Women Of Sikhi

[Freed]

Gyani Gyan Singh's description of Sikh Women - When the Khalsa Walked unopposed into Delhi 1781

When Sardar Baghel Singh and the Khalsa walked unopposed into Delhi - they were accompanied by a number of Singhaneean - Gynai Gian Singh describes their Royal bearing and stature - some were dressed in full Bana with Tall Dastars and heavily armed, others were finely dressed - their dress is described - while some are dressed as 'warrior men' the rest are described as wearing salwars of 20 yards , silver ornaments weighing 10 ser ( 2 pound weight) and their hair was in 'Chundian' top knots one and a half hands high (Dedh gith) and their kurte (tops) were embroidered . The Begums of the emporer - said to the Sikh women that we are just poor slaves you are blessed to be free.

*from Panth Prakash - Gyani Gyan Singh - Bhasha Vibhag - 1987 Ed- pg 1150-4

Sardarni Sada Kaur - Wife of Gurbakhsh Singh Sardar of the Kanhaiya Misl - fought in battle against Ranjit Singh - though eventually sought an alliance by marrying her daughter to Ranjit Singh. It is said that see was the power behind the throne and that she "was the ladder by which Ranjit singh reached the Summit of power"

Sketch of Sardarni Sada Kaur - attributed to Kehar Singh

*from Punjab Painting - RP Srivastava - Abhinav - 1983 - plate 53

Rani Mehtab Kaur - daughter of Sada Kaur - married to Maharaja Ranjit Singh and mother of Maharaja Sher Singh

*from a flyer for a Lecture on Sikh women

Rani Chand Kaur - daughter of Jaimal Singh Kanhaya - married to Maharaja Kharrak Singh , mother of Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh

*from Maharaja Ranjit Singh - Jean-Marie Lafont - Oxford -2002 pg 133

Rani Jindan - Rani of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and mother of Duleep Singh.

from a fresco in the Haveli of the Sandhanwalia Sardars of Raja Sansi

*from Maharaja Ranjit Singh ,as patron of the Arts - Marg 1981

*from Lafont (2002)

*from Sikh portraits by European Artists - F S Aijazuddin - 1979 - plate v

The famous Rani Jindan Portrait

*from The Kapany Collection

The hands of Rani Jindan cast in marble by Duleep Singh

*from Maharaja Ranjit Singh - Mohinder Singh - NIPS 2002 pg 73

The Death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

*from The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms - Susan Stronge - V&A 1999

A Sikh woman soldier

*from Dr Daljeet 2004 pg 143

A Sikh Marriage

Detail - while Sikh female portraiture is rare - it is even rarer to see depictions of elders

*from Sikh Art - Kerry Brown - Routledge - 1999 plate 9

Bhai Vir Singh

Detail

* from Brown 1999 plate 20

"The departure of the Heroes" soldiers leaving for a campaign

detail

* from Marg 1981

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Depictions of Nihangs and Nihangnis / Singhanees

*from Piety and Splendour - B N Goswamy -Nat Mus 2000

A verse from Prof Mohan Singh's Rani Sahib Kaur - she was a princess from the Patiala Dynasty - who fought the Marathas. This is a famous poem - My Mother would recite it to us as children.

*from 'Rani Sahib Kaur' - Kasumbhrha - Prof Mohan Singh -Lahore Book Shop - pg 53

Pilgrims at the Darbar Sahib

Pilgrims at Darbar Sahib Amritsar - during the visit of the Prince of Wales 1905

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 1919

Bibi Balbir Kaur - whilst demonstrating in the Jaito Morcha on Feb 21 1923, Bibi Ji was shot at by British Troops - the bullet hit her child -which she was carrying - she laid the child by the side of the road and carried on the march singing Gurbani, eventually she was also shot. Just on that day 100 people were killed

The Panja Sahib saka - in 1922 a train carrying Sikh prisoners arrested during the Guru ka Bagh morcha was passing through Panja Sahib railway station - Sikhs gathered to feed them Langar , but the British refused to stop the train.

The Sikhs said if Guru Sahib can stop a rock with his hand his Sikhs can stop a train - so Men and Women sat on the track and stopped the train.

The Jaito Morcha

*from Makhan Singh 1995

The Cover of Bhai Vir Singh's 'Sundri

*from Sundri - Bhai Vir Singh - BVSSS - 1983 ed

Portrait of Rani Raj Kaur - from an edition of Rana Surat Singh - by Bhai Vir Singh

*from The Feminine Principle in the Sikh Vision of the Transcendent - Cambridge - 1993

Illustration from Bhai Vir Singh's Punjabi Autumn

* from Nargas songs of a Sikh - Bhai Vir Singh trans Puran Singh - J M Dent - 1924

Cover of Warrior Princess

* from Warrior Princess - Harjit Lakhan - 2001

Maharani Bakhtavar Kaur - senior Rani of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala - grandmother of Capt. Amrinder Singh CM of Punjab

*from The Unforgettable Maharajas - Paul & Kapoor - 2003

The Horrors of Partition 1947

This clip is from the 1986 mini series of Bhisham Sahni's novel - 'Tamas'- It is very powerful - it dramatises the events in the Potohar and Bari Doab areas of West Punjab.

In a village Sikhs gather in a Gurdwara to protect themselves from Muslims - The Muslims attack- the menfolk go to fight - the women then gather in the darbar - the singing of 'Gagan Damama Bajeo' sends shivers down your spine .

