| 1774 |
Jathaedar Baghael
Singh captured the area of Shahdra, Delhi and raised a Kesri Nishan
Sahib on Mughal's Red Fort.
==> BAGHAEL SINGH was a resident of Chubhal, Amritsar. This
Sant Sepahi belonged to the "Karohdhi" Misl. In sunmat
1847, working with the Khalsa forces, he attacked and captured Delhi.
He received three lakh rupees from the Shah Aalam which he used
to build the Delhi Gurudwaras and acquire their surrounding lands.
He returned to Punjab after successful completion of all the historical
Gurudwara constructions. Baghael Singh led an exemplary life devoted
extensively to amrit prachar. Many well known Sikh personalities
including Patiala's Raja Sahib Singh Ji, received amrit under Baghael
Singh's guidance. He passed away on sunmat 1859 in Amritsar.
-Ref. Mahan Kosh
In 1727 Nawab Kapur Singh took charge of the political affairs
of the Sikhs. At that time the Sikh Nation was in disarray. The
Mughal Governor, Zakria Khan's policy to annihilate the Sikhs had
forced them to disperse towards the hills and jungles.
But it did not take long and the Sikhs once again started to reappear
and consolidate their forces. The credit to reorganize the Sikh
Polity, and institutionalize it into specific units, goes to Nawab
Kapur Singh. He realized that the support group was equally necessary
to keep the supply-line open for the forces in combat. Consequently,
he divided the Khalsa society into two groups. The name of Taruna
Dal was designated to the armed forces and the combat troops. Mostly
the people under the age of forty were taken in it.
The second, service group, was called Budha Dal. People over the
age of fifty were accommodated there. Apart from providing facilities
to the fighting forces, the Budha Dal's duties included the protection
of the Sikh Religious places, provision of comfort to the sick and
needy, and to take care of the women, children and old.
With overwhelming acceptance, people flocked to join both the ranks.
Nawab Kapoor Singh divided them into five commands and with the
passage of time they took the shape of twelve Missals. Initially,
Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was the overall commander of these
Missals. Each Missal was assigned various task.
Sardar Karor Singh was the commander of the Missal known as Karor
Singhia, after his name. Sardar Baghel Singh, a resident of Gurdaspur
District took over the command of this Missal at the death of Sardar
Karor Singh.
The people of Saharanpur were maltreated by Najib-u-Daula, the
Feudal Lord. Sardar Baghel Singh gave him a crushing defeat in the
first encounter of his command of the Missal. One after the other
he indulged in seventeen such confrontations with the scrupulous
rulers.
The Mohammedan Chief of Jalalabad had forcibly abducted the daughter
of a Brahmin and taken her into his Harem. The Singhs under the
command of Baghel Singh crossed Jamuna, killed the Chief, Mir Hassan
Khan, and got the girl liberated. The girl was duly returned to
the parents, but her parents and the Hindu community refused to
accept her back on the pretext that she had been defiled by living
under Islamic environments. The Singhs, then, assigned her the title
of `Daughter of the Khalsa' and admonished the Brahmins: all the
property of any class conscience person, who treated the girl with
disrespect, would be confiscated and handed over to the girl herself.
Sardar Baghel Singh's army invaded Delhi first time on January
18, 1774 and captured the area up to Shahdra. In the second invasion
which took place on July 1775, they captured the area of Pahar Ganj
and Jai Singh Pura. This battle was fought at the place where present
New Delhi is situated. A mosque built at the place, where Gurdwara
Bungla Sahib is situated, was demolished. But the Khalsa Army faced
acute shortage of supplies for life subsistence, and voluntarily
withdrew. The Singhs continued their intrusions from time to time,
which made Mughal King, Bahadur Shah, to concede to give the Singhs
one eighth of the revenue collected from the area in between Rivers
Ganga and Jamuna.
In 1783 the Maharatas abandoned Delhi. The Mughal Rulers foresaw
the danger emanating from the progressing English power. To deter
the English and to make them to go back, the Mughal King, Shah Alam,
wished the Sinhgs to come back. Taking advantage of the situation,
thirty thousand of Sikhs came and encamped at the place of Kashmiri
Gate. They planned two pronged attack. One section invaded the Ajmeri
Gate and the other one breached the wall of the Red Fort and entered
the place, which is now known as the Mori Gate. After a fierce battle
the Singhs captured Red Fort, hoisted the Kesri Flag, and put Panj
Pyare, including Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, on the throne of
the Delhi.
Shah Alam, through the aegis of his Ministers, Court Official Munshi
Ram Dyal, and Begham (Queen) Samoor offered reconciliation with
the Singhs and accepted their four conditions:
- No Mughal
Official would indulge in atrocities on the populace.
- The Mughal
King would pay three hundred thousand rupees as a gift.
- The Kotwali
Area would remain the property of the Khalsa Army.
- Sardar Baghel
Singh would trace historically significant Sikh places in Delhi,
and would establish Sikh Temples there. Till this work was completed
he would stay in Delhi with a constabulary of 4,000 horses. The
Delhi Ruler would bear all their expenses. Consequently, rest
of the Khalsa Army returned.
Sardar Baghel
Singh set up an octroi-post near Sabzi Mandi to collect the tax
on the goods imported into the city to finance the search and the
construction of the Sikh Temples. He did not want to use the cash
received from the Government Treasury for this purpose, and most
of that was handed out to the needy and poor. He often distributed
sweetmeats, bought out of this Government gift, to the congregationalists
at the place which, now, is know as the Pul Mithai.
With help of
Hindu, Muslim and Sikh old residents of Delhi, Sardar Baghel Singh
found and established seven historical places as the Sikh Temples:
- Gurdwara Mata
Sundri Ji at the place which was know as the Haveli Sardar Jawahar
Singh.
- Gurdwara Bangla
Sahib. A Mansion belonging to Raja Jai Singh existed there once.
Guru Harkrishan Dev, the Eighth Guru had stayed there.
- Gurdwara Bala
Sahib. Last rights of Guru Harkrishan, Mata Sundri and Mata Sahib
Kaur were performed at this place.
- Gurdwara Rakab
Ganj. The torso of Guru Tegh Bahadur was cremated here.
- Gurdwara Sees
Ganj. Guru Tegh Bahadur was martyred at this place.
- Gurdwara Moti
Bagh. Guru Gobind Singh sent a message to the Mughal King, Bahadur
Shah, by throwing an arrow from this place.
- Gurdwara Majnu
Tilla. It was established in the memory of a Sikh of Guru Nanak,
named Majnu. Guru Hargobind stayed at this place on his way to
Gwaliar.
On the completion
of all the Gurdwaras, Baghel Singh appointed the Bhais (attendant
priests) to look after the places and decided to return to Punjab,
as well. He was persuaded by Munshi Ram Dyal not to abandoned Delhi
once the Mughals had coneded to his authority and supermacy. But
Baghel Singh replied, "We have been endowed with Kingdom and
Destiny by our Guru. Whenever we wished, we could capture Delhi.
It won't be difficult for the Khalsa."
Sardar Baghel
Singh once again decided to invaded Delhi in 1785. Shah Alam, scared
of Singh, signed a treaty with the Maharatas. The Maharatas initialed
an agreement with the Singhs and consented to pay one million rupees
as Gift.
The last days
of the life of Baghel Singh are not very conspicuous. Some accounts
mark 1800 and 1802 as the years of his demise. But, according to
Lepel Griffith, Baghel Singh, along with Bhag Singh of Jind and
their contigents, joined the British Army and died either at the
end of 1805 or early 1806. |
