Banda Singh Bahadur
| Banda Singh Bahadur ਬੰਦਾ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਹਾਦਰ |
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Statue of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur at Chappar Chiri
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| Born |
Lachman Dev 27 October 1670 Rajauri, Jammu |
| Died |
9 June 1716 (aged 45) Delhi, Mughal Empire |
| Nationality | Sikh |
| Other names | Gurbakhsh Singh |
| Years active | 1708-1716 |
| Known for |
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| Successor | Chhajja Singh Dhillon |
| Children | 1 (Ajai Singh) 2 (Ranjeet Singh) |
Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev, also known simply as Banda Bahadur,Banda Singh, Lachman Das and Madho Das; 27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716, Delhi) was a Sikh military commander.
At age 15 he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name ‘’Madho Das’’. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī, where in September 1708 he was visited by, and became a disciple of, Guru Gobind Singh, who gave him the new name of Banda Singh Bahadur. Armed with the blessing and authority of Guru Gobind Singh, he assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire.
His first major action was the sack of the Mughal provincial capital, Samana, in November 1709. After establishing his authority in Punjab, Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the zamindari system, and granted property rights to the tillers of the land. He was captured by the Mughals and tortured to death in 1716.
There are different views regarding the origin of Banda Singh Bahadur:
After a meeting with Guru Gobind Singh on 3 September 1708, he became a Sikh. The guru ordered him to go to Punjab and fight the Mughals with the help of the Sikh army. Banda Singh Bahadur first camped in Khanda, Sonipat. It has been written in many history books that Khandaa village was the first headquarter of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1709. Some history books read as under: (i) In 1709-10, Banda Bairagi, originally a Rajput, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, in an effort to continue the fight against the oppression, collected an army of Sikhs and occupied the whole of the country, west of the Yamuna. He laid waste the whole neighbourhood of Karnal, where he killed the faujdar. He was repulsed by Bahadur Shah about 19 kilometres north-east of Sadhaura. Banda Singh Bahadur set-up his headquarters at Khanda, Sonipat district.
(ii) While on his way to Punjab, Banda Singh broke his journey at Khandaa, Sonipat a Jat Village of Dahiya Gotra, 20 miles west of Delhi. In this village he came in touch with great Saint Kishore Dass of Khanda, Sonipat. He planned to attack and loot the Royal treasury by and by the Sikhs started arriving and the strength of the force rose to 1400. He attached Samana, overran, Sadhora, Kunjpura etc. and finally overpowered and killed the Ruler of Sirhind named Wazirkhan. He fought the Battle of Sonepat and took over Sonipat and Kaithal.
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Wikipedia