- Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati das ji were
both brothers and Sewadar of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, Ninth Guru.
When Aurungzeb asked for Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Satidas and Bhai Dyaldas
went along with Guru. In order to subdue Guru Tegh Bahadur to accept Islam, Qazi first ordered torture and execution of Bhai Mati Das ji, Bhai Sati Das ji and Bhai Dyal Das ji. Bhai Mati Das ji and Bhai Sati Das ji were martyred at
Chandani Chowk, Delhi. Bhai Matidas ji attained martyrdom on 8 Nov 1675 A.D.,
and Bhai Satidas ji on 10th November 1675 A.D.
- Bhai Dyaldas ji were also martyred at Chandani
Chowk few days before Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. Bhai Dyaldas ji were put in a hot boiling
couldron of water on Nov 9 1675 A.D.
- Sahibzada Ajit Singh ji fought
with mughals at the siege of Chamkaur and started a new chapter of
martyrdom and sacrifice in Sikh history at the age of 17. Displaying the same courage as his grandfather Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, and his father Guru Gobind Singh ji, Sahibzada Ajit Singh attained martyrdom fighting with Mughals at Chamkaur on 7th December 1705 A.D.
- Sardar Banda Singh ji Bahadur
was in Punjab fighting from 1708 A.D. -- 1716 A.D. He was
appointed by Guru Gobind Singh himself to lead the Punjabis against
Mughal tyranny. Banda in few years totally destroyed the Mughal rule
in Punjab. He also eradicated the Zamindara system of Punjab and give
lands back to its poor farmers.
- Many Sikh warriors fought Mughals , their
sole job was to loot the state treasury and to protect people being oppressed by
Zakriya Khan, Governor of Lahore. Numerous Warriors were executed by Zakriya Khan. Zakriya Khan was governor of Lahore from 1725 A.D to 1745 A.D.
- Bhai Mani Singh ji were head priest of
Golden Temple appointed by Mata Sundari ji (wife of Guru Gobind Singh, Tenth Guru).
Zakriya Khan and Lakhpat Rai martyred Bhai Mani Singh ji at Lahore by cutting joint
by joint of his body on 14th June 1738 A.D. .
- Nawab Kapur Singh ji Singhpuria
Led Dal
Khalsa from 1721 A.D. - 1748 A.D. kept the flame alive after
Banda Singh Bahadur and fought Guerilla warfare with Mughals and
Afghani invaders, he was responsible for leading Khalsa in tough
times. A great personality indeed.
- Bhai Haqiqat Rai was a 11 years old
Sikh whose choice was death but not Islam. He attained martyrdom in January 1735 A.D.
- Baba Deep Singh ji Shaheed lived
from 1682 A.D. to 1757 A.D. Baba Deep Singh ji were appointed a jathedar
of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib by Guru Gobind Singh ji. When Afghanis
occupied Golden Temple,to fulfill the promise given
to the congregation that he will celebrate Diwali at Golden Temple, he
fought Afghanis till the end and attained martyrdom in the
Golden Temple.
- Bhai Garjha Singh ji and Bhai Bota
Singh ji defied the Mughal authority by setting up a Khalsa toll both on a bridge
in 1739 A.D. Mughals had put price on the heads of Sikhs that was
10 rupees for alive Sikh, 50 rupees for the head of a dead Sikh.
- Bhai Gurbax Singh ji following the glorious tradition
of his mentor Baba Dip Singh ji were martyred by Abdali at Golden Temple in 1764 A.D.
- Bhai Tara Singh 'Wan' was a very famous
Sikh warrior. Banda Bahadur had abolished Zamindara or feudal ownership of land in
Punjab, but many feudal land lords were still carrying on with their old ways. His
band of desperados specialized in looting feudal landlords and Mughal treasurey. His
group saved hundreds of poor girls from clutches of landlords. Bhai Tara Singh 'Wan' and his Jatha of 52 Singhs attained martyrdom on 30 March 1726 A.D.
- Defenders of Amritsar were those
Sikhs who picked up martyrdom while protecting Golden Temple from foreign
onslaught. Be it Bhai Gurbax Singh or Sant Bhindrenwale, martyrdom while
defending Golden Temple is part of a long history of Sikhs. Sikhs
take it as a favour by waheguru to die while protecting Golden Temple.
