Banda Singh Bahadur

Military campaigns

Beginning

Soon after Guru Gobind Singh was stabbed by two Pathans sent by Wazir Khan and possibly Bahadur Shah I. This is said to have sent Banda Singh into a fury. Banda Singh begged of the Guru to send him into Punjab so he can get revenge for the crimes done on Sikhs and punish the tyrants. In September 1708 Guru Gobind Singh gave Banda Singh the title of Bahadur and gave his full political and military authority to carry on the struggle. Banda Singh was given the duty of punishing wrong-doers and get revenge for the killing of Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh. He was bestowed with a Nagara (war drum), Nishan Sahib, and 5 arrows of Guru Gobind Singh. He was also given Panj Pyare, Ram Singh, Binod Singh, Kahan Singh, Baj Singh, and Daya Singh to assist him. Banda Singh was also given 20 other Singhs to accompany him. He was told by the Guru to remain honest and pure in heart, to not touch another man's wife, see himself as a servant of the Khalsa and Guru, do all acts after an Ardas and seeking counsel of the Panj Pyare, not to call himself Guru or form his own sects, and not to get ego from victories nor sadness from losses.

Banda Singh was also given Hukamnamas from Guru Gobind Singh telling all Sikhs to join him in his war against the Mughal Empire. He was given the position of Jathedar of the Khalsa. Thus Banda Singh was sent to Punjab with a group of 300 cavalry following him in a distance of 8 kilometers.

During the trip to Punjab Guru Gobind Singh died on 7 October 1708. Banda Singh used a disguise to travel for most of the trip and followed the path Guru Gobind Singh took in Maharashtra and Rajputana. Banda Singh traveled at a rate of 16 kilometres a day. It took a year for him to reach Punjab.

Early conquests

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 of 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 lead an attack on Sonipat which war 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 on 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 lead 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 was 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 all. The Sayyids and Shaikhs were killed. Osman Khan was hanged to death and Sadhaura was captured.

Ropar

Wazir Khan had found out that the Sikhs from Majha had assembled at Kiratpur Sahib to join Banda Singh. When the Sikhs reached Ropar, Sher Mohammad Khan along with Khizar Khan, Nashtar Khan and Wali Mohammad Khan were there to block the Sikhs passage and offer them a battle. The Mughals had better weapons and a superior number of cavalry while the Sikhs had a small army with insufficient weapons. Both sides faced off in a bloody battle. As they were fighting, there came a bad dust storm which forced both parties to withdraw for the night. On the next day, a fresh contingent of Sikhs arrived to reinforce the remaining Sikhs. Immediately a bullet struck Khizar Khan in the head which caused confusion. Nashtar and Wali Mohammad Khan tried to retrieve the dead body of Khizar Khan but were killed while doing so. Sher Mohammad Khan fled away due to being seriously wounded. With most of their leaders killed, the remaining force retreated back to Sirhind. The Sikh force in Ropar later grouped with Banda Singh Bahadur to prepare for the attack on Sirhind.

Conquest of Sirhind

Preparations

The Sikhs were planning to wage dharamyudh against the city of Sirhind, its Governor Wazir Khan and Dewan Sucha Nand, to avenge Mughal oppression and the execution of the two young children of Guru Gobind Singh. This was the main goal of Banda Singh.

Before the battle began, Wazir Khan and Sucha Nand sent the latter's nephew with 1,000 men to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in a plot to deceive the Sikhs, by falsely claiming to have deserted the Mughals and have come joined the Sikhs for their cause. Wazir Khan had a large well-armed army, which included ghazis, along with a number of artillery, musketeers, and elephants. Khan's army was larger than 20,000.

On the other hand, Banda Singh's army was ill-equipped with long spears, arrows, swords, without artillery and elephants and insufficient amount of horses. According to Ganda Singh, Banda's army consisted of three classes of men where the first class were the devoted Sikhs imbued to crusade against the enemies of their country and religion, the second being the paid recruited soldiers sent by the chieftains of the Phul family, who sympathized with Banda Singh's cause. The third were the irregulars who were professional robbers and dacoits (bandits), eager to seize the opportunity to plunder the city. They were also the most unreliable allies as they would desert when fearing a sign of defeat. Hari Ram Gupta writes that Banda's army consisted of three groups, the first being Sikhs fighting purely to punish Wazir Khan, the second being Sikhs intent on plundering and punishing enemies of their faith. The third being Hindu Jats, Gujars and Rajputs intent on plunder alone.

