List of Sikh Gurus:# Name Date of birth ascension Age 1 Nanak Dev 15 April 1469 ber 1539 69 2 Angad

Dev 31 March 1504 1552 48 3 Amar Das 5 May 1479 ber 1574 95 4 Ram Das 24 September 1534 ber 1581 46 5 Arjan Dev 15 April 1563 606 43 6 Har Gobind 19 June 1595 ary 1644 48 7 Har Rai 16 January 1630 r 1661 31 8 Har Krishan 7 July 1656 1664 7 9 Tegh Bahadur 1 April 1621 ber 1675 54 10 Gobind Singh 22 December 1666 r 1708 41 11 Guru Granth Sahib n/a n/a

Guruship on 20 August 1507 2 7 September 1539 26 March 1552 1 September 1574 1 September 1581 25 May 1606 3 March 1644 6 October 1661 20 March 1665 11 November 1675 7 October 1708

Date of 2 Septem 29 March 1 Septem 1 Septem 30 May 1 28 Febru 6 Octobe 30 March 11 Novem 7 Octobe n/a

, gurdur or gurdwr), meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the A gurdwara (Punjabi: orship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag. The most well-known gurdwara of the Sikhs is the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Pu njab, India. The first gurdwara was built in Kartarpur, on the banks of Ravi River in the Pun jab region by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the year 1521. It now li es in the Narowal District of west Punjab (Pakistan). The worship centers were b uilt as a place where Sikhs could gather to hear the Guru give spiritual discour se and sing religious hymns in the praise of Waheguru. As the Sikh population co ntinued to grow, Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, introduced the word 'gurdw ara'. The etymology of the term 'gurdwara' is from the words 'Gur ( )' (a reference to the Sikh Gurus) and 'Dwara ( )' (gateway in Gurmukhi), together meaning 'the gateway thro ugh which the Guru could be reached'. Thereafter, all Sikh places of worship cam e to be known as gurdwaras. Some of the prominent Sikh shrines established by the Sikh Gurus are: Nankana Sahib, established in 1490s by first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji, P unjab, Pakistan. Sultanpur Lodhi, established in 1499 became the Sikh center during Guru Nana k Dev ji time Kapurthala District, Punjab (India). Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1521 by First Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji, near River Ravi, Narowal, Punjab, Pakistan. Khadur Sahib, established in 1539 by second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad Dev ji, ne ar River Beas, Amritsar District, Punjab, India. Goindwal Sahib, established in 1552 by third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das ji, ne ar River Beas, Amritsar District Punjab, India. Sri Amritsar, established in 1577 By fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das ji, Dist

rict Amritsar, Punjab (India). Tarn Taran Sahib, established in 1590 by fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev ji, District Tarn Taran Sahib, Punjab (India). Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1594 by fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev ji, near river Beas, Jalandhar District, Punjab (India). Sri Hargobindpur, established by fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, near ri ver Beas, Gurdaspur District, Punjab (India). Kiratpur Sahib, established in 1627 by sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind ji, n ear river Sutlej, Ropar District, Punjab, India. Anandpur Sahib, established in 1665 by ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji , near river Sutlej, Punjab, India. Paonta Sahib, established in 1685 by Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, near river Yamuna, Himachal Pradesh India. By the early 20th century, a number of Sikh gurdwaras in British India were unde r the control of the Udasi mahants (clergymen). The Gurdwara Reform Movement of the 1920s resulted in Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee taking control of these gurdwaras. Description Any place where the Guru Granth Sahib is installed and treated with due respect according to Sikh Rehat Maryada (the Sikh code of conduct and convention) can be referred to as a gurdwara, whether it is a room in one's own house or a separat e building. The main functions that are carried out in all public gurdwaras on a daily basis include: Shabad Kirtan: which is the singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib. Str ictly speaking only Shabads from Guru Granth Sahib, Dasam Granth and the composi tions of Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Nand Lal, can be performed within a gurdwara. It i s improper to sing hymns to rhythmic folk tunes or popular film tunes. Paath: which is religious discourse and reading of Gurbani from the Guru Gra nth Sahib, with its explanations. Broadly here are two types of Paath : Akhand P aath and Sadharan Paath. Sangat and Pangat: which is a free community kitchen as a langar for all vis itors, irrespective of religious, regional, cultural, racial, caste or class aff iliations. Along with these main functions, the gurdwaras around the world also serve the S ikh community in many other ways including, libraries of Sikh literature, school s to teach children Gurmukhi (Sikh script), the Sikh scriptures and charitable w ork in the wider community on behalf of Sikhs. There are no idols, statues, or religious pictures in a gurdwara, but the essent ial feature of a gurdwara is the presiding presence of the holy book and the ete rnal Sikh Guru, the Guru Granth Sahib. The Sikhs hold high respect for the teach ings and commandments laid down in the Guru Granth Sahib. A gurdwara has a darbar (main) hall, a free community kitchen called a langar, a nd some other facilities. A gurdwara is identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag. Many of the historical gurdwaras associated with the lives of the Sikh Gurus have a sarovar (eco-friendly pool) a ttached for bathing. The Sikh marriage ceremony, called Anand Karaj is performed inside a gurdwara. S ikhs also perform some of the rites of their death ceremony (Antam Sanskar) with in the gurdwara. It is also the main focal point of most of the important Sikh F estivals, with the exception of Nagar Kirtan, which is a Sikh processional singi ng of holy hymns throughout a community; however; it does begin and conclude at a gurdwara.

Many gurdwaras are designed to seat men on one side and women on the other, alth ough designs vary, and the divided seating is far from mandatory. They do not ge nerally sit together but on separate sides of the room, both at an equal distanc e from the Guru Granth Sahib, as a sign of equality. Worshippers are offered Kar ah Parshad (sweet flour and ghee-based food offered as prashad) in the worship h all, which is usually given into cupped hands by a sewadar (gurdwara volunteer). In the langar room, food is cooked and served by the volunteers in the community . Only vegetarian food is served in the langar hall, to suit the visitors from d ifferent backgrounds so that no person may be offended. All people belonging to different faiths sit together to share a common meal, irrespective of any dietar y restrictions. Langar is always served to the sangat (the congregation) sitting on the floor, as equality amongst all members of the community is a basic tenet of Sikhism. The main philosophy behind the Langar is two-fold : to provide trai ning to engage in Seva and an opportunity to serve people from all walks of life and to help banish all distinctions between high and low or rich and poor. Spiritual significance Meditating on the Guru Granth Sahib It is the duty of all Sikhs to engage in personal and communal meditation, Kirta n and the study of the holy Scriptures. Meditating and understanding the meaning of texts from the Guru Granth Sahib is important for the proper moral and spiri tual development of a Sikh. One must study Gurmukhi script and be able to read G urbani to understand the meaning of the text. A Sikh has to revert back to the G uru Granth Sahib for the all spiritual guidance in ones life. Holy congregation (Sadh Sangat) and reflecting on Gurbani It is believed that a Sikh is more easily and deeply engrossed by Gurbani when e ngaged in congregational gatherings. For this reason, it is necessary for a Sikh to visit gurdwara. On joining the holy congregation, Sikhs should take part and obtain the benefit from the combined study of the holy scriptures. No one is to be barred from entering a gurdwara regardless of their religious or regional ba ckground. Voluntary service (Seva) Seva is an important and prominent part of the Sikh religion. Dasvand forms a ce ntral part of Sikh belief (of Vand Chhako) and literally means donating ten perc ent of ones harvest, both financial and in the form of time and service such as seva to the gurdwara and anywhere where help is needed. All Sikhs therefore get involved in this communal service whenever an opportunity arises. This in its si mple forms can be: sweeping and washing the floors of the gurdwara, serving wate r and food (Langar) to or fanning the congregation, offering provisions or prepa ring food and doing other 'house keeping' duties. Communal life and other matters Sikhism offers strong support for a healthy communal life, and a Sikh must under take to support all worthy projects which would benefit the larger community and promote Sikh principles. Importance is given to Inter-faith dialogue, support f or the poor and weak; better community understanding and co-operation. Sikh ceremonies within the gurdwara Baby Naming Ceremony (Naam Karan) Baptism Ceremony (Amrit Sanchar) Marriage Ceremony (Anand Karaj) Funeral Ceremony (Antim Sanskar) Some other Rites and Conventions also take place within a gurdwara. Learning and other facilities Many gurdwaras also have other facilities for Sikhs to learn more about their re ligion, such as libraries, complexes for courses in Gurmukhi (Sikh script), Sikh