Normally at these trying times, a Gurmatta will be passed by Akal takht
asking for five Sikhs to protect Golden Temple, while rest of the Sikhs
will carry all the important historical documents, like Guru Granth
Sahib, etc to safe place as well as their women and children., to come
back and fight the foreigners who occupied Amritsar many times.
- Sardar Jassa Singh ji Ramgarhia
fought with mughals and Afghanis. He was a very important part of Dal
Khalsa and helped Kapur Singh and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia to keep up the
Khalsa spirit. He created Ramgarhia misl in Punjab and ruled around Batala, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar from 1740's until 1780's.
- Bhai Subeg Singh Shahbaz Singh were
both father and son who picked death but not to let go their faith. Both father
and son attained martyrdom on 10 March 1746 A.D.
- The Lesser Holocaust, Chhota
Ghalughara
happened when Lakhpat Rai hunted and killed 7,000 Sikhs in 2 months
around 1746 A.D.
- Barbarity of Meer Mannu was such
that he killed numerous Sikh infants and their mothers just to destroy the
Sikh religion. He was appointed a New governor of Lahore and Multan in
1748 A.D. by the Mughal administration but he paid tribute to
Afghanis.
- Bhai Taru Singh ji were a simple,
humble sikh. When asked by a Governor of Punjab to cut his hair, he allowed his
barber to cut his scalp but not his hair. Bhai Taru Singh ji attained martyrdom on 1st July 1745 A.D.
- Sardar Jassa Singh ji Ahluwalia
Led Dal Khalsa from 1748 A.D. - 1795 A.D., after Kapur Singh
ji. He fought Afghanis, Mughals, and local Indians to keep the
Khalsa in high spirits.
- Bhai Mahtab singh ji along with
Bhai Sukha
Singh ji avenged the desecration of Golden Temple in 1745 A.D by
killing Massa Ranghar who had made Golden Temple his palace.
- The greater holocaust when
30,000 Sikhs
died fighting Ahmad Shah Abdali forces at Kup near Malerkotla in year 22nd february 1762 A.D.
- The Sikh misls ruled Punjab
approximately 1745 A.D. - 1805 A.D.
- Sardar Baghel Singh Dhaliwal was leader of Karora
Singhia Misl, ruling area between Delhi and Hoshiarpur. He subdued Mughal king, Shah Alam II
and got constructed seven historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. Then he left 30,000 of his
forces behind in Delhi to protect these Gurdwaras on 11 March 1783 A.D, that place is still called Tees Hazari.
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji Shukarchakia
won
Lahore on July 7th 1799 A.D. and was declared Maharaja of Punjab on 13th April 1801 A.D.
Akali Phula Singh ji was a dashing soldier of
Khalsa who served Sarkar Khalsa with all of his gritty will. He fell fighting the
historic battle of Naushera, but not before enemy was routed.
- Sardar Hari Singh ji Nalua rendered
glorious
services towards extending the limits of Kingdom of Khalsa from 1811 A.D - 1837 A.D.
- The Sikh kingdom was lost
due to intrigues and counter intrigues of Dogra, who for a small piece of
land called Kashmir lost their Punjabi honour. Dogra generals of Khalsa
army conspired against their own army in collabaration with British and
destroyed the Khalsa empire assembled by Ranjit Singh.
- Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala Was
a gritty Khalsa soldier who could not see Khalsa forces losing battle
against British. He vowed to not to come back home until he wins the
battle or dies. He fulfilled his vow.
- Sardar Baba Ram Singh Namdhari
was a social warrior as well as a militant warrior. He was a Khalsa
soldier in Ranjit Singh's army. He established a Sikh sect of Namdharis.
His people were
called "Kookas" or Namdharis, very fierce soldiers and saints. Total
vegetarians but they fought British all over Punjab and several thousands
of Namdhari Sikhs were massacred by British. Baba Ram Singh Namdhari was
exiled to Burma for treason against State by British. He was merely
trying to win back the Khalsa state of Ranjit Singh through peace or
militancy.
- Great Sikh Social Warriors were those singhs
who reformed the Gurdwaras by establishing a democratic committee called
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee after taking over the control of
gurdwara from Mahants who were using the historical Sikh gurdwaras as
their personal property.
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