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 Bhai
Mani Singh was born on the 10th March,
1644 A.D., at village Alipur, district
Muzaffargarh. He came for a glimpse
of Guru Har Rai to Kiratpur with his
father Mai Dass for the first time and
stayed back for service of the Guru's
institution. He was married at fifteen
to Bibi Sito, the daughter of Bhai Lakhi
Rai. After the battle of Nadaun of 1690
A.D., Guru Gobind Singh entrusted him
with the service of Diwan. At the time
of leaving Anandpur on the night of
December 20-21, 1704 A.D., the Guru
entrusted him to take the Guru's consorts
to Delhi. In May, 1705 A.D., at the
call of the Guru he reached Talwandi
Sabo where the Guru got him to write
the original manuscript of the Holy
Granth and prepare some copies. In 1708
A.D., Mother Sunder Kaur sent him from
Delhi to Amritsar for service of the
Harmandir Sahib.
In 1735 A.D., Zakria Khan, the Governor
of Lahore, ordered village headmen and
landlords to finish Sikhs of their areas.
He also appointed Diwan Lakhpat Rai,
an enemy of the Sikhs, the administrator
of Amfitsar and Qazi Abdul Razak as
the police chief. One day the Governor
asked them, 'What is the reason that
no matter what the number of Sikhs we
kill more are created ?" The Qazi
replied, "Their Guru had put the
elixir of life in the pool at Harmandir
Sahib. Whosoever bathes in that pool,
gains eternal life." Hearing this,
the Governor ordered the filling up
of the pool with sand and turned Bhai
Mani Singh out from the service of Harmandir
Sahib.
Having been turned out from Harmandir
Sahib, Bhai Mani Singh took up residence
at the Sultan Wind's well. one evening
Qazi Abdul Razak came to Bhai Mani Singh
and said, "My children are very
ill. Medicines of local physicians and
doctors are having no effect. Children
wake up with nightmares." Bhai
Mani Singh went with him to his house.
He sprinkled water from the pool of
Harmandir Sahib over the children and
said to them, "Be not afraid during
the night." As the Lord would have
it, the children stopped having nightmares.
Qazi Abdul Razak stopped silting up
the pool.
With the help of the Qazi, Bhai Mani
Singh got permission from the Governor
to allow Sikhs to have free access to
Harmandir Sahib for ten days on the
occasion of Diwali of 1737 A.D., on
the condition to pay tax of Rupees five
thousand and so he wrote letters to
invite the Sikhs. The Governor and Diwan
Lakhpat Rai secretly planned to kill
the Sikhs coming for the pilgrimage.
Bhai Mani Singh came to know of their
plan in time. He sent messages to Sikhs
not to come and so no fair was held.
The Governor called Bhai Mani Singh
to Lahore and demanded the tax money.
Bhai Mani Singh said, "What for
should I pay the money when the fair
was not held ?" Then the Governor
asked Bhai Mani Singh to embrace Islam.
He refused. Qazi Abdul Razak ordered
that Bhai Mani Singh be cut joint by
joint. On the 14th June, 1738 A.D.,
he was martyred at Nakhaas Chowk by
cutting him joint by joint.
Salute to Great Sikh Martyr Bhai Mani
Singh ji
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Santokh Singh Jagdev
"Bed Time Stories"
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