A great man indeed!

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was a great warrior.

By M S Nazki

Denial is the worst form of self-indulgence. A warrior sees his faults as being his passage to power. Baba Banda Singh was born in 1670. He was a warrior of par excellence!

Some facts the readers perhaps do not know

-Banda Singh Bahadur (born 1670, Rajauri [India]—died June 1716, Delhi) was the first Sikh military leader to wage an offensive war against the Mughal rulers of India, thereby temporarily extending Sikh territory.

-As a youth, he decided to be a samana (ascetic), and until 1708, when he became a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, he was known as Madho Das. After his initiation into the Sikh brotherhood, he took the name Banda Singh Bahadur and became a respected, if not popular, general; his cold and impersonal character did not endear him to his men.

-Banda Singh set out in 1709 to attack the Mughals, conquering large tracts of territory. His pillaging and massacring in the Deccan led the Mughal rulers finally to move against him in force.

-After an eight-month siege, the fortress town of Gurdas Nangal fell to the Mughals in 1715. Banda Singh and his men were taken as prisoners to Delhi, where every day for six months a few of his men were taken out and executed. When his own turn came, Banda Singh stated to the Muslim judge that this fate befell him justly because he had failed his beloved Guru Gobind Singh. He was tortured to death with red-hot irons.

-His birth name was Lachhman Das.

-At very young age, he hunted deer not knowing that the deer was pregnant. This devastated him and so he left Jammu and wandered in search of peace.

-After years of wandering, he reached Nanded, a small town on the banks of Godavari, a famous sacred river of south India. He established his ‘dera’ near the city. Then he was called Madho Das Bairagi, because of his detachment from family life.

-When Guru Gobind Singh happened to go to the ‘dera’, the Bairagi tried his many tricks and magic to impress the Guru, but failed. He soon realized that the visitor to his ‘dera’ was no ordinary person, but a great master. He fell to the feet of the Guru and felt solace in his mind. When the Guru asked him who he was, he answered, “Master, this is your Banda (slave).”

-The Guru was pleased with Bairagi’s character, thus renaming him Gurbakhsh Singh after baptizing him to Sikhism, but the humbly said words “Your Banda” remained stuck to him, giving him the popular name Banda Bahadur.

-Banda Bahadur was made the leader of the Khalsa and sent to Punjab to destroy the roots of the evil rule of the Nawab of Sirhind Wazir Khan and other Kings/Landlords, who were committing atrocities against innocent people. Five other Sikh warriors were sent with Banda Bahadur as his advisors.

The bathes he fought:

He won many famous battles such as Battle of Sonipat, Battle of Samana, Battle of Chappar Chiri. His rule extended from the river Ravi to the Ganges and from the neighborhood of Lahore to the vicinity of Panipat. All seige and battles, Banda Bahadur and his force had no artillery and no elephants, nor even sufficient number of horses. Long spears, swords and arrows were the only weapons with them. Banda Bahadur ended Mughal laws and systems in cities he captured and gave all farmers the ownership of their land.

-Finally, Sirhind was taken in 1710. The governor Wazir Khan who had murdered the two innocent sons and the mother of the Guru there in 1704, was killed. Also Wazir Khan’s minister Suchanand was beheaded.

-Banda Singh got married in 1711 to Sushil Kaur and settled for a few years, having a son Ajai Singh in 1712. In 1715, Banda was surrounded from all sides but still the army would not dare to face him. There was a force of 100,000 Mughal troops and yet the Sikhs survived 8 months of siege living off of tree bark for food. According to a Muslim author, Mohammed Qasim, “Such was the terror of the Sikhs and the fear of the sorcery of the Sikh chief that the commander of the army prayed that God might do ordain things that Bands should seek safety in his flight from the fortress.”

After 8 months, Banda Singh and his 500 men were deprived of food and extremely weak. Some of his men were said to have been weakened to the bones. Mughal troops launched an attack after 8 months of camping outside Gurdas Nangal. Even though weak, all 500 Sikhs fought bravely where 300 were martyred. Banda Singh and 200 others were captured.

But there is a history to this also:

-Banda Singh soon reached modern day Haryana and was soon able to win over the local people. Banda Singh advanced towards the region of Bagar and was successful in subduing local dacoits (bandits) and robbers. He distributed what he captured from the thieves amongst the poor. This incident won Banda Singh fame. He was publicly honoured by the locals with a waving scarf. Banda Singh was able to gain the support of local villagers and initiated people into the Khalsa.

-Banda Singh then advanced towards the villages of Sehri and Khanda. It was in these villages that Banda Singh sent letters to the Sikh communities in the Majha, Doaba, and Malwa regions of Punjab to join him on his campaign against the Mughal authorities. It was in these letters that Banda Singh reminded the Sikhs of the cruel deaths of Guru Gobind Singh’s two younger sons under the orders of Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind.