ism and Sikh scriptures, meeting rooms, and room-and-board accommodation for tho se who need it. Gurdwaras are open to all people of all religions and are genera lly open all hours of a day. Some gurdwaras also provide temporary accommodation s (serais) for visitors or devotees. The gurdwara also serves as a community cen tre and a guest house for travellers, occasionally a clinic, and a base for loca l charitable activities. Apart from morning and evening services, the gurdwaras hold special congregations to mark important anniversaries on the Sikh calendar. They become scenes of much clat and festivity during celebrations in honour of t he birth anniversaries of the Gurus and Vaisakhi. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Guru Amar Das (5 May 1479 1 September 1574) was the third of the Ten Gurus of Si khism and was given the title of Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552. His life Guru Amar Das Ji was the eldest son of Sri Tej Bhan Bhalla Ji, a farmer and trad er, and Mata Lachmi Ji. GuruJi's father was a shopkeeper in the village of Basar ke near Amritsar. GuruJi married Mata Mansa Devi and had 4 children 2 sons (Mohan Ji & Mohri Ji) a nd 2 daughters (Bibi Bhani Ji & Bibi Dani Ji). Bibi Bhani later married Bhai Jet ha who became the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. (See article Platforms of Jeth a.) Guru Amar Das Ji became Sikh Guru at the age of 72 following in the footsteps of his teacher Sri Guru Angad Dev Sahib Ji, who left the world on 29 March 1552 at age 48. Guru Amar Das ji established his headquarters in the town of Goindwal S ahib, which was established by Sri Guru Angad Dev Sahib Ji. Guru Amar Das Ji took up cudgels of spirituality to fight against caste restrict ions, caste prejudices and the curse of untouchability. He strengthened the tradition of the free kitchen, Guru Ka Langar (started by Gu ru Nanak), and made his disciples, whether rich or poor, whether high born or lo w born (according to the Hindu caste system), have their meals together sitting in one place. He thus established social equality amongst the people. Guru Amar Das Ji introdu ced the Anand Karaj marriage ceremony for the Sikhs, replacing the Hindu form. He also completely abolished amongst the Sikhs, the custom of Sati[citation need ed], in which a married woman was forced to burn herself to death in the funeral pyre of her husband. The custom of Paradah (Purda), in which a woman was requir ed to cover her face with a veil[citation needed], was also done away with. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------'Guru Arjan Dev Ji (15 April 1563 30 May 1606) is the Fifth of the Ten Guru Ji' of Sikhism. He was born in Goindval, Punjab, India, the Youngest Son of Guru Ram Das Sahib Ji and Bibi Bhani Ji, the Daughter of Guru Amar Das Sahib Ji. He beca me Guru Ji of the Sikhs on 1 September 1581 after the death of His Father [Guru Ram Das Sahib Ji]. Guru Arjan Dev Ji died in Lahore, Punjab, (now in Pakistan). Before His death, He passed the light of Guruship to His Son Guru Har Gobind Sah ib Ji as the next Guru Ji of the Sikhs. Guru Arjan Dev Ji lived as the Guru Ji of Sikhism for a quarter of a century and accomplished much during his service to humanity. Guru Arjan completed the cons truction of Amritsar and founded other cities such as Taran Taran and Kartarpur. He constructed a Baoli at Lahore. The most important work of Guru Arjan Dev Ji

was the compilation of Adi Granth. He collected all the work of the first four G urus and dictated it in the form of verses in 1604. It is, perhaps, the only scr ipt which still exists in the form first published (a hand-written manuscript) b y the Guru. The integrity of the original writings within the Adi Granth is espe cially noted. Guru Arjan organised the Masand system, a group of representatives who taught an d spread the teachings of the Gurus and also received the Dasvand, partial offer ing of a Sikh's income (in money, goods or service) that Sikhs paid to support t he building of Gurdwara Sahib, the Guru ka Langars (shared communal kitchens) or iginally intended to share with sense of love, respect and equality, still an im portant element today in any Gurdwara. The Langars were open to any visitors and were designed from the start to stress the idea of equality and a casteless soc iety. The land that Amritsar is built upon is believed to be a jagir (estates gi fted to individuals under the Mughal system which included one or more villages and often a portion of the crops produced on the land) given as a gift by the Em peror Akbar, who was impressed by the practice, after sharing a meal in the Guru 's communal kitchen, seated on the floor among commoners. Life Guru Arjan ji, like all the Sikh Gurus, clearly embodies the light of Guru Nanak ji through teachings and acts. Guru Arjan clearly knew how the importance of Gu ru Nanak's message is for every state of life and to every condition of society. Continuing the efforts of Guru Ramdass, Guru Arjan established Amritsar as a pr imary site for all Sikhs, and people on earth, as a center for great spiritual e xperience. The city became populous and a great place of pilgrimage for Sikhs. Compiling the Adi Granth, Guru Arjan gave Sikhs an example of religious and mora l conduct, as well as a rich body of sacred poetry of high spiritual esteem. His starting of collection of offerings by way of Masand system, in a systematic wa y, accustomed them to a regular government. He traded in horses, though not exte nsively, and encouraged his followers to follow his example, to be as zealous in trade as they were in their faith. Guru Arjan ji became famous among his pious devotees and his biographers dwell on the number of Saints and Holy men who were edified by his instructions. He was equally headed by men in high positions. Du ring his time, the teaching and philosophy of Nanak took a firm hold on the mind s of his followers. The economic well-being of the country is closely linked with the monsoon. With a view to alleviating the sufferings of the peasents, Guru Arjan ji helped the v illagers in digging six-channel Persian wheel (Chhehrta) wells, which irrigated their fields. Chheharta is a living monument of his efforts in this direction. G uru Arjan was caring and loving, he was also willing to give to the poor. Compositions Beside compiling the works of the previous Gurus and other works by both Hindu a nd Muslim Sants, Guru Arjan composed many hymns of his also which he included in the Adi Granth. He appointed Baba Budha Ji, who was a companion of Guru Nanak, and an associate of each of the subsequent Guru as the chief priest of the Golde n Temple. He placed the Adi Granth on the Gaddi (throne) reserved for him, prefe rring to sit among his disciples. As a composer and writer, Guru Arjan is prolific. He composed 2,218 devotional h ymns in thirty major ragas of the time. Martyrdom Jahangirs memoirs state that Arjan was handed over to Murtaza Khan in Lahore, so that the official could execute him. Jahangir did so because of Arjans support fo r Khusrau, and does not describe ordering any torture of the Guru. This suggests none was ordered, since Jahangir earlier describes the torture and execution of

