The first Sikh military leader or we can say the Khalsa Army Commander, Banda Singh Bahadur to initiate a war against the oppressive Mughal rulers of India which resulted in the expansion of the Sikh territory for a particular period but the end was very heartbreaking.
With the birth name Lachman Dev, he was born in October 1670 in a farmer’s Rajput family in a small village of the State of Kashmir. Growing up, he had a great fondness for martial art, horse riding, hunting and using bows and arrows and also some other weapons which were normally used in wars of that time.
He was cruel in beginning but at the age of 15, one heartbreaking scene changed his heart. He hunted a female deer and tore its belly when he saw two unborn offspring dying with pain. After this, his heart melts and he became an ascetic or Samana.
His name changed to Madho Daas Bairagi and he even opened an ashram but he was still egoistic and used to insult saints, intellectuals etc.
One day in 1708 Guru Gobind Singh visited him and the words of the Guru made Madho Daas his ‘Banda’ which means slave or a good human being and he fell to the feet of the respected Guru.
Guru Gobind Singh gave him Amrit ( baptized the Sikh way) and the name Gur Bakhash Singh but the people knew him with the name Banda Singh Bahadur.
In the October of 1708, the Guru asked him to go to Punjab and fight against the cruelty of Punjab rulers and punish them. He further asked him to fight for human rights and upliftment of the poor and marginalised sections. This is where he became the General of the Khalsa Army.
After some time, the Nawab of Sirhind, Wazir Khan sent to Parthian spies who stabbed Guru Gobind Singh and killed him. Till now the Sikhs were defenders in war but this incident turned them into cruel attackers.
Now the followers of Guru Gobind Singh were full of rage and the Banda Bahadur-led army attacked and conquered various cities and towns like Sonepat, Samaana, Ghurham, Malerkotla, Nahan, Kenthal, Kapoori, Thaskaa, Sadhoura etc in 1709. Now their next target was the Governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan whom they killed in the Battle of Chappar Chiri on 12 May 1710.
The territory from the river Sutlej to the river Yamuna was controlled by Banda Singh Bahadur. He made their capital Lohgarh and established a state of Punjab.
Banda Singh Bahadur threatened the Mughals that their domination may end. He brought a democratic rule and allowed the people to live a life of dignity. He brought an end to the oppressive Zamindari and Taluqdari system and made the farmers owners of their land. He worked for the poor and marginalised, he was good by heart. He had the power of the devil but his heart was of a saint.
He even defeated the Sayyids and Shaikhs in the Battle of Sadhaura which strengthened his army further. People saw him as their messiah but this was unacceptable to the Mughal rulers.
The Mughals organized the Imperial force to capture and kill Banda Singh Bahadur. The Mughal army attacked, then he stayed kachhi Garhi of Duni Chand at Gurdas Nangal. The Mughals dared not to enter the fort for the next 8 months. After keeping their food and other supplies cut for 8 months they entered the fort and captured Banda Singh Bahadur after a cruel war.
The General was captured in an iron cage and the remaining Sikhs were chained when they brought them to Delhi. They killed 100 Sikhs every day in Public for seven days and then killed Banda Singh Bahadur’s four-year-old son.
After torturing the brave soldier for three months with iron rods and he was killed.
But he accepted his fate because he believed that he failed the principles and teachings of his Guru Gobind Singh and thus he deserved it. He was a courageous General of the Khalsa Army who did not give up till the end and became a martyr.