As a result of these letters, Banda Singh began to receive support from the Sikh communities of Punjab. Banda Singh was joined by Fateh Singh along with Karam Singh and Dharm Singh. Tilok Singh and Ram Singh Phulkian provided soldiers and financial aid to Banda Singh. Ali Singh and Mali Singh, who were previously under the service of Wazir Khan, also joined Banda Singh.

-Conquest of Sonipat and Kaithal

Banda Singh with a force of 500 soldiers led an attack on Sonipat which was near the imperial capital Delhi. The Faujdar of Sonipat was defeated by the Sikhs resulting in the city being occupied. Banda Singh plundered the imperial treasury and the rich. He distributed the wealth amongst his own men. The conquest of Sonipat so near to Delhi was an open challenge to the Mughals. Banda Singh next set his eyes on Samana. Along the way Banda Singh led an attack on a Mughal detachment near Kaithal that was carrying imperial treasure headed to Delhi. Banda Singh was successful in taking the treasure from the Mughal authorities. The Amil (Governor) of Kaithal was enraged by this and led an attack on the Sikhs. Banda Singh and the Sikhs fought a hard battle, but being mostly footmen compared to the Mughal cavalry, were facing losses. Banda Singh executed a plan where the Sikh force ran into the forest full of thorns forcing the Mughal cavalry to abandon their horses. The Sikhs then popped out of the woods and took the horses. The Mughals were slaughtered in the battle with some surrendering. The Amil was captured by Banda Singh, but was released on the condition he would let the Sikhs keep the horses. The loot captured was distributed amongst Banda Singh’s followers.

Campaign in Haryana and east

Banda Singh decided to head east towards Kiratpur in order to liberate Sikhs of Majha and Doaba held up in Malerkotla and Ropar. Along the way Banda Singh conquered Ghurman and Thaska. Ghurman offered minor resistance whereas Thaska surrendered without any resistance. Banda Singh then advanced upon Kunjpura which was the native village of Wazir Khan. Troops and artillery of Wazir Khan were stationed there but they were defeated by the Sikhs. Banda Singh next attacked Shahabad which was inhabited by Muslims known for committing rape. They were destroyed by Banda Singh and the Sikh forces. Banda Singh also ravaged Damala which was the home of the Pathans who abandoned Guru Gobind Singh in the Battle of Bhangani. Banda Singh next marched upon Mustafabad. The Faujdar of Mustafabad sent 2,000 imperial troops with 2 cannons to stop Banda Singh and the Sikhs. Banda Singh and the Sikhs defeated the Mughals with them leaving behind the cannons in their retreat. The town was plundered and the Faujdar was punished for his tyranny and oppression on the population.

-Battle of Kapuri

Banda Singh heard about Kapuri’s Zamindar Qadam-ud-din, his reportedly immoral life and persecution of Hindus and Sikhs. He meddled with Hindu marriages and kidnapped young brides and raped them. Banda Singh immediately attacked Kapuri, and killed Qadam-ud-din, capturing his fort. This victory also led to a major capture of booty and war material.

-Battle of Sadhaura

Banda Singh’s next sight was Sadhaura. Sadhaura was ruled by Osman Khan, who tortured and executed the Muslim saint Syed Pir Budhu Shah, for helping Guru Gobind Singh in the Battle of Bhagnani. Osman Khan also committed atrocities against Hindus where the cows were slaughtered in front of their homes and forbade Hindus and Sikhs from cremating their dead and performing their religious events. All of this made Sadhaura Banda Singh’s target. As Banda Singh advanced on Sadhaura the locals and peasants joined him in revolt. The angry mob became uncontrollable and destroyed everything. The Sayyids and Shaikhs were killed. Osman Khan was hanged to death and Sadhaura was captured.

The story will go on and on but the Indian Army did a great thing!

-To commemorate the 355th birth anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji, his statue was unveiled by Major General Gaurav Rishi, Shaurya Chakra, Sena Medal, GOC 25 Infantry Division on 27 Oct 2024 at National Flag site, Narian along NH-144A. On this auspicious occasion Senior Army Offrs, Ex- Servicemen & villagers of places nearby Narian were also present.

-Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was a great warrior. He was born on 27 Oct 1670 in a farmer family of Ramdev in Rajouri region (J&K). His original name was Laxman Dev Manhas, which later became Madhav Dass. He left home at the age of fifteen to become an ascetic and he came to be known as Madhav Dass Bairagi. Guru Govind Singh Ji met Banda Singh Bahadur for the first time in 1708 in Nanded, Maharashtra. Impressed by Guru Govind Singh Ji, he called himself Guru ka Banda and was named Banda Singh by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Banda Singh broke the myth of the Mughals being invincible and avenged the martyrdom of Sahibzaade.

-Coincidentally, the birth anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur coincided with Infantry Day celebrated by the Indian Army on 27 Oct. After inauguration, the place would be known as ‘Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Mod’ . Being a great warrior, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur continues to inspire the people of Rajouri and will instill a sense of pride amongst the civilians and locals moving along the highway. A great man indeed!