Rajput - Sikh Relation (During Guru's Period)
Rajput - Sikh Relations during and after the period of the Gurus
Guru Nanak
During his preaching tours. Guru Nanak (1469 - 1539), founder of the Sikh faith, is believed to have visited Pushkar and Kulayat, two important Hindu pilgrimage centres in Rajputana (now Rajasthan), the land of the Rajputs. The Doad Rajputs have also been associated with Guru Nanak Dev ji, as per the Bala Janamsakhi. On one of his journeys, Guru Nanak Dev ji along with his companion Mardana set up camp on the banks of the river Ravi. A Doad from a nearby village befriended Guru Nanak. It is said that Doad and his wife brought Guru ji milk on a daily basis and with Guru ji’s blessings, Doad’s family flourished and became prosperous. Guru Nanak Dev ji eventually settled at this site and it became to be known as Kartarpur.
Guru Hargobind
While under detention in Gwalior Fort, Guru Hargobind came in contact with some Rajput chiefs similarly held in custody there, and was instrumental in their eventual release from captivity. Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber (1605-67), his queen, and his son, Raja Ram Singh, were devotees of the Gurus.
Guru Har Krishan and Guru Tegh Bahadur
Guru Har Krishan (1656-64) and Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621-75) stayed in Mirza Raja Jai Singh's palace in Raisina, a Delhi suburb. According to some accounts Guru Tegh Bahadur, during his journey towards the eastern provinces, was arrested near Delhi, but was soon released through the intervention of the Amber prince. The Guru later accompanied Raja Ram Singh, at the latter's request, during the Assam expedition.
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) travelled widely across Rajputana in 1706-08.
In October 1686 the hill chieftains collected a force of 30,000 men and under the leadership of Raja Bhim Chand and Fateh Shah they rode towards Paonta Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s army consisted of around 4,000 Sikhs only besides a number of Udasis and Pathans. Except for Mahant Kirpa Das and a few others most of the Udasis had deserted the Guru. The Pathans who had taken up employment under Guru Ji on the recommendation of Pir Buddhu Shah were all bought over by Bhim Chand. They were promised free share of the loot at Paonta Sahib. Guru Ji informed Pir Buddhu Shah about the unfaithful behavior of the Pathans and he himself led his Sikhs to a place six miles outside Paonta Sahib, called Bhangani.
Guru Ji describes the battle of Bhangani in much detail in the Bachittar Natak :
Bhujung prayat chhand.
The sounds of trumpets and the beat of drums were echoing. The brave warriors started roaring from both sides and they with the full power of their arms continued to hit with their weapons. In the battle ground, now the shrieks of Chamunda goddess and her attendants dakinis (witches) were heard. How long it can be described; the fierce battle raged all around. Those all who stood firm in the field got killed but thousands of soldiers ran away. (Fateh) Shah riding on horseback ran towards the mountains. That brave one did not even hit a single arrow. Madhukar Shah of Dadval and king Jaswal also ran away with their soldiers. The stubborn Hari Chand catching hold of his spear in his hand stopped Mughals, Chandals, and the Rajputs on the Chandra lineage. He accomplished the duty of being the commander and whosoever struck with that warrior fell on the ground in two pieces. There, only Najabat Khan with his weapons killed Sangram Shah. This Khan killed many with his weapons and Sangram Shah was also sent to his heavenly abode at the hands of this Khan.
Dohra : Sangoshah killed Najabat Khan and was also killed at his hands. With his demise, cries of distress were heard all around in this world, but in the heavens echoed the sounds of cheers.
