Banda Bairagi: Brave Soldier of Guru Gobind Singh

By MADAN LAL GUPTA

There is no samadhi/memorial/temple for Veer Banda Bairagi. Many are not even familiar with this name but he was a very brave man of India who fought the foreign aggression and happily sacrificed his life, June 19, 1716.

A sadhu changed the life style of a robber to make him a Rishi (Valmiki), A female deer’s dying fawn changed the life style of a Rajput hunter to that of a Bairagi.

This brave son of Bharat Mata was born, October 16, 1670 (Kartik, Samvat 1727) in village Rajouri in the mountain princely state of Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir). He was given the name of Lakshman Dev by his Rajput father Ram Dev. He was fond of hunting and was talented in the use of arms, bow and arrow, besides being a good horse rider. One day Lakshman Dev shot an arrow at a running deer (hirni). She fell down. Lakshman Dev cut her stomach and noticed two fawns but the mother died.

This incidence touched his heart and proved a turning point in his life (vairagya). He left home and moved to Kasoor (Lahore) and changed his name to Madho Dass. He went into deep meditation on the banks of river Godwari near Nawer, but became a Mahant and started living in luxury.

That was the time when Marathas were giving a tough fight to Aurangzeb for the last 20 years. It was the guerrilla style warfare. Guru Gobind Singh had sacrificed his four beloved sons and had left Punjab for the South. In the city of Ujjain, Guru Maharaj met Narain Dass, a guru of Dadoo Panth, just arrived from the holy pilgrimage of Rameshwaram. Narain Dass mentioned to Guru Maharaj about the divine power of this Vairagi in Nawer city. Guruji went to see him in his Mutt; this was a meeting between two warriors. Guruji had made many sacrifices which Bairagi had yet to face; it was one’s past and other’s future. Bairagi saw the ruined picture of his Motherland in the eyes of Guruji, which again changed his life style and he picked up arms and became a warrior.

Guru Maharaj blessed him. He excitedly said: I am your Banda (man). Now he was called Baba Banda and was also known as Banda Bahadur at the age of 36 years. The love of Motherland brought him back to Punjab with some soldiers. In the month of Shrawan, Samwat 1764 he visited Khanda, Khurasalam, Nagarkot and stayed in Tohana. He became famous and many people visited and greeted him. He fought many battles with Muslims and sometimes had to hide in mountains. In the meantime he got married in the Riyasat (state) of Mandi and was blessed with a son. He attacked the city of Samana and gave a tough fight to take revenge on Ali Hussain, responsible for the deportation of Guru Maharaj from Anandpur Sahib; Jalaluddin, the murderer of Guru Tegh Bahadur belonged to this city. The Government treasury was distributed among the soldiers. He came to be known as Banda Bahadur or Banda Bairagi.

Nawab Usman Khan of Sadhora was giving hard time to Hindus by demolishing temples and converting them to mosques. Aggrieved Hindus approached Banda Bahadur who attacked Sadhora, Magh 11, Samwat 1764. Usman Khan was defeated in the battle and was killed. Banda took possession of Mukhlis Garh fort and named it Lohgarh.

Banda came to know that a group of Muslims was sending messages to Nawab of Sirhind against him (Banda). He found out the source of those messages and killed all the enemies to end the conspiracy. A son of Wazir Khan of Suba Sirhind approached Bahadur Shah for help but he was already scared by Banda’s power. He could only persuade Asgar Khan, Samand Khan, Asadul Khan with a big army to attack Banda, who cleverly moved toward the mountains.

Later Banda moved to Sialkot, Wazirabad and stayed at Gujarat (Punjab’s district). Delhi, the pivot of India, was worried at his bravery and a series of victories and feared that Banda may capture Lahore one day. As such in 1776 Abdul Masand sent an army of 30,000 soldiers from Delhi to fight Banda. This strong force of Masand camped at Gurdaspur, in the meantime forces from Lahore and Jalandhar also joined him. Banda with his small army was trapped in the fort without food etc. Several days passed in this situation, soldiers started dying of hunger. Under the compelling circumstances some even ate horse meat. Banda himself was reduced to a skeleton as food supplies totally ran out.

In the hopeless situation the gates of the fort wered and Muslim soldiers entered and arrested the unarmed Banda. He was put in chains after 14 years of heroic struggle to fight the alien faith and injustice and to avenge all the torture inflicted on Gurus and their sons. He and his arrested soldiers were produced before the Kazis who told him if he and his men converted to Islam they would be pardoned. Banda boldly rejected this offer and chose death instead. Every day 100 soldiers of Banda were killed in front of Kotwali. On the 8th day Banda Bairagi’s turn came; his son was put in his lap and he was ordered to murder his own son with a dagger. Banda still had that valor and self-respect. He refused. His son was then killed by Muslim soldiers and his body was thrown at Banda’s face. Banda was beaten with hot iron rods till flesh separated from his bones. Finally, he was crushed by throwing him under the foot of an elephant. His dead body was thrown in a pit. Abdul Masand Turrane, who defeated and arrested Banda Bairagi then became the ruler of Lahore.

On this Father’s Day we pay homage to a warrior-father who refused to kill his son and sacrificed his own life in fighting an alien faith, an alien rule and injustice and for trying to free a vital part of Bharat Mata.

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