Banda Singh Bahadur- A true Sikh

Banda Singh Bahadur- A true Sikh

Famously known as Banda Singh Bahadur, Lachaman Dev was born in October 1670 in a Rajput family in Rajouri, district Punch in the state of Kashmir. He was the most courageous Sikh General and it was Guru Gobind Singh who gave him the name of Banda Singh Bahadur. The bravery of first leader of the Sikh nation deserves to be given its due place in the Sikh history. It is to be read and told by all with a sense of pride as to how a person can stand against all odds for the sake of what is right and moral.

At a very young age of 15 years, Banda Singh became an ascetic after he hunted a pregnant beer in pain. This made his life uncomfortable and he left his home to become a yogi. He later on changed his name to Madho Daas and at the age of 21 years, he attained miraculous powers and reached Nander to set up his own Ashram. By the age of 38, Madho Daas became a big fame of the Ashram and was proud of his wisdom, meditation and powers. He started insulting everyone especially the saints and sadhus who came to his Dera. It was Guru Gobind Singh who made him realize his real self and told him that he is a Sikh and should work to protect them. He was given Amrit (the holy nectar) and named Gur Bakhash Singh but remained famous with the name of Banda Singh Bahadur. He proudly turned into Guru Gobind Singh’s disciple as listening to his words and become a disciplined solider of his army.

He was instructed by Guru Gobind Singh to fight the Mughals and seize back what was theirs. He fought several battles such as Battle of Chappar Chiri, Battle of Rahon, Battle of Samana, Battle of Sonipat and Battle of Sirhind to name a few. He was a brave Sikh warrior and commander of Khalsa army. He was given five arrows by the Guru as a blessing for the battles ahead and came to Khanda in Sonipat where he assembled the army to fight against the Mughals in Battle of Sonipat. He spread Sikh faith wherever he went and many Hindus and Muslims were inspired by him to change their religion and follow Sikhism. Intolerant of injustice, Banda Singh Bahadur never let zamindari system prevail in his province after establishing his authority and Khalsa rule in Punjab.

In the Battle of Chappar Chiri in 1710, the Sikhs killed Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind and Dewan Suchanand, who were responsible for the martyrdom of the two youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh. He also developed his own city and named it Lohgarh, “fortress of Steel” where he issued his own minted coins in the name of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. The rule of Sikhs over the entire Punjab agitated Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah. The entire force was organized to defeat and kill Banda Singh Bahadur. All generals were directed to join the Emperor’s army. To take back his lost areas, he started chasing Banda Singh with all his forces. On seeing the situation, Banda Singh returned to Lohgarh in Dec 1710. The Mughals surrounded the fort and cut all the supplies. Under all these hard conditions the Sikh army managed to survive and moved towards Jammu. In Feb 1712, Bahadur Shah died out of illness and battle for succession started between his sons. Banda Bahadur Singh took the opportunity and recaptured Sadhaura and Lohgarh making it impossible for the Mughals to conquer Punjab.

He established a democratic rule where the poor and downtrodden got a sense of living with dignity. In 1713 the Sikhs under the command of Banda Singh went to remote hills of Jammu and built Dera Baba Banda Singh. The Sikh army fought with great bravery and stood against brutal Mughal forces. On 17 Dec, 1715, Banda Bahadur Singh was captured along with 800 Sikhs and taken to Delhi where he was tortured in the most brutal way before being beheaded in 1716. He was asked to accept Islam or face death to which he accepted death. His four years old son was seated on his lap and Banda Singh was ordered to cut his own son. When he refused to this, the executioner pierced the chest of his son. Banda Singh Bahadur was tortured to death but till his last day he fought for his Punjabi people inspired by his guru.

A war memorial was built where Battle of Chappar Chiri was fought, to glorify heroic Sikh soldiers. The 328 feet tall Fateh Burj was dedicated to Banda Singh Bahdur. It is taller than Qutab Minar and is an octagonal structure. Several movies such as Rise of Khalsa, Chaar Sahibzaade: Rise of Banda Singh Bahadur, Sarbans Dani Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Da Banda have been made to pay tribute to legendary and brave Sikh army commander.