Who was Banda Singh Bahadur? Remembering the first Sikh ruler on his death anniversary

New Delhi, Jun 9: The martyrdom day of first Sikh ruler Banda Singh Bahadur is observed in various gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple and the Manji Sahib Gurdwara on June 9.

Who was Banda Singh Bahadur?

Born on 27 October 1670 in a Hindu family, Banda Singh Bahadur's father was a farmer named Ram Dev at Rajouri (now in Jammu and Kashmir). His original name was Lachman Dev. He turned an ascetic at the age of 15 after which he was given the name Madho Das Bairagi.

Turning Point in Life
An energetic boy in his childhood days, he was fond of wrestling, horseback riding and hunting. However, one incident changed him altogether. Once he shot a doe but was pained to see the mother and twin unborn offspring writhing in pain while it died in front of his eyes.

So, he left hunting and became an ascetic. He turned into a Bairagi Sadhu and became a disciple of Janaki Das who christened him, Madho Das.

In the later years, he met several Sadhus and attained knowledge from various people. However, he turned egoistic and looked down upon other religious leaders till he met Guru Gobind Singh in 1708. As his tricks did not work against the Sikh guru, he surrendered before him.

Yet Another Turning Point
His life went for a change again as he was asked to resume the duties of a true warrior to fight for righteousness and justice before God.

On September 3, he was conferred the title of Banda Singh Bahadur and was appointed as the military lieutenant by Guru Gobind Singh. He was sent to Punjab to lead the campaign against the evil Mughal administration and to punish Nawab Wazir Khan and his supporters.

Under his leadership, Sikhs, who were always defensive, became attackers. The death of Guru by Wazir Khan doubled his zeal to destroy the Mughals.

Victory Against Khan and Consequence
On 12 May 1710, the Sikhs killed Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind and Dewan Suchanand in the Battle of Chappar Chiri. Two days later, Sirhind was captured.

From Sutlej to Yamuna, Singh had control now. He took various measures that won the hearts of the people. Notably, he was credited to have halted the Zamindari and Taluqdari system in the time he was active and gave the farmers the proprietorship of their own land.

He let farmers lead their lives with dignity and self-respect.

On the other side, Singh's rise worried Mughal Emperor in Delhi Bahadar Shah as the rule of the Sikhs over the entire Punjab east of Lahore became an obstruction to the communication between Delhi and Lahore, the capital of Punjab.

Hence, the Mughal Emperor Bahadur decided to march to Punjab to attack Banda Singh Bahadur. The entire force was directed towards capturing the Sikh ruler.

Finally, the war between Mughals and Singh ended after he was captured in December 1715.

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and his son Ajai Singh were martyred on 9 June, 1716 along with his other 18 companions near a gate en-route the tomb of so-called Sufi saint Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiar kaki at Mehrauli.

The butchers first killed his son Ajai Singh in his lap. But Banda Bahadur remained unmoved and sat in a composed state. After that Baba Banda Singh Bahadur's cruelly martyred.

His glorious martyrdom validates Bhagat Kabir's rendition in Guru Granth Sahib.