When the women realise the muslims are coming into the Gurdwara they march to a well and jump in -to save their honour - taking the Singhaneen of mir mannu 's prison as inspiration.

at the end you will see that Rababis come into the gurdwara and sing 'Jagat Jalanda Rakh' - the Rababis have been stopped by the Muslims from going to the gurdwara to perform kirtan saying they are 'Kafirs' for singing Gurbani - but also the Sikhs have stopped the rababis from coming saying they are muslims.

The clip is very powerful - and shows the sacrifices of Sikh women during Partition.

Click on this link to see the clip (apologies for the quality !)

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...19&hl=en-GB

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Morcha for Punjabi Suba 1960

These pictures show women at the forefront of the Morcha for Punjabi Suba - the second picture is of a widow of a protester shot at Patiala, courting arrest with her children in Amritsar

*from The Illustrated History of the Sikhs 1947 -78 - Gur Rattan Pal Singh -1979

Women at the Forefront of the 'Dharam Yudh Morcha' of the 1980s

*from Khalsa Panth - Khushwant Singh Raghu Rai - 1984

The Ghallughara 1984

The Army Attack on Darbar Sahib - painted by The Singh Twins

Details

The Singh Twins at work

*from Twin Perspectives - Paintings by Amrita and Rabindra KD Kaur Singh - 1999

Delhi Massacre 1984

Widows

Arpana Kaur , infront of her work depicting the horrors of the Delhi massacre

*from The Sikhs - Khushwant Singh Raghu Rai

Widows of the Chattisinghpore Masscre in Kashmir

Dr Inderjit Kaur - who carries on the Great work started by Bhagat Puran Singh at the Pingalwara Amritsar

*from Garland around my neck - Patwant Singh Harinder Kaur Sekhon - 2001

Sewa

Simran

Amrit

*from Khalsa Panth - Khushwant Singh Raghu Rai 1984

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Tender Touch

The Archeress

Pure Longing - This painting by Gurkirn Kaur Khalsa shows her desire and that of all Sikh women to perform the Ishnan sewa at Darbar Sahib - still denied to women

*from Pure Longing Fulfilled - Gurukirn Kaur Khalsa 1999

The Care and Cherishing of Kesh

The closest women have come to perfoming Kirtan Sewa at Darbar Sahib - 1979 Vikram Singh and Jatha - a sewa still denied

Rehat Pyari

*from Spirit Born Magazine - Vaisakhi 1999

A Mother's Poem - giving strength to Sikh Children

*Taken from Style of the Lion -Jasprit Singh Theresa Singh - Akal - 1998 - pg 93

GURBAR AKAAAL !

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh !!!

Ranjit Singh 'Freed'

[JustME]

[JustME]

Bibi Dalair Kaur - Martyr -17th Century Women

ALLAH HO AKBAR!!!!!" screamed the Moghul soldiers, with their heads down, one hand on the horse-reigns, one hand weilding a mighty sword, they charged up the hill determined to smash the fortress gates this time. A thousand arrows and bullets rained down from the over the high fortress walls. It was useless, they couldn't penetrate AnandPur, the Khalsa fort.

"RETREAT! RETREAT!" screamed a desparate General as he saw hundreds of his imperial forces drop to the ground. Back at base camp, an emergency meeting of General's was called. The jungle nights were cold, and hundreds of camp fires where seen all around the base of the hill. Anandpur Fort stood on top, inpenetrable and untouched.

"9 MONTHS! 9 Long months in this wretched, mosquito infested jungle. When are those Fortress rats going to give up?" said Wajir Khan.

"Be patient General, even rats die one day" replied Jabardast Khan. "Patient! How much more patient can we be? We have over 1 million soldiers out there. One Million soldiers to kill that infidel Gobind Singh. Yet his Khalsa army has killed tens of thousands of our soldiers and we have barely scratched the fortress walls" thundered a raging Wajir Khan.

"Sit down Generals. As leader of the royal forces of his excellency Emperor Aurangzeb, I will make the decisions." Said Aurangzeb's General. He continued, "Let us review our tactics. We have 22 local Hindu Kings with us, we have the victorious armies of Wajir Khan and Jabardast Khan with us, and we have the miltary might of the Moghul Empire. One million soldiers, countless cannons, and an unlimited supply of arms. Fellow generals we have underestimated these Khalsa rats. Even though there can be no more than 10,000 soldiers in the fort, we have not been able to beat them through sheer force. They have the superior position on the hill top. Think of another plan Generals. We need a new strategy."

"Patience is the best strategy. It has been several months since we imposed the seige. I believe our seige is working fellow Generals. We have cut off all supplies of food and water to the fort, those rats must be almost starved by now. If we just wait another few months, victory will be ours." Said Jabardast Khan.

"It's already December, there's a cold and miserable winter infront of us. Our camp hospitals are bursting at the seams with sick soldiers, those wretched floods last month brought so many mystery illnesses, that hundreds of soldiers are dying every day. There is low moral amongst the troops and thousands of soldiers are deserting us every week, because they think we will never be able to capture the Fort. Do any of us went to spend the rest of winter like this? NO. I suggest we lure out the Khalsa rats and finish them with our swords!" raged Wajir Khan.

The room full of Generals stood up and cheered.

"Beloved Son and Guru, listen to your mother," said Mata Gujree. She continued, "You are beautiful and you have your father's blessing upon your head. Whatever you say is law, but I urge you to reconsider the offer of safe passage from the Royal forces. Aurangzeb himself has given his word, promising on the Koran that no harm will come to us."