two other rebels in detail. Nor does it fit with Jahangirs general policy of rel igious tolerance, with one contemporary English observer remarking that here ever y man has liberty to profess his own religion freely, and which saw state funding of other religions and numerous non-Muslims favoured by Jahangir. Set against this was Jahangirs stated desire to convert Arjan to Islam, though gi ven that he later warned other Muslims about trying to force Islam on people, pr obably thought in terms of the Guru converting voluntarily. Jahangir was angered by the number of Muslims who converted to Sikhism. Professor J. F. Richards view that Jahangir was persistently hostile to popularly venerated religious figures i s instructive, though it appears that Jahangir only took action against religiou s figures he saw as threats to the state. This included the Naqshbandi Muslim Sh aykh Ahmad Sirhindi, who Jahangir viewed as an extremist (and who was a noted en emy of Guru Arjan), and so had him imprisoned in Gwalior fort. Nor was Jahangir likely to be personally familiar with the Adi Granth, since he labelled the Guru as a Hindu. First Turning Point in Sikh History If Jahangirs memoir was the only contemporary source, the picture would still be relatively clear. We would know why Guru Arjan died and who ordered his death, i f not the exact manner of it. However, other contemporary and near-contemporary sources, especially the Sikh accounts, do not support Jahangirs version of events . Professor J.S. Grewal notes that Sikh sources from the seventeenth and eightee nth century contain contradictory reports of Guru Arjans death. Guru Gobind Singhs memoir, the Bichitra Natak, mentions Guru Arjan only once, to record that when A rjan departed this life for the divine abode, [the Guru] assumed the form of Har gobind. In contrast he and other Sikh sources extensively discussed Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom. Bhai Gurdas, a contemporary of Arjan and noted Sikh chronicler, recor ded his death, but whether or not his account shows the Guru was tortured rests on the translation of bhir (and whether it is translated as distress/hardship or tort ure). In the 1740s, Chaupa Singh, who was close to Guru Gobind Singh, placed the blame on Chandu Shah, a Hindu official in Lahore, who Chaupa Singh accused of ha ving the Guru arrested and executed after he turned down Chandu Shahs offer of ma rriage between Chandus daughter and Hargobind. A contemporary Jesuit account, written in 1606 by Father Jerome Xavier, who was in Lahore at the time, adds weight to aspects to all these accounts. Xavier reco rds that the Sikhs managed to get Jahangir to commute the death sentence to a he avy fine, for which a rich individual, possibly a Sikh, stood as guarantor. The Guru however refused to let a fine be paid for him and even refused when a long time friend of his Sai Mian Mir tried interceding on his behalf, Jahangir tortur ed Arjan in the hopes of extracting the money, but the Guru refused to give in a nd so died. The other near-contemporary non-Sikh source, a 1640s chronicle proba bly written by a Parsi, supports this view. Noted Sikh historian Dr. Harjinder Singh Majhail (2010: Pp. 144-146) writes, "Th e martyrdom of the fifth Guru is a first turning point in Sikh history. It creat ed circumstances, which gave a militant colour to a spiritually coloured, otherw orldly people". "The Sikhs for whom their Satguru i.e. True Master was dearer th an anything else in the world, were never ready to accept their True master's ma rtyrdom. What pained them more was that their Master was mercilessly tortured to death. The fifth Guru was made to sit on big hot ferrous bread-baking plates an d the burning sands from a parcher's furnace were poured on his bare body. After such inhuman tortures, the Guru was taken to the river 'Ravi' for a bath where he was said to have mysteriously disappeared into the 'Ravi'. All this was too much for the Sikhs. The blood-curdling tortures meted out on th eir beloved Guru made their blood boil. They sat brooding waiting for vengeance"

. Consequential Climacteric "The arrival of Guru Hargobind Sahib, the Sixth Guru of the Sikhs, on the religi o-socio-political scene of India was a consequential climacteric which for the f irst time transformed the Sikh character and the Sikh ethos from purely spiritua l to the martial. It was for the first time that the Sikhs took to sword - not j ust one sword but the two: 'miri' symbolizing temporal power and 'piri' symboliz ing spiritual power. By doing so, the Guru mingled martial arts with religiosity , temporal with the spiritual, and 'bhakti' (devotion) with 'shakti' (martial po wer)". The martyrdom of the fifth Guru turned the spiritual Sikhs into a communi ty of warriors which was to lay the foundation of Khalsa rule in Punjab in the t imes to come. Criticism Mughal accounts regarding the execution of Guru Arjan Dev Troubles between the Mughal authorities and the Sikh community began in the year 1573, after Jahangir the rightful heir of Akbar, subdued a ferocious rebellion put up by his own son Khusrau Mirza, who had gathered a powerful army consisting of 3000 warriors and relentlessly besieged the city of Lahore and Guru Arjun De v had clearly given assistance and support to the unpopular renegades within the Imperial ranks. After subduing and executing nearly 2000 members of the rebellion and blinding t he renegade Khusrau Mirza the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his advisors believed that the Sikhs evidently intended to destabilize the Mughal Empire. Guru Arjun D ev was found guilty of supporting an unjust rebellion by a Hindu Qadi named Chan du Lal and thus executed by imperial decree. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Early Life Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji was the Youngest of the Five Sons of Guru Har Gobind Sahib Ji. He was born in Amritsar in the early hours of 1 April 1621. The name T egh Bahadur (Mighty Of The Sword), was given to him by Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji a fter He had shown H is valour in a battle with the Mughals. Amritsar at that time was the centre of Gursikh faith. Under Guru Hargobind, it had become even more renowned. By virtue of being the seat of the Guru, and with its connection to Sikhs in far flung areas of the country through the chains of masands it had developed the characteristics of a state capital. Tegh Bahadur was brought up steeped in Sikh culture. He was trained in the marti al-arts of archery and horsemanship, and was also taught the old classics. Prolo nged spells of seclusion and contemplation are said to have given him a deep mys tical temperament. Tegh Bahadur was married on 3 February 1631, to Mata Gujri. In the 1640s, nearing his end, Guru Hargobind asked Nanaki, Tegh Bahadur's mothe r, to move to his maternal ancestor's village of Bakala, together with Tegh Baha dur and Gujri. Stay at Bakala Bakala of those days as described in Gurbilas Dasvin Patishahi was a properous t own with many beautiful pools, wells and baolis. He lived a strict and holy life and spent most of his time in meditation. Yet, he was not a recluse and attende d to family responsibilities. He went out riding and he followed the chase. He m ade visits outside Bakala and also visited Guru Har Krishan, when the latter was in Delhi.

As Guru of Sikhs During his stay in Delhi, Guru Har Krishan was seized with smallpox. When asked by his followers as to who would lead them after him, he replied Baba Bakale, me aning his successor was to be found in Bakala. Some pretenders took advantage of the ambiguity in the words of the dying Guru a nd installed themselves as Guru of Sikhs. There were about 22 pretenders who cal led themselves as The ninth sikh guru. The most influential of them was nephew o f Tegh Bahadur, Dhir Mall. The Sikhs were puzzled to see so many claimants and c ould not make out who the real Guru was. A wealthy trader Baba Makhan Shah Labana arrived in search of the Guru. He went from one Guru to the next making his obeisance and offering two gold Mohurs (coi ns) to each guru, while before he had promised to give god 500 coins for his saf ety in a storm. Then he discovered that a saintly man named Tegh Bahadur also li ved there who made no claims about himself. Baba Makhan Shah Labana lost no time and went straight to the house of Tegh Baha dur. There he made the usual offering of two gold coins. Tegh Bahadur gave him h is blessings and remarked that his offering was considerably short of the promis ed five hundred. Makhan Shah forthwith made good the difference and ran upstairs . He began shouting from the rooftop: Guru ladho re, Guru ladho re (I have found the Guru, I have found the Guru). The responsibility of instructing and guiding the Sikh community was now of Guru Tegh Bahadur's. He was the focal point of veneration of the Sikhs. They came si ngly and in batches to seek spiritual solace and inspiration. And by his teachin gs and practise, he moulded their religious and social conscience. As had been the custom since Guru Har Gobind, Guru Tegh Bahadur kept a splendid lifestyle. He had his armed attendance and other marks of royalty. But he himsel f lived austerely. Sikh or other documents make no mention of any clash with the ruling power having occurred during his time. Travels were undertaken by him in different parts of the country to preach the teachings of Guru Nanak. His place s of visit included Dacca and Assam. It was during one of these visit to Dhubri (Assam), when his son Guru Gobind Singh was born in Patna (Bihar). The Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib stands at the site. The Guru made three successive visits to Kiratpur. On 21 August 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur went there to console with Bibi Rup Kaur upon the passing away of her fa ther, Guru Har Rai, and of her brother, Guru Har Krishan. The second visit was o n 15 October 1664, at the death on 29 September 1664, of Mata Bassi, mother of G uru Har Rai. A third visit concluded a fairly extensive journey through Majha, M alwa and Bangar districts of the Punjab. Crossing the Beas and Sutlej rivers, Gu ru Tegh Bahadur arrived in the Malwa. He visited Zira and Moga and reached Darau li. He then sojourned in the Lakhi Jungle, a desolate and sandy tract comprising mainly present-day districts of Bhatinda and Faridkot. According to the Guru ki an Sakhian, Baisakhi of 1665 was celebrated at Sabo-ki Talwandi, now known as Da mdama Sahib. This journey took Guru Tegh Bahadur up to Dhamdhan, near Jind, from where he returned to Kiratpur. The Dowager Rani Champa of Bilaspur offered to g ive the Guru a piece of land in her state. The Guru bought the site on payment o f Rs 500). The land consisted of the villages of Lodhipur, Mianpur and Sahota. H ere on the mound of Makhowal, Guru Tegh Bahadur raised a new city. Death Gurdwara Sis Ganj; Where Guru Tegh Bahadur was Martyred The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb cherished the ambition of converting India into a land of islam. This philosophy was also pleaded by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (1569162 4), leader of the Naqashbandi School, to counter the liberal policies of Akbar's

