M.A. (HISTORY) PART-I (SEMESTER-II) PAPER-I HISTORY OF (1675-1799 A.D.)

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Note : Students can download the syllabus from the departments website www.dccpbi.com M.A.(HISTORY) PART-I(SEMESTER-II) PAPER -I (1675 TO 1799 A.D.)

LESSON NO. 1 AUTHOR : PROF. FAUJA SINGH

GURU GOBIND SINGH (Relations with the Mughals) The conflict between the and Mughal Government has started as early as the times of Dev. The first result to official hostility was the martyrdom of the Fifth Guru at in 1606 A.D. The moral of this act of tyranny was the Sikh realization that if they were to continue to exist, they must provide for their self-defence against such unwarranted attacks. Therefore, under the leadership of the Sixth Guru, Hargobind, they began to acquire proficiency in the use of weapons. The Mughal Government regarded this militant tendency among the Sikhs as a challenge to their authority. Then a number of military actions took place between the Sikhs and the Mughals. Although in all these actions, the Guru had the upper hand yet in order to avoid further conflict, he shifted to Kiratpur at the foot of the Shivalik' Hills. Even then the Mughal suspicions did not disappear. With the accession of Emperor in 1658, the situation became even more serious. The new ruler began to interfere in the internal affairs of the Sikhs. A most serious result followed from this was the martyrdom of which left indelible impact, on the future of Sikhs history. At the time of his father's execution at in 1675, Gobind Singh was a mere child and the Sikhs community was staggering under the terrible blows struck by the Mughals. The task before the boy Guru was enormous, but his precocious mind realized that something must immediately be done to restore confidence of Sikhs and to prepare them for new eventualities. The first plan he thought of was to impart military training and discipline to his men. Therefore, arms and other military stores were collected; horses were purchased or obtained as part of voluntary offering brought to Anandpur; increasing numbers of men were invited and trained in the use of weapons and art of fighting and thus gradually a sizeable army of religious zealots, all volunteers, began to emerge. This small force was maintained, armed and clothed out of common funds of the community. Luckily, the place selected for these activities was situated out of the way at the foot of the Shivalik Hills. This was an ideal place not only for the initial military training but also for putting that training to the best of its use. The Marathas in the south and the Afghans in the west had already shown how 1 M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 2 Paper-I hilly tracts could be made bulwarks against the powerful Empire. Therefore, the instinct of the Guru in making the hilly neighbourhood of Anandpur the scene of his new experiments was not only right, but most necessary in the existing circumstances of strained relations with the Imperial Mughals. Besides the hills, the Guru attached great value of the friendship of the hill Rajas which, if successful, could furnish him with a secure base for his defence against the Mughals, should such a need arise. He had also the hope that their Rajput blood combined with the measure of independence enjoyed by them would make him natural allies in case, it became necessary to fight against the intolerant policy of Aurangzeb. However, the hill chiefs thought differently. They distrusted him as a demagogue and were not willing to fall in love with him. Some of them like Bhim Chand of Kahlur even went so far as to resort to venomous propaganda against him which in due course resulted in open clash of arms. The Guru's victory at the however, chastened them and created conductive conditions for a mutual understanding. Appreciating his strength they now wanted to utilize it in a bid to thwart the attempts of the Mughal Government to realize the arrears of tribute from them. The Guru welcomed the change in the attitude of the Rajas and when a little later Alif Khan, a Mughal official invaded to extract the tribute due to the para-amount power, the Guru personally led his entire force to assist the against the invading army. Alif Khan was routed in the battle of Nadaun and had to flee for his life.A few years after another official expedition was sent for the exaction of tribute and the punishment of defaulters. Disunity in the hill chiefs ranks helped the invader, Hussain Khan, to cause great havoc in certain parts of the region. Mindful of the horrible consequences of internal dissensions of the Rajputs, the Guru tried hard to close their ranks, so that they could present a united front to the enemy. The effort did not succeed. Even so, in keeping with the spirit of his constructive attitude, a band of his men headed by Sangat Singh fought on the Rajput side opposing the invading Mughals. But desire of Guru Gobind Singh to unite the Hindu Rajas to his cause proved a failure and it was clear in a few years time but they could not be depended upon as the allies against the Imperial Authority. Their internal jealousies and their fear of the Government reprisals were two major drawbacks which seriously came in the way of their uniting in any common cause. The chances of their unity with Guru were all the more bleak for the great apprehensions that they somehow entertained of him. Apart from his progressive religious and social reforms which seemed to challenge their outmoded but deep-rooted notions of caste and religion, the Guru's idea of acting together M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 3 Paper-I against the Mughal tyranny, seemed to them to be leading into dangerous paths. Further more they fear that his powerful and over-towering personality would dwarf them and destroy the little significance that they still had in their pretty principalities. Despairing of any co-operation from the neighbouring Rajas, Guru Gobind Singh sought his best support in the multiplication of his own resources. He erected a number of fortresses at his headquarters to strengthen his defences against attack. This followed by the creation of the Khalsa, in 1699, where by at one stroke he created a whole community of saint-soldiers, firmly devoted to his cause and ready to do any sacrifice for it. However, the rapidly mountain strength of the Guru brought upon his head the united wrath of the Rajput princes and the Mughals. They fear of the Guru at last proved a unifying force for the divided ranks of the hill chiefs and their joint request for immediate aid, against him was promptly complied with by the Mughal Governors of Sirhind and Lahore. The Guru offered his stiffest resistance to the assailants and kept them at bay for a period of five years, but ultimately had to leave Anandpur. Even after that he continued fighting for about a year. The departure of Guru Gobind Singh from Anandpur and his march through the until he reached , now called Sri Damdama Sahib, is an adventure of rare courage and unique interest. As many as four battles were fought. The first took place at Shahi Tibbi when Bhai Ude Singh, along with 50 of his companions fell while fighting. The second battle occurred on the bank of the Sirsa river. Here 100 Sikhs perished under the command of Bhai Jiwan Singh. The third was fought at where the Guru with a small force of 40 people only engaged a vastly superior enemy force for a whole day. The two elder sons of the Guru won the crown of martyrdom on this occasion. The Guru was, however, persuaded to leave in the interest of the community. After a continuous journey lasting for several days when he reached Muktsar, he was chased, suddenly attacked by a Sirhind force but this time the enemy got such a thrashing that the idea of any further pursuit of the Guru was now abandoned. As a result of it, the Guru had a quiet stay for several months at Talwandi Sabo. Where from the later resolved to proceed to Deccan to see the Emperor. It may also be mentioned here that Guru's two younger sons of very tender age had been butchered at Sirhind by the orders of its Nawab. Unable to bear the shock, Guru's mother had also breathed her last. The difficulty of winning a decisive military victory over the enemy caused the Guru to review the situation. After careful thought, he decided to pursue his end through diplomatic means. His plan was to have a direct contact M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 4 Paper-I with the Emperor and through his influence to have his adversaries penalised and his headquarters restored. For this purpose, he despatched to him through Bhai , a long letter listing the perjuries and excesses of Government officials and troops, throwing all the blame for all that on the Emperor himself, and challenged him, in the name of Islam or even simple justice to justify his people's actions. The title chosen for the letter (Epistle of victory) show the indefeatoble spirit of the writer. It was a strange way of establishing the first link with the mighty head of the Mughal state, but perhaps keeping in view the personality of the writer, the old age of the Emperor and his utter failure against the Marathas in the south, the letter was the kind of approach that was then really needed. The Emperor was moved, it is said nothing else would have moved him, and an invitation was immediately sent to the Guru for a personal interview. The Guru greatly welcomed the opportunity and set out at once to see the Emperor. When he reached Baghaur in , he received the news of Aurangzeb's death. There was no point now in pursuing the journey any further. Obviously, the sudden death of Aurangzeb was a serious set back to the Guru's plans but he could not be easily deflected from the path of diplomacy, he had recently chosen. In the civil war following upon the death of the Emperor, he saw a ray of hope. If he could, he thought, extend his blessings and support to one of the candidates at this critical moment, his chances of success would be greatly improved. Therefore, utilizing the good offices of Munshi Nand Lal, who was close to him as well to Prince Muazzim, the Guru was able to establish a connection with the latter. He extended his moral support to the Mughal Prince and even sent a token force to assist him against his rival brother Azim at the battle of Jajau. Muazzim was victorious, and he was so much pleased with Guru that he honoured him in the open Darbar by offering of rich presents worth Rs. 60,000. The Guru was now hopeful that his efforts would soon be succesful and decided to remain in his company. For Muazzim, however had his own difficulties. The civil war was not yet ended, a third brother Kam Baksh was still unsubdued and Muazzim's mind was at the time wholly concentrated on measures to crush him. The Guru being well aware of these difficulties of the Prince and hoping for ultimate success in his talks with him, decided to accompany him when he set out southward with a view to smashing the rival claims of his brother. But Muazzim had no idea of obliging the Guru by acceding to his demands. This became clear to the Guru after a few months. He then decided to separate from him and went to Nander a place on the bank of Godavari where he met Banda . A new situation had now arisen, in which a fresh review of the policy was urgently called for. The diplomatic approach had failed and M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 5 Paper-I was abandoned now and instead of that old military approach was revived. For this, conditon too were favourable. The sons of Aurangzeb were entangled in the terrible civil war in the Deccan and all eyes were centred on them. Consequently, in the Punjab there was a void which he thought, could well be used to advantage by determined leader. The successful Maratha challenge to the Mughal power, about which he must have heard a lot during his travels in the Deccan, might also have given encouragement in the new line of thinking. Moreover, in the meantime he had seen enough of the inner conditions of Mughal army to give him a reasonable hope of success, should the military approach be tried again. His correct appraisal of the situation was proved by the speedy and complete success of Banda Singh Bahadur who was charged with the responsibility of going to the Punjab and carrying the new plan into execution. As for the strategy used by Guru Gobind Singh two things stand out- stress on the defensive and liaison between military and political bases Offensive is usually placed by military experts very high in order of precedence among the principles of war, but in the situation of the Guru it could lead to complications, and perhaps to pre-mature frustration and dismay. He could not think of any offensive because the odds against him were much too heavy for his slender resources. Therefore, his constant endeavour was not to take the initiative and to have armed clashes only if they were forced on him, though he was always prepared for the worst. His leaving of Anandpur for the state of Nahan was primarily actuated by the desire to avert an impending clash with the ruler of Kehlur. An additional consideration perhaps was the opportunity offered by the invitation of the friendly ruler of Nahan to carry on his deliberations in a more secure place. The new environments pleased him slightly. He selected for his headquarters a picturesque spot called Paonta on the bank of the Jamuna and built a small fort there for his residence and stores. The programme of training in arms and art of fighting and hunting expeditious was commended with redoubled vigour. However these activities of the Guru alarmed and neighbouring Rajput chiefs, particularly of Sri nagar who in panic saw behind them the lurking hands of his sworn enemy, the ruler of Nahan. The result was the battle of Bhangani (1688). So far as the Guru was concerned, it was purely a defensive action because the attack was made by the enemy. But though on the defensive the surprise was sprung by him by forcing the battle upon the enemy at a place and in situation where the latter was at a great disadvantage. Several battles were fought after Bhangani, the most important of them being Nadaun, Hussaini, Nirmoh, Anandgarh, Chamkaur and Khidrana. None M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 6 Paper-I of them was of the Guru's seeking. Nadaun (1690) was a defensive action against a Mughal official Alif Khan who in a bid to levy tribute from the hill chiefs threatened to devastate the country. Hussaini (1692) was fought on similar lines against another Mughal official on a similar mission, who actually, in the course of his proceedings, carried fire and sword wherever he went. Nirmoh was the result of a surprise attack by some of the hill chiefs who had earlier on oath assured the Guru of safe conduct. The battles of Anandpur (1700-1704) and Chamkaur (1705) were seiges and essentially of a defensive character. The last action, Khidrana (1706) was fought in the open. The attack was led by troops of of Sirhind, but the Guru relying on defensive was able to force the battle on the enemy, at a place most unfavourable to them. The second principle that seems to have weighted heavily with the Guru was the necessity of maintaining a constant liaison between the two bases, military and political. The former was located at Anandpur, whereas the regions of Malwa, Majha and and Doaba being the residing places of the majority of his Sikh followers constituted the later. It was vital to his plans that uniterrupted communication should continue to exist between one and the other, because if Anandpur on account of its geographical situation was an ideal place as a military station or a centre of his activities it derived much of its importance from its proximity to the political base, the tap root of his strength. That seems to be the main reason perhaps even more than love of the native place or any feeling of nostalgia, that the Guru felt so strongly urged to Anandpur every time he had quit it. The Guru's shifting to Paonta in the earlier part of his life was dictated as we have seen already, by the desire to avoid hostilities with the Raja of Kehlur and to carry through his preparatory work in quieter and safer place. Though it was sure to lengthen the distance between him and his tap-root, he decided to shift from there as there was no clash at that time nor even the prospect of one in the immediate future, in case he transferred his residence to the friendly state of Nahan. But within a few years of his stay at Paonta, he came to realize that he was in a wrong place. He recognized its merit for academic work, but from a military point of view it was open to a serious objection. Far removed as it was from his political base, there was no steady flow of man power, supply to the place and he had to depend upon mercenaries. He first engaged about 500 Pathans at the recommendations of Pir Budhu Shah of Sadhura but they all deserted him and went over to the enemy shortly before the battle of Bhangani. This rendered the position of the Guru more critical and he informed Pir Budhu Shah of the treachery of his men. The Pir then sent his four sons with about 700 of his disciples to his help and the battle was won. But inspite of the M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 7 Paper-I victory, it was decided to leave the place and return to Anandpur. Other factors, improvement in relation with Bhim Chand of Kehlur and love of the ancestral home must as well have weighted with the Guru, but the most important consideration with him must have been his conviction that strategically it was a false and weak position where he could be trapped at any time. On his return to Anandpur, the Guru's connection with his political base was re-established, and this largely ended his worries about human resources. The necessity of enlistment of mercenaries was now gone as his own followers were now available to him in sufficient numbers. This factor and the great natural strength of the place were considerable advantages to which further contribution was made by rapidly erected powerful fortifications. Convinced of the advantages that Anandpur offered to him, the Guru fought his major battles from here. For several years after 1699 he was the target of attacks from one quarter or another. The attacks, too, were invariably made by forces much stronger than his own. Still if he was able to keep the enemy at bay for so many years, it was because of the strong defensive position he occupied. His trust in the strength of his position was so great that even when the rigours of the last stage of Anandpur had reduced him and his people to great, strains, he would not listen to any counsel suggesting evacuation, until finally he had to agree to this under pressure from the ladies of the household and some other people who had not the patience or stamina left to endure the hardship any longer. After the abandonment of Anandpur, the Guru's march into the region of Malwa was a natural but strategic move, in so far as it had led him into very heart of his political base. His hopes were justified because he soon got together a force of sufficient strength, with which he was able to inflict, a decisive defeat at Khidrana (Muktsar) on the pursuing troops of the Mughal Governor of Sirhind. After this the Government dared not to send any more troops against the Guru. It was at this stage that the Guru preferred to try the diplomatic method and left for the time being the idea of fighting to get back Anandpur. The above is a brief survey of the various plans adopted by Guru Gobind Singh from time to time in this struggle against the Mughals. The chief characteristic of these plans is their flexibility induced by changing circumstances. No practical leader dealing with problems of great magnitude can ever lose sight of this all important principles, least of all Guru Gobind Singh who was such a shrewd observer of human mind. Besides the changing circumstances, the Guru had to contend with the slenderness of his resources as compared with those of adversaries. The Rajput princes of the Shivalik hills were, of course, no match for him but the Mughal imperials were much too M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 8 Paper-I powerful yet. Inspite of the several setbacks that befell him and that rendered his task ever more difficult, his success in the long run was assured. The best guarantee for this was his creation, the compact brotherhood of Khalsa which was also to be a brotherhood in arms. By enjoining upon his followers the worship of the sword as their principal stay in the world and by making its possession obligatory for each one of them, he created a compact community of warriors. And his teachings, his epic poetry, his personal sacrifiees and his inspired leadership converted these warriors into a powerful and dependable revolutionalry force. It was this force which within two years of the Guru's death in 1708, under Banda Singh's leadership completely obliterated the existence of Mughal authority in a large part of the Punjab. The success was no doubt short-lived but permanent success followed within half a century. For this splendid future success the foundation had been securely laid by Guru Gobind Singh. Suggested Readings

