Prince George Sikh Youth: Remembering the Sahibzaade

Here are the dates from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Academy for this year:

Let us remember the sacrifices of the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji: Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, and Sahibzada Fateh Singh as well as Mata Gujri Ji.

The Hindu Rajput chiefs were worried that the caste system was destroying their control on the population. They tried to push Guru Gobind Singh Ji out for five years until they finally got the help of Aurangzeb and laid siege on Anandpur fort in May 1705. The Mughal forces led by Wazir Khan numbered over 700 000, plus 150 000 soldiers from the Hill Rajas. The Sikhs had no access to outside food or ammunition. Guru Ji dispatched 5000 Sikhs to For Anandgarh fort, Baba Ajit Singh with 2000 soldiers to Lohgarh, and Baba Jujhar Singh with 2000 at Kesgarh; finally Bhai Hari Singh, Bachittar Singh, and Udhe Singh with an army of 2000 at Fatehghar. Bhai Kanhaiya Ji became a Sikh of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. During the battle of Anandpur, he was serving water to the soldiers from the enemy side. The Sikhs complained to Guru Ji since they were under siege and supplies were limited. He explained that he only saw God everywhere, and Guru Ji instructed him to also treat the soldiers’ wounds- this was prior to the formation of the Red Cross. Bhai Kanhaiya Ji went on to establish a Dharmsala to provide food, water and shelter, and it was run using the income from his rope-making.

The Sikhs survived off of tree leaves and bark. The Mughals wanted to end this as it was too expensive, they were running out of resources and it was embarrassing that they were outnumbering the Khalsa and still losing. The Hill Rajas and Mughals wrote a letter to Guru Ji swearing on the Quran and the cow that they would not attack. Guru Ji did not trust them and tested his theory by saying they would evacuate their treasures first. They prepared bull-carts of garbage and sent out in the night with 20 Sikhs. The opposing forces attacked immediately, and Guru Ji’s point was proven. 40 individuals wanted to leave, and Guru Ji let them. They signed a piece of paper (Bedawa) that they were no longer Sikhs of the Guru. (These later become the Chali Mukhte).

In December Aurangzeb wrote a royal command sealed on the oath of the Quran, and for Hindus, the Salgram idol and cow. A Muslim and Hindu priest were sent to swear they could evacuate safely. Guru Ji knew that they would be betrayed but the Sikhs were adamant to leave even when Guru Ji said they only needed to wait a few days longer and God would send them help. Thus, they evacuated after 8 months of siege. Guru Ji put Gulab Singh and Syam Singh in charge of the forts. As anticipated, Aurangzeb broke the promise and the Hill Rajas and Mughals attacked. Bibi Dalair Kaur was assigned by Guru Gobind Singh Ji to guard Anandpur Sahib when the Sikhs were evacuating. She fought against the Mughals with 100 other female Sikhs and was martyred. Sahibzada Ajit Singh kept the enemy at bay with the help of Bhai Ude Singh. This was called the battle of Shahi Tibbi and Ude Singh sent Ajit Singh back to his family, and was martyred himself. As it was heavily raining, Guru Ji and the Sikhs got to the flooded Sirsa (pronounced Sar-sa) River. Guru Ji now sent Bhai Jiwan Singh (formerly Bhai Jaita Ji who had taken Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s head after their martyrdom) with a group of Sikhs to hold off the enemy and he became shaheed.

As the Sikhs tried to cross the river, the two younger sons and mother of Guru Ji were separated, Mata Jito and Sahib Kaur were separated, many Sikhs drowned, and many writings of Guru Ji were lost. Guru Ji, his older sons, Ajit Singh (18) and Jujhar Singh (14), and other Sikhs reached village Ghanaula. Guru Ji sent Bhai Bachittar Singh (who had fought the elephant in the Battle of Bhagani) with a group of 100 Sikhs to the short route to Rupar, while Guru Ji went via a longer route staying with Pathan Nihang Khan. Bhai Bachittar Singh’s group was largely martyred en route. He was carried to Nihang Khan’s house by Sahibzada Ajit Singh and another Sikh. Guru Ji asked Nihang Khand to look after him and bestowed a sword, dagger and shield as gifts to Nihang Khan. Mughals came to search Nihang Khan’s house but he said his daughter was caring for her sick husband and they left. Bhai Bachittar Singh then left this world. Guru Ji continued to travel until reaching the “Kachi Garhi” (mudfort) at Chamkaur with a group of 40 Sikhs. Very sadly, the original Chamkaur-de-Gari/Kachi Gari was demolished by the SGPC and replaced with a new Gurdwara Sahib. Our original history has been lost just for the sake of modernization. See picture of the original Kachi Gari on the right (https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Garhi_Sahib)