reign. The Emperor's experiment was carried out in Kashmir. The viceroy of Kashmir, Ift ikar Khan (16711675) carried out the policy vigorously and set about converting n on-Muslims by force. A group of Kashmiri Pandits (Kashmiri Hindu Brahmins), approached Guru Tegh Baha dur and asked for help. They, on the advice of the Guru, told the Mughal authori ties that they would willingly embrace Islam if Guru Tegh Bahadur, did the same. Orders of the arrest of the Guru were issued by Aurangzeb, who was in present da y North West Frontier Province of Pakistan subduing Pushtun rebellion. The Guru was arrested at a place called Malikhpur near Anandpur after he had departed fro m Anandpur for Delhi. Before departing he nominated his son, Gobind Rai (Guru Go bind Singh) as the next Sikh Guru. He was arrested, along with some of his followers, Bhai Dayala, Bhai Mati Das an d Bhai Sati Das by Nur Muhammad Khan of the Rupnagar police post at the village Malikhpur Rangharan, in Ghanaula Parganah, and sent to Sirhind the following day . The Faujdar (Governor) of Sirhind, Dilawar Khan, ordered him to be detained in Bassi Pathana and reported the news to Delhi. His arrest was made in July 1675 and he was kept in custody for over three months. He was then cast in an iron ca ge and taken to Delhi in November 1675. The Guru was put in chains and ordered to be tortured until he would accept Isla m. When he could not be persuaded to abandon his faith to save himself from pers ecution, he was asked to perform some miracles to prove his divinity. Refusing t o do so, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in public at Chandni Chowk on 24 Novembe r 1675. Guru Ji is also known as "Hind Di Chadar" i.e. "the shield of India", su ggesting that to save Hinduism, Guru Ji gave his life. Notable events Guru Har Gobind Ji was Guru Tegh Bahadur's father. He was originally named Tyag Mal but was later renamed Tegh Bahadur after his gallant displays of sword fight ing in the wars against the Mughal forces. He built the city of Anandpur Sahib, and was responsible for saving the Kashmiri Pandits, who were being persecuted b y the Mughals. Guru Tegh Bahadur toured various parts of India, and was requeste d by Gobind Sahali to construct several domes in Mahali. He contributed many hymns to the Guru Granth Sahib including the Saloks (Mahal 9 ) near the end of the Guru Granth Sahib, which are extremely popular Guru Tegh Bahadur was martyred in Delhi by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The Gurdwar a Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, was built over where the Guru was behe aded, and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, also in Delhi, is built on the site of the residence of Lakhi Shah Vanjara, a disciple of the Guru, who burnt his house in order to cremate the Guru's body. Another gurudwara by the same name, Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, marks the site were in November 1675, the head of the martyred Guru Teg Bahadur which was brought by Bhai Jaita (Rech ristened Bhai Jivan Singh according to Sikh rites) in defiance of the Mughal aut horities was cremated here. Criticism Mughal accounts of the Guru Tegh Bahadur's execution The ninth guru, Tegh Bahadur, who in 1664, allegedly served in the Mughal Army o n the Assam frontier for some years under the command of Mir Jumla II and was gi ven the title Bahadur, but later returned to eastern Punjab and settled down at Anandpur. His followers began to refer to him as the "Sacha Badshah" (True King) , probably because he continued to arm and train the Sikh community for confront ation. Mughal officials such as Nur Muhammad Khan of Rupnagar, Dilawar Khan the

Faujdar of Sirhind and Wazir Khan had him arrested and he was taken to Delhi and put to death by Aurangzeb in 1675. However, when Aurangzeb was questioned by a group of Qadis regarding the reasons for the execution, the Mughal Emperor could not clearly explain the causes for the order of the penalty. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Baba Buddha Ji (15061631) is recognized as one of the great Sikhs of the Guru per iod. He had the privilege of being blessed by the first six Gurus. He led an ide al Sikh life for more than a hundred years. He was one of closest companions of the guru Nanak (the first Guru of Sikhism) and is one of the most revered and sa cred saints in Sikhism. He holds one of the most important and pivotal positions in Sikh history. The first head Granthi of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Baba Budha appl ied Tilak/Tikka to five Sikh Gurus, from Guru Angad Dev to Guru Hargobind. Tikka was applied to the foreheads of 7th, 8th and 9th Sikh Gurus by Baba Gurditta Ra ndhawa, grandson of Baba Buddha ji. This ceremony in the case of 10th Sikh Guru was performed by Ram Kanwar Randhawa alias Gurbakhsh Singh. Early life Baba Buddha ji was a most venerated primal figure of early Sikhism, was born on 6 October 1506 at the village of Katthu Nangal, 18 km northeast of Amritsar in a Randhawa Jatt[1] family. Bura, as he was originally named, was the only son of Bhai Suggha Randhawa and Mai Gauran who was from a Sandhu Jatt Family. A meeting with Guru Nanak As a small boy, he was one day grazing cattle outside the village when Guru Nana k happened to pass by. According to Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala, Bura went up to him and, making obeisance with a bowl of milk as his offering, praye d to him in this manner: "O sustainer of the poor! I am fortunate to have had a sight of you today. Absolve me now from the circuit of birth and death." The Gur u said, You are only a child yet. But you talk so wisely." "some soldiers set up camp by our village," replied Bura, "and they mowed down all our crops - ripe a s well as unripe. Then it occurred to me that, when no one could check these ind iscriminating soldiers, who would restrain Death from laying his hand upon us, y oung or old." At this Guru Nanak pronounced the words: "You are not a child; you possess the wisdom of an old man." From that day, Bura, came to be known as Bha i Buddha, buddha in Punjabi meaning an old man, and later, when advanced in year s, as Baba Buddha. Youth Bhai Buddha became a devoted disciple. His marriage at the age of seventeen at A chal, 6 km south of Batala, did not distract him from his chosen path and he spe nt more time at Kartarpur where Guru Nanak had taken up his abode than at Katthu Nangal. Such was the eminence he had attained in Sikh piety that, at the time o f installation of Bhai Lahina as Guru Angad, i.e. Nanak II, Guru Nanak asked Bha i Buddha to apply the ceremonial tilak on his forehead. Bhai Buddha lived to old age and had the unique honor of anointing all of the four following Gurus. He c ontinued to serve the Gurus with complete dedication and remained an example of holy living for the growing body of disciples. He devoted himself zealously to t asks such as the digging of the baoli at Goindval under the instruction of Guru Amar Das and the excavation of the sacred tank at Amritsar under Guru Ram Das an d Guru Arjan. The ben tree under which he used to sit supervising the excavation of the Amritsar pool still stands in the precincts of the Golden Temple. He sub sequently retired to a bir or forest, where he tended the livestock of the Guru ka Langar. What is left of that forest is still known, after him, as Bir Baba Bu ddha Sahib . Late years Baba Buddha Ji passed his last days in meditation at Jhanda Ramdas, or simply ca lled Ramdas, a village founded by his son, Bhai Bhana, where the family had sinc e shifted from its native Katthu Nangal. As the end came, on 16 November 1631, G

