Homage Yatra to Baba Banda Bahadur

Tarun Vijay
The mighty river Chenab has many historic stories woven around her immortal flow and one of them is the Tapasya done by India’s one of the greatest martyrs and eliminator of savage moghul’s tyranny from Panjab , Baba Banda Singh Bahadur’s tapasya on her banks.
He spent two years in 1713 till 1715 , in Dhyan and meditation, here, taking bath in Chenab and meditating. It was here that he collected strength, organised reinvogarated armed forces of the Sikhs to attack moghuls. The historic berry treee ( Indian Jujube, botanical nsme- Ziziphus species) under which he meditated in 1713 AD is still alive and gives fruits as sweet as honey. The 48 ft long Deodar tree( Himalayan Cedar) log that Baba Banda Singh installed here for Nishan Saheb is still standing tall and as strong as a steel pillar . Its a place of several miracles and faithfuls come here to pay obaissance from all over. The direct descendants of Baba Banda Singh’s family still maintain this holy place and the present Gaddeenasheen is Baba Jatinder Paul Singh Sodhi who is an unassuming simple saint living an austere life serving poor and needy.
Baba Banda Singh is our family’s hero and we adore him like a mahapurush. But I was shocked to see that not only in Delhi people hardly know about his martyrdom place but even in Red Fort there is no mention of his captivity and his brave courageous wife Sushil Kaur’s martyrdom. Its a shame for us that we dont respect our martyrs and heroes like Baba Banda Bahadur in a graceful, proper way. I worked and took help from Dr Harbans Kaur Sagoo renowned historian in Delhi to visit Baba Banda Bahadur’s martyrdom place in Delhi, offered my prayers and felt inspired. Sadly even that place is in a congested, unmaintained , surroundings. It needs proper attention by our authorities. I feel privileged that with our collective efforts the work may begin shortly on its recognition as national monument of importance .
PM Modi is a very sincere devotee of the Sikh Gurus and Banda Bahadur or Banda Bairagi is his hero. Even a noble lauraete poet , sitting in Bengal, Kaviguru Rabindranath Thakur wrote a beautiful poem on Banda Bahadur . The inspiring Rabindranath poem is described in a media report like this-” in 1899 that the Nobel Laureate – Rabindranath wrote his poem ‘Bandi Bir’ (Captive Hero) based on the Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur and his brave Sikh fighters who took on the tyrannical Mughal army despite being outnumbered and ill-equipped in terms of weapons. He sang paens to the great warrior, using terms like “singher moto shrinkhalgato” (lion in shackles) to describe his arrest by the Mughals.
“The poem is part of the academic syllabus in every English and vernacular medium school of West Bengal. It is also one of those powerful creations of Tagore which mothers love to teach their children, in every Bengali household”
But are the stories of Banda Bahadur form any part of school syllabus in Jammu Kashmir ? Bengal feels proud of him, but what about J&K where he was born and did Tapasya? Our social political leaders will have to answer this. Secularism doesnt mean forgetting our warriors and ancestors.
Now is the time to rectify our mistakes in the field of teaching right history and projecting our heroes. As Prime Minister Modi said recently ‘We are rectifying mistakes of history which didn’t honour deserving leaders and warriors.'(https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1698406).
In this context I was requested by the Gaddeenasheen Baba Jatinder Paul Sodhi to help him have a function to honour Jammu Kashmir’s dynamic Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and have his tour to Dera Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in Reasi district. His invitation was readily accepted by the highly motivated and humble Lt Gov Shri Sinha and he decided to pay a homage visit to Dera on on 8th March. Definitely this visit may result in Dera Baba Banda Bahadur getting a stature of Monument of National Stature and a museum on Babaji’s martyrdom may be established.
Few would know that Jammu Kashmir state , once a suzerainty under Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Sikh kingdom, has a very special relation with Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. This place must appear on all J&K tourism websites with glorious saga of the saint warrior described A road to reach the Dera is also pending repait since decades and no one has taken any serious note of it.
The present Dera land was granted to Baba Banda Singh’s family descendants by Maharaja Ranjit Singh .
