INTRODUCTION :
Banda bahadur was born on 27 October,1670 A.D in Kashmir, his childhood name was Lakshman das. He renounced the world and became sadhu , became disciple of Bairagi ram Das who gave him a new name as Madho Das. He came in contact with an old yogi, Aughar Nath and learnt witchcraft from him. He went to Nanded and settled there. He met Guru Gobind Singh in Nanded and got fascinated by the personality of Guru Gobind Singh and became his disciple, called as "Banda Bairagi ". He embraced Sikhism and with the blessings of Guru Gobind Singh he went to Punjab.
MILITARY EXPLOITS OF BANDA BAHADUR :
- KAITHAL AND SAMANA : First attack was done on Kaithal and Samana where treasury was looted and buildings were destroyed.
- KAPURI : Banda bahadur defeated the commander Qadam ud din of Kapuri and captured the place.
- SADHAURA AND MUKHLISPUR : Usman khan was Governor of Sadhaura who was a special target of Sikhs and was defeated by Banda Bahadur. Qatalgarhi was the place where Muslims were slaughtered. The fort of Mukhlispur fell under Banda Bahadur easily and was renamed as Lohgarh fort.
- SIRHIND CONQUEST : Banda Bahadur fought with Wazir khan on 12th may 1710 in the plains of Chappar Chiri. Fateh Singh chopped off the head of Wazir khan and Sirhind was won by the Banda Bahadur. Large number of boots were raised from Sirhind.
- OTHER INVASIONS : By defeating the Peerzadas of Gangetic doab the Banda Bahadur established his control over it. Inspired by him Sikhs of Jullundur doab revolted against Shams khan who surrendered in front of them .
BANDA BAHADUR AND MUGHAL ARMY :
- Bahadur shah 1 got sent his large army to lohgarh fort to capture Banda bahadur, although Banda successfully escaped to hills but lohgarh fort came under control of Muslim rulers. Banda took shelter in the hills of Nahan . He sent 'Hukumnmas' to Sikh rulers to get united. He conquested against hill rajas and started with Raja Bhim chand of Bilaspur and occupied it. Banda re-occupied the lohgarh fort.
- Farruk Siyyar sent his large army to capture Banda bahadur. Banda took shelter in Gurdas Nangal which was besieged by the Mughal army. In December 1715 Banda was arrested by the mughal army and on June 9 ,1716 he was killed.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF BANDA BAHADUR :
- SIKH WARRIORS : Banda bahadur inspired and encouraged Sikh people to fight for their rights. He successfully converted Sikh into ultimate warriors who fought bravely against the Mughals.
- RAISED THE HUGE ARMY : He was a great organiser and good general, he eased a huge army and gave tough fights to mughal rulers.
- TRUE SERVANT : Banda was faithfully and true servant of Guru Gobind Singh. He dedicated all his life to his service. He followed his guidelines and attributed all his achievements to guru.
- UNITED SIKHS : He created unity among the Sikhs and brought them under his control. It was because of unity that they gave a tough fight to mughal rulers.
- SHAKEN THE MUGHAL EMPIRE : Banda bahadur with his bravery shaked down the mughal empire from its base. He conquered places like Sirhind and brought various reforms for peasants.
CAUSES OF FAILURE OF BANDA BAHADUR :
- POWERFUL MUGHAL EMPIRE : No doubt Banda bahadur was able to share the mughal empire but it was difficult to defeat them. The Mughal empire was not something which was raised one or two years ago, it was a well established empire with great weapons and military. So it was not easy to defeat the mughal empire.
- LACK OF RESOURCES : Banda bahadur despite being brave was not able to match the amount of resources that mughals had. It was due to paucity of resources only that he got arrested in Gurdas Nangal. If Sikhs had weapons and food over there it was difficult for mughals to defeat Sikhs.
- DISORGANIZATION OF THE SIKHS: Although Banda was able to manage the huge army but was disorganised. Large number of soldiers joined the army only for booty who ran in between wars with mughals.
- DEFECTION OF BABA BINOD SINGH : The biggest reason for the failure of Banda bahadur was the defection of baba BINOD SINGH. In the Gurdas Nangal he entered into conflict with Banda bahadur and left the haveli with his followers which weakened the position of Sikh army.
CONCLUSION
Banda bahadur enjoys a prominent place in history of not only Punjab but all over India. He holds the position in north as Shiva ji is in south India. He united Sikh under one common umbrella and raised strong Sikh warriors against mughals. Despite of failure he served to his best for Sikhism.
BOOK REFERENCE ( CLICK TO BUY )
The Sikhs of the Punjab: 03 (The New Cambridge History of India)