Battle

Both sides faced off in Chappar Chiri on 12 May 1710. Upon the firing of artillery by the Mughal Army, the third class of Banda's army, consisting of bandits and irregulars fled, and soon after Sucha Nand's nephew along with his 1,000 men took to flight as well. Baj Singh informed Banda Singh of this. Banda Singh decided to personally entre the frontlines of the battle leading the charge against the Mughals. This motivated the Sikh force who shouted, "Waheguru ji ki Fateh" (Victory belongs to the Wondrous Enlightener) as they charged against the Mughals and their elephants. With only swords two elephants were killed by the Sikhs. The Mughals suffered heavy casualties with the Nawab of Malerkotla, Sher Mohammad Khan, being killed. He was followed by Mughal general Khawaja Ali. Wazir Khan attempted to rally his men as he fired arrows, but was confronted by Baj Singh. Wazir Khan threw a spear at Baj Singh. Both men dueled with Baj Singh injuring Wazir Khan's horse. Wazir Khan shot Baj Singh in the arm with an arrow and reached for his sword to kill him. Fateh Singh charged at Wazir Khan and decapitated Wazir Khan before he could kill Baj Singh. According to Suraj Granth and Maculiffe Wazir Khan was instead killed by Banda Singh who shot him with an arrow from the Guru. As soon as Wazir Khan died the Mughal force fled. Wazir Khan's body would later be tied to an animal and dragged around before being hung onto a tree.

The retreating Mughal force left behind all of their horses, cannons, tents, and ammunition which was all captured by the Sikhs. Sikhs yelled out war cries of "Sat Sri Akaal" (True is the Timeless Lord) as they fell upon Sirhind. Sikhs reached Sirhind by nightfall. The gates had been closed and cannons had been placed to stop the Sikhs. The Sikhs rested for the night. Wazir Khan's family with other Mughal officials had fled to Delhi. On the 13th 500 Sikhs were killed attempting to take Sirhind. By the 14th Sikhs entered Sirhind.

Aftermath

Filled with rage and revenge Sikhs began to destroy and razed Sirhind to the ground. Sucha Nand was captured and executed. All the booty of Sirhind was captured by Banda Singh. He further abolished the zamindari system (feudal system) and distributed land among the peasants. Banda Singh had ordered that the ownership of the land should be given to the peasants and to let them live in dignity and self-respect.

The entire province of Sirhind and its 28 parganas was under the control of Banda Singh. It extended from the Sutlej to the Yamuna and from the Shivalik hills to Kunjpura, Karnal and Kaithal. All of it yielded 3,600,000 rupees annually. He appointed Baj Singh as the new Governor of Sirhind and Ali Singh of Salaudi as his deputy, and struck coins. Fateh Singh was made Governor of Samana, and Ram Singh Governor of Thanesar.

Banda Singh had become well known at this time as, "The defender of the faith and the champion of the oppressed."

Military invasions

Banda Singh Bahadur developed the village of Mukhlisgarh and made it his capital. He then renamed it to Lohgarh (Fortress of Iron) where he issued his own mint. The coin described Lohgarh: "Struck in the City of Peace, illustrating the beauty of civic life, and the ornament of the blessed throne".

He briefly established a state in Punjab for half a year. Banda Singh sent Sikhs to Uttar Pradesh and the Sikhs took over Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, and other nearby areas.

The rule of the Sikhs over the entire Punjab east of Lahore obstructed the communication between Delhi and Lahore, the capital of Punjab, and this worried Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I He gave up his plan to subdue rebels in Rajputana and marched towards Punjab.

The entire imperial force was organized to defeat and kill Banda Singh Bahadur. All the generals were directed to join the Emperor's army. To ensure that there were no Sikh agents in the army camps, an order was issued on 29 August 1710 to all Hindus to shave off their beards.

Banda Singh was in Uttar Pradesh when the Mughal Army under the orders of Munim Khan marched to Sirhind and before the return of Banda Singh, they had already taken Sirhind and the areas around it. The Sikhs therefore moved to Lohgarh for their final battle. The Sikhs defeated the army but reinforcements were called and they laid siege on the fort with 60,000 troops. Gulab Singh dressed himself in the garments of Banda Singh and seated himself in his place.

Banda Singh left the fort at night and went to a secret place in the hills and Chamba forests. The failure of the army to kill or catch Banda Singh shocked Emperor Bahadur Shah I and on 10 December 1710 he ordered that wherever a Sikh was found, he should be killed.