1. Kartar Singh : Life of Guru Gobind Singh 2. J.S.Grewal & S.S.Bal : Guru Gobind Singh 3. Fauja Singh : Guru Gobind Singh Marg 4. Fauja Singh : Travels of Guru Gobind Singh : An Atlas M.A. (HISTORY) PART-I(SEMESTER-II) PAPER-I HISTORY OF PUNJAB (1675 to 1799 A.D.) LESSON NO. 2 AUTHOR : DR. BHAGAT SINGH

GURU GOBIND SINGH (The Creation of the Khalsa and its Significance) The most important event in the History of Sikhs is the creation of Khalsa. It gave birth to a new force which created a marvellous history after this great event. In the face of a grave situation and in view of a definite objective, Guru Gobind Singh carried out this great task with a remarkable success. The following circumstances necessitated the creation of the Khalsa. The Religious Policy of the Mughal Government : was under Aurangzeb who wanted to make it an Islamic State. Guru Tegh Bahadur had to suffer martyrdom as a result of Aurangzeb's religious policy. He issued orders to the provincial governors that they should take steps to demolish the temples and of the infidels and should put a stop to their educational and religious activities. According to Khafi Khan, a contemporary historian, Aurangzeb ordered the Sikhs Gurdwaras to be pulled down, the Guru's agents (masands) to be turned out of the cities and towns, under the charge of the collecting tithe from the people. Aurangzeb reimposed Jazia on the non-Muslims with clear intention of pressurising the to embrace Islam so that India should have one religion. It is a matter of history that Guru Gobind Singh had no intention of grabbing the territory. He wanted for the non-Muslims the freedom to have their own religious views and freedom to worship in their own way. The Guru wanted that the Government should observe equality in respect of their subjects whatever their religious affiliations. There should be no forcible conversions. In order to be able to defend themselves against the oppressive policy of the government and also to be able to help his weak and innocent countrymen, Guru Gobind Singh planned every Singh with a sharp steel. The Hill Chiefs not Dependable : The Guru was not safe from the side of the hill chiefs. They nursed ill will against the Guru probably because of their apprehension that the Guru might usurp their territories as he was strong enough to do so. So, they were always on the look out of an opportunity to turn the Guru out of the hill areas. Upto A.D. 1699 almost in all the attacks that were directed against the Guru at Anandpur or elsewhere the hill chiefs arranged themselves against the Guru. The Hindu priestly class who had received a set back to their financial positions consequent upon the various reforms, introduced by the Sikh 9 M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 10 Paper-I

Gurus, was hostile to Guru Gobind Singh and his followers. They kept on inciting the hill Rajas against the Guru and his growing power in the hills. Abolition of Masand System : The Masand System has been organised at an elaborate scale by Guru Arjan with a view to preaching 's message among the people living away from the Guru's headquarters. The Guru could not personally visit every place to have a contract with his followers. He also needed money to be collected from the Sikhs for the various projects with the Guru had taken in hand. The Masand system worked wonderfully in its early stages. But with the passage of time, corruption crept into the fold of this organisation. But in Guru Gobind Singh's time, the Masand system reached a state where its abolition became absolutely necessary and an alternative arrangement imperative. The Guru abolished the corrupt system before the creation of the Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh planned to create a Nation : According to Gokal Chand Narang, when Guru Gobind Singh began his work, there was no such thing as a Hindu nation. Since the fall of Anangpal, no leader had arisen in the Punjab. Although some Hindu Zamindars who called themselves Rajas still lived secretly in Shivalik hills. The Hindus had ceased to exist as a political power in the Punjab. Guru Nanak had done much to raise the morals of the people of Punjab but the work of making a nation of them was reserved for the exceptional genius of Guru Gobind Singh. The method he adopted to achieve his objective proved most effective under the circumstances. He had realised that the Hindus as a race were too mild by nature, too contended in their desire, too modest in their aspirations, too averse to physical exertion and hopelessly scrupulous in giving pain to others, even to their enemies. So they needed to be given a martial trend. He gave them an idea of nationalism of which the first element is unity. The caste was a great barrier to unity. He told them that nobody could be a true Sikh if he did not give up the prejudice of caste and did not regard all his fellow Sikhs as his brothers. Guru Gobind Singh not only wanted to make one caste out of the four, but he wanted to go a step further to remove religious privileges of certain sections and establish a theocratic democracy. By creating the Khalsa, he wanted to form a brotherhood in which the lowest was equal to the highest. Creation of the Khalsa : On the Baisakhi day, March 30, 1699, Guru Gobind Singh called a big meeting of the Sikhs at Anandpur. Invitations had been sent to Sikhs living in all parts of India and the adjoining foreign countries including Afghanistan. They had been asked to come to Anandpur duly armed and with hair unshorn. About one lakh people are said to have assembled at the elevated site Keshgarh (Anandpur) on the fixed date. When all were seated he unsheathed his sword and said, “is there anyone here who would lay down his M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 11 Paper-I life for dharma?” At the first call Daya Ram, a of Lahore rose from his seat and offered himself. He was taken to a tent nearby. The Guru came back to the assembly and made a demand for another man who should offer himself for sacrifice. Similarly he made different calls and selected five persons for his purpose. They were : Daya Ram a Khatri of Lahore; Dharm Dass a Jat of Delhi; Muhkam Chand a washerman of Dwarka; Himmat Rai, a cook of Jagannath and Sahib Chand, a barber of Bidar. The Guru dressed them in handsome clothes and brought them before the assembly. They were baptised by him with sweetened water stirred with a double edged sword () and called them his 'Beloved Five'. The later part to the name of each of them was dropped and instead the appellation of 'Singh' was added. The Guru then spoke at length about his mission to the assembly. According to Bute Shah and Ahmed Shah Batalia, the Guru is reported to have said besides other things : “I wish you all to embrace one creed and follow one path, giving up all differences of religion. Let the four Hindu castes, who have different rules laid down for them, abandon them altogether and adopting the way of co-operation mix freely with one another. Let no one deem himself superior to another. Let men of the four castes receive baptism, eat out of the same vessel, and no disgust or contempt for another.” The government news-reporter conveyed to Aurangzeb from Anandpur after the initiation ceremony that after the Guru had talked to the people assembled, many Brahmans and got up and told that they believed in Guru Nanak's religion but could not give up their affiliation to their Brahmanical religion and could not take baptism under the conditions prescribed by the Guru. But still more than twenty thousand men rose up and expressed their readiness to be baptised and needful was done. After the Guru had administered baptism to the Beloved Five, he begged of them to baptise him in the same manner as he had baptised them. He told them that he too wanted to be one of them. He was their Guru but they collectively should be his Guru. After this there remained no difference between the Guru and his baptised Sikhs. They were named to be Khalsa, his embodiment rather his own self and his beloved ideal and thus, quite competent to take his place after him; the ceremony of conversion of was to be conducted, in future by a commission of five Beloved ones. In the course of the next day about 80,000 men were baptised. Those who called themselves Sikhs were asked to get themselves confirmed by receiving new baptism. Those who were duly baptised were taught to believe in One God and the mission of ten Gurus. The Sikhs were asked to wear steel about their M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 12 Paper-I persons in some form or other. They were instructed to live a clean and honest life and avoid strong drinks. The Sikhs were to wear the same signs, all beginning with the letter 'K', Kesh (long hair), Kangha (a comb), Kachha (a pair of shorts), kara (an iron bracelet) and Kirpan (a sword). More and more people continued coming into the fold of Sikhism by accepting baptism prepared by the double edge sword. They were strictly enjoined to follow the rahit or Sikh code of conduct. According to Principal Teja Singh the Sikh rahit was not conceived with a view to segregating the Sikhs from others but with a view of uplifting the Sikh nation spiritually. This rahit was prescribed for projecting the confederate life of the Sikhs. The Guru wanted to give a distinct appearance to the Sikhs who could be recognised without difficulty. He wanted his Sikhs to become and also look like soldiers. He believed sword to be the arm of God with which he destroys the evil-doers. The uncut hair have always been associated with saintly people and for keeping the hair clean comb is needed rather it is an inseparable part of the hair. The bangle or iron bracelet is a defensive weapon which protects the hand when it is aimed at by the enemy. The pair of shorts is a very active and useful dress. Significance of the Creation of the Khalsa After creating the Khalsa the Guru merged himself into it. The manner in which the Guru had baptised the 'Beloved Five' and he got baptism from them in the same manner and made himself a part of the Khalsa. The Guru Gobind Singh made himself the Guru as well as the disciple. The Creator did not want to remain separate from his creation. He made himself an integral part of his creation and declared the Khalsa to be greater than the Guru himself. Social Equality : According to Gokal Chand Narang, “Abolition of caste prejudices, equality of privileges with one another and with the Guru, common worship, common place of pilgrimage common baptism for all classes, and lastly common external appearance these were the means, besides common leadership and community to aspirations which Guru Gobind Singh employed to bring about unity among his followers and by which he bound them together into a compact mass before they were hurled against the legions of the great Mughals.” He brought about a revolution in the society by abolishing the caste distinctions among the followers. Partaking food by all from the common mess and sitting in the Sangat at the same level had created a sense of social equality. Such attempts had already been successfully made by the former Gurus. But Guru Gobind Singh went still further. He embraced the Shudras like Jaita saying “Rangretta Guru Ka Beta”. He made the Brahmins, Khatris, Jats, Barbers, Water carriers etc. take 'Amrit' (baptism) from the same vessel. He did away with untouchability and distinctions of pure and impure on the basis of castes and M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 13 Paper-I brought all sections of society closer to each other. One of the objectives of Guru Gobind Singh behind the creation of the Khalsa was to bring the down-trodden and the out-castes of the society to the level of the so called superior specials of humanity. No body cared for what the other medieval saints and social reformers could not do, was accomplished by the Tenth Guru. Formerly the caste of family in which a person was born was the determining factor regarding his status in the society. This principle which had been practised in the country for the centuries was discarded and contemptuously set aside by Guru Gobind Singh as it was the base of the social affinity and mutual love and affection. By receiving the Amrit (baptism) the Sikhs were told to have become Kritnash, Kulnash, Dharamnash and Karamnash i.e. they were absolved from their former position in the society on the basis of their profession, their family, their religion and their actions. Thus we see that the creation of the Khalsa evoked a miracle in abolishing the social distinctions. After initiation a person could claim and was readily given the status equal to any other member of the Khalsa Panth. Even the people who had been considered as dregs of humanity were changed as if by magic, into something rich and strange. The sweepers, barbers and confectioners who had never touched the sword and whose generation had lived as grovelling slaves of the so called high classes became under the stimulating leadership of Guru Gobind Singh, doughty warriors who never shrank, from fear and who were ready to rush into the jaws of death at the bidding of the Guru. Religious Significance : Under the various Gurus, the Sikh community had undergone a course of discipline until its character was fully developed and the Guru merged himself in the body of the nation thus reared. Guru Gobind Singh invested the Panth with his personality or in other words, the Khalsa Panth was to be the Guru in future. A little before his death Guru Gobind Singh told the sorrowing Sikhs that he would appoint no human successor. The Sikhs asked him as to how they would be able to have the Guru's darshan henceforth. He replied, I have bestowed Guruship to the Khalsa. Khalsa is my true self and shall always live in the Khalsa, and in this way the complete charge of the temporal leadership, to say so, was given to the Sikhs in 1708 during the last moments of his earthly existence. The Guru Gobind Singh brought Guruship on a level with his followers. Although the Khalsa was distined by the Guru himself yet the Guru was so much charmed and fascinated by his own creation that he saluted it as his own ideal and master. It was introducing a spiritual socialism in the domain of religion. He told Sikhs that the Guru was the Khalsa and the Khalsa was the Guru. This brings out in clear terms how earnestly the Guru wished his followers to lead a M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 14 Paper-I corporate life. The importance attached to Guruship did not, however create a community depending on autocratic leadership. The Khalsa commonwealth did not belong to any individual not even to the Guru, the creator of the order, but it belonged to those who constituted it. Guru Gobind Singh had converted the Guru Sangat into the Khalsa of the Wahe Guru, the Supreme Lord, and declared that the Sikhs belong and their victory brings to him. And the creator raised his creation to a status superior to himself when he said : “It is due to them that I am holding an exalted place I was born to serve them Through them I reached eminence What would I have been without Their kind and ready help There are millions of insignificant people like me.” Code of Conduct based on Morality The code of conduct prescribed for the Khalsa was so framed as to impose a strict discipline on the Sikhs. They were to stick to the high ideals of Sikhism. According to Senapat, the aim of Guru Gobind Singh in founding the Khalsa Panth was to build up a community that would live a virtuous life and be able to rescue the people from evil-doers and the tyrants. The basic character of the Sikh Panth to be good and virtuous was never allowed to be changed. Once the Sikhs asked the Guru why the Sikh rules of conduct prohibited the Sikh from carrying the women of the Muslims as captive as a retaliatory measure. To this, the Guru replied, “I wish to raise Panth–the Sikh Community to a much higher plan and not to push it down into the depths of hell.” The Khalsa always maintained this lofty ideal of Guru. The steel was taken to be an adjunct spiritually as the protector of the old value of righteousness rather than a means of aggression and oppression. Guru Gobind Singh felt that ideals of humility and surrender have no appeal to a tyrant whose soul is deadened by repeated acts of oppressions and understood the language of the cold steel alone. He was thoroughly convinced that force had to be met by force and that is why he almost deify the sword. He considered the sword to be the hand of God to punish evildoers with : Sword, thou art the protector of the Saints. Thou art the scourage of wicked. Shatterer of sinner's, I take refuge in thee. The Guru had such high regard for the sword which had been included in the Ks, or the essential items of the rahit prescribed for a Singh. This must not to be understood that Guru Gobind Singh believed in the dictum that 'might is right'. It was assumed, that wielder of sword must be imbued with divine mission. M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 15 Paper-I