uru Hargobind was at his bedside. The Guru, as says the Gurbilas Chhevin Patshah i, gave his shoulder to the bier and performed the last rites. Bhai Gurdas, furt her to quote the Gurbilas, started a reading of the Adi Granth in memory of the deceased. The obsequies concluded with Bhai Gurdas completing the recital and Gu ru Hargobind presenting a turban to Bhai Buddha's son, Bhana. Two shrines stand in Ramdas commemorating Baba Buddha, Gurdwara Tap Asthan Baba Buddha Ji, where t he family lived on the southern edge of the village, and Gurdwara Samadhan, wher e he was cremated. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Banda Singh Bahadur (16701716) aka Laxman Das was a Sikh Military Commander and m artyr. He became part of struggle against the Mughal Empire in the early 18th ce ntury, after meeting Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh gave him the new name of Banda Singh Bahadur. He is best known for the sack of the Mughal provincial c apital, Sirhind, and is revered as one of the most hallowed martyrs of the Khals a. His agrarian uprising against the Mughal administration in Punjab was a critical event in the development of the Dal Khalsa and the Sikh Misls, which eventually led to Ranjit Singh capturing Lahore in 1799 and establishing the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab. After establishing his authority in Punjab, Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the za mindari system, and granted property rights to the tillers of the land Early life There are different views regarding origin of Banda Singh Bahadur: According to prominent sikh Historians such as Dr. Ganda Singh, Harbans Sing h Bhatia, Khushwant Singh, Sir Gokul Chand Narang, Dr Hari Ram Gupta and some ot her scholars, he was born to a farming family of Hindu Dogra Rajput. According t o this version, he was born on October 16, 1670 at Rajouri in the Jammu region o f Jammu and Kashmir. He was named Lachman Dev. Wrestling, horseback riding, and hunting were his major hobbies. As a young man, he once shot dead a doe and was shocked to watch the mother and her aborted fawn writhing in pain and dying. Aft er this gloomy scene he had a change of heart. He left his home and became a dis ciple of a Bairagi Sadhu: Janaki Das, who gave him the name: Madho Das. In the c ompany of the Sadhus, he travelled through Northern India and finally arrived at Nanded (in present-day Maharashtra), situated on the bank of the river Godavari . In the Mahan Kosh, a Sikh encyclopedia written by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, (B hasha Bibhag Punjab, Patiala), it is stated that he was Minhas Rajput, either fr om Rajouri in Jammu region or Doaba region of Punjab. P.N. Bali calls him a Mohyal Brahmin. Hakim Rai calls him a Punjabi Khatri/Rajput. Giani Budh Singh a noted scholar of Poonch in his famous book "Chhowen Ratta n" described Banda Bahadur as "Brahmin". Also a book released by the All India Brahmin Federation described him as Br ahmin(http://www.scribd.com/doc/25665157/Brahmin-Sikh-History). J.D Cunningham labelled him a native of South India. Major A.E. Barstow called him a runaway Peshwa Maratha. Major James Brown thought he was a native of Punjab. Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer in his book 'Sikh Twareekh (1469-2007)' (publish ed by Singh Brothers Amritsar, in 5 volumes in 2008) narrates that Banda Singh w as a Rajput, born in 1670. At the age of 16 he left his home and joined the part y of wandering Hindu ascetics (sadhu). He spent two years with two saadhus (Jank i Das and then Ram Das)and then joined Baba Lunia, near Burhanpur. In 1696, he m et Guru Gobind Singh at Kankhal, near Hardwar but this was a short meeting. Afte r this, Sri Guru Gobind Singh visited him in August 1708. Banda's Mission

Guru Gobind Singh hoped that Emperor Bahadur Shah would fulfill his promise agai nst the Governor of Sirhind, and his accomplices for persecuting the people of P unjab. It was the Governor of Sirhind who had captured and murdered the Guru's m other, Mata Gujri and his two younger children, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahi bzada Fateh Singh, for their continued refusal to convert to Islam. The promise was made by Bahadur Shah to the Guru earlier, when Shah asked the Guru to help h im consolidate his rule over India, following the death of his father, Emperor A urangzeb. Guru Gobind Singh had rendered help to Bahadur Shah in the war of succ ession after the death of Aurangzeb, in which Bahadur Shah emerged as a victor. Bahadur Shah never carried out his promise. He may have been reluctant to do so or unable to do so during his delicate rule. The Guru was disappointed with dupl icity of new Muslim ruler even though he and his Sikhs had been traveling with t he Emperor to the Deccan, the Guru decided to part ways with the Muslim ruler fo r once again betraying Sikhs. Earlier 9th Sikh Guru had been brutally murdered b y Bahadur Shah's tyrant and fanatically orthodox Islamist father Aurangzeb. In a few days, the Guru held a darbar and administered Pahul (ceremonial initiat ion into Khalsa) to Madho Das and naming him Gurbaksh Singh (beloved by the Guru ). He appointed him as his jathedar (military commander) and invested him with f ull political and military authority as his deputy to lead the campaign in the P unjab against the Muslim and Mughal administration, to avenge the murders of Sik h gurus and their families and innocent civilian followers by Muslims, and to pu nish Nawab Wazir Khan and his supporters for these inhumane crimes. The Guru gave Banda five arrows from his quiver by as a symbol of temporal autho rity. He was given an advisory council of the following five devoted Sikhs (Hazu ri Singhs), who on their arrival in the Punjab were to assure the Sikhs that Ban da was the Guru's nominee and deputy and to organize them in order to lead an ex pedition against Muslims and Sirhind to avenge the atrocities against Sikhs: Bhagwant Singh Bangeshri, a cousin of Bhai Mani Singh Baj Singh, brother of Bhagwant Singh Singh Kuir Singh singh, brother of Bhagwant Singh Singh Dharam Singh Fateh Singh (These names appear in 'Guru Kian Sakhin' written in 1790 by Swarup Singh kaushi sh). Twenty five soldiers were to accompany Banda from Nanded to Punjab. A Hukumnamah (edict) by the Guru, instructing Sikhs to join Banda Bahadur in his struggle ag ainst Muslim tyrant Wazir Khan (Mughal Goverener of Punjab) was provided. As an insignia of the temporal authority vested in him, the Guru also gave Banda Bahad ur his own sword, green bow, nagara (War drum) and a Nishan Sahib (Sikh National Flag). Three hundred Sikh Risaldari ( cavaliers) in battle array accompanied Ba nda up to a distance of eight kilometres to give him a final send off. Banda's strategy and tactics Bandas strategy was to reach Punjab after avoiding the dangers enroute, to mobili ze an army of volunteers, and arm and train them in an impossibly short period, and then by the tactics of, what I term as the "Crumbling Process", bite into th e mighty Mughal administrative centers one by one. This process was the only way to achieve the Gurus mission of punishing a powerful enemy who was committing cr ime after crime against his people. Banda must have mentally and theoretically m ade grandiose plans during his long journey of nearly one year from Nander to Pu njab. Whatever these dreams, this born leader of men executed them to perfection with a masterly application of the crumbling process. One by one the Mughal bas tions, SAMANA, GHURAM, THASKA, MUSTAFBAD and SADHAURA were captured, until he re ached the outskirts of SIRHIND. His main target was to revenge the ruthless tort ure and killing of the brave and innocent SAHIBZADAS.

