Banda Singh | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of Banda Singh Bahadur, during the Battle of Sirhind (1710), from an illustrated folio of ‘Tawarikh-i Jahandar Shah’, Awadh or Lucknow, ca.1770 | |
| Jathedar of the First Sikh State | |
| Reign | 26 November 1709 – 7 December 1715 |
| Predecessor | Position established |
| Successor | Position disestablished |
| Born | Lachman Dev 27 October 1670 Rajauri, Poonch, Mughal Empire[1] (present-day Jammu and Kashmir, India) |
| Died | 9 June 1716 (aged 45) Delhi, Mughal Empire (present-day India) |
| Spouse(s) | Susheel Kaur Sahib Kaur[2] |
| Issue | Ajay Singh Ranjit Singh[2] |
| Signature |  |
| Personal | |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Religious career | |
| Teacher | Guru Gobind Singh |
| Military career | |
| Other name(s) | Madho Das Bairagi Banda Bairagi |
| Allegiance |
|
| Years of service | 1708–1716 |
| Rank | Jathedar |
| Battles / wars |
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| Part of a series on |
| Sikhism |
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Banda Singh Bahadur; born Lachman Dev;[3][1][4] (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a general of the Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī. In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation to meet Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I in southern India, he visited Banda Singh Bahadur in 1708. Banda became disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was given a new name, Gurbaksh Singh (as written in Mahan Kosh[5]), after the baptism ceremony. He is popularly known as Banda Singh Bahadur. He was given five arrows by the Guru as a blessing for the battles ahead. He came to Khanda, Sonipat and assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire.
His first major action was the sacking of the Mughal provincial capital, Samana, in November 1709.[1] After establishing his authority and the Sikh Republic in Punjab,[6][page needed] Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the zamindari (feudal) system, and granted property rights to the tillers of the land. Banda Singh was captured by the Mughals and tortured to death in 1715–1716.
- ^ a b c Ganda Singh. "Banda Singh Bahadur". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ a b Sagoo 2001, p. 213.
- ^ Rajmohan Gandhi (1999), Revenge and Reconciliation, Penguin Books India, pp. 117–18, ISBN 9780140290455
- ^ "Banda Singh Bahadur". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ RATNAKAR, GUR SHABAD. Mahan kosh (in Punjabi). Bhai Baljinder Singh. pp. visit website of Rara Sahib www.rarasahib.com.
- ^ Sagoo 2001.