It must he used for the protection of the oppressed for the furtherance of the righteous acts. The sword used for such purpose signifies divine beneficence. But it is used for oppression and for the attainment of power it loses its significance. Even where the use of the sword is permissible, it is to be used only as a last resort when all other means fail, it is justifiable to unsheath the sword. The Guru had sought from God that he might be able to use the sword for a righteous cause. The Guru's sword like the surgeon's knife was not for shedding blood but for rescuing the healthy part of human body from the growing effect of diseased one : With the creation of the Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh planned to start a Dharamyudh, (a holy war) against the enemies of righteousness and goodness. Dharamyudh, as the term suggests means a war against unrighteousness and for the protection of good virtues. It does not mean a mad struggle for power. When the use of sweet reasonableness and gentle persuasion fails to bring about a change of heart in the oppressors, it is perfectly-legitimate, according to the philosophy of Dharamyudh to resort to armed resistence. So the Khalsa was charged with the responsibility of promoting with force, if necessary, the cause of righteousness. Khalsa–Final Phase of Sikhism The new baptism was in sharp contrast to the earlier practices of charanpahul touching the baptismal water with the toe of Guru's foot which continued upto Guru Arjan's time. Since the time of an improved practice of preparing the pahul (baptism) through a body of five Sikhs who touched the water with their hand thumbs and sanctioned the same by the recitation of the scriptures had been in vogue till A.D. 1699 when the baptism of the double edged sword was administered to the Sikhs. According to Dr. Fauja Singh ideologically the creation of the Khalsa aimed at a well balanced combination of the ideas of Bhagti and Shakti, of moral and spiritual excellence and militant valour of heroism of the highest order. The use of a double edged sword in the preparation of amrit was a psychological booster. The changing of names at the time initiation as part of new mode of baptism, was also intended to revolutionize the psyche of the Sikhs. Further the Guru impressed the Khalsa with the belief that they were under the special control and protection of God. They were taught as an article of faith to believe that God was always present in the general body of Khalsa and that wherever five Sikhs were assembled the Guru would be with them. But the Singhs were not to be merely soldiers. It was necessary that they must at the same time be saints, deeply devoted to God, singing His hymns as composed by the Gurus observing the daily religious discipline prescribed in the M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 16 Paper-I rahit of the Khalsa and bearing high moral character. There was no contradiction between the twin ideals of soldiering and saintliness. In fact, they were complement to each other. Spiritual and moral values had to be protected with military strength if they were to be saved for humanity. While creating the Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh, did not forget to confer upon it a mark distinctiveness in the form of unshorn hair of the head and beard. Without any cost, this measure not only gave the Sikhs a bearing suited to the ideology in which they were nurtured but also made it impossible for them in future to conceal their identity as some Sikhs had done earlier. Political Significance : The Khalsa as combined body of the Sikhs was made the supreme authority amongst the Sikhs in all matters. No leader however great could challenge the authority of the Khalsa and introduce any innovation in the rules of conduct of Khalsa Panth. No one could dare go against the wishes of the Khalsa which was supreme in the Sikh polity and guidance of the community lay with their collective wisdom and decision. The rulers that we come across in the pageant of Sikh history were verily the part and the parcel rather the Khalsa commonwealth in whose name they functioned. Indeed, it was Khalsa who led the community, as a whole and not of the few leaders whatever their individual merit. Guru Gobind Singh firmly believed that spiritual achievement must be combined with physical power. The one without the other may degenerate sheer helplessness or ruthless tyranny. That is why, the Tenth Guru besides advocating spiritual uplift, attempted to revive the spirit of valour by means of heroic literature, martial training and glorification of the weapons of war. In the words of Cunningham, “The last apostle of the Sikhs effectively roused the dormant energies of a vanquished people and filled them with a lofty though fitful longing to social freedom and national acendency, the proper adjuncts of the purity of worship which had been preached by Nanak.” With the creation of the Khalsa, according to Indubhushan Banerjee, militarism was adopted as an article of creed and the leadership of community was left to the community itself thus bringing into existence a military commonwealth with the fullest of democratic freedom. The entire outlook of the community was now transformed as it took upon its shoulders the responsibility of combating all sorts of tyranny and oppression with means adequate for the purpose. The Guru had declared that suffering, injustice and oppression at the hands of the Government or any body else who was in a position to commit it, was no more to be tolerated lying down and therefore, he was obliged to place reliance on power of arms. Guru's conception of the Khalsa, therefore, was fully democratic compact community, armed to the teeth, struggling to maintain with M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 17 Paper-I it, conceived to be right path and fighting incessantly and without communication tyranny and injustice in all their forms. The Guru never claimed any divinity for himself. He denounced those who tried to hail him as an incarnation of God. “Whosoever regards me as Lord shall be damned and destroyed. I am and let there be no doubt but a slave of God, as other men are, a beholder of the wonder of creation.” He took no credit for what he did, all his victories, his prestige, his power, he attributed to the Khalsa. The creation of Khalsa gave distinct national character to the Sikh community. The dry bones of an oppressed peasantry were stirred into life and there was a large increase in the number of the Sikhs. Jadunath Sarkar has incorrectly remarked that, “Guru Gobind Singh organised the Sikhs to suit a special purpose. He called in the human energy of the Sikhs from all other sides and made it flowing in one particular channel, only; they ceased to be free men. He converted the spiritual unity of the Sikhs into a means of worldly success, he dwarfed the unity of a religious sect into an instrument of political advancement. Hence the Sikhs, who had been advancing for centuries to be true men, suddenly stopped short and became mere soldiers.” It is wrong and baseless statement that Guru Gobind Singh had in any way given up to the essential of Guru Nanak's teachings which formed, as it were, the core of Sikhism. In Indubhushan Banerjee's opinion, Jadunath commits himself to the absurd proposition that military efficiency, or political freedom is inconsistent with a true religious life. A leader cannot write on a clean slate and has to act within the framework of facts presented by a given situation. Jadunath is wrong to say that Guru Gobind Singh fell from the high principles of religion laid down by Guru Nanak and his successors. Gokal Chand Narang has correctly summed up the position that “Gobind himself, in fact as well as his work, was the natural product of the process of evolution that had been going on ever since the formation of Sikhism. The harvest which ripened in the time of Guru Gobind Singh had been sown by Guru Nanak and watered by his successors. The sword which carved the Khalsa's way to glory was undoubtedly forged by Gobind but the steel had been provided by Nanak.” The Code of the Khalsa as prescribed by Guru Gobind Singh was strictly observed by Banda Singh Bahadur and eighteenth century of the Sikh Misals. The Khalsa ideals served as beacon light for the Sikh Chiefs. When the people found their leaders, just one of ignorance likely to stray away from those ideals which were based on religion and not narrow communalism or fanaticism they called them a halt and showed them the right path. The panth or the Khalsa commonwealth was considered by all Sikhs as a very sacred creation of the Gurus, reared into its final shape by Guru Gobind Singh. In respect of their duties M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 18 Paper-I towards the Khalsa commonwealth, no Sikh including the Sikhs chiefs enjoyed any exemption. None could pose to be above the Khalsa. No single individual or a group of individual, could be considered a superior or equal to the entire body of the community. No , could ever think like the Mughal ruler that he belonged to different category and was one specially blessed and destined by God to rule other and exercise and enjoy distinctive rights and privileges vis-a- vis the Khalsa. He always kept before his mind that his position was not due to any of his personal qualities but all are due to the grace of the Guru and the Khalsa. The Sikh chiefs time and again declared that they were the humble servants of the Panth subservient to its will, working for the good and the pleasure of the Khalsa Commonwealth. To take Amrit (baptism of the double-edged sword) and become a member of the Khalsa was required to every Sikh. The Sikh who was not duly baptised could not be elected as their leaders by the people. They had to adopt the rahit (code of conduct) of the Khalsa. received Amrit from Sardar Kapur Singh and Ala Singh received it from the hands of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. The founder of the Kanhiya Misal, Amar Singh, considered it absolutely necessary to baptise a person into a 'Singh' before accepting him into his or camp. The Sardars of Misals were generally known by appellation of “Singh Sahib”. Guru Gobind Singh had enjoined upon the Sikhs to take their decisions through Panchayat councils and all important decisions relating to common interest of the community must have the approval of those whom they were meant. The Sikhs chief were alive to the democratic ideals incalculated by the and they followed them to the best of their power. The Gurmata was a strong expression of this noble ideal of democratising the Panthic decisions. The practice of electing a leader of the Misals in the earlier stages and electing the leader of the were in pursuance and fulfilment of same ideal of republican and democratic spirit of the Khalsa. According to Gokal Chand Narang “Guru Gobind Singh was first Indian leader who taught democratic principles and made his followers regard each other as Bhai or brother and act by Gurmata or General councils.” The chiefs ruled in the name of the Guru and the Khalsa as is so well apparent from their coins. Guru Gobind Singh deified the weapons and held them in high regard and veneration. The same devotion for the weapons was kept up by the Sikhs in the eighteenth century. At the head of the important document and treaties concluded between the Sikh Sardars and others, a mark of the sword was imprinted. In the end, we may say that Guru Gobind Singh recognised no invidious distinction between man based on religious or social affiliation. With the creation M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 19 Paper-I of Khalsa, he did everything possible to make the foundation of national solidarity broad based and firm. His supreme contribution to India's history is his firm stand against political tyranny and religious persecution with the help of organisation of brotherhood based on equality and democracy which cut across all artificial walls and barriers and developed a social conscience among the masses. The code of conduct prescribed for the Khalsa lighted the path of Sikhs over the centuries and gave strength to its members to bear hardships and privations in the extreme degree. Without the creation of the Khalsa, there would have been no political future for them in history. Books for Further Readings 1. Cunningham – A History of the Sikhs 2. Macauliffe – Sikh Religion, Vol. V 3. Gian Singh – Tawarikh Guru Khalsa (Punjabi) 4. Gokal Chand Narang – Transformation of Sikhism 5. Indubhushan Banerjee – Evolution of the Khalsa, Vol. II 6. Teja Singh and Ganda Singh – A Short History of the Sikhs 7. Bhagat Singh – Rashtra Vir Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi) 8. J.S. Grewal and S.S. Bal – Guru Gobind Singh 9. Fauja Singh, Trilochan Singh and Others – Sikhism 10. Kapur Singh – Baisakhi of the Guru Gobind Singh M.A. (HISTORY) PART-I(SEMESTER-II) PAPER-I HISTORY OF PUNJAB (1675 to 1799 A.D.) LESSON NO. 3 AUTHOR : DR. BHAGAT SINGH

