The Unbowed and the Unbroken

Though gagged and chained for months, the Mughals could never conquer Banda Bahadur. A man unbent in the face of all adversities remained a thing to be feared even in captivity. Such was the will and the might of Bahadur, a hero whose glory shall shine till the end of the time.

Banda Bahadur- the epitome of courage; Source: Wikimedia Commons

When Guru Gobind Singh became the 10th Sikh Guru after, his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded at the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb, the Sikh faith and community stood at a threshold. They were no more just a community of believers; the Sikhs had transformed into an important socio-political group that held a great influence. Their supporters grew, and so did their enemies. It was time to ensure the safety of the holy commune from those prying upon their faith and their lands. It was the time to form the Khalsa.

Khalsa, literally the “pure”, is more than a term that refers to a band of warriors. This militia order is sworn to protect the innocent from any harm. In times when the sword of religious persecution threatened the existence of Sikhism, they waged war against invading Mughals forces.

They were the fort that could not be breached. Guru Guru Gobind’s vision for his people was sustained through these warriors who kept performing their duties long after his assassination.

The true defender of the downtrodden who succeeded in establishing the Khalsa rule in the entire Punjab region was Banda Bahadur. Born on 27 October 1670 in Jammu and Kashmir, he was inducted into the service of the Guru at a young age. Ever since his first battle, he was put face to face against the Mughals.

As a warrior, he was formidable, as a leader, he was perceptive, and as a human, he was the epitome of kindness. Banda Bahadur took the glory of the Sikhs to new heights. Samana, Mustafabad, Malerkotla- all-important Mughal cities fell to the Khalsa like dominoes, increasing their power and prosperity.

The entire territory stretching from Sutlej to the Yamuna was under his control. The Khalsa saffron adorned with the Khanda on top of the Nishan Sahib was a declaration of their power and a challenge to the might of the Mughals.

Bahadur was unstoppable. He established a new capital at Mukhlisgarh and renamed it Loharagh. Steel was the name of their capital, and steel was their nerves. These were not mere invasions or raids; the Sikh military actions meant a total upheaval of the established Mughal Agra in order. Corrupt officials and backbreaking tax rates had pushed the farmers into great misery.

To abbreviate the tillers of the soil from such plight, Banda Bahadur abolished Zamindari and Taluqdari system in the region.

Farmers were no more rentiers; they were the owners of the land now.

With each step the Khalsa was taking towards sovereignty, the looming threat of the Mughals was getting closer to them. Clouds of annihilated cascaded in the sky, and Banda Bahadur found himself cornered. The Mughal army lay siege to Gurdaspur. For eight long months- despite all help cut off- his soldiers managed to defend themselves. Despite all their efforts, the enemy was successful in breaching their defences.

All of the Sikh warriors were taken captives, and Banda Bahadur was chained. They were tortured publicly, their severed corpses paraded throughout the city to induce fear. All the prisoners were kept in Delhi Fort, where they were treated in the most inhumane way possible to coerce them into conversion. Yet, the defenders of faith could not be swayed.

Bahadur was ordered to kill his four-year-old son, and when he refused to do so, Mughal soldiers cut off the child’s head and stuffed it into his father’s mouth.

Banda Bahadur could not be broken. After continuous torture for more than three months, he was martyred on 9 June 1716.

His martyrdom did not go in vain, as the Sikh community rose like a phoenix. His legacy was apparent in the Sikh empire that stood bravely in the face of the Mughals.