Baba Deep Singh jee Shaheed... (Shaheed Divas Nov 13...)
Shahidee Diwas of Baba Deep Singh jee Shaheed falls on Nov 13th this year. Here's a small article on the occassion....
Baba Deep Singh jee was born on January 20, 1682, in the village of Pahuwind in the district of Amritsar. On the Vaisakhi of 1700, where after obtaining baptism into Sikhism, he started learning weaponry and riding. From Bhai Mani Singh, he began learning, reading and writing Gurmukhi and the interpretation of the Gurus' words. After spending two years at Anandpur, he returned to his village in 1702 and got married and settled down. He went to Guru Gobind Singh at Talwandi Sabo in 1705, where he helped Bhai Mani Singh in making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib. After Guru Gobind Singh Ji left for Delhi, he took up the service of looking after the Gurdwara Damdama Sahib.
In April 1757, Ahmed Shah Abdali raided Northern India for the fourth time. While he was on his way back to Kabul from Delhi with precious booty and young men and women as captives, the Sikhs made a plan to rob him of the valuables and set the prisoners free. The squad of Baba Deep Singh Ji was deployed near Kurukshetra. His squad freed a large number of prisoners and lightened the burden of valuables of Abdali considerably. On his arrival in Lahore, Abdali, who was in a black mood, ordered the demolition of the Harmandir Sahib. The shrine was blown up and the sacred pool filled with the entrails of slaughtered cows. Abdali assigned the Punjab to his son, Prince Timur Shah and left him a force of ten thousand men under General Jahan Khan.
Baba Deep Singh Ji, who was entrusted with the care of the temple, felt that it was up to him to atone for the sin of having let the Mughals desecrate the shrine. He emerged from scholastic retirement (he had been making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji), and declared to a congregation at Damdama Sahib that he intended to rebuild the temple. Five hundred men came forward to go with him. Baba Deep Singh Ji offered prayers before starting for Amritsar:"May my head fall at the Darbar Sahib." As he went from hamlet to hamlet, many villagers joined him. By the time Baba Deep Singh Ji reached Tarn Taran Sahib, ten miles from Amritsar, he had over five thousand peasants armed with hatchets, swords, and spears, in his train.
At the news of the approach of the Sikhs, Jahan Khan ordered a general mobilisation of all able-bodied men in Lahore. Leading a force of twenty thousand, he proceeded towards Amritsar. The Sikhs and the Mughals clashed at the village of Gohalwar on November 11, 1757. The Sikhs pushed the Mughals back and reached the village of Chabba where General Attal Khan came forward and inflicted a blow on Baba Deep Singh Ji whilst Baba Deep Singh inflicted a blow on him. Both of their heads got separated from their bodies. A singh reminded Baba Deep Singh Ji, "You had promised to put your head at the feet of the Guru in Harimandir Sahib." On hearing this, Baba Deep Singh Ji held his head on his left hand and his double-edged sword with his right hand. Baba Deep Singh Ji reached Harmandir Sahib, where he gave his head and breathed his last. In due course of time, the temple was rebuilt.
(It is said that Baba jee's double edge sword was 32 ser (1 ser nears to a kilo))
source:various websites
Baba Deep Singh jee was born on January 20, 1682, in the village of Pahuwind in the district of Amritsar. On the Vaisakhi of 1700, where after obtaining baptism into Sikhism, he started learning weaponry and riding. From Bhai Mani Singh, he began learning, reading and writing Gurmukhi and the interpretation of the Gurus' words. After spending two years at Anandpur, he returned to his village in 1702 and got married and settled down. He went to Guru Gobind Singh at Talwandi Sabo in 1705, where he helped Bhai Mani Singh in making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib. After Guru Gobind Singh Ji left for Delhi, he took up the service of looking after the Gurdwara Damdama Sahib.
In April 1757, Ahmed Shah Abdali raided Northern India for the fourth time. While he was on his way back to Kabul from Delhi with precious booty and young men and women as captives, the Sikhs made a plan to rob him of the valuables and set the prisoners free. The squad of Baba Deep Singh Ji was deployed near Kurukshetra. His squad freed a large number of prisoners and lightened the burden of valuables of Abdali considerably. On his arrival in Lahore, Abdali, who was in a black mood, ordered the demolition of the Harmandir Sahib. The shrine was blown up and the sacred pool filled with the entrails of slaughtered cows. Abdali assigned the Punjab to his son, Prince Timur Shah and left him a force of ten thousand men under General Jahan Khan.
Baba Deep Singh Ji, who was entrusted with the care of the temple, felt that it was up to him to atone for the sin of having let the Mughals desecrate the shrine. He emerged from scholastic retirement (he had been making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji), and declared to a congregation at Damdama Sahib that he intended to rebuild the temple. Five hundred men came forward to go with him. Baba Deep Singh Ji offered prayers before starting for Amritsar:"May my head fall at the Darbar Sahib." As he went from hamlet to hamlet, many villagers joined him. By the time Baba Deep Singh Ji reached Tarn Taran Sahib, ten miles from Amritsar, he had over five thousand peasants armed with hatchets, swords, and spears, in his train.
At the news of the approach of the Sikhs, Jahan Khan ordered a general mobilisation of all able-bodied men in Lahore. Leading a force of twenty thousand, he proceeded towards Amritsar. The Sikhs and the Mughals clashed at the village of Gohalwar on November 11, 1757. The Sikhs pushed the Mughals back and reached the village of Chabba where General Attal Khan came forward and inflicted a blow on Baba Deep Singh Ji whilst Baba Deep Singh inflicted a blow on him. Both of their heads got separated from their bodies. A singh reminded Baba Deep Singh Ji, "You had promised to put your head at the feet of the Guru in Harimandir Sahib." On hearing this, Baba Deep Singh Ji held his head on his left hand and his double-edged sword with his right hand. Baba Deep Singh Ji reached Harmandir Sahib, where he gave his head and breathed his last. In due course of time, the temple was rebuilt.
(It is said that Baba jee's double edge sword was 32 ser (1 ser nears to a kilo))
source:various websites
posted by Sifar at
11/10/2006 11:46:00 AM
2 Comments:
Thanks for sharing this!
I have learnt that Baba Ji's age at the time of this battle was ninty years. Do you have any correct information regarding this? I am not sure if this information(regarding his age) is correct or not.
By
Anonymous, at 11/11/2006 8:26 AM
According to what I have heard, Baba jee was in his 70's. This is also supported by the dates mentioned in the Sakhi above; 1682 - 1757, comes to 75 yrs.
By
Sifar, at 11/11/2006 5:05 PM
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