Instinctively, Banda Bahadur adopted the vital principles of war - Surprise Flex ibility, Offensive action and Concentration of Force at a point to gain local su periority[citation needed]. He overcame garrison after garrison by brilliantly a pplying these to perfection[citation needed]. Even Muslim authors of the time su ch as Qazi Noor Mohammad, Ghulam Hussain Mohammad, Qasim Kamwar Khan and Khafi K han grudgingly praised the Tiger-like fighting quality of the Sikh Soldier.[cita tion needed] In an article of a magazine it is not possible to trace Banda Bahad ur's entire campaign, so as to highlight his brilliant strategy and tactics. Yet it would be worthwhile amplifying this by select examples. Banda in present-day Haryana Narnaul Here, Banda Singh Bahadur witnesses first-hand, the complete destruction of the Satnami sect which had risen in revolt against the Mughals. Men, women and child ren, one and all had been wiped out of existence. It was here that Banda Singh B ahadur suppressed some dacoits and robbers. Hissar He was well received by local Hindus and Sikhs as a leader and a deputy of Guru Gobind Singh. Liberal offerings were made to him, which he distributed among the poor and the needy. Tohana Here, Banda Singh Bahadur issued letters to the Sikhs of Malwa, to join him in h is crusade against Wazir Khan of Sirhind. Banda Singh Bahadur made proper arrangements to escort Mata Sahib Kaur to Delhi. From Kharkhauda about fifty kilometres north-west of Delhi, Mata Sahib Kaur was sent to Delhi under armed escort, to join Mata Sundari, who was acting as the h ead of the Khalsa after the death of her husband, Guru Gobind Singh. Sonepat At Sonepat, fifty kilometres north of Delhi, early in November 1709 Banda Singh Bahadur commanded about five hundred followers. He attacked the government treas ury, plundered it and distributed it among his retinue. This was his second succ ess against the government and it considerably raised his prestige. Marching slo wly, he advanced towards Sirhind. Kaithal Near Kaithal, about a hundred kilometres further north, Banda Singh Bahadur seiz ed a government treasury, which was being sent from the northern districts to De lhi. He kept nothing out of it for himself and gave it away to his rank and file . Samana: Mobility, surprise and economy of Banda's force Samana, India was strongly fortified. It had a wall all around, every Haveli was a fortress and the Mughal force was well armed and had deployed guns for the to wns defence. Banda Bahadur's plan on 26 Nov 1709 was to lie up at a distance the previous day thus lulling the defenders into a feigned lack of will and intent to attack. That night the Sikh force did a brilliant rapid approach from some mi les, entered the town from all directions before the gates could be closed and a fter negligible opposition totally captured and sacked SAMANA by the next days ni ghtfall. Thus the three main principles of war of Surprise, Mobility and Economy of Force (he took least casualties) were applied with brilliance. Samana is fifty kilometres farther north, was the native place of Jalal-ud-din J allad - the professional executioner who had beheaded Guru Teg Bahadur. While Ja lal-ud-din Jallad son had beheaded the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh. Al i Hussain, who betrayed Guru Gobind Singh by making false promises to lured Guru

Gobind Singh to evacuate the fort of Anandpur also belonged to Samana. Samana w as an accursed place of betraying Muslims in the eyes of the accepting and trust ing Sikhs. The entire Sikh peasantry of the neighbourhood was now up in arms and sided with Banda Singh, such was the centuries old accumulated anger of native Sikhs again st Muslims that peasant army following Banda Singh had risen to several thousand s. Banda Singh Bahadur fell upon the Samana town (present day Jind District in H aryana state of India) on November 26, 1709. At that time, Samana was the district town and had nine Parganas attached to it. It was placed under the charge of brave Sikh warrior Fateh Singh. Samana was th e first territorial conquest and was established as the first administrative uni t of Banda Singh Bahadur. Treacherous Ranghar Muslims of Samana, Ghuram and Thaksa Destroyed Then, Kunjpura (Karnal district of Haryana, India), Ghuram, and Thaska inhabited by Muslim Ranghars were destroyed. Ranghars are current age Muslims who were on ce original honorable Rajputs but forced to convert by Muslims. Sadhaura Usman Khan, the Muslim chief of Sadhaura, about twenty-five kilometres away, had persecuted Sayyid Budhu Shah for helping Guru Gobind Singh in the Battle of Bha ngani. On the approach of Banda Singh Bahadur's army, the leading Muslims of the town gathered in a big and strongly built mansion. They were all quickly put to death by Sikhs to establish native rule of kings with native religion with tole rant views. This building where Sikhs avenged by killing all occupants has come to be known as Qatal Garhi (the Fort of Murder). Banda Singh Bahadur destroyed t he Muslim dominated quarters of the town. A contemporary Muslim historian, Khafi Khan, wrote: "In two or three months time , four to five thousands horse-riders, and seven to eight thousand warlike footm en joined him. Day by day their number increased, and abundant money and materia l by pillage of muslims fell into the hands hands of Hindu and Sikh warriors. Nu merous muslim villages were laid waste and Banda Singh bahadur appointed his own Sikh native police officers (thanedars) and established his sovereignty by sett ing up of the collectors of revenue (Tahsil-dar-e-mal)". Mukhlisgarh becomes Lohgarh The ultimate aim of Banda was to punish Wazir Khan and conquer Sirhind. It requi red time to consolidate his material and territorial gains. He also wanted to st udy the military resources of Sirhind. He was anxious to see what steps the gove rnment would take against him. He therefore established his headquarters, in the beginning of February 1710, at Mukhlisgarh situated in the lower Siwalik Hills south of Nahan, about twenty kilometres from Sadhaura. His fort stood atop a hil l top. Two kuhls or water channels flowed at its base and supplied water to it. This fort was repaired and put in a state of defence. All the money, gold and co stly material acquired in the expeditions were deposited here. He minted coins a nd issued orders under his seal. The name of Mukhlisgarh was changed to Lohgarh (Fort of Steel), and it became the capital of the first Sikh state. Sirhind, the Principal Town of SE Punjab was Banda Bahadur's goal. To all Sikhs it represented the cruelty of its Governor, Wazir Khan had to render an account for this bestial act. James Brown, the British Historian described it as most ba rbarous and outrageous. No wonder then that the Sikhs were thirsting for his blo od. Wazir Khan sent a strong force under Sher Mohammed Khan of Malerkotla toward s ROPAR to prevent a large force of Sikhs from Doaba and Majha joining Bandas mai n force moving from BANUR. After a very fierce battle the valiant Sikhs prevaile d. It was the bloody hand to hand battle on the battlefield, in which Sikhs domi nated, which won the day. Thus Banda succeeded in concentrating his force for th

e final battle. Banda's kingdom Banda ruled over the region bounded on the north by the Shiwalik hills, on the w est by the river Tangri, on the east by the river Jamuna, and in the south by a line passing through Samana, Thanesar, Kaithal and Karnal. He abolished the Zami ndari System of land prevailing under the Mughals and declared the actual cultiv ators as the owners of land. Thus he established peasant proprietorship, and won the approbation and support of the overwhelming majority of the population. Kha fi Khan says that Banda "issued orders to imperial officers and agents and big j agirdars to submit and give up their business." The battle of Sirhind Banda's Troops Banda Singh Bahadur devoted three months in organizing his civil and military ad ministration. Bahadur Shah was still away only less than 100 km from Delhi, yet the weak and nominal Muslim rulers of Delhi of Mohgul origin had no strength to confront Banda Singh Bahadur. Wazir Khan of Sirhind was making his own preparations independently to meet the danger from Banda Singh Bahadur. Banda's troops were mostly untrained Sikh peasants, raw levies and not fully arm ed[citation needed]. Banda possessed no elephants, no good horses and few guns. His followers had immense Sikh pride coupled with burning desire to avenge again st Muslims, armed only with matchlocks, agricultural spears, swords, bows and ar rows. According to Khafi Khan, the number of Banda's troops rose from thirty to forty thousand. Muslims mohgul completely lost the control of areas in current d ay Harayana and Panjab. Assisted by his Sikh peasant army, Banda Singh Bahadur e stablished complete and popular sovereignty, implementing agricultural land owne rship reforms and accumulating volunteer Sarv-khap based Sikh forces to fight to over throw Muslims controls. Jats, Gujars and Rajputs supported by all other ca stes belonging to Hindu and Sikh played a vital part, even to the extent of elim inating converted Ranghars who mainly cow-towed and submitted to their conquerin g Muslim rulers. Wazir Khan's preparations Wazir Khan had proclaimed a jihad or a holy war against Banda. He was joined by the Nawab of Malerkotla, other Muslim chiefs and jagirdars as well as Ranghars i n large numbers. The majority of his soldiers were trained men. Wazir Khan's own forces were six thousand horsemen, eight to nine thousand musketeers (burqandaz ) and archers, and with these about ten guns of artillery and many elephants. In addition, there were about ten thousand Ghazis. The total number of Wazir Khan' s troops was about thirty thousand. Banda advanced from Lohgarh and halted at Banur, near Ambala, fourteen kilometre s from Rajpura. Banda sacked the town, and then went towards Sirhind. The Battle of Chhappar Chiri It is said that like Napolean, Banda Bahadur observed the battlefield from a hig h and prominent area. He kept in hand an elite reserve ready to be committed in a lightning strike in the most vulnerable area in order to achieve a breakthroug h. At Chappar Chiri the Mughals were far superior in numbers, Weapons and Guns. Bandas soldiers had long spears, arrows, swords and of course indomitable courage . He lost men in the early phase of the battle but broke through by launching hi mself and his lion like reserves at a vital moment in a weakened salient on the plains of Chappar Chiri's wide open battlefield. So fierce was this, that as des cribed by Khafi Khan, horses, elephants fell in the hands of the infidels horsem en and footmen in large numbers fell under the swords of the infidels, who pursu ed them as far as SIRHIND. Wazir Khan fell from his horse and was captured alive

