From ascetic to servant of the Guru
The man Sikhs remember as Banda Singh Bahadur was born around 1670, and is generally said to have come from the Rajouri area in the hills of Jammu. According to tradition he was named Lachhman Dev, left home as a young man, and became a Vairagi ascetic known as Madho Das. After years of wandering he settled at a hermitage on the banks of the Godavari at Nanded in the Deccan, where he was known for his spiritual practice and, according to some accounts, for a certain pride in his powers.
In 1708 Guru Gobind Singh Ji arrived at Nanded. Sikh tradition describes a meeting at the ascetic's hermitage in which Madho Das, humbled, declared himself the Guru's banda — his servant or devotee. The name stayed with him. Whether he formally received Khande di Pahul at this time is discussed by historians, and some traditions also know him as Gurbakhsh Singh. What is clear is that the Guru entrusted him with a mission in Punjab shortly before the Guru's own passing later that year.
The mission to Punjab
According to tradition, Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave Banda Singh a small group of senior Sikhs as companions and advisers, a nishan (standard), a drum and arrows from his own quiver, together with hukamnamas calling on Sikhs in Punjab to join him. The instructions attributed to the Guru stress that Banda Singh should remain disciplined, avoid personal ambition and act in the name of the Khalsa. These details come mainly from later Sikh sources, and historians weigh them alongside the few contemporary records that survive.
Banda Singh travelled north and, as news spread, Sikhs and many poor peasants gathered around him. Punjab at the time was under Mughal administration, and the execution of the Guru's younger Sahibzade at Sirhind a few years earlier was deeply felt by the Sikhs. Historians note that the campaign combined a religious call with the grievances of cultivators against local officials and landholders, which helps explain how quickly it grew.
Samana, Sirhind and Lohgarh
In late 1709 Banda Singh's forces captured Samana, an important Mughal town, and then other places in the region, including Sadhaura. In May 1710 they defeated the Mughal faujdar of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, at the battle of Chappar Chiri; Wazir Khan was killed and Sirhind was taken soon afterwards. For Sikhs the fall of Sirhind carried deep emotional weight because of its association with the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzade.
Banda Singh made his base at Mukhlisgarh in the Shivalik foothills, which was renamed Lohgarh. From there a Sikh administration was set up across parts of the region, with officials appointed to districts. Coins and a seal were issued in the name of the Gurus rather than in Banda Singh's own name — a detail historians often point to as a sign that the rule was understood as the Khalsa's, under the Guru, and not a personal kingdom.
Land, the tiller and the first Sikh rule
Many historians credit Banda Singh's administration with weakening the hold of large revenue-holders and giving cultivators greater rights over the land they worked. How far this went in practice, and how long it lasted, is still discussed, since the period of Sikh control was short and was followed by years of war. Even so, the memory of ordinary peasants gaining dignity and security became an important part of how the episode is remembered in Punjab.
The success did not last. In 1710 the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah led a large campaign against the Sikhs and besieged Lohgarh, though Banda Singh escaped into the hills. Fighting continued for several years under successive rulers. During this time differences also arose within the Sikh community about Banda Singh's authority and some of his practices, leading to a division sometimes described as between the Tat Khalsa and the followers of Banda Singh.
The siege of Gurdas Nangal and martyrdom in Delhi
In 1715 Banda Singh and his companions were besieged in a fortified compound at Gurdas Nangal, near Gurdaspur. The siege lasted many months and the defenders were reduced to starvation before they were captured at the end of the year. Banda Singh and a large number of Sikhs were taken to Delhi in chains and paraded through the city in early 1716, during the reign of the emperor Farrukhsiyar. The procession was deliberately staged as a public spectacle, intended to break the spirit of the Sikhs and to warn others.
Contemporary and near-contemporary accounts, including those of European observers in Delhi, describe how the captured Sikhs were executed over several days and how many refused offers to save their lives by giving up their faith. In June 1716 Banda Singh was tortured and put to death; according to the accounts, his young son was killed before him. Sikhs remember him as a martyr who, in his final days, remained steadfast in the Guru's service.
Timeline
- c. 1670
Birth of Lachhman Dev, later known as Madho Das and then Banda Singh Bahadur; his early life is known mainly from tradition. Traditional account
- 1708
Meeting with Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Nanded; Banda Singh is sent to Punjab with companions and hukamnamas. Traditional account
- 1709
Capture of Samana and other towns in the Sirhind region. Historical record
- 1710
Victory at Chappar Chiri and capture of Sirhind; Lohgarh becomes the Sikh base and coins are issued in the Gurus' name. Historical record
- 1710
Emperor Bahadur Shah's campaign reaches Lohgarh; Banda Singh withdraws to the hills. Historical record
- 1715
Long siege at Gurdas Nangal ends with the capture of Banda Singh and his companions. Historical record
- 1716
Execution of Banda Singh Bahadur and many Sikh companions in Delhi. Historical record
Gurbani
ਪਹਿਲਾ ਮਰਣੁ ਕਬੂਲਿ ਜੀਵਣ ਕੀ ਛਡਿ ਆਸ ॥
Pahilaa maran kabool jeevan kee chhad aas.
First, accept death; give up clinging to life — then come to the path.
ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਮੌਤ ਨੂੰ ਕਬੂਲ ਕਰੋ; ਜੀਉਣ ਦਾ ਮੋਹ ਛੱਡੋ — ਫਿਰ ਇਸ ਰਾਹ ਉੱਤੇ ਆਓ।
Guru Arjan Dev Ji's call to first accept death and let go of clinging to life echoes the steadfastness Sikhs remember in Banda Singh and his companions.
Sources & further reading
- J. S. Grewal, The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India), Cambridge University Press
- Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs, Oxford University Press
- Harbans Singh (ed.), The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala