Banda Singh Bahadur
Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev) (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a general of the Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī. In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation to meet Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I in southern India, he visited Banda Singh Bahadur in 1708. Banda became disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was given a new name, Gurbaksh Singh (as written in Mahan Kosh), after the baptism ceremony. He is popularly known as Banda Singh Bahadur. He was given five arrows by the Guru as a blessing for the battles ahead. He came to Khanda, Sonipat and assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire.
Banda Singh Bahadur | |
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Depiction of Banda Singh Bahadur, during the Battle of Sirhind (1710), from an illustrated folio of ‘Tawarikh-i Jahandar Shah’, Awadh or Lucknow, ca.1770 | |
| Birth name | Lachman Dev |
| Other name(s) | Madho Das Bairagi, Banda Bairagi |
| Born | 27 October 1670 Rajauri, Poonch, Mughal Empire (present-day Jammu and Kashmir, India) |
| Died | 9 June 1716 (aged 45) Delhi, Mughal Empire (present-day India) |
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| Years of service | 1708–1716 |
| Spouse(s) | Susheel Kaur Sahib Kaur |
| Children | Ajay Singh Ranjit Singh |
| Signature | |
| Personal | |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Religious career | |
| Teacher | Guru Gobind Singh |
Banda Singh Bahadur | |
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| Sikhism |
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His first major action was the sacking of the Mughal provincial capital, Samana, in November 1709. After establishing his authority and the Sikh Republic in Punjab, Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the zamindari (feudal) system, and granted property rights to the tillers of the land. Banda Singh was captured by the Mughals and tortured to death in 1715–1716.