GURU GOBIND SINGH (An Estimate of His works and Personality) Whether in respect of thought or in point of action, Guru Gobind Singh's place in history is assured and distinctive. He died at the young age of forty two when most of us just begin to take life seriously. But he packed his brief span with work so tremendous and of such high quality that his ranking must be among the best of mankind. His impact, clear and decisive on the contemporary situation, has not worn off with the passage of time. His image is till a great living reality in the India of today. It is still, as ever before, the guiding star of his beloved Khalsa's destiny, their mainstay and their guardian angel in times of storm and stress. To the Indians at large, as also to his immediate followers, he is the apostle of patriotism and militant nationalism and his memory is invariable invoked whenever the country is confronted with danger. His humanistic thought of broadest dimensions even by modern standards, is often cited as a panacea for the serious life with which our civilization is afflicted. Guru Gobind Singh was first and last man of God who never grew weary of his praises. He loved and moved, in His Omnipresence, without His loving grace, life was to him a protracted state of agony and denied his protecting hand comforts and luxuries were to him as if venomous serpents or the butcher's knife. His numerous works, among the Jap Sahib and most particularly are everlasting monuments of his homage to the Lord Almighty. In triumph, he was his Garibniwaz patroniser of the lowly, in the battlefield his ganimal guadz (destroyer of foes); and in sorrow his yar (sustainer). His faith in Akal Purakh never forsook him, however, the trial, or heavy the odds. But he was not a recluse wasting away his precious energy and time in cloistered meditation. Such a thing was meaningless to him and entirely foreign to his nature and outside of his mission of his life. His interest lay in the theatre of life with all its complex and challenging problems. It was there again that he thought that His cause could best be served and towards the problem facing his contemporaries, his approach was that of revolutionary and a fighter. He witnessed before himself an unfolding panorama of a struggle between the good and the evil wanted to be an active participant in it with a view of annihilating the forces of evil. The desire was reinforced by the firm conviction that he had come into the world charged with the duty to uphold the right in every place and to destroy sin and evil, “O Ye holymen, know it well in your hearts that only reason I took birth 20 M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 21 Paper-I was to see that righteousness may flourish; that the good may live and tyrants be torn out by their roots.” (). Behind his mission lay a divine mandate. This task, the Guru believed, had been assigned to him by God Himself who desired the wicked to be destroyed. This was not the first time that God had done, so, rather with Him. It was an established practice that whenever tyranny and oppression became rife, He sent a special emissary to counter and crush them. Rama, Krishna and Durga were among the emissaries who had been divinely commissioned to challenge and destroy the demons of their respective ages. The reasons that God felt it necessary to send saviours from time to time was that He Himself was Goodness and Truth and was essentially interested in their triumph over evil. Thus it was that Guru viewed Him, among other things as the mightiest of mighty warriors armed with lethal weapons and addressed him by such names as Sri Aspan, Sri Asket, Sri Asdhuj, Kharagket and sarb Loh all incantation of His warrior like appearance and his determination to use His unlimited powers in the cause of righteousness. The revolution which Guru Gobind Singh wanted to organise was characterised by him as Dharamyudh. It was not a fight to protect or promote the interest of a particular sect or creed and hence is to be distinguished from the Christian crusade of medieval period and the Muslim Jihad of the familiar variety. Guru Gobind Singh's Dharamyudh was not the religious war in the usual sense of the term. It was a moral war waged for the victory of good over evil, for the triumph of righteousness over tyranny and oppression. His concept in traditional ethical terms was analogous to goddess Durga's fight with the demons Mekhasur, Sumbh, Nisumbh, to Lord Rama's fight with Ravana of Lanka or to Lord Krishna's struggle with Kansa. It was based on dynamic view of religion which in its essence is a social catalyst. Religion if not simple, private and personal affair absolutely unconcerned with the problems of Society, it has also a vital social role to play in human affairs. It must work for its healthy flow of social or collective life and must of necessity contend against the evil, hampering the smooth and unhindered mainstream of its existence. But the revolutionary role the Guru visualised for religion was not to be stinted in any way by harnessing to the narrow interests of any particular religious, creed or dogma; on the contrary it was to be conducted with a view to the general good of the society. In the contemporary context which had largely conditioned Guru Gobind Singh's mind, tyranny was identified with the Mughal State. Its head at that time, Aurangzeb, was engaged in covering it into a purely Islamic state. The old liberalism of Akbar's days had ever since his death been on the decline and the reactionary forces, gradually gathering strength, found their champion in the person of Aurangzeb. The ruler, in his anxiety to rule according to the Quranic M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 22 Paper-I law as he understood it reduced the non-Muslims, the vast majority of the people, to the degraded position of second rate subject. The Jazya or a toll tax abolished by the liberal minded Akbar was reimposed in 1666. He issued orders to the governors of all his provinces to demolish the school and temples of the infidels and with utmost urgency put down the teaching and the public practice of these non-believers (Maasir-i-Alamgiri). These orders were repeated later on from time to time, and gradually more and more privileges were taken away and more curbs placed on the non-Muslims. For instance, in 1695 “orders were issued at Court and in the provinces that no Hindu except Rajputs should bear arms or ride elephants palkis or Arab and Iraqi horse (Maasir-i-Alamgiri). To the religious and social restrictions were added some economic ones whereby they were practically excluded from important positions in the state administration. Such bigot and discriminatory measures of the Mughal Government as they completely sullied its image in the eyes of the bulk of the people who began to look upon their rulers as tyrants. Forcible conversions to Islam were not very large but even a few were sufficient to convince panicked minds that the state was now bent upon massive conversions to its cherished religion. No wonder that rumours were spread around that the Emperor every day before his dinner, gathered a maund and a quarter weight of Hindu sacred threads. But this was not all, the Empire financially had never been in a sound position. The agricultural class, upon whom largely the state depended for its revenue, were almost always at the tender mercies of jagirdars and zamindars. This sorry state of affairs was accentuated during the long period of Aurangzeb's forced absence from the north because the local authorities now could easily carry their exploitive activities to the extreme. The sufferers were the common toiling masses belonging to all religions including Islam. It was against this tyrannical state that revolution of Gobind Singh was directed. The local oppressors no doubt were seriously to blame, but the real responsibility was that of the state organisation as such. His aim, therefore, was to strike at the Mughal state as a whole. The time when it could hopefully be thought capable of being reformed was now gone. Only the sovereign remedy, that of its destruction, could not save the people from tyranny and persecution. But in so thinking, he was careful to distinguish between the Muslim people and the Mughal state. He had no grudge or complaint against the Muslim masses. Rather, they being fellow sufferers in many respects with the non-Muslims, deserved and received his sympathy. It is remarkable and is a measure of their faith in him that at some critical moments in his life, when his very existence was in danger some of them voluntarily came to his rescue. Budhu Shah of Sadhaura along with his four sons and several hundred disciples fought for him M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 23 Paper-I at Bhangani in 1688. Similarly, Nabi Khan and Ghani Khan of saved him from falling into the clutches of pursuing enemy troops and likely death. Force was an essential component of Guru Gobind Singh's concept of revolution against the fast deteriorating Mughal state. His concept of Dharamyudh was indeed a blending of two different concepts– Bhakti and Shakti. The former stood for ethico-spiritual values of life springing from devotion to God and the latter represented strength and ability to face dangers and stern problems. Both of these trends of thought had been discernible in the Sikh movement long before Gobind Singh appeared on the scene. Indeed the Miri-Piri theory of Guru Hargobind based on a harmonious combination of religious and secular function was the starting point in the new development which culminated subsequently in the Dharamyudh ideal of Guru Gobind Singh. But it was not merely as part of his heritage that Guru Gobind Singh recognised force as of supreme importance to his purpose. His own rating of it was very high. He almost exalted it to the pedestral of religious worship. To his mind force was divine in origin because God as the inflicter of death (Mahakal) is constantly making use of it. Moreover, the saviours, sent by Him from time to time extirpate tyrants never hesitated to use force. It was thus not something to be despised or shunned but to be venerated and employed for the good of society or to free it from the vicious or the wicked. He helped it as a sacred principle of life as sacred as anything else, of which there must always be necessitated as long as there are oppressors and tyrants in the world. Arms and weapons being the embodiment of force, he always sang of them if they were so many deities to be worshipped. His Shasternama is not simply a description of the different weapons as such, but it is an eloquent depiction almost in lyrical terms of the wonderous powers possessed by each. Some of his finest hymns have been devoted to sword which he pronounced as not different from the God Almighty as the great deliverer of mankind and the real Durga who destroyed the demons in the remote past. But lest force should be misused, the Guru prescribed two conditions for its use. One, it must be used only in a righteous, such as self-defence of the weak, the oppressed and the exploited. Second, it should be asked only as a remedy of the last resort, “When all the methods have been exhausted then it is right to unsheath the sword” (Bachitar Natak) in words of Prem Sumarg, “The Singh must never be unarmed, but he should be docile as a cow. However when he feels a tyrant is incorrigible and a moral principle is at stake or when he finds the ruler indifferent to justice, he can use his weapons but only as the last resort.” For the success of the revolution that Guru had in mind that the selection of suitable means was the first and formost importance. The condition of his Sikh M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 24 Paper-I followers at the time of his accession in 1675 was far from happy. The terrible blow of the Ninth Guru's execution at Delhi had proved too much for many of them, so that general feeling for despondency seemed to grip their minds. Besides the internal cohesion of the Sikh fraternity had been seriously undermined by the nefarious and centrifugal activities of masands and some dissident groups like Dhirmalias and Ramraias. The former taking advantage of the tender years of the Eighth Guru Harkrishan and the long absence from the Punjab of the Ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur had become presumptuous and corrupt and their conduct was proving most detrimental to the effectiveness and strength of the central leadership. The latter had become even more harmful. Their rival gurudoms, their slanderous propaganda against the legitimate line and their collusion with Mughal rulers had already caused a heavy damage to the Sikh movement. It was thus clear that as a prerequisite of success these corroding and fissiparous tendencies would have to be checked and unifying forces strengthened and effective moral boosters employed to remove the feelings of frustration and dismay weighing heavily on the people's mind. However, the hurdles, though formidable, were overcome without much difficulty. The institution of masands was knocking of the ground from which these degraded missionaries of Sikhism derived their strength. The more wicked among them were thrown out and it made a severe example (as a deterrent) to others. The difficulty from the dissidents also gradually disappeared. Ram Rai who had settled at Dehra Dun, repented his misdeeds and became friendly. Dhirmalias, however, refused to shed off their jealousy but they gradually degenerated into a small localise family group well satisfied with their monopoly of the first recession of the holy Adi Granth. As for the measures to boost their morals, the Guru introduced institutions, on a regular and permanent basis. In the military art of fighting and use of weapons, the use of huge drum called Ranjit Nagara (drum of victory) in particular had electrifying effect on the benumbed nerves of his people. The frequency of hunting expeditions in which the Guru showed great interest from his early years specially his love for the big game such as tigers and bears, injected a new spirit of daring and valour into his follower's hearts. With a similar motive, he gave priority to the vehicle of literature. He engaged a host of poets and pundits in the service and they rendered most popular stories of the Epics and the Puranas into the easy language of the people. He himself was no mean poet in fact, most of these translations were believed to be either has own works or done under his personal supervision. The bears eloquent testimony to his inimitable virile style and the wide range of his knowledge. His purpose expressly was to bring out as clearly as possible the M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 25 Paper-I exploits of most, if not all, of the ancient heroes and heroines and through them to inspire his own people with ideals of personal heroism and Dharamyudh. , Krishan Avtar and Ram Avtar may easily be counted among the finest specimens of his efforts in this regard. If a proper emotional and intellectual build-up was necessary for the realization of his dreams, no less was the need of organisation. Perhaps, this was the cure of the whole problems as without a proper organisation the ideal envisaged could not be expected to materialize. He thought long over it and then in 1699, he created the Khalsa. It was not a novelty created out of the air but was as every enduring institution is and should be, the culmination of a long process of evolution dating from the time of the founder of the Sikh movement. During its preceding career of about 200 years the community had already acquired an identity of its own. It was, therefore not a clean slate on which the Tenth Guru was attempting to write. Like a great seer he appreciated the progress made already but at the same time realized its inadequacy as the instrument of the change he contemplated. The loose threads in the organisation off the community which were still large in number, had to be tightened up and a suitable code of conduct laid down to regulate the conduct individual as well as collective of its members. The creation of the Khalsa, thus was an attempt to build up a close- knit and revolution oriented organisation. But it was no ordinary organisation with a few set rules and regulations; nor did it have any aura of secrecy about it, which is generally found in the case of revolutionary organisations. It was, on the other hand, a socio-religious order with a political orientation. Its members were told that they were God's very own (Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa) ever under his fostering care and the victory, if and when gained, would also be His own (Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh). Firm faith in God, therefore, was prescribed as the sin quo non to their conduct. This was most essential to promote the elements of unit and cohesion in their ranks. Worship of any other object or being, besides being nature, would create a tendency to disruption. Rama, Krishan, Durga and other figures of the ancient Hindu mythology were all worthy of respect for their reputed acts of heroism but their worship as divine incarnations would result in divergence rather than unity. Similarly, the worship of graves, cremation marks and such other things would surely be harmful to be cause of unity. The individual Khalsa were further warned against superstitions and rituals which even if they did not affect unity so much, had nonetheless the pernicious effect of ensnaring human minds and hindering quick progress. But life is organic and does not consist of watertight compartments of different spheres. All its divisions are artificial and have been made for convenience's sake. M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 26 Paper-I

Otherwise they are inter-linked and deeply influence each other. Naturally, therefore, it was considered imperative that a progressive and liberal outlook in religious beliefs and practices must be accompanied by or supplemented with a sound and healthy attitude in matters social or it would not endure for long. The caste system, the principal running sore of the Indian society, and the major impediment in the way of social integration was denounced as before. While being admitted into the new brotherhood, all initiates whatever their caste or status in the social hierarchy, were made to drink Amrit (baptismal nectar) out of the same iron vessel. Significantly, among the first Panj Pyaras (Five Beloved Ones) selected by Guru Gobind Singh, one was a Jat, second a Khatri, third a washerman, fourth a barber and fifth a water-carrier. In the Khalsa there were no high and no low, and all members were brothers (Bhais), equal in every way. Woman, too, being important members of society were entitled, to equal rights and were with great pleasure admitted into the order of the Khalsa. Female infanticide was prohibited and any one guilty of it was to be suitably punished. In the sphere of economic activities, dignity of labour, honest of means of livelihood and contribution of one tenth of one's earnings to the common pool of the community were enjoined; parasitism and exploitation were made culpable offences. Another, point greatly stressed was the purity of personal conduct. The above injunction, religious, social and economic were bound to elevate the personal character of individual member. Still it was necessary to lay special stress on it because as a motive force it could be of great help in ensuring the success of these injunctions. The entire code of outlined above was on psychological ground enforced through a public Partigya 'pledge' made at a solemn public ceremony called the Pahul. Further more it was symbolised by well-known Five K's, Kes (uncut hair), Kangha (comb), Kachh (drawer), Karrah (iron bangle), and Kirpan (sword), all of which were obligatory for every Khalsa. They were no doubt objects of utility, particularly in warfare (and this may indicate the great care with which the choice was made) but the real significance lay in their being symbols. For instance, Kes stood for spiritualism and for sober and serene outlook on life; Kanga for personal hygiene and cleanness not simply for keeping the hair clean; Kachh for purity of personal conduct, not merely chastity; Karrah for pure and honest economic life and submission to the supreme Divine will and Kirpan for Dharamyudh, heroism and rescue of the weak and the oppressed. The idea of social equality, another essential constituent of the code, symbolised by the uniformity of appearance achieved through the obligatory use of all the aforementioned symbols. The order of the Khalsa thus evolved was a society of free and emancipated M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 27 Paper-I people suffering from no inhibitions attaching to, or attendant upon their previous, religious belief and practices, their previous professions, their castes and families or their previous deeds. They were, as Guru Gobind Singh once declared, Dharamnash, Kulnash and Karamnash. Their birth place now Anandpur and not the different places they originally came from. Their family was the Khalsa, their father Guru Gobind Singh and their mother, his wife Sahib Kaur. Their principal occupation was fighting for the righteous cause, Dharamyudh, and the only rites they were now to be concerned with were the singing of praises of the Lord and the invocation of His and in their assigned task of fighting against tyranny. There were a body of saints and soldiers charged with the duty of bringing about a revolution. They were heroes who were told that they were unconquerable whatever the odds. To drive home the point, their names were now changed so as to end uniformily with words 'Singh' thus making lions of humble disciples and “raising them with one stroke to a position of equality with the nobles; and most warlike class in India. According to Gokal Chand Narang up to that time only the Rajputs had borne the exalted title of Singh. The new measures raised the strength of the Sikhs several fold. On the very first day about twenty thousands men and women took baptism of steel (Amrit or Pahul at his hands). This greatly alarmed the hill chiefs and Mughal authorities. Their sense of alarm was further heightened by stirring address on the occasion in which he made the leonine statement : “I will call myself Gobind Singh only if I can make the meek sparrows pounce upon the hawks and tear them; only if one man of my force equals lakh and quarter of the enemy.” (Dr. Gopal Singh; Guru Gobind Singh). The hill chiefs who were alarmed by his increased strength and reforms were the first to be stirred into action. The Guru had already on more than one occasion shown them that he was more than a match for them individually or collectively. Still once again they wanted in the name of Rajput Dharma to exert their utmost to throw him out of their territory. Their determined resolution this time, produced a far more formidable effort than ever before. But success proved for them as illusive as ever and in utter dismay, they approached the Mughal authorities of Sirhind and Lahore who were already on the look out for an opportunity' to strike at the increasing power of Guru Gobind Singh. Soon after, the combined forces of the Hindu Rajas and the Mughal officers laid siege to Anandpur where by now' he had constructed a ring of forts all around the city. The allies had overwhelming number in comparison with those of the Guru. Still they failed to storm his forts and reduce him to submission. Failing that, they resorted to the tactics of starving him to submission. This was more successful and made a serious dent into the supplies of the Sikhs. Even then a siege became M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 28 Paper-I protracted and they had to resort to the method of negotiations. The Guru and his Singhs had all through faced the hardships of the siege with exemplary courage and sang froid, making frequent sorties and inflicting heavy losses on the besiegers. Ultimately, however, finding the situation desperate, the Guru decided to 'quit but he did it in such a skilful manner that it was several hours before the fact could be discovered by the enemy. He was immediately pursued and attacked, in which his gallant commander Ude Singh kept the whole chasing force at bay till he himself fell a victim. The chase was continued and after some days Guru who was left only with forty people was surrounded in a mud house of village, Chamkaur. Here again, he put up a heroic defence and for a whole day the enemy force dared not capture his position. The Guru, when the night fell gave the enemy under pressure from his own people, a successful slip. For quite some days after that he could not be traced, and when at last he was able to strike back with the help of a few thousand people who had in the meantime gathered around him and achieved a convincing victory. Therefore he was left alone, probably because the local officials found it a bit too difficult to dislodge him from his new position which was in the heart of his political base. However, the position in which the Guru was now placed, despite the sense of comparative security that, if offered, was not one with which he or anyone who had started with his aims and objects, could feel satisfied. He suffered heavily; he had lost his mother and all four sons; he had also lost thousands of his gallant heroes; but all this he could bear with perfect equanimity, a man of unshakeable faith in God as he was, but in his heart of heart he knew that his work was half complete and he was not the man to leave it at that. For the time being however or till his military preparation could again be revived, he thought it prudent to try the method of diplomacy. He had been told that the local Mughal authorities had misused the name of the Emperor, and like a shrewd man of affairs he wanted to take advantage of this to get his enemies penalised by him. He worked hard for it but to no avail, because Aurangzeb died too soon and successor Bahadur Shah, never sure of himself always tried to evade the issue. The diplomatic venture of Guru Gobind Singh took him to the south. At Nander he was stabbed to death by a hierling of the Sirhind Faujdar Wazir Khan, whom the Guru's direct talks with the Emperor had terribly unnerved. To a superficial observer Guru Gobind Singh died without having accomplished the revolution he had so much set his heart on but a deeper study will reveal that this is not so. By methods, which only a genius could comprehend, he had created a nation and after giving it a revolutionary orientation had raised it up in arms against the tyrannical Mughal state. Furthermore, this nation had passed through an ordeal of fire under his personal leadership. As a result, a M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 29 Paper-I revolution had been affected in the minds of his people and it was only a matter of time that this should be externalised. The minds had been aroused to a pitch of intensity that it was unlikely that a few reverses would depress or damp their spirits. The last two acts of Guru, despatch of Banda Singh Bahadur from the Deccan, and establishment of the Sikh commonwealth; constitute the crowning of a career which was even otherwise remarkably glorious, they leave no doubt about the strength of his determination, even in the last hour of his life, to carry through the revolution. The appointment of Banda Singh for the express purpose of an open attack on Sirhind indicates, as nothing else does so clearly, that the Guru had now decided to do what earlier, on grounds of discretion he had refrained from. It seems that the close study he had made lately or internal rotten condition of the Mughal Government and the receding prospects of any success in his talk with the Emperor, had brought the rebel in him out into the open and fact that Banda was despatched to the Punjab soon after the Guru was fatally wounded should dispel doubts if any, about the way the wind of his thoughts was now blowing. Obviously he was thinking that the time when he should declare an open war against the Mughals had at last arrived. The second act, establishment of the Sikh commonwealth or institute of the Khalsa, though an act of formality, was extremely significant for its revolutionary impact. The Khalsa as seen before had been created before the close of the century. Ever since than the Guru had been elevating its position higher and higher. On more than one occasion he had accepted the decision of the Punj Pyaras, sometimes against his own better judgement as binding upon himself. In his well known composition Khalsa Mehma he had raised the Khalsa's position much above that of the Guru. The same fact had dramatically been demonstrated at the time of Khalsa's creation when at his own request Punj Pyaras administered to him the baptism of steel. And yet it was only when he was about to breathe his last at Nander that the Khalsa was formally invested with sovereignty. The Guru abolished the political line of succession and splitting the institution of Guruship into two merged one its spiritual part with the Holy- Granth (which he had previously brought up–to–date) and the other (the secular part) with the Khalsa. The two taken together were to constitute the Sikh commonwealth or the Panth, and the Guru solemnly assured his people that he would be ever in their midst whenever they assembled as a representative capacity. This decision of Guru Gobind Singh was important in two ways. One, it finalised the structure of the organisation which was intended to carry through the revolution after him. In this sense, it was at once the completion of the M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 30 Paper-I process he had started many years earlier and the foundation of a new endeavour to pull down the edifice of the . Second, it marked the beginning of an experiment in democracy – a unique thing in trial. The only democracies that India had seen were left several centuries behind while in Europe Britain was the only country having a semblance of democracy. A striking feature of Guru Gobind Singh's plan was that the people who were asked to win and then wield power were mostly from the lower sections of the population which were hither to be known as the dregs of the society. In the foregoing pages, we have had a brief analysis of what Guru Gobind Singh was able to accomplish during his brief span of life. But no estimate of his place in history may be considered complete without mentioning, howsoever briefly, the powerful impact he made on the subsequent course of Sikh history rather the history of the country as a whole. Strangely enough, but nevertheless truly, the Sikh movement instead of suffering any abatement with his exit advanced hence forward with rapid strides bringing into full play all its inherent potentialities. The struggle against the Mughal Empire was intensified and within two years of the Guru's death a national independent state was created in a portion of the Punjab. However, this state set up under Banda Singh's leadership did not last long because the Mughals were yet too powerful for the Sikhs. Banda as well as hundreds of his gallant men were awarded terrible punishments, while the rest of the community was outlawed and driven from post to pillar for about half century. They had to live in out of the way places such as forests and hills and suffered inestimate losses both in human life and property. But they did not succumb to the imperial challenge even when it was presented by some of the strongest Mughal Subedars of the period like Abdus Samad Khan, Zakariya Khan and Mir Manu. After the middle of the century, an even stronger challenge appeared in the form of the Afghan invasions under Ahmed Shah Abdali. This too, was successfully met and by 1765 sovereignty of the Khalsa in the Punjab had become a reality. The driving force behind this quick advance to triumph and sovereignty was Guru Gobind Singh's institution of the Sikh commonwealth (Panth). It was the effective force of nationalism springing from a common membership of the same corporate entity that led the Sikhs through this prolonged period of ordeal and then ultimately to prevail over all of their enemies from within as well as without the country. Further more, the democratic character of this commonwealth enabled the community not only throw up leadership of the requisite calibre but also to evolve, a suitable working constitution, popularly called Gurmata. The success with which this unique experiment in republicanism working during the period of the Sikh struggle with the Mughals and Afghans M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 31 Paper-I justifies the great faith that Guru Gobind Singh had reposed in his people. If we look at Guru Gobind Singh in the wider context of world history, he will be found to stand for a number of important ideas. The first of them is the unity of mankind. All differences of creed, caste and sex were declared by him as artificial barriers. Similarly, all geographical divergencies creating walls between one country and another were pronounced by him to be man made. The temple and the mosque are the same; the Hindu worship and the Musalman prayer are the same; all men are same, it is through error they appear different, the bright and the dark, ugly and the beautiful, the Hindu and Muslims have developed themselves according to the fashions of different countries. All man have the same eyes; the same body, the same build, a compound of earth, air, fire and water.” Allah and Abbekh are the same; the Puranas and the Quran are the same; they are all alike; it is the one God who created all. Recognise all human beings as members of one single family, whether family, whether they are Muslims or Shias or Sunnis.” Another great idea of his is what he thinks about the religion in society. He admits its elevating role for the individual and in fact lays no small steps on the importance for such spiritual values as love, faith, truth and purity. But he does not admit that it should began and end with the individual or that its only social function should be to carry on peaceful propaganda of its essential principles. Such a religion, to say the least, is an inadequate instrument of social progress of welfare. The moral appeal on which it mainly rests, proves in actual life too weak or too soft to meet the rival forces of evil. Not unoften it happens that its peacefulness is misconstrued as submission which is then exploited to the detriment of the whole social system. In a situation like this, religion degenerates into a convenient tool in the hands of the State to befuddle, as with opium the rational faculty of the society, it must always have a revolutionary social role; that not only it must never a truck with the antisocial forces, it must be taken upon itself the positive role of eradicating such forces. As this is not always possible without the aid of forces, militarism is inevitably commanded as an essential auxiliary of the revolutionary functions of religion. Naturally, heroism and dexterity in the use of weapons are applauded. But a qualification is added that the use of force must be only means to the attainment of a righteous causes and even then it should only be the remedy of the last resort. As to what is righteous cause, the stress is laid merely on self defence but also on offence if it is to be employed against the forces of evil. Another idea which has received considerable emphasis from Guru Gobind Singh is that political authority must always operate on ethical basis, God is the king of kings from whom all worldly kings derive their authority. They are thus M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 32 Paper-I bound by the divine, mandate to exercise their authority conforming to the principles of equity and justice. In case they fail to do so, they lose their divine mandate and earn divine chastisement; but not only that for them the people are also entitled to rise in rebellion and overthrow them. In the end, it may be said that the country is deeply indebted to this great son of India, Indu Bhushan Banerjee rightly counts him “among the greatest of Indians of all ages.” The object he attempted was great and laudable : emancipation of his people from oppression and persecution; and the means he adopted were such as a comprehensive mind could alone have conceived. To an atmosphere of gloom and degradation, he brought a message of hope and deliverance. His period witnessed the turning of the tide in the Sikh history. He changed the physical frames of his Sikhs so as to make them look leonine and their names so as to impress upon them that they were in fact lion. He altered their mode of thinking, development new attitudes in them and gave them wider horizons and new aspirations. In short, he set them on the road to progress which also led to sovereignty. To the country at large, he showed the direction in which alone lay progress. This was the direction of sound religious beliefs, removal of caste barriers and superstitions, education and healthy heroic traditions. Modern India undeniably owes a heavy debt to the west for the modernising influences operating through her length and breadth but it is not insignificant that the 'forces' transforming her new or almost the same as were actually suggested by Guru Gobind Singh. In the wider world to the Guru has earned out a niche for himself. He stands for social order free from all kinds of barriers, in which love, equality, justice and freedom constitute the basis of all social relations. M.A. (HISTORY) PART-I(SEMESTER-II) PAPER-I HISTORY OF PUNJAB (1675 to 1799 A.D.) LESSON NO. 4 AUTHOR : MR. PRITAM SINGH SETHI

BANDA SINGH BAHADUR Career and Achievements Rise of Banda Singh Bahadur is a landmark in the history of the Punjab. Guru Gobind Singh made him a valiant soldier from a mere ascetic as is clear, from his early career. Early Life Banda Singh Bahadur, a Dogra Rajput was born on October, 27, 1670 A.D. at Rajauri in the Poonch district of western Kashmir. His original name was Lachman Das. His father Ram Dev, was a ploughman. He was very fond of hunting in his young age and one day he shot a pregnant doe which expired in a few minutes along with its young ones falling from its womb, writhing to death before his eyes. This incident touched his tender heart and he became Bairagi with the new name Madho Das. He learnt occultism from Aughar Nath and established a monastry of his own at Nander. Soon there came a turning point in his life. Guru Gobind Singh while at Nander, visited him in his monastry, in September, 1708 A.D. He tried his tricks on the Guru but to no effect. An intimate friendship soon grew up between them, and the persuasive eloquence and religious zeal of Guru made such a deep impression, on the mind of Madho Das that he became a disciple of the Guru, called himself his Banda or slave and threw himself entirely at the services. Guru Gobind Singh administered him to the vows of the Khalsa and gave him the name of Banda Singh. The Guru had told him all about his aims ad ambitions, his sufferings and disasters. Guru Gobind Singh gave his sword and five arrows from his quiver with the instructions, to regard yourself a servant of the Khalsa not to let victories and kingly pride turn your head. The Guru also gave him his drum, banner and twenty five Sikhs with letters addressed to the Sikhs to acknowledge Banda as their leader, and asking them to rally under his banner and avenge the wrong done by the Government. Thus raised to the position of the commander of the Khalsa, Banda proceeded to the north, and from the neighbourhood of Sehri and Kanda in the pargana of Khar Khanda in the modern district of Rohtak, he despatched the of Guru Gobind Singh to the leading Sikhs in Punjab, calling upon them to join him. When Banda reached Punjab, thousands of Sikhs flocked to him. His army consisted of three classes of persons. The first class was the devotees and loyal Sikhs who were ready to fight and die for the cause of their religion. Among them Ali Singh, Bhai , Dharam Singh, Nagahia Singh, Chuhar Singh and the Sikhs of Salaudi were most 33 M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 34 Paper-I prominent. The mercenaries sent by some chieftains such as Ram Singh, Tirlok Singh of Phool family formed the second class. The third class was entirely of the irregulars who joined the Sikhs army for the sake of rich booty and plunder. In a few months the whole Sikh peasantry was up in arms to wreck their vengeance upon Sirhind. MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS OF BANDA SINGH BAHADUR Conquest of Kaithal : According to Khafi Khan in two or three months, 4,000 horse-men and seven or eight thousands foot joined and their number soon reached eight or nine thousand and rose at last to 40,000. Banda Singh Bahadur marched towards Sirhind and destroyed and plundered the important Muslim places on his way. Kaithal was the first town which was attacked by Banda. There he received the news that a large amount of treasure being taken to Delhi. He fell upon it and took away the entire treasure which was distributed among his soldiers. Conquest of Samana, Kapuri and Sadhaura On November 26, 1709 A.D. Banda attacked Samana, the native place of Jalal-ud-Din who had been employed in the execution of Guru Teg Bahadur. About 10,000 Muslims lost their lives and the palatial building of the city were raised to the ground. The town was looted and a huge amount fell into the hands of the Sikhs. Banda Singh Bahadur took eastern route near the foot hills. His purpose was to wait for the arrival of Sikhs before he launched an attack on Sirhind. On the way to Sadhaura, Banda over ran all important towns namely Ghuram, Thaska, Shahbad and Mustafabad. Qadam-ud-Din, the commander of Kapuri was notorious for his lustful campaigns. He was a tyrant and libertine of the worst type. Banda Singh was determined to chastise the defamed chief. He attacked Kapuri and setting fire to the strongholds of Qadam-ud-Din's debaucheries scattered his wealth to the four winds. The next target of Banda Singh Bahadur was Sadhaura. Usman Khan, the ruler of the place was following the anti-Hindu policy. Banda had received the complaints that the Hindus were not allowed to cremate their dead and to perform any other religious ceremony. Cows were slaughtered before their houses and their blood and entrails were left in their streets. It was also learnt that the faujdar had tortured the great Muslim saint, Sayed Badr-ud-Din Shah popularly known as Budhu Shah for his help to the Guru in battle of Bhangani. Banda attacked Sadhuara which was destroyed and plundered. The mausoleum of Qutbul Aqtab was set on fire and all the Muslims who had taken shelter in the mansion of Sayed Budhu Shah, to save their lives, were put to sword. The place came to be known as “Qutal Garhi” or slaugher house. Then the Sikhs proceeded to Mukhlispur and fort was named as after its repair. The fanatic Muslims M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 35 Paper-I of Chhat and were the next victims of Banda Bahadur. Conquest of Sirhind Sirhind was notorious, particularly on account of the brutal death of the two infant sons of Guru Gobind Singh by the orders of the Nawab Wazir Khan. The Sikhs were burning with rage to wreck their vengeance on the hateful ruler of this wretched city, which was then called Guru-ki-Mari or the accursed one. It was looked upon as a sacred duty to take part in the coming battle of Sirhind and the desire for martyrdom had brought thousand from Majha and Malwa to join in the attack.2 Khafi Khan asserts that Banda had forty thousand men at this time with him which seems to be mere exaggeration. Banda had no artillery, no elephants and not even sufficient number of horses for all his men. This was, however, compensated by religious zeal with which Banda and his followers were fighting. On the other hand Wazir Khan collected a huge army of about 20,000. He had a number of field guns Zamburaks and a good number of elephants with him. On May 22, 1710 A.D. the famous battle at Chapper Chiri began. The booty loving irregulars failed to stand against the Mughal artillery and took to their heels. They were followed by the defection of thousand men, who had been smuggled in by a nephew of Sucha Nand. The faithful Sikhs were left to be commanded by the Fateh Singh, Karam Singh, Dharm Singh, Ali Singh, Baj Singh and . Then Banda came to the forefront and led the Sikhs in the battle-field. A firce encounter ensured, in which the Sikhs were victorious. Wazir Khan then came facing with Baj Singh and attacked him with a lance which was snatched by Baj Singh and wounded his horse with it. Soon Wazir Khan was killed. The death of Wazir Khan was a signal for the spread of confusion among the ranks at Mughal army and the Sikhs fell upon them fiercely. Khafi Khan writes : “Not a man of the army of Islam escaped with more than his life and the clothes he stood in. Horsemen and foot-men fell under the swords of the infidels (Sikhs), who pursued them as far as Sirhind.” After two days of resistance the city of Sirhind was captured. For three days the plunder of Sirhind continued. Latif writes : 'Banda punished the city in a vindictive ad barbarous manner. He commanded it to be fired and all the inhabitants to be put to death...... They slaughtered the inhabitants indiscriminately without regard to age or sex. They butchered, bayoneted, strangled, hanged, shot down, hacked to pieces and burnt alive every Mohammedan in the place...... The corpse of Wazir Khan was hanged on a tree and left to the tender mercies of crows and vultures. The sanctity–of grave– yards was violated and corps were exhumed, hewn to pieces, exposed as carrion for the wolves, jackals and other nocturnal visitants of these abodes of the dead. The mosques were polluted and burnt down and the mullas, moulvis and hafizs M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 36 Paper-I subjected to the greatest indignities and tortures.” Some Eurpoean writers also express the same opinion about Banda's destruction of Sirhind1. Khafi Khan also gone to the extent of saying that even wombs of pregnant women were ripped open and babies cut to pieces. These Mohammedan writers, however, writes Thornton, are not to be relied upon. After reviewing critically Latif's statement Dr. G.C. Narang writes, “This seems to be much exaggerated. The mausoleum of Ahmed Shah, the most magnificent of all such buildings still stands as it did before the battle and as I think sufficient evidence of the exaggeration in Latif's statement.” Banda collected a booty of 2 crores from here. Nevertheless, the grave of one Sikh lady Anup Kaur, who had committed suicide to save her honour from the hands of Sher Mohammed Khan was dug out to perform the last rites. The city was spared complete destruction at the intervention of local Hindus who appealed to Banda for mercy and amnesty was granted to the inhabitants on their paying a large ransom. Founding of Sikh State The entire province from Ludhiana to Jamuna with an annual revenue of 36 lakhs fell into the hands of the Sikhs. Banda organised his administrative machinery. Baj Singh a commander of the Sikhs was appointed Governor of Sirhind and Ali Singh, the leader of the Malwa Sikhs as his deputy. Fateh Singh was given the charge of Samana and Ram Singh a brother of Baj Singh, that of Thanesar jointly with Baba Binod Singh. The Muslim Hakims of all the 28 paraganas of Sirhind were replaced by Hindus and most of the country between and the Jamuna passed into the hands of the Sikhs.1 Mohammedans like Dindar Khan and Nasiruddin became Dindar Singh and Nasir Singh respectively. Then Banda went to Mukhalispur, near Sadhaura, a pleasant hill resort and made it his headquarters. The place was given the new name as Lohgarh or iron castle. He got royal title and struck coins in the names of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. This inspiration on both sides of the coins read as : “By the Grace of True Lord is struck the coin in the two worlds. The sword of Nanak is the granter of all boons and the victory is of Guru Gobind Singh, the King of Kings.” The new royal seal was also introduced for his official documents and letter patent. The inscription on the seal was the kettle and the sword (symbols of charity and power) victory and ready patronage have been obtained from Guru Nanak-Gobind Singh.