Lt Guv Shri Manoj Sinha himself is a fighter, having won many democratic battles. An IIT-BHU alumnus , he was president of the BHU students union. He understands what the unparalleled sacrifice of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur means to India.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was born on 16th Oct. 1670 at Rajauri in the Punchh district of Western Kashmir as Lachhman Dev. His father Ram Dev was an ordinary farmer Rajput. The story of his becoming a sanyasi and then receiving blessings of Guru Govind Singh ji to become a Sikh warrior is too inspiring .
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur aimed at national awakening and libration of the country from the oppressive rule of the Mughals.He killed Wazir Khan, Governor of Sarhind in the battle of Chappar Chiri on May 12, 1710 A.D. avenging the cruel act of the moguls and served his Sacche Patshah Guru Govind Singh.
As we know young Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, sons of Guru Govind Singh ji, attained martyrdom on 26, December, 1705, when they were brutally murdered by Wazir Khan the Mughal Governor of Sirhind by bricking them alive in fort wall for refusing to convert to Islam.
Baba Banda Singh took in his hands the administration of the conquered territories. Baj Singh, was appointed the Governor of Sirhind, with Ali Singh as his Naib, Bhai Fateh Singh Governor of Samana and Ram Singh, was appointed Governor of Thanesar jointly with Baba Binod Singh. He issued coins and official seal, not in his name but in the name of Guru Nanak Dev ji and Guru Gobind Singh ji. Baba also introduced new samvat or the era commencing with the victory at Sirhind. He made Lohgarh his capital. He also established Sikh Thanas at various important towns created sub-divisions and placed them under the charge of honest sardars.
Hugely overpowered by moghul armies, he along with his 740 Sikh companions was captured from the fort of Gurdas Nangal, brought to Delhi via Lahore, where all Sikhs were executed mercilessly, in the ground facing the Kotwali of Chandni Chowk. Their dead bodies were hung on trees and the gates leading to the city to petrify people and to discourage them from following Dharma. But not even a single Sikh embraced Islam or withdrew their allegiance to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and his 6 yr old son Ajai Singh were martyred on 9 June, 1716 A.D. along with his other 18 companions near a gate en-route the tomb of a so called Sufi Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki at Mehrauli. The butchers first killed his son Ajai Singh in his lap. His soft body was cut into pieces which were hurled on the face of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. The heart of the child was thrust in the mouth of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. But Banda Bahadur remained unmoved and sat in a composed state.
After Ajai Singh, it was the turn of this saint soldier who remained blissful even in the hour of distress. The butcher removed his right eye with a sharp knife and then the left one. His left foot was cut off next, but he continued to remain calm. Next, the butcher severed both his hands. However, his face was shining as before. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur’s flesh was torn with red hot pincers and finally he was decapitated and hacked to pieces limb by limb, on his refusal to accept Islam.
Presently Baba Jatinder Paul Singh Sodhi, the 10th descendant of the family of Baba Banda Bahadur has established a large number of Gurdwaras, schools, dispensaries and other centres of public welfare in different states of the country.
Sadly the road access to this holy place of warrior saint is in ruins, with a bone shaking ‘road’, no signages, no publicity, no street lights, weak internet/mobile connectivity, regular power cuts for hours, the isolated state govt tourist guest house is used as a ‘godown’ , remains locked for visitors. Politicians promised a heaven during elections but never returned.
I am happy to see that the popular MP from this region Dr Jitendra Singh , who has become a national leader taking care of sensitive areas from Kashmir to the Northeast has done many works to help Dera Baba Banda Bahadur. He organised help from Mumbai too and took extra ordinary measures to provide relief during floods.
Lt Governor J&K Manoj Sinha is serving a national cause by visiting the place and as Prime Minister visualised, correcting the wrongs of prejudiced historians. Hope J&K will have Banda Bahadur’s life included in school curriculams and developnent works be done , utterly bsd shaped road to Dera renovated including a Banda Bahadur Ghat constructed at Chenab river and renaming Krishi Vigyan Kendra Reasi after Banda Bahadur.
( The author is researching on the life and martyrdom of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. He is a former Member of Parliament)
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