Banda Singh Bahadur wrote Hukamnamas to the Sikhs to reorganize and join him at once. In 1712, the Sikhs gathered near Kiratpur Sahib and defeated Raja Ajmer Chand, who was responsible for organizing all the Hill States against Guru Gobind Singh and instigating battles with him. After Bhim Chand's dead the other Hill Rajas accepted their subordinate status and paid revenues to Banda Singh. While Bahadur Shah I's four sons were killing themselves for the throne of the Mughal Emperor, Banda Singh Bahadur recaptured Sadhaura and Lohgarh. Farrukh Siyar, the 10th Mughal Emperor, appointed Abdus Samad Khan as the Subahdar of the Lahore province and Zakariya Khan, Abdus Samad Khan's son, the Faujdar of Jammu.

In 1713 the Sikhs left Lohgarh and Sadhaura and went to the remote hills of Jammu and where they built Dera Baba Banda Singh. During this time Sikhs were being persecuted especially by Mughals in the Gurdaspur region. Banda Singh came out and captured Kalanaur and Batala (both places in modern Gurdaspur district which rebuked Farrukh Siyar to issue Mughal and Hindu officials and chiefs to proceed with their troops to Lahore to reinforce his army.

Siege in Gurdas Nangal

In March 1715, the army under the command of Abd al-Samad Khan, the Mughal Governor of Lahore, drove Banda Bahadur and the Sikh forces into the village of Gurdas Nangal, 6 km to the west of Gurdaspur, Punjab and laid siege to the village. The Sikhs defended the small fort for eight months under conditions of great hardship, but on 7 December 1715 the Mughals broke into the starving garrison and captured Banda Singh and his companions.

Execution

Banda Singh Bahadur was put into an iron cage and the remaining Sikhs were chained. The Sikhs were brought to Delhi in a procession with the 780 Sikh prisoners, 2,000 Sikh heads hung on spears, and 700 cartloads of heads of slaughtered Sikhs used to terrorize the population. They were put in the Red Fort and pressured to give up their faith and become Muslims.

The prisoners remained unmoved. On their firm refusal these non-converters were ordered to be executed. Every day 100 Sikh soldiers were brought out of the fort and executed in public. This continued for approximately seven days. Banda was told to kill his four-year-old son, Ajai Singh, which he refused to do. So, Ajai was executed, his heart was cut out, and thrust into Banda's mouth. However, his resolution did not break under torture, and so he was martyred. After three months of confinement, on 9 June 1716, Banda's eyes were gouged out, his limbs were severed, his skin removed, and then he was beheaded.

The execution of Banda Singh Bahadur and 700 of his followers by the Mughals in the spring of 1716 at Delhi was observed by a European visitor to the city on official business who was a British East India Company diplomat to the Mughal Empire. This European recorded his thoughts on the execution of the Sikhs in a letter he sent to the Governor of Fort William in Calcutta. It is one of the earliest accounts of the Sikhs from the perspective of a Westerner.

Revolutionary

Banda Singh Bahadur is known to have halted the Zamindari and Taluqdari system in the time he was active and gave the peasants proprietorship of their own land. It seems that all classes of government officers were addicted to extortion and corruption and the whole system of regulatory and order was subverted.

Local tradition recalls that the people from the neighborhood of Sadaura came to Banda Singh complaining of the iniquities practices by their feudal lords. Banda Singh ordered Baj Singh to open fire on them. The people were astonished at the strange reply to their representation and asked him what he meant. He told them that they deserved no better treatment when being thousands in number they still allowed themselves to be cowed down by a handful of Zamindars. He defeated the Sayyids and Shaikhs in the Battle of Sadhaura.

Possible rivalry with Tat Khalsa and legacy

In 1714, a resolute effort was envisaged by Farrukh Siyar to suppress Banda's rebellion, who was evading capture despite significant Mughal endeavors and investment of resources. At first, Mata Sundari (Guru Gobind's widow) was asked to persuade Banda to stop his lawlessness and expedition against the Mughals in exchange for jagirs and recruitment for Sikh soldiers into the imperial army. Banda declined on account of his lack of trust in the government. The Emperor had then imprisoned both of Gobind's widows, prompting Sundari to write to Banda again to get him to submit. Banda had again declined, leading the Emperor to tighten the restrictions on the widows, culminating in the excommunication of Banda Singh Bahadur by Mata Sundari for refusing to submit to the Emperor as per her demands. She further accused him of reigning over the Sikhs as their "Guru", and reprimanded his followers in a hukam-nama. This dispute led to two separate factions of the contemporary Sikh community, the Tat Khalsa; who were allied to Mata Sundari, and the Bandais; who were allied to Banda Singh Bahadur. Mata Sundari's intervention led to half of Banda's followers (approximately fifteen thousand) abandoning him prior to the siege of Gurdas Nangal. Disputes between the Tat Khalsa and the Bandais primarily included topics including Banda's abandonment of the traditional blue robes in favor of red ones, his insistence on vegetarianism, his observance of caste rituals, and his replacement of the prescribed Sikh slogan with "Fateh Darshan", as well as concerns over excesses committed by Banda's troops during their campaign of retribution against the Mughals. Banda's excommunication impeded his ability to counter the Mughals and contributed to his eventual capture and execution.

