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Sikh history has been
enriched by enormous martyrdoms of Sikh
fighters and Sikh Saints. Sikh gurus
themselves lead the Sikhs with glorious
examples of martyrdom. First Guru to
be martyred by Mughals was Guru Arjan
Dev ji, the fifth Guru. Guru Arjan Dev
ji who had compiled Guru Granth Sahib
(called it Adi Granth then) by collecting
hymns of all the Sikh Gurus before him.
It is probably only in Sikhism that
its founders and its teachers were not
only great fighers and saints but also
great writers and poets. Hymns written
by Guru Nanak dev ji, Guru Angad Dev
ji, Guru Ramdas ji, Guru Arjan Dev ji,
Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, Guru Gobind Singh
ji easily surpass the criteria of current
noble prize for literature, then their
examples of supreme sacrifices after
achieving so much fame, etc is incredible.
But then only Gurus are perfect, we
Sikhs (sikh means disciple) surpass
either in literature, or as fighters,
sportsmen, or as martyrs, but not always
in everything as with Gurus. As you
know in this site you are only reading
about "Great Sikh Warriors",
about Sikhs who fought to survive for
their freedom of religion. There are
many Sikhs who have achieved much in
other fields but that was only possible
once Great Sikh Warriors stopped the
religious persecution. Just imagine
what Punjab would you have been living
in today if not for Great Sikh Warriors?.
Baba Dip Singh ji Shaheed martyrdom
in 1757 at Amritsar was not the last
one, in fact it inspired thousands more.
In 1757, Baba Dip Singh ji took a vow
to celebrate festival of Diwali at Amritsar
which was in control of Afghani Durrani
(abdali) forces and started his march
along with about 500 or so disciples
and fulfilled his vow by breathing last
at Parikarma periphery of Golden Temple.
His martyrdom inspired countless others,
one of them was Bhai Gurbax Singh.
Gurbaksh Singh (1688-1764), also known
as Gurbaksh Singh Nihang or Shahid,
hailed from the village of Lil, in Amritsar
District. According to an old manuscript
which was preserved in the Sikh reference
library, Amritsar, until it perished
in the Government of India's Army action
in 1984, and which is quoted by Singh
Sahib Giani Kirpal Singh, he was born
on Baisakh Vadi 5, 1745 Bk i.e. 10th
April 1688 (father Dasaundha Singh,
Mother Mai Lachchami). In 1698, the
family shifted to Anandpur where Gurbakshash
Singh took pahul of the Khalsa on the
historic Baisakhi day of 1699. He completed
his religious education under Bhai Mani
Singh. He later joined the Shahid Misl
under Baba Dip singh and after the latter's
martyrdom in 1757 at Amritsar, organized
his own Jatha or fighting band. In battles
against Durranis (Afghanis) and Mughals
his dera usually formed the vanguard
carrying the banner, and won renown
of its acts of gallantry.
In November 1764, Ahmad Shah Abdali
at the head of 30,000 afghanis invaded
India for 7th time, Bhai Gurbaksh Singh
happened to be stationed at holy Shrine
at Amritsar. The Durrani (abdali) advanced
up to the town virtually unopposed and
entered the partially reconstructed
Harimandir, which he had demolished
two years earlier. Bhai Gurbaksh Singh
who had already evacuated from the precints
women, children, and the aged, had with
him only thirty men. According to Ratan
Singh Bhangu, prachin Panth Prakash
"Bhai Gurbaksh Singh with garlands
around his neck and sword on his shoulder,
dressed himself as a bridegroom, his
men forming the marriage party, waiting
eagerly to court the bride-death."
As soon as they saw the Afghan king
and his hordes, they swooped down upon
them.
This was an unequal fight - thirty
pitted against thirty thousand. All
thirty Sikhs were killed before Gurbaksh
Singh, though throughout in the forefront,
also fell. Giving an eyewitness account
of the action, Qazi Nur Muhammad, the
chronicler who was in the train of the
invader, writes in his jangnamah when
the king and his army reached the chakk(Amritsar),
they did not see any infidel kafir there.
But a few men stayed in a fortress were
bent upon spilling their blood and they
sacrificed themselves for their Guru..
They were only thirty in number. They
did not have the least fear of death.
They engaged the Ghazis (i.e. in Islamic
terminology, a Ghazi is a muslim person
who had killed an Infidel or a kafir)
and spilled their blood in the process.
Thus all of them were slaughtered and
consigned to the seventh [hell].
This happened on 1 December 1764. Bhai
Gurbaksh singh was cremated behind Takht
Akal bunga, later a tomb was built on
the site which is now known as Shahid
Ganj.
Salute to Great Sikh Warrior Bhai Gurbax
Singh ji
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
encyclopedia of Sikhism."
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