1. Payne : “The Sikhs then entered Sirhind which they plundered; massacring many of the habitants and wrecking a terrible vengeance of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh,” p. 45. Mc Gregor, 'On reaching, Banda, set on fire to the city and murdered all the inhabitants, neither age nor sex was spared : everyone was slaughtered indiscriminately, to avenge the murder of Gobind's sons; and the city was raised to the ground”, p. 107 (History of the Sikhs) Malcolm; “The carcasses of the dead were even dug up and exposed to be devoured by beasts of prey.” M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 37 Paper-I

Abolition of Zamindari The next great work of Banda was the abolition of zamindari system. The zamindars or landlords used to pay fixed amount to the government and were almost independent in their internal affairs. They were addiction to extortion and corruption. They used to fleece the tenants. Once some peasants from the villages near Sadhaura came to Banda and complained of the tyranny of the Zamindars. Banda asked them to stand in a line and ordered Baj Singh to open the fire. They were taken aback and asked the reason for that strange treatment. They were told that they were thousands in number and could not get their grievances redressed from the hands of zamindars who are small in number. They understood the point of Banda and zamindars were no where seen after that. They became the peasant proprietors of lands. The example was followed at many other places and even complaints from the oppressed people excited them against the government officials. Irvine writes, “In all the parganas occupied by the Sikhs the reversal of the previous customs was striking and complete.” Out of the Sikhs under Banda, he forged an instrument of justice for the poor and the down- trodden and of severe chastisement for those who had been following trade of oppression with impunity. Banda executed justice and taught the people of Punjab to fight against oppression and tyranny. Banda's Advance to Gangetic Doab At that time, Banda received a complaint that Jalal-ud-Din, the Hakim of Jalalabad was ill-treating the Hindus and was imprisoning the new convents to Sikhism. Banda attacked on his way to Jalalabad and its Hakim Ali Mohammad fled to Delhi but the officers and the people, submitted after some defence. The Peerzadas of Behat were notorious for their anti Hindu policy. They were slaughtering cows in the public. The town was attacked and Peerzadas were killed in large number. On the way Ambeta and Nanauta were captured. Then Banda proceeds to Jalalabad and ordered its seige but the heavy rains, inundation of river and the urgent calls of the Sikhs of Doab obliged him to abandon the seige. He, next, took Karnal and reduced the country upto Panipat. The Sikhs were then reaching Delhi and everyone was struck with terror. Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asad Khan, the governor of capital was greatly alarmed and behaved in a most pusillanimous manner and the inhabitants were seized with terror and ran for shelter with their families to the eastern provinces. Banda Back to Jalandhar In Jalandhar Doab many Muslim officials had been replaced by the Sikhs. The Sikhs sent a Parwana to Shamas Khan, the Faujdar of Jalandhar Doab to effect certain reforms and to hand over the treasures to the Sikhs personally. On the initial success of the imperial army, the demoralised faujdar got courage. He M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 38 Paper-I raised the slogan of Jehad and collected an army of more than hundred thousands Mohammedans and marched from Sultanpur. He had more than 50,000 horses and 30 thousands foot with him. According to Khafi Khan, Banda had seventy to eighty thousand foot and horses with him. Banda hurried back to Jalandhar Doab and joined the Sikhs who had retired to , on seeing the huge force of Mohammedans. The fort of Rahon was beseiged but on dark night the Sikhs slipped away from their entrenchments, but soon afterwards when the Sikhs came to know that only a small force was left in the fort they occupied it again. Hoshiarpur and other important places of Doab were also captured by the Sikhs soon after. The Haidri Flag in Lahore Inspired with these victories, the Sikhs decided to occupy the whole of Punjab. Eight thousand Sikhs came to Amritsar and marched towards Kalanaur and . Pathankot was also occupied. Sayyed Islam Khan, the faujdar of Lahore was so much overawed that he dared not to come out and face the Sikhs having seen their Faujdar falling against the Sikhs, the Mullas raised a green banner, called Haidri Flag, and proclaimed a Jehad against the Sikhs. The rich Muslims contributed liberally to the religious cause. The Sikhs were beseiged in the fort of Bhagwant Rai in the village Bharat Nagar Lahore. At night the Sikhs fled away in cover of darkness but the Sikhs were again defeated at Kotla Begum. Finally the Sikhs attacked Ghazis at Bhilowal suddenly and inflicted a crushing defeat on them and brought about a general destruction and devastation in their ranks. The Sikhs became the masters of the whole of the area between the rivers Ravi and Beas. Clash with Imperial Forces The Mughal Emperor who had come to Rajputana from Deccan was much alarmed at the success of the Sikhs in the Punjab. He called upon the Subedars of Delhi and Oudh, faujdars and Nazims of Muradabad and Allahabad, the Sayyids of Barha also. He ordered all the government servants to clear of their beards. He hastened towards Sirhind. The vanguards of Imperial army under Mahabat Khan and Feroze Khan attacked Ram Singh and Binod Singh at Thanesar and Trawari. The Sikhs were defeated and killed in large number. Bahadur Shah, the Mughal Emperor was already much terrified and upset to know the incessant victories of Banda Singh Bahadur. He also heard a number of rumours about Banda Singh and his army. It was circulated that no weapons were any effect on Banda. Flames were rushing out of his mouth. But still the royal forces were continuing their march. On 4th December the imperial forces were encamped at Sadhaura when the Sikhs attacked them and it appeared as if the royal army would lose field. In the evening, when the Sikhs saw reinforcement of the royal troops, they retired in the fort of Lohgarh. The emperor beseiged the fort M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 39 Paper-I and the Sikhs inside were in shortage of provision. They had eaten their horses and other beasts to satisfy their hunger. Banda fled away by leaving Gulab Singh in his disguise inside the fort. Next morning when Munim Khan entered the fort, he found that hawk had flown away. Hamid Khan was ordered to follow Banda in the hills and also the Barffi Raja (Ice King) of Nahan who had helped Banda was to be punished, Raja Bhup Prakash was also arrested and taken to Delhi. Banda's Expedition in the Hills After his escape, Banda reached the hills and issued Hukamnamas to the Sikhs calling them to reach Kiratpur. The Sikhs flocked from all directions and Banda asked Bhim Chand of Kahlur to submit. After receiving refusal, his state was attacked and his army decimated. Seeing this, other hill chiefs Raja of Mandi, Raja of Kulu and Raja of Chamba accepted the supremacy of Banda. Raja Udey Singh of Chamba gave his daughter to Banda in marriage and later on a son, with the name Ajay Singh, was born. The Banda attacked Faujdar of Jammu on 4th June 1711 AD. and defeated him near Behrampur Raipur and Behrampur were also captured. Heroic Struggle at Gurdas Nangal Mohammad Amin Khan and Rustamdil Khan hotly pursuing Banda with a large imperial army. Banda was pushed towards Jammu. Bahadur Shah issued the orders that wherever the Sikhs were to be found, they should be killed. Consequently, indiscriminate persecution and slaughter of Sikhs and their sympathisers followed. The Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah died on 18th February. His death was followed by war of succession in which Jahandar Shah came to power only to be ousted by in 1713 A.D. During these commotions, descending on the plain the Sikhs again flocked around Banda and occupied Sadhaura and Lohgarh. Farrukhsiyar appointed Abdus Samad Khan, as governor of Lahore and his son Zakaria Khan as Faujdar of Jammu. He issued orders to extirpate the Sikhs. The new governor of Lahore was joined by Mohammad Amin Khan, the Mughal commander, sent by the emperor for the purpose. Mohammad Amin Khan was called back to Delhi and Abdus Samad Khan continued his efforts to arrest Banda. After about a year, Banda suddenly fell upon Batala and Kalanaur. Farrukhsiyar was exasperated to hear it and sent orders to the governor of Lahore to march against Banda with the help of the Raja of Kangra and Jasrota. The first clash was so severe that Banda was about to get victory over the imperial army but in the absence of strong position he was obliged to retreat to the town known as Gurdas Nangal. Finding his position difficult, Banda occupied in the Haveli of Bhai Duni Chand, dug a moat round it, filed it with water and determined to give fight the enemy. He was closely beseiged. Nothing could be conveyed to him fro M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 40 Paper-I without, and after consuming all his provisions and eating horses, asses and even the forbidden ox, he was forced to submit. The number of Sikhs under Binod Singh had left the Garhi after quarrel with Banda. In December, 1715 Banda and his followers were taken as prisoners. Between two to three hundred Sikhs were captured here, bound hand and foot, were made over to the imperial troops, who under the order of the nawab carried them to the banks of river Ravi. Having beheaded them, their bodies were thrown into the river. The Execution From Gurdas Nangal, Banda was taken to Lahore and paraded there in an iron cage. On the following day, Zakaria Khan as incharge of the prisoners marched towards Delhi. Some of the Sikhs were put to death and their heads borne on pikes before Banda and others as they marched to Delhi with all the signs of ignominy usual with the bigots and current among barbarious or half civilized conquerors. On February 29, 1716 the procession reached Delhi. The iron cage of Banda was placed on the back of an elephant, after him came the other Sikh prisoners tied two and two on camels. The Sikhs were taken in procession. Mirza Mohammad Harisi writer of Ibratnama calls it a 'tamasha'. The leader of the Sikhs and his associates were handed over to Ibrahim-ud-Din Khan. Mir Atish, to be imprisoned at the Tripolia. Banda's wife and son were sent to harem. On 5th March, 1716 A.D., the execution of the Sikhs began opposite Chabutra Kotwali. The Sikhs were so staunch that none of them wavered. Rather they quarrelled with one another for precedence to death. Irvine has remarked : “All observers, unite in remarking on the wonderful patience and resolution with which these men underwent their fate. Their attachment and devotion to their leader was wonderful to be held. They had no fear of death, they called the executioner 'mukti' or deliverer, they cried out of joyful, “O Mukti, kill me first.” Banda's execution was delayed. It was probably due to the reason that Mughal officers wanted to obtain information from him about the treasure, he had collected during the last five years. Despite the last efforts they failed to collect any clue from him. At last, on 19th June 1716 A.D., he was taken in a procession with its twenty six companions to the shrine of Khawaja Qutab-ud- Din Bakhtiyar Kaki near Kutab Minar. He was offered the usual choice between Islam and death Banda of course, selected the latter. Banda's four years old son, Ajay Singh was placed in his lap and he was asked to kill him which according to Cunningham, he instantaneously did. But Elphinston and Harisi are of the opinion that Banda refused to do so. The baby was cut to pieces and his quivering heart was flung into Banda's mouth. After that Banda's right and then left hand and feet, his right and left eye were cut, and removed, his flesh was torn with red hot pincers and finally his head was chopped off. Banda remained calm upto M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 41 Paper-I the last. General Achievements Banda was a symbol of unity among the Sikhs after the death of Guru Gobind Singh. He combined the scattered elements which had gone to the different sides after the departure of Guru Gobind Singh from the Punjab. His able and enterprising leadership kept them united even during the most difficult and unfavourable circumstances. Banda, after receiving baptism from the hands of Guru Gobind Singh remained a staunch believer in Guru's mission and carried out his mission to the last breath of his life. His coins and seals were issued in the names of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. He strictly followed the rules of Sikh conduct, called Rahit never cutting his hair or using tobacco, halal meat or a stranger woman. His pure and high in the principles of Sikhism showed the path of his followers even during the most critical times, At Kalanaur in April, 1711 A.D., he assured the Mohammedans of the place that their religion, would not be interfered in any way rather they were allowed to say Namaz and Azan. About 5,000 Muslims got themselves recruited in Banda's army on due payment and fought against their own brethrens. He propagated Sikhism but gave full religious liberty to the people of their religious. Banda was not only an unparallel warrior but a good administrator too. Though, he had short time to introduce any new machinery of a administration yet he established set of rules for his administration at Mukhlispur. The conquerred area was divided among his companions. The abolition of Zamindari is a unique measure of his administration. He was a reformer too. Dr. Ganda Singh writes, “He abolished the Zamindari System and introduced peasant proprietorship which upto this day is recognised as one of the best fiscal reforms.” Banda has raised huge army with his limited resources. The organisation of his soldiers “led to victories in the battle-fields. He himself fought at the front and taught his followers to fight and he died for the righteous cause. His coolness of courage and dauntless bravery is unparallel in the history. Dr. Ganda Singh says, “He (Banda) won thundering victories and made the people feel for the time being a great genius had risen in the land to revenge the wrongs of centuries and to set up a new order of things.” Out of the united Sikhs, he forged an instrument of justice for poor, sufferers and down–trodden. He was a determined enemy of sinful, irreligious and unjust rulers and officers. Banda was one of the champions who showed the path that the Sikh Raj could be established. In the words of Dr. Ganda Singh : “Banda was the just man among the Sikhs to think of founding a political raj. He fought battles not to M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 42 Paper-I cripple the Mughal power, but to destroy its root and branch. He, therefore, ousted the government official and supplanted them with his own.” One of the main aims of Banda's life was to avenge the violent death of the innocent children of Guru Gobind Singh. He infused such spirit into the hearts of his followers that even the most powerful and organised soldiers of the Mughal army could not stand against them. After the initial victories, he assumed even royal authority. The evil doers and brutes were duly punished and destroyed. The non-Muslims, under the inspiring leadership of Banda, learnt to fight the oppression and tyranny. He brought political consciousness among the people. His aim was nothing short of liberation of the country from the Mughal rule. He taught to destroy the terror of the Mughal Empire by fighting against the high handed atrocities and religious persecution of the Mughals. Banda was most daring and the bravest in the battlefied, even to the extent of recklessness for the filfilment of his aim. He created a will for emancipation among the people of Punjab. He suffered the inhuman punishment of getting his body being cut into pieces and set an example for the generation to come to make sacrifice for the cause of the people. He rejected all temptations of a princely life by accepting Islam. Dr. Ganda Singh remarks : “But all the successes gained by him were not on the battlefield. There was a revolution effected in the minds of people of which history often fails to take note. A will was created in ordinary masses to resist tyranny and to live and die for a national cause. The example set by Banda and his companions in this respect was to serve them as a beacon light in the darker days to come. The idea of national state, long dead once again become a living aspiration and although suppressed for the time being by relentless persecutions, it went on working underground like a smouldering fire and came out forty years later with a fuller effiuence, never to be suppressed again.” Banda Singh Bahadur a devoted Sikh, completed the work begun by Guru Gobind Singh. He followed the footprints of Guru Gobind Singh in facing the difficulties by not yielding to the tortures and tyranny. As Dr. G.C. Narang emphasises Guru Gobind Singh had diverted the attention of his followers from the plough to the sword and had set the seal of his sanction on war and bloodshed, if the cause of justice and righteousness could not otherwise vindicated. He had sown the seeds, Banda reaped the harvest. The Guru enunciated principles, Banda carried them into practice. Gobind Singh had destroyed the awe inspired by the Mughal despotism. Banda completely broke the charm of its invincibility. The Hindu after centuries of subjection realised under Banda that they could still fight and conquer and when he fell, the dreams of Khalsa supremacy inspired by Gobind Singh were considerably nearer the point of realisation.” M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 43 Paper-I