Modern Sikh tradition speaks of at least two different Khalsas; the Tat Khalsa adhering to the polity and injunctions of Guru Gobind Singh, and the Bandais; those who adopted the principles of Banda Singh Bahadur.

However the authenticity of the excommunication of Banda Singh Bahadur by Mata Sundari has been questioned by historian Ganda Singh who mentions that there is no contemporary or near contemporary writers or sources that make any mention of Banda Singh Bahadur being excommunicated, or that Farrukh Siyar had come into negotiations with Mata Sundari. Historian Surjit Singh Gandhi also claims that there is no contemporary sources that make any mention of an excommunication occurring between Banda Singh and Mata Sundari. Historian Sukhdial Singh further notes that there is no hukam-nama issued by Mata Sundari that addresses Banda Singh. According to Dr. Nazer Singh, Banda Singh was regarded with contempt by the Akalis and the larger Sikh community for two centuries after his death, to counter Banda's exclusion from the Sikh community, Dr. Ganda Singh wrote an exculpatory book on him in 1935, proclaiming him to be a "perfect Sikh". However although Ganda Singh defends Banda Singh from the various allegations levied against him, he does however acknowledge that Banda Singh was not beyond criticism nor was he infallible. Purnima Dhavan has also cast doubt on Ganda Singh's explication of Banda Singh Bahadur's life and adherence to the Khalsa doctrine; his citing of Banda's phrases in hukam-namas, which he interpreted as Banda deferring to the Guru's authority and strictures ("This is the order of the Sacha Sahiba" and "He who lives according to the Rehat of the Khalsa shall be saved by the Guru") were equivocal and could also be taken as Banda conferring guruship upon himself. However Hari Ram Gupta notes that the term "Sri Sacha Sahiba" found in Banda Singh's writings was used to only refer to God and the Guru and not himself. Ganda Singh also concurred that Banda invented his own salutation and prohibited the consumption of meat, likely motivated by his Bairagi background as opposed to the customs of the Khalsa. Harbans Sagoo notes that although Banda Singh introduced the slogan of "Fateh Darshan", he never intended it to replace the traditional Sikh salutation of "Waheguru Ji Ki Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh". When the Khalsa rejected Fateh Darshan as a slogan, Banda Singh agreed to abandon it. Sukhdial Singh claims the slogan was not Fateh Darshan but rather "Fateh Darshani" meaning a fateh which uttered after a darshan. Sukhdial Singh claims that the slogan alone wouldn't have warranted any form of punishment. According to Purnima Dhavan, while Banda did reiterate support of the Khalsa rahit in his hukam-namas, he also revered the values of vegetarianism and customs associated with the Hindu elite, made appeals to a collective Hindu and Sikh religion, and omitted prior orthodox Sikh sentiments and apprehensions about the Khalsa's interactions with other groups.

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial

A war memorial was built where Battle of Chappar Chiri was fought, to glorify heroic Sikh soldiers. The 328 feet tall Fateh Burj was dedicated to Banda Singh Bahadur who led the army and defeated the Mughal forces. The Fateh Burj is taller than Qutab Minar and is an octagonal structure. There is a dome at the top of the tower with Khanda made of stainless steel.

In popular culture

• Sarbans Dani Guru Gobind Singh, a 1998 Indian Punjabi-language drama film directed by Ram Maheshwari. The film follows the Guru and Banda Singh Bahadur's struggle against the Mughal Empire.
• Rise of Khalsa, a 2006 Indian animated historical drama film by Vismaad Mediatech.
• Chaar Sahibzaade: Rise of Banda Singh Bahadur, a 2016 Indian computer-animated film by Harry Baweja. A sequel to Chaar Sahibzaade, it follows Banda Singh Bahadur's fight against the Mughals under the guidance of Guru Gobind Singh.
• Guru Da Banda, a 2018 Indian animated historical drama film by Jassi Chana.

Battle record