"Mata Jee, it's nothing but a trick. Why would they offer us safe passage after they've been trying to kill us for 9 months?" said Guru Gobind Singh jee.

"Guru jee, you are our Father, we live for you and we will die for you," said Bhai Mani Singh, "but Guru jee we started off with 10,000 Khalsa warriors and now we have less than a thousand. Guru Jee, you are the King of this world and the King of the next world. It makes no difference to us if we live at your feet in this world or the next, but Guru jee this world needs you. You must survive, if you stay here you will die with the rest of us."

"O Beloved Khalsa jee, I would rather die fighting than walk away from this battle. But Khalsa jee, you are my Guru and you have ordered that we accept the offer of safe passage and leave the fort. So we will leave tommorow. But, I don't intend to leave the fort unguarded. Bibi Dalair Kaur Jee, you are my trusted Sikh. I want you and the rest of my daughters to stay here along with 10 Khalsa men." Said Guru Gobind Singh Jee.

"Pita Jee, your words are true, bless us so we may do this duty and bring honour to the Khalsa," replied Bibi Dalair Kaur jee.

Guru Gobind Singh jee tapped her shoulder with the tip of his arrow.

As soon as Guru Gobind Singh jee left the fort, the combined forces of Moghal troops and Hill Rajas quickly abandoned their sacred oaths. They charged after Guru Gobind Singh jee and his 500 Khalsa soldiers. A bloody battle took place on the banks of the Sirsa river. Many Khalsa soldiers were killed and Guru jee's family was scattered. His younger sons and mother escaped with Gangu to his village. Later on he turned them in to the authorities for a reward. This lead to their martyrdom.

Bhai Mani Singh and Guru jee's wife escaped and rode to Delhi. Guru Gobind Singh jee, his two older sons and the remaining 40 Khalsa soldiers escaped to the place called Chamkaur were another battle was fought. The Khalsa fought against the odds. All 40 Khalsa, along with the older sons fought to the death. Guru Gobind Singh Jee was ordered by the Khalsa to survive and escaped to Mashiwadha.

While some of the Combined Moghul forces pursued the Khalsa, the rest rode to the fort to claim victory. Bibi Dalair Kaur saw that her beloved Guru and Khalsa had been betrayed and she prepared the Guru's daughters for battle. The Moghul soldiers broke their ranks and rode to the fort, burning and looting everything in their way. Bibi Dalair Kaur stood up infront of her sister's and spoke with passion, "Sisters, we have given our heads to our Guru-Father at the amrit ceremony. We have lived for Truth, now the time has come to die for it. Sisters, remember that we are all trained warriors and we will die fighting rather than be taken as slaves. Sisters, pick up you guns and get in position_it's a good day to die_BOLAY SO NIHAL_SAT SRI AKAL."

The enemy soldiers thought that the fort was empty and were taken aback by the sudden rain of bullets. Within a few minutes, hundreds of dead soldiers lay outside the fort. Seeing this, the remaining soldiers left their positions and ran for their lives. Wajir Khan was furious at not having captured the fort, he started screaming at his men "FIRE THE CANNONS! FIRE THE CANNONS." Intense cannon fire succeeded in breaking through a wall of the fort. No-one could be seen inside so the ground troops charged towards the fort. Suddenly, they were showered with bullets and line after line of soldiers dropped dead to the ground.

Wajir Khan was ruthless and kept sending more and more troops, eventually the Khalsa women ran out of bullets. Wajir Khan smiled as capture was imminent.

Bibi Dalair Kaur jee gathered her sister's together and spoke with her Guru-Father's blessing, "Sisters, we have fought well, now we our time has come to die. It is up to us to die with honour. Remember the brave women from RajPut. When their husbands had died in battle and their fort was about to be captured, they would all all jump into a fire and burn to death rather than let the enemy dishonour them. This was how their religion taught them to preserve their honour. Our Guru-Father is always with his Sikhs and protects his sons and daughter's honour. Sisters, our Guru-Father has trained us as warriors and we will die fighting alongside our husbands and brothers. Remember we are lionesses."

The enemy was advancing so rapidly that there was no time for further speeches. Bibi Dalair Kaur jee gave the signal and all Khalsa women drew their swords and positioned themselves behind the damaged wall. This was the only way for the enemy to enter.

Mighty soldiers began climbing in over the piles of rubble. When they saw 100 Khalsa women and 10 Khalsa men ready for battle they stopped in their tracks. They were expecting to find hundreds of Khalsa men, they never knew women could be warriors.

Witnessing the events from a distance, Wajir Khan yelled, "Cowards, are you afraid of women? They are gifts for you, capture them and do what you want with the rewards of your hunt." Bibi Dalair Kaur yelled back, "We are the hunters, not the hunted. Come forward and find out for yourself!"

Wajir Khan took up the challenge and rode into the fort with his men. Khalsa Lionesses attacked them from every corner and he dropped dead to the ground. Not knowing how many other Khalsa warriors were in the fort the Moghuls retreated yet again.

Jabardast Khan started yelling at his men "FIRE THE CANNONS! FIRE THE CANNONS." Intense cannon fire destroyed the already weakened wall. The fort's inner compound was clearly visible and no Khalsa warriors could be seen. Jabardast Khan was was convinced that no one was left alive and this time he took thousands of troops with him into the fort. They searched every inch of the fort but did not find anyone. Jabardast Khan was furious. Where did the Khalsa lionesses disappear too? He screamed at his men to find them. The soldiers searched cautiously, expecting a surprise attack from any direction. Finally they concluded that the remaining Khalsa warriors must have escaped through some secret passage.

