S. S. Johar Preface

Dro ,. s. s. Johar Preface This is the story of the Sikh Struggle after Guru Gobind Singh left his mortal coil in 1708. This was the most critical period in the history of the Sikhs. During the period they had to make many sacrifices and were ultimately able to retain the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Though the Sikhs had to pass through the difficult period pley produced such dynamic and dashing men of courage like Banda Bahadur, Nawab Kapur Singh, Jassa Singh Ahaluwalia, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Baghel Singh, Baba Deep Singh and Ranjit Singh. They were fearless people who had only welfare of the Panth in their minds and they laid down their lives for a poble cause. I have spent ten long years to complete this momentous work, and now I hope that the present generation will learn lesson from the deeds of these brave and courageous people. This is the time when our new generation should be told about the heroic deeds of Sikh generals of this period whose only aim was to save Sikhism from extinction. Sikh history would have been different if these dashing and fearless people did not appear on the scene. Sikhism is once again faced with the crisis of identity; its very existence is threatened and unless such noble souls appear on the scene, the Sikh individuality will grow astray and the great religion will only remain in the pages of history. Let the new generation learn from the heroic deeds of these heroes to remain united like a brave nation and work for the service of mankind. Sikhism can only survive if genuine efforts are made by the present Sikh leadership which has betrayed US; let some new leader like Maharaja Ranjit Singh born from the felt~le land of the truncated Punjab. The Sikh leaders have to playa glorious role in maintaining the dignity of the Sikhs so that the people should remember that there was a Man of Destiny Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was able to carve out a Sikh Empire out of the ashes. My hard work and labour will only be rewarded, if the present generation do not forget their past. In fine, I have no words to express how deep;y grateful I feel to Dr. M.K. Pal who spent much of his precious time to revise and edit the manuscript of the book. I am also grateful to Shri V. Bhanumurti for initial proof-reading. Surinder Singh Johar 0/5 Sarita Vihar New Delhi-ll0044 April 30, 2002 CONTENTS 1. Banda Bahadur-Life and Martyrdom 9 2. The Darkest Period 41 3. .Sikhs under Nawab Kapur Singh 49 4. Nadir Shah's Invasion and After 56 5. The Holocaust 67 6. Ahmed Shah Abdali's Invasions 74 7. The Rakhi System and After .85 8. The Great Holocaust 93 9. Fall of Sirhind 103 10. Conquest of Lahore 109 II. The Triumph 115 12. The Last Phase 138 13. Sikh Misals 153 14. Shah Zaman's Invasions 184 15. The Sikh Empire 192 A Select Bibliography 205 ONE Banda Bahadur-Life and Martyrdom Banda, the brave, was a man of indomitable spirit and courage. He was the first person to realise that the only way to save people from the tyranny and oppression of the Mughal rulers was to finish the Mughal rule itself. He was not a ruthless blood sucker. He organised a revolutionary movement and gave a fore taste of freedom to his countrymen, but for which the course of history would have been quite different from what it had been. Banda Bahadur aroused the spirit of the Sikhs and enabled them to give a death blow to the Mughal rule in Punjab . "They blunted the edge of Abdali's invasion and rolled th~m across the Indus, which otherwise undoubtedly have swept all over India and probably destroyed even the memory of what had in the ancient times been the glory of Hindu culture and civilisation." 1. Banda Bahadur was regarded by the people as their saviour. They rallied round him and offered him full support and co-operation. The people who were groaning under the oppressive rule of the Mughals found in him the protector of their rights. Banda Bahadur whose original name was Lachhman Das was born on October 27, 1670 at Rajauri, district Poonch in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. However, according to Hari Ram Gupta, Banda was born in Sirmur State as during the battles, he travessed the hill states like one born in them.2 This view does not seem to be correct as fighters always get help from their own followers and sympathisers from the areas unknown to them. They invariably show them the routes of escape and adventure. 1. Chabra, G.s., Advanced History of the Punjab, Vol. 1, p. 342. 2. Gupta, Hari Ram, History of the Sikhs, Vol. n, p. 6. 9 Banda's father, Ram Dev, was a Rajput who was a farmer by profession. He had a small holding, the income from which could not meet even his daily needs. Banda could not be sent to schoo!' When he was a little grown up, he assisted his father in farming. He took interest in hunting and shooting. He very often carried his bow and arrows and chased wild animals, which were found in abundance in the nearby jungles. It seems, he would have passed his entire life in hunting and wandering but for a small incident that took place one day. It happened like this, that while out on hunting expedition, Banda shot a dove. It was his prized gain that day. When he was cutting the dove into pieces and opened her beily, he found two young ones inside it. They shook terribly and died in minutes before the eyes of Banda. He was stunned and was so upset at the tragic sight that he left the dove on the spot and hurried back to his house. He did not take his food that day. The incident transformed him. He left his home and lost all interest in worldly life. He took very little food, which was just sufficient for his sustenance. He could not even sleep for days together. One day a group of Sadhu5 who were wandering in the jungle, stayed at Rajauri. Banda went to their Dera and listened to the sermons of the Sadhus. One learned Sadhu, Janki Das by name, impressed Banda to such an extent that he became his devout follower and became Bairagi. His name was changed to Madho Das. He left his home and wandered with Janaki Das. The Sadhu visited many places in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab and in due course of time reached Ram Tha~an, which was a historical place in Tehsil Kasur of Lahore district. Here, there was a samadhi of Ram Thaman, a distant relation of Guru Nanak. Every year a big fair was held on the festival of Baisakhi. When Banda along with other Sadhu5 reached Ram Thaman, the fair was being held. There was a great rush of people. Many Sadhus and Saints had gathered there and religious discourses were going on. "It was here that Banda met another recluse, Ram Das Bairagi." Banda stayed at Ram Thaman for sometime and then left on a pilgrimage of the holy places. He roamed from place to place. Banda reached Panj Wati near Nasik. The place enthrilled him and he enjoyed the scenic beauty of the place. He built his hut there and started meditation. Vvhen one day Banda was deeply engrossed in his meditation, 10 a Saint Aghar Nath happened to visit his hut. The Saint was so much impressed by the religious discourses of Banda that he became his devotee. He served Banda with devotion. The Saint was perfect in T\lntra and hud its deep knowledge. Banda learnt Yoga from Aghar Nath, who before his death handed over his book of Mantras to Banda. Banda stayed at Panj Wati for sometime and practised TantrCi and Mantra. He became proficient in the art and to gain more experience proceeded further. In 1692, Banda reached Nanded and constructed his Ashram on the bank of river Godawari. ~-!e was a perfect Yogi now. His following increased day by day and in a short span of time, many people came to him for his Darshan and to seek his blessings. The peoples' wishes were fulfilled and they surrounded him all the time and were blessed by him. Banda became famous in blessing and cursing people. He extended his Ashram where many stayed during their visits there. A garden was attached to the Ashram. His large follOWing made him proud and he started cursing people instead of blessing them. His haughtiness caused some resentment among the people but they were afraid of Banda's curses. However, they did not talk against him openly. Banda got made a big cot of a particular type and always asked the visitors including the Sadhus and Saints to sit on it. He used to shower blessings on them, but later with the help of his Yogic power, he would turn the cot and threw away the visitors. He took pleasure in such acts, clapped his hands and laughed loudly. Thus, in insulting the Sadhus, he got a peculiar satisfaction. He spent 16 years in this way in the Ashram till he met Gllru Gobind Singh in 1708. "Banda was slim, had a middle height with a rosy face. H(? was full of energy and courage." 1. He was a great general and a conqueror.

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