Meanwhile, his mother and younger children Zorawar (9 years old) and Fateh Singh (7) went with Gangu, a servant of the Guru for the last 22 years (in some writings it says it was unlikely he was a cook because why would Guru Ji have their own cook, they would eat in the langar). While they were walking a Muslim devotee of Guru Ji, Kuma, invited them to rest at his house for the night and guarded them. His neighbour Lachumani gave food and clothing to them. The next day they took Kuma’s boat across the Satluj and walked to Kheri village at Gangu’s insistence, even though Mata Ji wanted to go to Ropar to meet Guru Ji. Lastly, Mata Sunder Kaur and Sahib Kaur were also separated at the Sirsa River, staying at Ropar then leaving to Delhi with Bhai Mani Singh, Jawahar Singh, and Bhai Dana Ji.

Gurdwara Thanda Burj
(cold tower where the Sahibzaade slept)

The next day the Battle of Chamkaur ensued. The opposing forces were an army of 1 million from Delhi, plus the forces of the Hill Rajas. The Sikhs fought from the fort for as long as they could then were left to direct combat. 37 Sikhs were martyred including 2 of Guru Jis sons, Lal Singh (formerly Pandit Lal Chand), Kirpa Singh (formerly Pandit Kirpa Ram), and 3 of the Panj Pyare (Himmat Singh, Sahib Singh and Mokham Singh). They fought valiantly despite having been under siege and starving for 8 months. (Guru even throws this point to Aurangzeb in his Zafarnama). The remaining 5 Sikhs used their authority of Guruship to tell the Guru to escape in the night. Guru Ji gave their clothing away to Sangat Singh, clapped three times, loudly announcing their leaving, but none of the Mughals even understood what was happening at the time. Bhai Dya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, and Bhai Maan Singh left as well, but were separate from Guru Ji with the plan to rejoin. The next day, when Sangat Singh became Shaheed, they realize it was not Guru Ji. Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla heard of the Shaheedi and started cremating the bodies. She was caught by the Mughals and fought but got injured and was also thrown into the fire. Bhai Rama and Tirloka arrived in Chamkaur and found the martyred Sikhs. While the Muslims were busy burying their own, they ran around and acted like they were out of their senses, then at night they carried the rest of the bodies onto the pyre started by Sharan Kaur. When the Mughals came they diverted attention by acting in madness and the cremation was completed.

Tree under which Guru Ji
wrote the shabad

Meanwhile Gangu stole Mata Gujri’s coins in the night. When Mata Ji confronted him, Gangu betrayed them to the officials and they were transferred to Sirhind (Sar-handh) in iron shackles and a weight tied to their hands. They were imprisoned at the Thanda Burj (cold tower). Mata Ji was taken there immediately while the children were presented to the court where they were tortured, then taken to the Thanda Burj and weren’t given food or water. Moti Mehra was a servant in the Hindu Kitchen and nephew of Bhai Himmat Singh who served food to the prisoners. He secretly came and gave offered food but Mata Ji refused to eat from the Mughals, so he went home bribed the guards to bring in milk.

Guru Ji walked to Machiwara and slept on the ground in the winter. He composed the shabad Mitr Pyare Nu under a tree at Machiwara forest. "Tell the beloved friend (the Lord) the plight of his disciples. Without You, rich blankets are a disease and the comfort of the house is like living with snakes. Our water pitchers are like stakes of torture and our cups have edges like daggers. Your neglect is like the suffering of animals at the hands of butchers. Our Beloved Lord's straw bed is more pleasing to us than living in costly furnace-like mansions." He rejoined Bhai Maan Singh, Daya Singh and Dharam Singh. Next two brothers, Gulaba and Panjaba, who were masands kept Guru Ji in their orchard. They invited Guru Ji inside at night but when they found out they were in danger for hosting Guru Ji, they signalled that he needed to live. The Sikhs challenged him them but Guru Ji was merciful and left.

In the meantime, Wazir Khan ordered for the Sahibzaade to be presented to the court. They made a small door that was open to force the Sahibzaade to bow down as they entered. Instead they entered feet first and said “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!” instead of greeting in Salam. Suchanand, a minister in Wazir Khan’s governance, he sent a wedding proposal to of his daughter to Ajit Singh that Guru Ji declined as he was deceitful- this left him vengeful. He and Wazir Khan tried to get them to convert but they refused. At night, Moti Mehra came again with milk to the Thanda Burj, this time giving the guards his wife’s jewellery.