. The Mughal army was completely routed but Banda Bahadur lost nearly 5000 soldi ers killed and his men carried out the last rites of the fallen Sikhs at the bat tle site before entering SIRHIND. Wazir khan was killed and his body hung from a prominent tree upside down. This tree still stands as a symbol of the fate that is reserved for tyrants. The battle was fought on May 12, 1710 at Chhappar Chiri, twenty kilometres from Sirhind. On the Mughal side, Sher Muhammad Khan, the Nawab of Malerkotla was the leader of the right flank. Wazir Khan was in command of the centre. Suchanand, Diwan of the Nawab was put on the left. Suchanand instigated the death of Guru G obind Singh's youngest two children. On the Sikhs' side, Baj Singh and Binod Sin gh (two of the five Sikhs sent by Guru Gobind along with Banda to the Punjab) he aded the right and left flanks respectively while Banda commanded the centre fac ing Wazir Khan's army. Suchanand could not withstand Baj Singh's attack and fled. Sher Mohammed Khan wa s about to overpower Binod Singh's wing when he was suddenly struck by a bullet and was instantly killed. His men immediately dispersed. Wazir Khan was rushing upon Banda who stuck fast to his ground and discharged arrows relentlessly. Baj Singh and Binod Singh now joined Banda. During their combined assault, Wazir Kha n was killed. Wazir Khan's death is variously described. According to the most accepted view B aj Singh rushed upon Wazir Khan, who threw a spear at the Sikh. Baj Singh caught hold of it and flung the same spear upon Wazir Khan. It struck the forehead of his horse. Wazir Khan discharged an arrow which hit Baj Singh's arm, before rush ing upon him with his sword. At this juncture, Fateh Singh came to Baj Singh's r escue. It is related that he swung his sword with such force that Wazir Khan was sliced from shoulder to waist. Lessons learned Concentration of Force Banda Bahadur did not attack Wazir Khan's Army until he was able to join up with the Khalsa re-inforcements from Majha and Doaba. This he did, in spite of knowi ng that the enemy was digging in and preparing formidable defences at Chapper Ch iri. He hid his forces from effective artillery fire in the thick grove of trees behind small hillocks. Flexibility This time Banda knew that surprise had been lost and, this was now a battle betw een a large, well-equipped Mughal army with guns, which would decimate his force in a frontal attack. He now changed his tactics and ordered commando raids at n ight to first silence the artillery, which were causing heavy casualties even un der cover. Once this was done, his archers and musketeers, who were under cover, caused heavy casualties to the enemy cavalry, and the elephants ran riot. In th is confusion his own cavalry must have attacked the flanks and rear, while his v aliant marching troops launched early-morning frontal attacks. They still took c asualties, as the Mughal firepower was still effective until hand-to-hand fighti ng was joined. Here Banda timed his master stroke to perfection. Observing the w hole scene from a high Tibba, he launched himself and his reserves - a brilliant strike into the Mughal vitals. Sikhs were masters of hand-to-hand fighting. Onc e the Mughal lines broke, there was no stopping the offensive force. It was inde ed brilliant victory for a brilliant Commander. He had not violated a single pri ncipal of war. Pursuit of fugitives Wazir Khan's head was stuck up on a spear and lifted high up by a Sikh who took his seat in the deceased's howdah. Sirhind's troops on beholding the Nawab's hea d took alarm, and fled in dismay and despair. The Sikhs fell upon them and there

was a terrible carnage. The Sikhs reached Sirhind by nightfall. The gates of th e city were closed. The guns mounted on the walls of the fort commenced bombardm ent. The Sikhs laid siege to the place. They took rest at night. Wazir Khan's fa mily and many Muslim nobles fled to Delhi at night. By the next afternoon, the Sikhs forced open the gates and fell upon the city. T he Government treasury and moveable property worth two crores fell into Banda's hand which was removed to Lohgarh. Banda Singh Bahadur purified several Muslims (who were earlier forcefully converted to Islam from Hinduism) by letting them t o embraced Sikhism by their free will. For example, Dindar Khan son of Jalal Kha n Rohilla purified himself by purging himself of Islam by embracing Sikhism by c hanging his name as Dindar Singh. Same way Mir Nasir-ud-din the official newswri ter of Sirhind, purified himself by shunning Islam and reconverting with new nam e as Mir Nasir Singh. The province of Sirhind occupied Sirhind was the economic and provincial capital of Mughals.The entire province o f Sirhind consisting of twenty-eight paraganas and extending from the Satluj to the Jamuna and from the Shiwalik hills to Kunjpura, Karnal and Kaithal, yielding Rs. fifty-two lakhs (one lakh = one hundred thousand) annually came into Banda' s possession. Baj Singh was appointed the governor of Sirhind. Ali Singh was mad e his deputy. Their chief responsibility was to be on guard against the Mughal t roops from Lahore and Jammu. Fateh Singh retained charge of Samana. Ram Singh, b rother of Baj singh became the Chief of Thanesar. Binod singh in addition to his post of the revenue minister, was entrusted with the administration of Karnal a nd Panipat. His main duty was to guard the road from Delhi. Banda retired to his capital at Lohgarh. His era began from May 12, 1710, the date of his victory in the battle of Sirhind. The Zamindari system was abolished in the whole province in one stroke. Banda advances towards Lahore Having set up an administrative machinery, Banda advanced from Sirhind to Malerk otla in June, 1710. The town was saved for a ransom of two lakhs on the recommen dation of Kishan Das Banya, an old acquaintance of Banda. From there, he marched to Morinda whose faujdar had handed over Guru Gobind Singh's Mother and His two younger Sons to Wazir Khan. Then he visited Kiratpur and Anandpur to pay homage to shrines. He took Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. Banda crossed the Beas into Majha , and fell upon Batala. After this, he went on a pilgrimage to Dera Baba Nanak. At Amritsar, Banda made large offerings. He invited young men to embrace Sikhism . Many from Majha joined the Khalsa. Banda marched towards Lahore. Sayyid Islam Khan, the Governor, mounted guns on the walls of the city. Banda laid a siege, b ut was unable to scale the walls of the fort. Lahore could have fallen, but Band a was in a hurry to look after his new government. Only the Lahore Fort, owing to its fortifications, and housing the Moghul elite, could escape Banda Bahadur. The rest of the city and suburbs were destroyed by the army of Banda Bahadur. Banda versus Mughals Banda's rule, that drained the Mughal empire, had a far-reaching impact on the h istory of the Punjab. With it began the decay of Mughal authority (eventually re legated to within the walls of their Delhi force and bulk of their territory tak en over by Ranjit Singh & Marathas, and later by British) and the demolition of the feudal system of society it had created. Mughal King Bahadur Shah Issues Farman to Kill all Sikhs Weakened and nominal Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah tried to counter Banda's increa sing influence. Bahadur Shah journeyed northwards from the Deccan to punish the Sikhs. Instructions were issued to the governors of Delhi and Oudh and other Mug hal officers to march towards the Punjab. Prohibitory laws against Sikhs were pa