Orders were given to abandon the search and initiate looting. The very soldiers who were afraid for their lives started searching for wealth inside the fort. When they removed the piles of rubble from the fallen wall they found no wealth, they only found the bodies of our martyrs. The faces of Guru Gobind Singh jee's daughters were still radiant yet peaceful.

They and their Khalsa brothers and husbands had stood by their leader, Bibi Dalair Kaur. They died fighting to the death and received an eternal place at our Guru-Father's Lotus Feet.

Dayh Shiva bar mohe ehai, subh karman tay kabhoon na taro. Na daro ar so jab jaa-e laro, nischai kar apanee jeet karo. Ar sikh ho aapnay hee man hau, eh lalach hao gun tao ucharo. Jab aav kee a-odh nidhaan banai, at hee ran mai tab joojh maro. 231. (Guru Gobind Singh)

Give me this boon Lord, that I never refrain from righteous deeds. That I have no fear when fighting the enemy, That I attain victory with faith and fortitude, That I keep your teachings close to my mind. Lord, my desire is that I sing your praises and when the end of this life draws near, may I die fighting, with limitless courage in the battlefield.

"By Harjit Singh Lakhan ( \n hslakhan@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

fictionalised version of a true story by Karam Singh in the punjabi book 'Ardashak Singhnian' "

[JustME]

Bibi Shushil Kaur

Sikhs have been fighting for saving their individual existence since long. Sikh women have not lagged behind their men in this holy battle. They have also suffered in- human tortures at the hands of bigots like Mir Mannu. They were kept hungry and forced to grind grain by working heavy stone mills. To break their wills and high spirits, their children were thrown up in the air to fall back on sharp blades of spears in their presence. Pieces of their children’s dead bodies were put up as a necklace around the necks of their mothers, but these great women bore this all without even a sigh on their lips. Writers have not done justice to them. While many writers have praised the achievements and sacrifices of Banda Singh Bahadur, only a few have mentioned the sacrifice of his wife, Bibi Shushil Kaur. Her short biography will reveal that her sacrifice was also important.

In 1708, Banda Singh Bahadur was instructed by Guru Gobind Singh to carry on the national struggle in the Punjab, guide the Khalsa and to punish the oppressors. With the blessing of the Guru, Baba Banda Bahadur left Nander, South India, for Punjab and started his job in right earnest. In 1710, he conquered a large part of the Punjab including Sirhind. The governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, murderer of the younger two princes (Sahibzadas). Was killed in the battle an the Mughal army was defeated. Banda organized the Sikhs and established the first Sikh state with its capital at Lohgarh, near the hill state of Nahan, now a part of Himachal state, in the beginning of 1710. He struck coin in the name of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, and issued orders under his own seal. He realized Guru Gobind Singh’s dream of political sovereignty. He can safely be called the first Sikh ruler. Huge Mughal forces from Delhi and Punjab besieged the fort of Lohgarh. Banda and his men escaped to the hill states as they were not able to withstand a long siege.

He conquered many hill states. When he reached near the hill state of Chamba, its ruler, Uday Singh, did not want to fight and offered Banda to marry a princess. Banda said to the ruler, “Why do you offer a princess when I have never made any such demand from you or from any other body?” The ruler said, “It is the desire of the princess. She does not like the hill chiefs who have sided with the Mughal chiefs. Moreover, she has heard of your courageous fight against the oppressors. She is also determined to join you in your fight to achieve your mission. .” After consulting his companions, and satisfying himself about the statement of the ruler, Banda agreed and the marriage was solemnized according to the Sikh rites in the beginning of 1711.

She was baptized and named Shushil Kaur. Macauliffe, a famous writer of the Sikh history, writes, “she had large eyes, her limbs were graceful and delicate.” Historians have described her as the very image of the God of love. After a few more conquests, Banda along with Shushil Kaur and some Sikhs retired to the hills and settled at a lonely place on the Bank of the river Chanab, in the Jammun state. It was called Dera (encampment) Baba Banda Singh Bahahdur. In the beginning of 1712, a son named Ajit Singh was born to Shushil Kaur. Off and on Banda visited different parts of the Punjab to conquer new areas or to restore order and returned to his headquarters. Now Bibi Shushil Kaur nursed her baby, Ajit Singh, and served her husband. Many Sikh Soldiers and Banda’s followers visited the Dera daily. She was also in charge of the Langar (common kitchen) at the Dera. She knew that her husband might leave any time for the plains to fight some battle. She used to listen all about these battles. Ajit Singh was brought up in this war like atmosphere. She prayed for Banda’s success whenever he left the Dera for fighting injustice and thanked God when he returned after suppressing the rebels. She also wished to accompany Banda Singh to help him, but Banda Singh did not agree.

In the beginning of 1715, when Banda Singh and his Sikhs marched towards Kalanaur, near Gurdaspur, he took Sushil Kaur and Ajay Singh with him as she insisted on accompanying him. After conquering Kalanaur, they marched towards Batala which was also captured after a bloody battle. Shushil Kaur was watching these battles and was mentally preparing herself to sacrifice his life if required. Mughal chiefs of the Punjab and Delhi under orders from the Emperor besieged Banda Singh and his Sikhs with a huge force in an enclosure at village Gurdas Nangal, near Gurdaspur.

The siege continued for eight months. Banda Singh and his men fought against heavy odds and held their ground with courage. Their provision had run out as they were attacked suddenly. They had to live on grass and leaves. Bibi Shushil Kaur did not lose heart. She with her innocent child faced these odds boldly. Banda Singh along with his family and famished soldiers, who had survived, was taken prisoners in December,1715. They were brought to Lahore and from there to Delhi. They were humiliated, but there was no sign of sorrow or dejection on the face of anyone. Shushik Kaur was satisfied that she was with her husband at that time when death seemed to be sure. She was meditating and praying to God to give everyone courage to face death boldly.

At Delhi Bibi Shushil Kaur with her child was separated from the other prisoners and taken to the palace where other queens lived. The Mughal Emperor at Delhi, Farrukh Siyar wanted to marry her, so she was not tortured. She was provided with all the comforts. Other queens and maid servants were instructed to induce Bibi Shushil Kaur to embrace Islam and enjoy her life. She was promised high position among the queens and expensive jewellery, but she refused. To discourage her, she was told that 100 Sikh soldiers were being murderers daily because they also refused to feel sorry and embrace Islam. Hearing this, she felt encouraged and hated her life in the palace. She was told that her lovely child would also be killed mercilessly if she did not agree to be converted. She replied without any fear , “ Do whatever you like. Neither I nor my innocent son would like to be converted. We, Sikhs, are not afraid of death”. According to the court reporter, Mohammad Suffi, next day the offer of making her royal queen was repeated to her, but she remained firm and said, “ Time of our death is fixed and none but God can prolong our life. My religion is dearer to me then my or my son’s life”.

According to the same reporter, after two days, she was told that her husband had embraced Islam and he wanted her to follow him. She understood that it was a lie and said to the messenger, “ You are telling a lie. Prove it by taking me to my husband”. At last, they ordered her to give them her child. She understood that the end of her four years old child’s life had reached. She was a helpless prisoner and could do nothing. She kissed and hugged her dear son, overcame her sentiments and handed him over to them. Next day She came to know from a reliable source that the executioner had hacked the child to pieces with a long knife while the child was sitting in the lap of his father. Quivering heart of the child was thrust into the mouth of his father. She also heard the confirmed news that Banda Singh was also cut to pieces. Hearing all these bad news, she thanked God that everyone had been firm in his faith. She was calm and nobleness of her features was visible. She was again induced and pressured to agree to conversion and marry the Emperor. Her maids thought that she would agree as there was none left to support her. When this self-respecting woman realized that his honor was in danger, she decided to end her life. She followed the example set by Bibi Anup Kaur, found a deggar and thrust it into her chest at midnight. She became a mortal on 20th June,1716. Her soul joined her husband’s and her son’s souls.

[JustME]

Shaheed Bibi Harsarn Kaur

Sikh women are always known to have responded to the call of their duty. They have

not allowed hardships and dangers to stand in the way of the performance of their

moral obligations. Bibi Harsarn Kaur was one of these women who faced the odds to

fulfill her obligations.

Guru Gobind Singh's two elder sons together with many other Sikhs, were martyred

while fighting the foes at the battle of Chamkaur Sahib. Under pressure of

supplications of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh was obliged to leave the place under

cover of darkness. The enemy too, taking advantage of the lull and darkness, rested in

the surrounding area where they had besieged the Sikhs.

After leaving Chamkaur Sahib, Guru Ji reached the village where Bibi Harsarn Kaur

lived. When he met her, she at once recognised the Guru. She bowed to Guru Ji and

asked about the Sahib Jadey. She had been a nursing sister to them. Guru Ji told her

about their martydom. She hurried to Chamkaur Sahib and stole on cat's paw to the

battle scene and recognised the martyred Sikhs.

She collected all the wood she could and piled them high. She placed the bodies of the

Sahib Jadey and the Sikhs on the pile and set it afire. The big conflagration woke the

enemy with consternation. All their expectations of getting prizes and honours were

dashed to the ground. Now there was nothing left to show their identities of their

victims.

In the light of the fire, they were amazed to espy a female figure with a javelin in

hand near the pile. They approached her and demanded to know who she was and

whence she came. But nothing could make her speak. They became furious and threw

Bibi Harsarn, javelin and all in the fire. Thus she too obtained martyrdom on 23rd

Dec 1704.

from the Punjabi book "Adarshak Singhnia"

[JustME]

SINGHNIAH IN BATTLE

[JustME]

Bibi Sahib Kaur

Bibi Sahib Kaur (1771-1801) was a warrior and leader of men who played a

prominent part in the history of the Sutlej states from 1793 to 1801, was the elder

sister of Raja Sahib Singh of Patiala. Born in 1771, Sahib Kaur was married at an

early age to Jaimal Singh of the Kanhaiya clan, who resided at Fatehgarh and was

master of a greater part of the Bari Doab above Dina Nagar in present-day Gurdaspur

district of the Punjab. In 1793, Raja Sahib Singh, in view of mounting dissensions

within his state, recalled his sister Blbl Sahib Kaur to Patiala and entrusted to her the

of fice of prime minister. She had not been long in Patiala when she had to return to

Fatehgarh at the head of a large Patiala army to rescue her husband who had been

captured by Fateh Singh, a rival chief. Back in Patiala she faced a large Maratha force

marching towards the town in 1794 under the command of Anta Rao and Lachhman

Rao.

Raja Bhag Singh of Jind,Jodh Singh of Kalsia and Bhanga Singh of Thanesar joined

hands n with her while Tara Singh Ghaiba sent a detachment of troops. The joint

force, numbering about 7,000 men, met the enemy at Mardanpur near Ambala where

a fierce engagement took place. The Sikhs were severely outnumbered and would

have retreated had not Sahib Kaur, alighting from her rath, i.e. chariots made a brave

call with a drawn sword in hand for them to stay firm in their ranks. The next morning

they made a sudden charge on the Marathas who, taken by surprise, retired towards

Karnal in utter confusion.

Bedi Sahib Singh of Una charged the Pathan chief of Malerkotla with cow-killing and

attacked him. He was saved by the timely succour given him hy Sahib Kaur. In 1796,

in response to the request of the Raja of Nahan who had sought help from Raja Sahib

Singh of Patiala to quell a revolt in his state, Sahib Kaur proceeded to the hills with a

strong force and soon reduced the insurgents to submission. The Raja was reinstalled

on the gaddi and, at the time of Sahib Kaur's departure, he presented her with many

rich and valuable gifts in token of his gratitude. In the summer of l799, George

Thomas, an English adventurer, who had become very powerful and who ruled the

country in the neighborhood of Hansi and Hissar, turned his attention to the Sikh

territories on his northern frontier and reached upon Jind. Sahib Kaur led out a strong

contingent to relieve the besieged town and, assisted by the troops of other Sikh

chiefs, she forced George Thomas to withdraw.

Owing to differences with her brother, Blbi Sahib Kaur had to leave Patiala to take up

residence in Bherlan, near Sunam, which fell within her jagir and where she had built

a fort changing the name of the village to Ubheval. She died there in 1801 in the

prime of her life.

After the death of the Maharaja Alla Singh, the founder of Patiala rule, his grandson

Maharaja Amar Singh became the ruler of Patiala. He too, like his grandfather, turned

out to intelligent and brave. He clobbered his opponents and extended his rule

stretching up to the river Jamuna. His subjects trusted him and were willing to give

their lives for his cause. And likewise the Maharaja was extremely considerate of his

subjects. Because of this trust and closeness among the ruler and his subjects, this rule

made increasing progress. It seemed certain that Maharaja Amar Singh’s tactics and

braveness would further extend the boundaries of his rule.

Unfortunately, we humans plan something while our Creator has something in store

for us. At the moment when Patiala rule was at its peek, the young newly wed

Maharaja passed away suddenly. All happiness were replaced by sadness, expectation

by hopelessness, positiveness by negative attitudes. The future of Patiala seems to

hang among major difficulties and facing numerous dangers.

Maharaja Amar Singh’s death came unexpected in his youth. He left behind two

prince and a princess. This princess is the heroin of our story, Rani Sahib Kaur. She

was the eldest among her brothers. At the time of Maharaja’s death, she was 15 years

old. Younger than her was Maharaja Sahib Singh of 7 years and the youngest, Kanwar

Budh Singh. The rule was passed on to Maharaja Sahib Singh. However, he was the

ruler in name only. The real control was in the hands of Diwan Nanu Mal who was

the most trusted advisor during Maharaja Amar Singh’s period. Unfortunately, after

the master’s death, his trust quickly evaporated and was replaced by selfishness. He

aligned with the Marhatas and initiated efforts for Patiala rule’s destructions from its

roots. Diwan’s attitude also influence the other servants of the empire. They too

initiated pursuits for their selfish gains. As a result, corruption, looting, and injustice

reigned in the empire. Justice and peace simply fled away like a bird. The empire was

in immediate danger now. On one hand the inner situation was fast deteriorating while

on the other hand, the external enemies were eager for its destruction. Child Maharaja

Sahib Singh was terrified of the emerging situation.

By now Bibi Sahib Kaur had been married and was happily living with her in-law. No

women is willing to leave her home, yet Sahib Kaur took immediate action upon

learning of the situation in her brother’s empire. Her love for the younger brother

drove her to set aside her own happily married life and immediately proceed to protect

the Patiala rule.

A working machinery isn’t difficult to operate. However, only a knowledgeable

mechanic can operate a machine whose essential parts have seriously deteriorated.

That was the situation of Patiala. However, the daughter of Khalsa was undeterred.

She cleverly fix the broken machinery and attempted to operate it.

Slowly the situation started improving. The situation though improved significantly,

hadn’t completely recovered when a mob of Marhatas soldiers advanced to conquer

Patiala. The famous Lakshami Rao was the commander of the Marhata forces. He was

commanding a force of 100,000 men. The news of the impending attacked also

reached Rani Sahib Kaur. The rulers of Jind and Kaethal had already accepted the

conditions of Marhatas and paid large sum for their safety. This made the situation

even more grave for Patiala.

Marhatas were fast advancing towards Patiala. Their success with Jind and Kaethal

had given a huge boost to their confidence. On the other hand. Patiala’s inner situation

wasn’t completely recovered. In everyone’s estimations, Patiala forces were incapable

of defending themselves against the Marhatas. Bahadhur Sahib Kaur was well aware

of this assessment. But she neither twitched nor loss her confidence. In such situation,

even the bravest men could loose their courage. Yet this brave daughter of the Khalsa

remained undeterred. Her composure was unchanged, as if she didn’t know the

concepts of failure. She wasn’t discouraged. She had partaken Guru’s amrit which can

give lease of new life even to the dead. It can instills courageous spirit in birds to

defeat hawks. Then why should she be afraid? Fear couldn’t even approach her. She

ordered the sounding of the battle drums, Nagara, while preparing to face the invading

forces. During the darkness of the night, she summoned and gathered Bhai Bangha

Singh Thanaesar, Jodh Singh Kalsia, Deep Singh and Bir Singh Bhadodhiae, Tara

Singh Ghaeba and other Chiefs of the neighboring rules and made all necessary

preparations. Even before sunrise, the skies echoed with sounds of Khalsa’s Jaikara

"Jo Bohlae So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal" while the Sikhs advanced to welcome the invading

forces with the tips of their swords. Before reaching Kuch, she addressing a small

group of select associates. She said in sweet yet firm voice

"Brothers, the enemy thinking of you as few and weak, is advancing to snatch your

freedom. Our freedom is a blessed reward of our Guru Sahibans. Our Tenth Pathshah

addressed this rule as `your home is same as my home.’ This is Guru’s rule and that of

his GurSikhs. This is your freedom as well as your honor. Could you tolerate Marhata

feet reaching here to crush your freedom and honor? ..."

Every soldier collectively responded "Never, Never!"

Continuing with her speech, she said, "My brothers, this is what I expected from you.

You are Sikhs of the Guru and I am confident that you will not allow the enemy to

advance any further. The remaining issue is that of numbers. But remember, our

Tenth Guru engaged 150,000 against each Sikh. You are Sikhs of the same Guru.

Thus don’t worry about the huge numbers of the enemy force. We are within our

rights and following the truth. We are rasing our swords in defense of our freedom.

Guru is with us. Recognize your duty and responsibilities. the victory is yours. Take

oath with me that we shall die but not allow the enemy to advance even a foot."

The whole force collective took their oath. Subsequently, Bibi Sahib Kaur did her

ardas following which the skies echoed with the sounds of Jaikaras, "Jo Bohlae So

nihal, Sat Sri Akal," and the battle drums. Now the brave soldiers of Patiala advanced

in defence of their honor.

While these few brave soldiers of Patiala left their capital, Ghanta Rao and Lakshami

Rao left Ambala with their forces towards Patiala. Both sides clashed in the open

fields of Mardaan Pur. Upon facing each other, it became evident that not only the

Marhata force was large in numbers they had heavy artillery and cannons. In

comparison Sikhs were few in numbers and did not possess any cannons. There was

no match among both sides. It was clearly evident that Sikhs would simply disappear

facing the Marhatas as salt when mixed with flour.

The Marhata Sardars sent their envoy to convey a message, "why are you bent upon

getting your men killed for nothing, give up and surrender."

Bibi Sahib Kaur’s face reddened with anger upon hearing this message. "Surrender,"

she repeated. Then addressing the Marhata envoy, she said, "Surrender! Guru’s Sikhs

know no surrender. Go tell your sardars that if they have any desire to live, they

should return immediately. If not, Khalsa’s sword awaits them. They may approach

with their coffins."

Confident of their strength, the Marhata Sardars got aggravated hearing this response.

Winning over a few Patiala soldiers was no challenge for them. They signaled the

Marhata cannons to initiate shelling.

Competition between Swords and Cannons? This was a unique event in the history of

battles. However, such competition was clearly visible in the fields of Mardaan Pur.

On one side the cannons of Marhatas were blindly firing shells. While on other side,

Guru’s brave soldiers were advancing with their swords. Bibi Sahib Kaur, dressed in

male attire and riding on horse back, was directing her soldiers with an unsheathed

sword.

The Sikh soldiers fearlessly advanced into the enemy’s fortified positions. Now the

soldiers were directly facing each other and the cannons became useless. The battle of

swords ensued. Sikhs were renowned for their skills in using swords. For once the

Marhatas got scared. Witnessing the weakness of their soldiers, Lakshami Rao

advanced with fresh horsemen and attacked the Sikhs. At this moment, the Sikhs too

were in need of some fresh reinforcements. But where could they get it? All their

resources were tied in the battle with none to spare.

Intense battle pursued all day. Sometimes the Sikhs had the upper hand while other

times the Marhatas seemed to have the upper hand. The battle field was filled with

dead bodies with flowing rivers of blood. The Sun God couldn’t witness this bloody

battle and hide behind a hill.

At this moment, the Sikh’s position was grave. They were surrounded in the enemy’s

siege with no visible way to escape. Even at this moment, Sahib Kaur courage came

handy. Seeing a weak segment in the enemy’s siege, she shouted the Jaikara, Jo

Bohlae So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal, and forcefully attacked this segment. Her courage and

the Jaikara instilled new courage among the Sikh soldiers. Using their swords, the

Sikh soldiers successfully broke through the enemy’s siege. Ghanta Rao and

Lakshami Rao were astonished as their well planned scheme simply evaporated in

front of their eyes.

By now it was nightfall, the soldiers couldn’t see each other and thus both forces

returned to their camps for rest. Celebration in Marhata camps and mourning in Sikh

camps was evident. The reason being that the Sikhs took heavy casualties in today’s

battle. The Sikh Sardars and soldiers were discouraged. Despair and disappointment

was prevalent among them. However, Bibi Sahib Kaur was neither disappointed nor

in any despair. She appeared to be peaceful yet serious, as if engrossed in some deep

thoughts.

Select few Sikh Sardars gathered in Bibi Sahib Kaur’s tent to assess the day’s battle.

It was assesses that more than half of the Sikh force had been wiped out.

Sardar Jodh Singh said, "Bibi Ji! Tell us what to do now?

"You tell me what to do brother?" Bibi ji answered in slow and soft voice, as if trying

to probe the inner thoughts of the Sardars. After all the Sardars had collectively come

to her with some apparent consensus. Jodh Singh did not respond. But Dalip Singh

Bhadodhiae said, "Bibi Ji! The status of the battle is clear. There is no hope for any

type of victory. The time to give our lives is upon us. Although, Guru’s Sikhs aren’t

afraid of this but ..."

He couldn’t complete his sentence when he was interrupted by Bibi Ji’s question,

"But what?"

Silence prevailed. For a long time no one responded. Seeing no answer, she repeated

her question "Brothers! Tell me what we should do now?"

"Bibi Ji! What can we do. We will fight bravely. We shall fight in the face of sure

death. We shall happily accept our death. It is true that we have no hope of victory.

But a Sikh’s duty is to fight. We shall fight, for we can not witness any encroachment

of Patiala’s freedom or honor while living. However, we have a serious request of

you, that you should return to Patiala. The battle field isn’t in our control and we can

not sustain your capture by the enemy forces," Bhai Bangha Singh Thanaesar

hesitatingly uttered this response.

Hearing this Bibi’s face got reddened with anger as if her honor had been challenged.

However, this quickly disappeared and was replaced with peace and seriousness. She

said, "Your courage is commendable that you can not witness any encroachment of

Patiala’s freedom or honor. Prior to such encroachment you would like to give up

your lives. But how could you assume that Maharaja Amar Singh’s daughter could

tolerate and witness the encroachment of Patiala’s freedom and honor. How could you

assume that her personal life is more important to her than these things. Brothers! No

one can live for ever in this world. One day we all have to die for sure. And if this live

is expended preserving freedom and honor what better honor can there be than this.

Sahib Kaur is prepared for this. Granted, I am a women and for sure weak. But

brothers! I too have partaken the amrit of same Guru that you have partaken. Then

why would I hesitate facing death? Don’t even think about it. If I leave here I shall

leave in victory or I shall not leave at all." Saying this, tears dropped her cheeks.

Apparently, the mere suggestion for her return to Patiala, inflicted some deep pain in

her.

Sahib Kaur’s words created silence in the meeting while everyone got deeply

engrossed in thoughts. After a while Sahib Kaur continued "You say we have no hope

of victory. I cannot accept this. We are fighting the battle of truth and righteousness.

VaahGuru is with us. I am confident of our victory. Don’t get discouraged."

Saying this, she stood up and started pacing around the tent as if she was about to take

a major decision. Soon her face lightened up with happiness as if she got convinced of

her victory. Addressing her Sardars she said, "Guru Sahib has shown me the way to

our victory. What we need now is your courage."

Everyone’s attention was now focused on Bibi’s face. They replied in unison, "we are

prepared to follow your orders."

Bibi said, "Look! Strength itself isn’t enough for For winning a battle. In fact the

understanding and deployment of strategy is more beneficial. We too can defeat the

Marhata forces with strategy."

"Tell us what to do" everyone responded collectively.

"At this moment the enemy forces are celebrating their victory. As such they are

careless in their egoistic happiness. If we were to suddenly attack them now, our

victory is assured and the freedom and honor of Patiala can be preserved."

All Sardars were astonished. They didn’t know that Sahib Kaur was equally sharp in

battle strategy. This decision was taken around 10:30pm. Until midnight all battle

preparations were carried out quietly. This decision invigorated new courage among

the Sikh forces. Soldiers started coming out of their tents after preparing themselves

for the battle. Bibi Sahib Kaur now dressed in male attire, riding horseback with

unsheathed sword, face her soldiers and gave a short speech, "Brothers! Time has

come for either victory or death in this battle for preserving the freedom and honor of

Patiala. Advance keeping faith in Guru. Victory shall be yours. Your swords shall be

the death message for the egoistic Marhatas. Prove the strength of our Tenth Guru’s

Amrit."

Subsequently, the sky echoed with the sounds of Jaikaras, "Jo Bohlae So Nihal, Sat

Sri Akal." The Sikh forces advanced and gave a surprise attack to the enemy forces.

Even before the enemy became aware of what happened their soldiers were killed by

the Sikh swords. In minutes the field was filled with dead bodies. The suddenness of

the attack as well as the darkness made it difficult to distinguish among their own and

Sikh soldiers. As a result, many enemy soldiers died fighting among themselves. Bibi

Sahib Kaur was moving around encouraging her soldiers with Jaikaras. Her sword too

killed many enemy soldiers.

This surprise attack by the Sikhs completely changes the status of the battle. Their

defeat turned into a victory while Marhata’s victory changed into a defeat. When

Ghanta Rao and Lakshami Rao saw the shining sword of Bibi Sahib Kaur upon them,

they found escape as the best way out. They quickly collected their remaining

companions and ran towards Hisar. Now the battle field was in total control of the

Khalsa.

The true status of the battle became evident with sunrise. Uncountable enemy soldiers

lay dead. Apart from the dead bodies, the enemy cannons, ammunition, ration, and

treasury were left behind.

Bibi Sahib Kaur awarded all this wealth and distributed it among the Sikh soldiers.

She capture the cannons and the ammunition and took them to Patiala. Upon reaching

Patiala, she was welcomed with huge celebration. celebrations unparalleled in Patiala

history. Why not? After all her courage and battle strategy had not only saved the

freedom and honor of Patiala but instilled such terror among the Marhatas that they

never thought of advancing towards Punjab again.

Bibi Sahib Kaur’s name is engraved in the fine pages of Sikh history. What are the

daughter’s of Khalsa capable of can be assessed from the above accounts. Who can

say that GurSikh women are weak compared to their male counterparts. Sahib Kaur’s

sword became an object of terror for the Marhatas.

Daughters of the Khalsa

translated by Baldev Singh from "Adarshak Singhnia" by Karam Singh