Getting back to Guru Ji, followers of Pir Buddhu Shah, Nabhi Khan and Gani Khan, Muslim horse-dealers, kept Guru Ji in their home for two nights. Guru Ji blessed them with a Hukamnama and they disguised Guru Ji as their prophet. They call him “Uch Da Pir” and as they carried him. The Mughal soldiers stopped them in suspicion and brough Qazi Pir Mohammed to verify this Pir. He was Guru Ji’s teacher when he was a child, and told the soldiers not to stop him. Guru Ji travelled through Alamgir, Raikot, Lamma Jattpura, Mehdiana, Dina, Gurusar, Dhilwan Kalan Sodhian, Kot Kapura, Jaton, Rameyana to “Mukhtsar” (new name).

Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib
(where the Sahibzaade were martyred)

The Sahibzaade were summoned again. The Mughals took them to town. Rather than looking at toys or food they went to a stall with arms and picked up a sword and a spear. In the court, Suchanand tried to advise them to convert to Islam but they refused and went back to the Thanda Burj. Moti Mehra came again on this third night. The next day Wazir Khan tried to tell them that Guru Ji and his brothers were all killed at Chamkaur Sahib which they refused to believe. Wazir Khan then called Nawab of Malerkotla Sher Mohammed, and his brother for avenging the death of their brother at Chamkaur. He refused and said that revenge would be in the battlefield against Guru Ji directly. Suchanand then asked what the children would do if they were released, they said they would gather and army and fight against the Mughals. Suchanand then commented “the offsprings of a cobra should be crushed.” The Qazi announced the judgement that they be bricked alive and Sher Mohammed Khan protested. Suchanand had the guards hit the Sahibzaade and they refused to bow to Wazir Khan. The Sahibzaade faced extensive torture but were brave despite their young age. They were whipped, lit on fire, stones were slung at them and Suchanand had a cow killed and ordered for the blood sprinkled in their eyes, drops poured on their head and for them to drink it. When the bowl came near, the blood changed into milk! Wazir Khan then let them sleep thinking Mata Ji would convince them not to become Shaheed. Moti Mehra traded in his house, the last of what he had, to bribe the guards to bring milk that night. Todar Mal, a devotee of the Guru, tried to intervene but was unsuccessful. The Sahibzaade were separated and told the other agreed, but they knew that wasn’t possible. Shashan Beg and Bashan Beg were taken out of prison on a pardon to execute the Sahibzaade. The brick wall was made as they recited Japji Sahib. When it got to the knees, the person building the wall was told to break their knees instead of the bricks to keep the wall even. The wall got up to the head of Zorawar Singh and crumbled. Wazir Khan ordered them to be beheaded. Mata Ji also breathed her last. They attempted to boil the heads of the Sahibzaade in oil but the fire kept blowing out, then they tried to hang them from a tower but the person who would go up became blind. They hanged the heads on a rope on a tree and threw stones and arrows, but a parrot in the tree said “Uprooted are the roots of the Mughal empire” and “Gone are thy tyrant” before it was killed. When Guru Ji found out his younger Sahibzaade were Shaheed, he pulled out a plant with his arrow, saying the Mughals would also be uprooted. Todar Mal wanted to cremate the bodies and was made to pay the amount of gold coins it took to cover the land, vertically. This cost him the equivalent 10 million 800,000 rupees which was all of his wealth. When Wazir Khan found out about Moti Mehra, his family was flogged then crushed in an oil press between tight rollers.

We remember the sahibzaade because their sacrifice means today’s freedom, and because their courage is our inspiration. Puneet Singh Nanda writes about qualities of the Sahibzaade that we can incorporate into our lives such as standing up against oppression, not giving up your path for worldly pleasures (they didn’t take the worldly goods offered as bribes), having faith, and learning that physical death is not to be feared if we can be jeevan mukht through our mind. 'Thoughtful Kaur' reminds us that an important part of remembering the Chaar Sahibzaade is remembering that as we are all Guru Ji’s children, we all have the potential to gain the amount of strength, courage, and faith that they had. We should be inspired by this story to read stories of our children as Mata Ji read to the Sahibzaade as it gave them strength, as well as to read Gurbani and build internal strength.

References:

“Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Academy.” Facebook, 2020, www.facebook.com/sggsacademy/ Check this out if you haven't it is a great resource!!

http://www.sikhspirit.com/khalsa/sahibzadas.htm

http://sikhism.about.com/od/Historic-Events/p/Battle-Of-Chamkaur-And-Martyrdom-Of-Elder-Sahibzadas-December-1705.htm

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Char_Sahibzade

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Supreme_sacrifice

http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/martyrs/sahibzade.html

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Mittar_Pyare_Nu

http://www.sikharchives.com/?p=11713

http://www.zafarnama.com/Download/zafarnama.pdf

A History of the Sikhs Volume I 1469-1839, 2nd Edition by Khushwant Singh

https://thoughtfulkaur.wordpress.com/2016/11/13/chaar-sahibzaade-2/