ssed. On December 10, 1710, Emperor Bahadur Shah I issued a general warrant for the faujdars to "kill the worshippers of Nanak (the Sikhs), wherever they were t o be found." (Nanak Prastan ra Har ja kih bayaband baqatl rasanand) Retreat and Regains by Banda A massive Mughal force drove the Sikhs from Sirhind and other places to take she lter in the fort of Lohgarh in the hilly region. Banda married the daughter of o ne of the hill chiefs. Further reinforcements arrived and sixty thousand horse a nd foot soon surrounded Banda's hill retreat. For want of provisions, the Sikhs were reduced to rigorous straits. When they could stand up to the numerically su perior enemy no longer, they made strategic nightly sallies to escape into the h ills of Nahan, only to regroup later. He again started his campaigns against the Mughals, coming down from the hills t o the plains, but was overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Mughal forces. Sikh s came out of their mountain haunts to recover their lost territories and once a gain occupied Sadhaura and Lohgarh. Farrukhsiyar, who came to the throne of Delh i in 1713, ordered against them the sternest campaign yet launched. They were hounded out of the plains and their main column of about 4,000 men und er Banda were subjected to a terrible siege at the village of Gurdas-Nangal, abo ut six kilometers from Gurdaspur. For eight months the garrison resisted the sie ge of 100,000 Mughal troops under gruesome conditions (1 Sikh against 25 Muslims ). Towards the end, an unfortunate dispute arose between Banda and one of his mo st trusted advisers, Binod Singh. This man along with Baj Singh and three others made up the war council that Banda was supposed to consult in any difficult sit uation. Binod Singh advised the evacuation of the fortress, but vailant Banda wi shed to fight Muslims out there. Binod Singh was senior in age, and when this di fference of views flared up into an open quarrel, Banda agreed to let Binod Sing h take his men out of the Fortress. Binod Singh and his supporters then charged out of the fortress and escaped. Towards the end of November 1715, the remaining defenders were running out of am munition and food. They were trying to exist on boiled leaves and the bark of tr ees, and were gradually reduced to mere skeletons. Then on December 17, 1715, Ab dus Samad Khan, one of the Mughal commanders, shouted across the separating moat , that he would not allow any killing by his men, if Banda opened the gate to th e fortress. When Banda ordered the gate be opened, the Mughals rushed in to spea r or stab as many as three hundred of the half-dead and helpless defenders. Abou t seven hundred were captured alive and handcuffed in twos. Banda had chains rou nd his ankles and his wrists, and was then locked in an iron cage. The Mughals w ere still afraid that he might escape and so they placed a guard on each side of the cage with swords drawn and the cage was placed aloft an elephant, which led the procession, which paraded through Lahore, before proceeding towards Delhi. Zakarya Khan, the son of the Lahore Governor, then ordered his men to lop off mo re Sikh heads on the way. The prisoners were first taken to Lahore, and thence t o Delhi. Thus Muslims made a spectacle of killing sikhs and displaying their hea ds in most humiliating manner. Torture and execution The cavalcade to the imperial capital was a grisly sight. Besides 740 prisoners in heavy chains, it comprised seven hundred cartloads of Sikh heads with another 200 stuck upon pikes. On February 26, 1716, the procession neared Delhi, and Fa rukh Siyar ordered his Minister, Mohammed Amin Khan, to go out to receive them a nd to prepare them for a suitable display in the city. On February 29, the citiz ens of Delhi lined the streets, to get a good sight of the procession.. First came two-thousand soldiers, each holding a Sikh head impaled on his uprigh t spear. Next followed the elephant carrying Banda in his iron cage, still with two Muslim guards guarding him, with their swords unsheathed. A gold-laced red t

urban was placed on his head, and to add further mockery to his plight, a bright ly printed scarlet robe was slipped on his body. Then came 740 prisoners (500 ha d been collected on the way). These men were chained in pairs and thrown across the backs of camels. Their faces were blackened, and pointed sheepskin or paper caps were clapped on their heads. Behind this line came the Mughal Commanders, A bdus Samad Khan, his son Qamar-ud-Din Khan, and his son-in-law Zakaria Khan. The ir men lined both sides of the streets. For seven days, executions were carried out, until all the ordinary captives had been disposed off. Their bodies were loaded on wagons and taken out of town to be thrown to the vultures. The heads were hung up on trees or on poles near the market-place to be a lesson to all rebels. The jailors next turned their attenti on to the 20 major leaders, including Baj Singh, Fateh Singh, Ali Singh and Gula b Singh. These men were tortured to the extreme and were asked to divulge the pl ace where they had buried all the treasures that had been looted from Sirhind, B atala and other towns during their better days. Failing to get any clues after three months, they prepared to put an end to thei r lives on Sunday, June 9, 1716. Banda's cage was again hoisted on top of an ele phant, and he was dressed in the mock attire of an emperor, with a colourful red pointed turban on his head. His four-year old son, Ajai Singh was placed in his lap. The twenty chiefs marched behind the elephant and this procession then pas sed through the streets of Delhi, and headed for the mausoleum of Bahadur Shah, near the Qutub Minar. On reaching the graveyard, the captives were again offered a choice of two alternatives: conversion to Islam or death. All chose death. Th ey were tortured again before being executed. Their heads were then impaled on s pears and arranged in a circle around Banda who was now squatting on the ground. There were hundreds of spectators standing around watching this scene. Banda Singh Bahadur was then given a short sword and ordered to kill his own son Ajai Singh. As Banda Bahadur sat unperturbed, the Muslim executioner cut the ch ild with his sword. Then pieces of th dead child's flesh were cut and thrown in Banda's face. His liver was removed and with force thrust into Banda Singh's mou th. Banda Singh did not show any emotions. Mohammed Amin Khan, who was standing near, spoke as follows: "From your manner so far you appear to be a man of virtu e, who believes in God, and in doing good deeds. You are also very intelligent. Can you tell me why you are having to suffer all this here?" Banda is said to ha ve replied, "When the tyrants oppress their subjects to the limit, then God send s men like me on this earth to mete out punishment to them. But being human, we sometimes overstep the laws of justice, and for that we are made to pay whilst w e are still here. God is not being unjust to me in any way." The executioner then pulled out Banda's eyeballs with his dagger. While Banda sa t still, the executioner took his sword and slashed off his left foot, then both his arms. Finally, they tore off his flesh with red-hot pincers and cut his bod y up into pieces. These details of the torture are given in full, by the followi ng writers: Mohammed Harisi, Khafi Khan, Thornton, Elphinstone, Daneshwar and ot hers. Criticism of Banda Bahadur In all historical texts, it is mentioned that Banda Bahadur went against wishes of Guru Gobind Singh by occupying places unnecessary for his kingdom, and turned egoistic. The bullet points of criticism are here under: Gur Bilas Patshahi 10, by Koer SIngh Kalal, in 1751, had written that he tur ned egoistic so he was not helped by Khalsa and let dead in fortress. Mahima Parkash, by Sarup Chand Bhalla, mentioned this fact that he went agai nst Guru Gobind Singh's wishes and argued with the Khalsa. The Khalsa left him i n the fort as a result. Shahid Bilas Bhai Mani Singh States that people started believing Baba Banda

Bahadur, as the 11th Guru of the Sikhs and Bhai Mani SIngh resolved this issue that he was not guru. Sir John Malcolm, in Sketch of Sikhs (1812), an English historian mentioned about Banda Bahadur that: ...he was a heretic; who intoxicated with victory, endeavoured to change the religious institutions and laws of Guru Gobind Singh. He changed salutations to fateh dharam fateh durshun. Banda made many confirm to his orders. Legacy With Banda's death, Khalsa leadership was taken up by new warriors like Baba Dee p Singh, Nawab Kapur Singh, Chhajja Singh, Bhuma Singh, Hari Singh Dhillon, Jass a Singh Ramgarhia, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Budh Singh, Naudh Singh and Charhat Si ngh Sukerchakia and others. The Age of the Dal Khalsa and the Sikh Misls (princi palities) had dawned. Within ninety years, Ranjit Singh Sukerchakia united the M isls, captured Lahore and established the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab.