the way. The prisoners were first taken to Lahore, and thence to Delhi.
Torture and execution
The cavalcade to the imperial capital was a grisly sight. Besides 740 prisoners in heavy chains, it comprised seven hundred cartloads of Sikh heads with another 200 stuck upon pikes. On February 26, 1716, the procession neared Delhi, and Farukh Siyar ordered his Minister, Mohammed Amin Khan, to go out to receive them and to prepare them for a suitable display in the city. On February 29, the citizens of Delhi lined the streets, to get a good sight of the procession..
First came two-thousand soldiers, each holding a Sikh head impaled on his upright spear. Next followed the elephant carrying Banda in his iron cage, still with two muslim guards guarding him, with their swords unsheathed. A gold-laced red turban was placed on his head, and to add further mockery to his plight, a brightly printed scarlet robe was slipped on his body. Then came 740 prisoners (500 had been collected on the way). These men were chained in pairs and thrown across the backs of camels. Their faces were blackened, and pointed sheepskin or paper caps were clapped on their heads. Behind this line came the Mughal Commanders, Abdus Samad Khan, his son Qamar-ud-Din Khan, and his son-in-law Zakaria Khan. Their men lined both sides of the streets.
For seven days, executions were carried out, until all the ordinary captives had been disposed off. Their bodies were loaded on wagons and taken out of town to be thrown to the vultures. The heads were hung up on trees or on poles near the market-place to be a lesson to all rebels. The jailors next turned their attention to the 20 major leaders, including Baj Singh, Fateh Singh, Ali Singh and Gulab Singh. These men were tortured to the extreme and were asked to divulge the place where they had buried all the treasures that had been looted from Sirhind, Batala and other towns during their better days.
Failing to get any clues after three months, they prepared to put an end to their lives on Sunday, June 9, 1716. Banda's cage was again hoisted on top of an elephant, and he was dressed in the mock attire of an emperor, with a colourful red pointed turban on his head. His four-year old son, Ajai Singh was placed in his lap. The twenty chiefs marched behind the elephant and this procession then passed through the streets of Delhi, and headed for the mausoleum of Bahadur Shah, near the Qutub Minar. On reaching the graveyard, the captives were again offered a choice of two alternatives: conversion to Islam or death. All chose death. They were tortured again before being being executed. Their heads were then impaled on spears and arranged in a circle around Banda who was now squatting on the ground. There were hundreds of spectators standing around watching this scene.
Banda Singh Bahadur was then given a short sword and ordered to kill his own son Ajai Singh. As he sat unperturbed, the executioner moved forward and plunged his sword into the little child cutting the body into two. Then pieces of flesh were cut from the body and thrown in Banda's face. His liver was removed and thrust into Banda Singh's mouth. The father sat through all this without any signs of emotion. His powers of endurance were to be tested still further. But before that, Mohammed Amin Khan, who was standing near, spoke as follows: "From your manner so far you appear to be a man of virtue, who believes in God, and in doing good deeds. You are also very intelligent. Can you tell me why you are having to suffer all this here ?"
Banda's reply was, "When the tyrants oppress their subjects to the limit, then God sends men like me on this earth to mete out punishment to them. But being human, we sometimes overstep the laws of justice, and for that we are made to pay whilst we are still here. God is not being unjust to me in any way."
The executioner then stepped forward and thrust the point of his dagger into Banda's right eye, pulling out the eyeball. He then pulled out the other eyeball. Banda sat through all this as still as a rock. His face gave no twitch of pain.
Then the executioner took his sword and slashed off Banda's left foot, then both his arms. But Banda's features were still calm as if he was at peace with his Creator. Finally they tore off his flesh with red-hot pincers, and there being nothing else left in their book of tortures, they cut his body up into a hundred pieces, and were satisfied. (These details of the torture are given in full, by the following writers: Mohammed Harisi, Khafi Khan, Thornton, Elphinstone, Daneshwar and others).
Legacy
With Banda's death, the torch of the Khalsa was taken up by new warriors like Baba Deep Singh, Nawab Kapur Singh, Chhajja Singh, Bhuma Singh, Hari Singh Dhillon, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Budh Singh, Naudh Singh and Charhat Singh Sukerchakia and others. The Age of the Dal Khalsa and the Sikh Misls (principalities) had dawned. Within ninety years, Ranjit Singh Sukerchakia united the Misls, captured Lahore and established the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab.