Suggested Readings

1. Dr. Ganda Singh : Banda Singh Bahadur. 2. Teja Singh, Ganda Singh : A Short History of the Sikhs. 3. Dr. G.C. Narang : Transformation of Sikhism. 4. Latif, S.M. : The History of the Punjab. 5. Cunningham : History of the Sikhs. 6. Khushwant Singh : A History of the Sikhs. 7. McGregor : The History of the Sikhs. 8. Payne, C.H. : A Short History of Sikhs. M.A. (HISTORY) PART-I(SEMESTER-II) PAPER-I HISTORY OF PUNJAB (1675 to 1799 A.D.) LESSON NO. 5 AUTHOR : MR. PRITAM SINGH SETHI

BANDA SINGH BAHADUR An Estimate of His Works and the Causes of His Downfall Banda Singh Bahadur resembled his master Guru Gobind Singh in his looks. He had the same thin wiry physique, the same medium stature and the same light brown complexion which later on under the influence of more bracing climate of the hilly north, took on a pink hue. Regarding Banda Singh Bahadur's character varying opinions have been expressed by the different writers. The contemporary Muslims and the later European writers painted him in the darkest. Perhaps no other man has earned so much hatred from Persian writers of the day as Banda Singh. Khafi Khan has given a very horrible picture of Banda's character. To the contemporary Muslim writer Banda appeared as one of the most sanguinary monster or ruthless blood sucker, who had nothing to commend his memory to posterity. Similarly in the opinion of Cunningham, the memory of Banda is not held in much esteem by the Sikhs. He did not perhaps comprehend the general nature of Nanak's and Gobind's reforms. Mc Gregor wrote, Seldom in the annals of the most barbarous nations do we find traces of such savage slaughter and devastation, as marked the progress of this Bairage. He not only amply fulfilled the order of Gobind Singh in destroying Sirhind and murdering all its inhabitants, thereby avenging the cruel death of Gobind Singh's sons but he took full revenge, on the Mussalman of the Punjab. The name of Banda is never mentioned, even at the present day, without hearty curses being bestowed upon his memory by every Mussalman, nor is held in respect by the Sikhs. The basis of these charges in which Banda is condemned has been to prove that he was a monster who massacred the innocent people indiscriminately. Sometimes, Banda is compared with Guru Gobind Singh and it is asserted, that had the later been alive, he should have been less retributive against the Muslims than the former was. Though bravery is a qualification which is highly meritorious in all cases one which is handed down to posterity but audacious achievements of this monster are an exception to the rule. His triumphs are not remembered as heroic acts, but as malicious and cold blooded atrocities. His ruling and insatiable passion was that of pouring out Mohamadan blood. Latif writes, “At the present day his name is never mentioned in any part of India unaccompanied with maledictions on his savagery and blood thirsty propensities.” It is alleged that his policy directly opposed to that of Guru Gobind Singh, his 44 M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 45 Paper-I predecessors and even he innovated his own doctrines which were in direct contravention of the tenets of Sikh religion. He asked to change the blue dress which was prescribed by the Sikh Gurus and also replaced the Sikhs slogan of “Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh” by ‘Fateh Darshan’ and ‘Fateh Dharam’. He also desired his followers to remain strictly vegetarian. Some writers have gone to the extent of saying that Guru Gobind Singh's widow, Sundri did not appreciate Banda's activities and in collusion with the Mughals, she asked the Sikhs to disassociate themselves from him. It is true that revolution which he led against the Mughal power had been started much earlier by the Sikh Gurus, but it was he who affectively organised and used it as a political force to pull down the Mughal edifice and to give a foretaste of independence to the people of the land. It is impossible to expect any calm appraisement of Banda's character at the hands of those from whom he wrested power. In the opinion of Thornton, “The contemporary writers too could not be free from bias as they were either official reporters or proteges of the Mughal ruler and therefore their accounts may not be implicity trusted.” Studying purely from historical point of view, it can be safely concluded that Banda was neither a monster nor a blood thirsty tyrant. Banda was essentially a kind hearted man who in his boyhood had even left his home because he could not stand the sight of the death of a doe and its young ones. Banda was a selfless yogi who had 'renounced everything of this world. It is not proper to say that Banda had massaced the Mohammedans indiscriminately. An official news writers in April 1711 wrote to Bahadur Shah that Banda gave an assurance to the Mohammedans of Kalanaur that their religion would not be interfered and got 5000 Muslims recruited in his army on due payments who later fought on the side of Banda against their brother. Had Banda been a determined enemy of the Muslims, none of them would have joined Banda's army? It is also baseless to say that Banda followed ruthless destruction at Sirhind. As Dr. G.C. Narang remarks, “The Mausoleum of Ahmed Shah (Sheikh Ahmed Mujadid Alif Khan) still stands as it did before the battle and I think sufficient evidence of the exaggeration in Latifs, statement.” At the same time, it is not certain to say that Guru Gobind Singh should have been less retributive where Banda was more. Needless to say that the tyranny that barbarism of the Muslim officials had crossed all limits of Guru's toleration. The bricking alive of two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh was the height of cruelty and barbarism on the part of Mohammedan government. Banda's activities of the destruction of Sirhind were less tyrannical than those of the Muslim faujdars. McGregor wrote, “Had the Guru himself not been weighted down by years and affliction or oppressed with incident to his position, in short, had he been a younger man; there is little doubt that the punishment he would M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 46 Paper-I have inflicted on the Mussalmans, though differing in kind would have been equally ample with that bestowed by Banda?” As far as the fact about the differences of Mata Sundri with Banda Bahadur are concerned, they have no basis. Rattan Singh Bhangu only mentioned this fact in his book Prachin Panth Parkash which can be based upon some wrong information because this book was written after a long time from the death of Banda and no source of information has been mentioned in it. None of the contemporary Muslim writes has mentioned in any of his writings. The Muslim writers who were in favour of making mountains of the mole hill should have left such an incident unknown, if it has ever happened. But there is nothing in any contemporary record to support these allegations, which may be dismissed as mere fiction. The Khalsa, as we have seen instead of turning there back on the national hero, stood by him upto the last and sacrificed themselves with him at Delhi. As an Able and Enterprising Leader Banda was an able and inspiring leader. He united the Sikhs who had been left unguided after the death of Guru Gobind Singh. After his departure from the south he moved towards the north. He issued Hukamnamas to the wandering Sikhs and collected them under his banner. Sikhs under his leadership showed miracles and the mighty arm of the Mughals had a retreat many times. With limited resources he collected and prepared a huge army. He created a will among the Panjabies to resist tyranny or live and die for a national cause. He commanded unflinching loyalty from his followers who were ready to sacrifice every thing at the bidding of their leader. When being pursued by the royal forces Banda was beseiged at Lohgarh, then, one of the followers named Gulab Singh, or Gulaboo sacrificed himself for the leader who escaped in disguise. To quote Dr. G.C. Narang, “To preclude the possibility of a pursuit, Banda had accepted the loyal offer of a devoted servant, named Gulaboo who bore an exact likeness to him in features and had left him behind to personate him. Khan-i- Khana entered the fort in triumph and transported with joy to find Banda among the prisoners of war. He was, however, soon disappointed". As a Daring General and Brave Soldier Banda was an unparalleled general. With limited resources he collected a grand arm and led it to victory. Banda was a fine archman as well. The Sikhs, under Banda conquered Samana, Kapuri and Sadhaura. The tyranny of Wazir Khan of Sirhind was brought to an end at Chappar Chari on May 22, 1710. Sirhind the symbol of Sikh hatred was destroyed and devastated. It is not correct to say that Banda “punished the city in a vindictive and barbarous manner. He commanded to fire on all the inhabitants indiscriminately without regards to age or sex. They butchered, bayoneted, strangled, shot down, hacked to pieces, and burnt alive, M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 47 Paper-I every Mohammedan in the place.” But it is incorrect as Dr. G.C. Narang says, “The Mausoleum of Ahmed Shah (Sheikh Ahmed Mujaddid Alif Khan) still stands as it did before the battle and I think it is a sufficient evidence of the exaggeration in Latif's statement.” No doubt Banda had killed some Muslims at Sirhind but it was only with the object to avenge the blood of the infant sons of Guru Gobind Singh who had been brutally put to death there. Banda crushed Peerzadas to Behat and shattered the Mullas with utter destruction who had collected under the Haidri Flag. In the hills, Banda was in the position to defeat the ruler of Kahlur, whose capital Bilaspur was stormed. Sidh Sain Raja of Mandi, became follower of Guru Nanak. The ruler of Chamba gave his daughter in marriage to Banda. For some time Banda made the northern hills his home and would come down only occasionally to extend his influence in the plans. Jammu, Raipur, Behrampur, Kalanaur and Batala were also conquered. Banda knew the strategic importance of place and selected Mukhlispur as his head quarter. At Gurdas Nangal he created strong defence. He put his men in the ihata or enclosure of Bhai Duni Chand and threw up improvised defences around it. A moat was dug and filled with water from a neighbouring canal, and an artificial quagmire was created around it to keep off the enemy. When Banda was beseiged by the Imperial forces inside the garhi at Gurdas Nangal, the terror for Mughal commander and the forces was still limitless. According to the writer of Ibratnama, “The brave and daring deeds of the interned Sikhs were amazing twice and thrice a day, some forty or fifty of these backguards would come out of their enclosure to gather grass for their animals and whim the combined forces of the imperialists went to oppose them, they made' an end of Mughals with arrows, muskets and small sword and disappeared. Such was the terror of those people and fear of the sorceries of their chief that the commander or the royal army prayed that God might so ordain things that Banda should seek his safety in flight from the garhi. So far so Banda was practically, once, the master of the whole country from Lahore to Panipat. As C.H. Payne remarks, ''He was now master of practically the whole region lying between the Sutlej and Jamuna and he levied and exacted tributes from all classes of the population.'' Banda Bahadur shook the very foundations of the Mughal Empire. It was Banda who taught them first how to fight and conquer. He fought and won the battles for destroying the Mughal Empire root and branch. As an Administrator Banda Bahudur was a good administrator. Though he had a short time at his disposal yet he did memorable reforms. The new machinery of administration was introduced. After the conquest of Sirhind, Banda devoted his headquarter at Mukhlispur (near Sadhaura Distt. Ambala) name Lohgarh after its repairs. Fateh Singh was appointed Governor of Samana and Ram Singh, a brother of Baj Singh, the M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 48 Paper-I

Governor of Thanesar jointly with Baba Binod Singh. Baj Singh, a companion and counsellor of Banda was appointed Governor of Sirhind with Ali Singh of Salaudi as his deputy. The Muslim of the surrounding areas of Sirhind submitted before Banda by accepting his sovereignty; Banda bacame the master of the territory lying between Ludhiana and Karnal yielding an annual return of about thirty six lakh rupees a year. The Muslim Hakims of all the 28 parganas of Sirhind were replaced by Hindus and most of the country between the Sutlej and the Jamuna passed into the hands of the Sikhs. Banda Singh was the first man among Sikhs to think of founding a political raj. He fought battles not to cripple the Mughal power, but to destroy root and branch. One of the most important measure Banda Bahdaur took was the abolition of zamindari system and introduction of peasant proprietorship, Zamindars had been deriving their authority from the state itself but virtually they were enjoying the unlimited and independent powers in their internal affairs. They were the masters of their lands. They were tyrannical and oppressive in their dealings with the peasants. The affairs were mismanaged in all the provinces and no control was maintained over the government officials or the Zamindars. All classes of government were addicted alike to corruption and extortion. Once a few peasants near Sadhaura complained to Banda against the high handedness and the tyranny of the Zamindars. He ordered them to go and remove their grievances themselves with force as they were more in number than the Zamindars. Thus, the Zamindari-system was abolished in the Punjab. He (Banda) won thundering victories and made the people feel for the time being that a great genius had risen in the land to avenge the wrongs of centuries to set up a new order of things. As a Lover of Justice Banda Singh Bahadur was a lover of justice. He had come to avenge the injustice and oppression. It was his intensive desire to help the poor, deserving and down–trodden. Throughout his career, he stood for the idea of justice. There is no doubt that all the Sikhs were united under Banda and out of them he forged an instrument of justice for the poor and the down–trodden and of severe chastisement for those who had been following the trade of oppression with impunity. He used to point out to his officials that “according to the Holy Granth the best worship for a ruler is to be just - if you call yourselves Sikhs of the Great man (Guru Gobind Singh) do not do anything that 'is sinful, irreligious and unjust. Advance the cause of true Sikhism and smite those who behave in an un-Sikh manner. The measure adopted by him to execute justice and to punish the wrong-doers were very severe but those were very harsh times and nothings but such measures could have brought home to the irresponsible officials that wanton cruelty and oppression do not always pay. Banda infused self confidence among the suffering masses of the Punjab and prepared them for the fight against tyranny. M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 49 Paper-I

A Man of Faith and a Staunch Believer in Guru's Mission Banda was thoroughly a religious man. Throughout his career he never did any irreligious act. Since the day he was baptised to Sikhism by Guru Gobind Singh Banda remained loyal to the principles of Sikhism. From the day Banda received baptism of the Khalsa from the hands of his master to the last day of his life when he was torn to pieces, he remained staunch believer in the Guru's mission. He always attributed every success to the name of the Guru. He issued the Hukamnamas in the name of Guru. One of the letters dated December 1710 addressed to the Sikhs of Jaunpur, bears inscription as, “This is the order of Sri Saccha Sahib (the real Great Master) to the entire Khalsa of Jaunpur. The Guru will protect you. Call upon the Guru's name, your lives will be fruitful. You are the Khalsa of the Great immortal God. On seeing this letter, repair to the presence, wearing five arms. Observe the rules of conduct laid down for the Khalsa. Commit no theft or adultery. We have brought about the Golden age (Satya Yuga). Love one another. This is my wish. He who lives according to the rulers of the Khalsa shall be saved by Guru.” He remained pure and holy in his conduct. He strictly followed the rules of Sikh conduct, called 'Rahit', never cutting his hair, using tobacco, halal meat or a stranger woman. Inspite of the temptation offered to him by unchallenged position and his enemies provocation and example, he remained pure and chaste. Banda issued the coins in the name of the Guru. The coins bear their inscription as “By the grace of the True Lord is struck the coin in the two worlds. The sword of Nanak is the granter of all boons and the victory is of Guru Gobind Singh, the King of Kings. On the royal seal issued by Banda he showed his utmost loyalty and devotion to his master. The inscription of the seal bear :- This Kettle and the sword (Symbol of charity and power) victory and ready patronage have been obtained from Guru Nanak Gobind Singh. Banda converted a large number of the Hindus and the Muslims to Sikhism. He never used force in this work. Though many people may have joined Sikhism to ingratiate themselves with the conquering hero, or to save themselves from dire punishment, yet such cases cannot be said as cases of under pressure. During his stay at Kalanaur, Banda assured the Muslims of the area that they could enjoy freedom of religion and that was why some of them had joined the service of Banda in payment. Rattan Singh Bhangu has given undue stress upon the differences between Banda and his companions. At Gurdas Nangal, though Binod Singh, had left the garhi after a quarrel with the Banda but that was only a difference of opinion regarding the tactic of war between the two. The differences among the Sikhs arose after the death of Banda Singh. In his life time there was hardly anything visible in his policy or behaviour that could be interpreted as schimatic. He loved to be called Banda of Guru Gobind Singh. Regarding the M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 50 Paper-I differences of Banda with the widow of Guru Gobind Singh, it can be said that no contemporary record has mentioned it. Later writings, like Mehma Parkash of Sarup Dass, Umdat-ul-Twarikh of Sohan Lal do not bear it out, nor any of the European writers, such as Thornton, McGregor have mentioned it. This incident has been given only in Prachin Panth Parkash of Rattan Singh Bhangu was evidently based upon wrong information. Whatever important work Banda undertook, he started only when an ardasa or prayer to the Almighty. Whosoever came in his contact, Banda told him to repeat Nam and remember that they were all humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty Lord. As Amin-ud- Daula remarks, “The authority of that deluded sect has reached such extremes that many Hindus and Mohammedans finding no alternative to obedience and submission adopted their faith and rituals. He (Banda) captivated the heart of all towards his inclinations. In same way, a large number of Mohammedans abandoned Islam and followed the misguided path (of Sikhism) and took solemn oaths and firm pledges to stand by Banda”. Banda never claimed himself as Guru. He was calm and faithful. The writer of Mehma Parkash mentions that Banda himself is alleged to have said at the time of his execution, what power had anyone to kill me? The order of the True Guru (Gobind Singh) might have contravened by me and this is the punishment for that. As an Organiser Banda was an efficient organiser who united the Sikhs under him after the death of Guru Gobind Singh. He was self–reliant and self–dependent man, who never lost courage even at the most critical time. He understood well the might of the Mughal Empire but still raised the standard of war of liberation in the country. His companions did not hesitate sacrificing their lives at his command. Though the Sikhs were well aware of the fact that they were to meet with cruel death yet they never complainted to Banda that he was responsible for their miseries. The patience with the Sikhs showed at Delhi was remarkable. In the opinion of Khushwant Singh, “He renounced both pacificism and the life of solitude to rouse a 'down-trodden peasantry to take up arms, a man who shook one of the most powerful empires in the world to its very foundations with such violence that it was never able to reestablish its authority.” The Sikhs under Banda had no fear of death. The aim of Banda was nothing short of liberation of the country from Mughal rule, which was still foreign in most of its essentials.” Banda brought national awakening among the people and prepared them for the fight against barbarism and oppression. According to Malcolm, “If Bahadur Shah had not quitted the Deccan which he did in 1710, there is a very reason to think that the whole of Hindustan would have been subdued by foreign invaders.” His great successes gave Sikhism a prestige and a power which had never, yet been M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 51 Paper-I associated with it. Those who had never heard the names of the Guru were impressed with its grandeur by the victories of Banda and joined his ranks in thousands. His personal magnetism too was great and his undaunted courage and extraordinary valour, knit his followers closely to him. None of the Sikhs, captured, renounced his faith for the safety of his life due to the examplary piety and lofty character of his leader. As Irvine says, “All observers, Indian and European unite remarking on the wonderful patience and resolution with which these men underwent their fate. Their attachment and devotion to their leader were wonderful to behold. They had no fear of death.” He was the first man to think of founding the political kingdom by destroying the Mughal power. As an Embodiment of self-sacrifice It can never be denied that Banda had the power of self-sacrifice when Guru Gobind Singh asked him to go to the Punjab to remove the wrongs of the Government officials and help the poor and down-trodden. Banda at once renounced his life of a bairagi and marched towards Punjab. Here he was completely in fighting against the Mughal power. Though, many times, he had to face difficulties, hardships and even starvation, yet he remained unaltered from the path shown by Guru Gobind Singh. If he wanted he could enjoy the comforts and pleasures of life offered to him by the government. He was always happy and cheerful. He never set aside the fulfilment of the aim for which he had been sent to the Punjab. Even at the time his execution at Delhi he remained cool, calm and cheerful. His son was murdered before his eyes but he was silent and unmoved. The execution of Banda Singh Bahadur has been described by Dr. G.C. Narang in these words, “On the eighth day, Banda himself was arranged before his judges. He was dragged from his cage like wild beast and then dressed in a princely robe embroidered with gold and a scarlet turban. The heads of his followers, who had been previously executed were paraded on pikes all round him. The executioner with a drawn sabre stood behind him in readiness to carry out the sentences of his judges. All the Omerahs of the courts tauntingly asked him why he, a man of such unquestionable knowledge and ability had committed such outrageous offences. He retorted that he was a scourage in the hands of Almighty for the chastisement of evildoers and that power was now given to others to chastise him for the transgression. His son was now placed in his lap and he was ordered to cut his throat, a knife being handed to him for that purpose. He did so, silent and unmoved, his own flesh was then torn with red hot pincers and amid these torments he expired.” He did not fight and die for selfish end but for the freedom of country. He created spirit of nationalism among the people and taught them to resist tyranny and oppression of whatever type it may be. He destroyed the awe inspired by Mughal despotism. The people learnt from M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 52 Paper-I him how to live with dignity and how to die with honour for the national cause. An Estimate of his Works Banda Singh Bahadur occupies a very high place in history. He is ranked as one of the great generals of the world. As it is alleged by some writers, he was neither a free-booter nor a monster. He was not blood thirsty and tyrant like Chingez Khan. His selflessness for the cause of the people was unbounded. Throughout his career he remained struck to his aim getting India liberated from the foreign rule. He instilled in his followers a will for the emancipation and a confidence for the success. As expert marks-man, the confidence with which he wielded his sword elicited a praise even from the bitterness of his foes. He was not determined enemy of the Muslims. At Kalanaur he had granted full religious freedom to the Muslims of the area. He commanded unflinching and unquestioning obedience from his followers. They suffered with him through thick and thin. The Khalsa, as we have seen, instead of turning their back on the national hero stood by him up to the last and sacrificed themselves-with him, at Delhi. He propagated his religion and won over many converts to Sikhism. He was above religious bigotry and fanaticism. He created will among the people to resist tyranny, of whatever form it might have and from whatever quarter it might come. He prepared the mind of the peasants to fight against corrupt zamindars and thus brought about a great fiscal reform. It is, of course, undenible that the man who brought a revolution in the character of the Sikhs and breathed a new life in them was Gobind Singh. But it may be said without any fear or contradiction that it was Banda who taught them first how to fight and conquer. “The plot was of the Guru's conception, some actors were prepared and trained by him, but it was Banda who taught them out and made them play as it were before the full house.” Banda created political consciousness among the people. He was first man to think of founding the rule of the people. He wanted to destroy Mughal power completely. But all the successes gained by him were not on the battle field. There was a revolution effected in the minds of people of which History often fails to take note. A will was created in the ordinary masses to resist tyranny and to live and die for a national cause.” CAUSES OF THE EARLY SUCCESS AND ULTIMATELY DOWNFALL OF BANDA 1. Causes of his early success Banda was a great general and conqueror. Since his arrival in the Punjab he led the attacks on the different sides successfully. The religious zeal of the Sikhs was unequalled and the Muslim Faujdars had to flee for their lives. The brutal murder of the innocent sons of the Guru Gobind Singh, the sacrifice of the lives of so many Sikhs during the life time of Guru Gobind Singh and even the M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 53 Paper-I very death of the great Guru had created thrill among the people of the Punjab. These people were ready to take revenge from the Mughals who were tyrants and the oppressors. These people flocked round Banda in large number and stood by him through thick and thin. The Hukamnamas and the blessings of Guru Gobind Singh made the Sikhs to rally round the great fighter. He had come to Punjab with a noble mission and the religious cause. The leading Sikhs came out of the distant places and gave their whole hearted support to Banda Singh Bahadur. The sincerity and honesty of Banda Bahadur attracted quite a number of people to his side. He devoted all the energies for the fulfilment of the noble cause of the Sikh religion. The early measures of Banda also stood him in good stead. After the Sirhind, Banda abolished Zamindari and thus saved the suffering humanity from this inhuman system. The restoration of the peasant proprietors provided him with men and even to some extent money. He became popular among the poor communities. The rise of Banda in the Punjab was good opportunity for the booty loving people. Before his fight of Sirhind a part of his army consisted of the men who had joined him for the lust of money and rich booty. They had desired and got the lawlessness which provided them with the golden change of filling pockets. Bahadur Shah's death in 1712 A.D. created anarchy and chaos in the country. Jahandar Shah's rise was a short lived affair and only to be outed by Farrukh Siyar. During this period, the Sikhs, under Banda Bahadur organised their resources and strength. They rallied their energies and prepared them to fight with more vigour. The mountains round Nahan gave shelter to Banda against the Mughal armies. Here he got good time to revise his power after the evacuation of the fort of Lohgarh. The magnetic personality of Banda, attracted even his foes to come to him. The followers of the man always gave him unflinching and unquestioning obedience. They suffered all hardship with him and never complained against them. They were ready to sacrifice their lives for them. The wonderful patience shown by the Sikhs before execution at Delhi, was a clear example of the inspiring leadership of Banda. The Mughals had armies, the Sikhs had spirit. The Mughals had force, the Sikhs had zeal. The Muslim were fighting for others but the Sikhs fought for themselves. Banda attributed every victory to the name of the Guru. The coins were struck in the name of Guru Gobind Singh. His royal seal bore the inscription of God. He did not assume royality in his own name but carried on the administration in the name of the tenth Guru. These measures lifted him high in the eyes of the Sikhs. 2. Causes of the Downfall of Banda Singh Bahadur In spite of the fact that he was successful in giving crushing defeats to the Mughal rulers of the different sides yet he could not remain in power for a long time. His victories were short-lived. The administrative system established by M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 54 Paper-I

Banda collapsed with a short period. His hold over Punjab did not last long. Though Banda created terror in the minds of the powerful official of his time yet he had to meet with his downfall after short period. The Hindu officers who had substituted the Muslim rulers were expelled and punished. Many companions of Banda Bahadur fell victims of the harsh policy of the governors. They were executed with cruelty. No doubt once it appeared as if the last days of the Mughal Empire had come nearer but ultimately it was Banda who met his downfall and horrible death. Several causes have been forwarded for the ultimate fall of Banda Singh Bahadur. At time, when Banda had started his career of conquests the Mughal Empire was very powerful. The foreign invaders like Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah had not shaken its very foundations yet. Though he struggled hard to fight the Mughal Empire yet he had no match with it. Aurangzeb had built up the great and strong kingdom. He had just died and many years were required to shatter the great fabric built by illustrious rulers of the Mughal dynasty. Bahadur Shah after coming from Deccan devoted his whole hearted attention towards the Sikhs. He issued the orders to the Subedars of the different provinces to join the Mughal armies against the Sikhs. Bahadur Shah and later on Farrukh Siyar were very strong men. They created alround opposition to the Sikhs. They were clear, active and energetic. The appointment of Abdus Samad Khan, as Governor of Punjab directly went against the interest of the Sikhs. He was powerful Subedar. He dealt with the Sikhs with stern hands. The rising power of Banda was checked. The number of the Mughal soldiers was many time more than the Sikhs under Banda. The Mughal armies were better equipped. The strength of the Mughal Empire was unlimited. As Dr. Ganda Singh remark that the task was too great for him. The Mughal Raj was deeply rooted in the soil, its power was not yet exhausted and it was fortunate in having at the helm of affairs in the Punjab a strong man like Abdus Samad Khan, who mustered all the available forces of the country and held the Sikhs in check. Revolutions and risings cannot be successful under strong rulers. Napoleon used to say that if Louis XVI had moved down a few hundred soldiers, the very first day of the mob demonstration, there would have been no such things as the French Revolution. Farrukh Siyar believed in the policy of Slay. He made settlement with the Rajputs and devoted whole hearted attention towards organising his strength against the Sikhs. The lazy, luxurious and demoralised governors became active and alert. Their energetic activities put a permanent check upon the ambitions of Banda Bahadur. The unlimited resources of the Mughal Empire was another cause in the defeat and fall of Banda Bahadur. Banda had no regular income. He could not organise his resources. Mere dependent on booty could not last long. He had no M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 55 Paper-I regular machinery of supplying arms and ammunition. The followers of Banda belonged to the poor classes of the Society. The rich never co-operated with him rather they were terrified and joined hands with his enemies. A dauntless spirit can do much, but it cannot do every thing. It must be supplemented with men and material. But Banda from the beginning was greatly handicapped in this respect. The movement he had started, by its very success, so terrified the upper classes that they dared not come out openly to him. Only the poor classes joined and their number was hot very large. The general masses of the Hindus in the whole of India kept themselves aloof. The next factor which went against Banda was not only the opposition of the rulers of the various Rajput states but their active participation in the war against him. They joined hands with the Mughal and render every possible help to them. They were much terrified as they considered Banda their determined enemy. Many chiefs like Chattarsal, Ude Singh Bundelas, Gopal Singh Bhadauria and the Rajas of Shivalik helped the Mughal against Banda Singh Bahadur. On the other hand Banda was alone. He had no regular guns and elephants. If he ever had any that was taken from the Mughals. He had no regular supply behind, and on the other hands the Mughal army always had inexhaustible source of supply behind them. At Gurdas Nagal Banda Bahadur was taken unaware by the Mughal forces. He was beseiged in small garhi which could not be properly used for defence. The Haveli of Duni Chand was not a regular fort. It was not possible for him to face the royal forces inside far a long time. On the contrary if he had some fort with him there was every possibility that he might have not been arrested. It was essential part of fighting that, soldiers must have regular training in the art of warfare. They should be expert in war tactics as well. Only spirit cannot keep the person active for a long time. Banda Bahadur did not have much time to provide regular training to his followers. As long as he was in the Punjab he kept himself busy in fighting against one or the other ruler. If he had fought the guerilla warfare; there was every possibility that he might have been successful. The pitched battle, which he fought, could only he successful, if he had quite a good number of soldiers and sufficient war material. Banda Bahadur started the struggle of its own kind for the time in the Punjab. Some of his followers over-estimated the strength of enemy and were consequently not so bold and ruthless as they grew latter but that was too late. The very conduct of Banda was, to some extent also responsible for the collapse of this fabric. He had been instructed by Guru Gobind Singh to act upon the advice of five Sikhs but at the later stage he assumed leadership in his hand only. Banda tried to give Sikhism another tone by altering some of its distinctive M.A. (History) Part-I(Semester-II) 56 Paper-I institutions. The eating of animal diet had been encouraged by Guru Gobind Singh, but Banda being a Vaishnava discountenanced it and exhorted the Sikhs to refrain from it. He substituted “Fateh Dharma” ‘Fateh Darshan’ instead of “Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa” ‘Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh’ which was certainly a very serious innovation. Banda could not fully understand the demacratic character of Sikhism and alienated the support of many Sikhs. In the Panth Prakash is mentioned that Guru Gobind Singh's widow was won over by the Mughals who wrote a letter to Banda to give the submission by giving up the fighting. He refused to comply with the letter. Then the lady addressed a circular letter asking the Sikhs to cease to have any relation with this insolent innovator. This indicates that there was some defection in the ranks of Banda Singh Bahadur even if the details given in the Panth Prakash may not be true. At Gurdas Nangal, a difference between Baba Binod Singh and Banda Singh Bahadur arose on the use of war tactics. Baba Binod Singh was of the opinion that the hungry Sikhs could not fight for long and so the Garhi should be vacated. But Banda was insisted upon staying inside the Haveli of Duni Chand. Ultimately, Kahan Singh intervened and Binod Singh was allowed to leave Garhi with his companions if he so desired. It was unfortunate that the differences arose at the time when the Sikhs were fighting life and death struggle against heavy odds. At this stage Binod Singh, with a large number of his life companions left Banda. It reduced the strength of the Sikhs further. According to Dr. G.C. Narang, “The career of Banda which promised to be crowned with glorious success with thus cut short by his sacredotal ambition in comprehensions of true nature of Sikhism, the machination of the Mughal Government and the demoralisation which for a time Farrukh Siyar's persecuting hand spread into the rank of the Khalsa.”

Suggested Readings 1. Teja Singh Ganda Singh–A Short History of the Sikhs. 2. Narang, G.C. – Transformation of Sikhism. 3. Payne, C.H. – A Short History of the Sikhs. 4. Mc Gregor – The History of the Sikhs. 5. Latif, S.M. – A History of Punjab. 6. Cunningham – A History of the Sikhs. 7. Khushwant Singh – History of the Sikhs, Vol. I.