Bhjung Prayat Chhand : Witnessing the death of Sangram Shah in the battle field, your this lowly creature also caught hold of his bow and with one arrow killed Khan. My arrow hit the enemy in such a way as if he was bitten by a black cobra. So long he fell to the ground , I took over the second arrow and pulling it hit on the face of Bhikan Khan. Bhikan Khan, the killer, in fact escaped and took to his heels but his horse got killed. With (my) third arrow another person got killed. Now Hari Chand came to his senses and catching hold of his arrow he pulled and shot them continuously. Whoever was touched by his arrows could not survive and leaving his body here would go to his heavenly abode. That warrior, pulling two arrows was shooting them at a time and that brave person perished many horses. None could sustain his arrows which pierced the body and came out of it. All the warriers fulfilled their duties of commandership (and fought valiantly). The witches and ghosts were crying in the battlefield and the baitals were laughing and wandering there. The eagles were flying and sounds of kites were also heard.
The angered Hari Chand took over his bow and aimed at my horse he shot the first arrow. Second arrow he shot while aiming at me. God saved me and touching my ear the arrow went away. The third arrow he shot at my belt which pierced and went across my belt. Its tip pricked my skin but no wound occurred. The Lord in the form of time saved the life of this humble servant.
Rasaval chhand : As soon as the tip pricked me. my anger flared up. Catching the bow in my hand I pulled an arrow and shot it. On the other hand the warriors running here and there and their weapons were moving around. Meanwhile I shot that arrow which killed the powerful youngman (HariChand) Having killed Hari Chand other warriors were also trampled. The death killed Karori Rai also. Seeing this, repudiating the war all took to their heels and (seeing their commander dead) became horrified. Lord I became victorious because of your grace only.
Shaheed Baba Banda Singh Bahadur
as early as May 1710 i.e. before the take over of Sarhind Banda Singh Bahadur had opened his communication channels with the Rajput chiefs of Jaipur and Jodhpur.43 According to a news that appeared in the Darbar-i-Akhbar-i-Mualla of May 28, 1710 "it was brought to the notice of the Emperor that Raja Jai Singh and Raja Ajit Singh had got the letters of Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] and their replies had been dispatched to him".44 Though the contents of these letters are not known yet we can foresee that Banda Singh Bahadur was very anxious to from a Sikh–Rajput alliance to overthrow the unjust Mughal rule. In order to restore Mughal rule in Punjab as well as to subdue the Sikhs towards the end of December 1710, Bahadur Shah had encamped at Sadhaura.45 However Banda Singh Bahadur escaped into the Sirmour hills to appear in the Bari Doab. Even Lahore, the provincial capital city was not safe from the Sikhs.46 In these circumstances the Emperor haste into Lahore to remain there till his death in February 1712. From the very beginning Bahadur Shah desired that Raja Jai Singh and Raja Ajit Singh must join the Mughal expedition against the Sikhs. From December 26, 1710 onward we come across numerous express orders of the Emperor asking the Rajas to present themselves at the Mughal court.47 Instead of adhering to the Royal edicts, the Rajas followed the wait and watch policy. There may be more than one reason for it. As Banda Singh Bahadur had invited the Rajas to join him in his struggle against the Mughals, the Rajas had not yet made up their mind either to join the proposed Sikh–Rajput alliance or to support the Mughals against the Sikhs. Secondly, they wanted to extract maximum benefit in the form of jagir from the Mughals. We observe that their Vakils present at the Mughal court were working overtime to extract as much as they can. Therefore the Rajas deliberately kept on dilly-delaying their arrival at the Mugal court. On June 4, 1711 Mahabat Khan, the third Bakshi, summoned the Vakil of Raja Jai Singh and told him that due to the delay of the Rajas his position at the royal court has become precarious and his rivals are leveling various types of charges. In an another report of June 4, 1711 the Jaipur Vakil describes that at the Mughal courts the Rajas are labeled as liars and impression is that they would never turn up and who knows for what purpose they have got together.49 An arzdasht of June 9, 1711 from Jaipur Vakil to his master unfolds that by the grace of God he is quite hopeful that for a few more days Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] would not be captured so that the Emperor may remain entangled in the Punjab. A letter of June 13, 1711 from his Vakil counsels Raja Jai Singh that the negligence shown to the letter of Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] was not good on our part as it has aggravated the situation very badly and in future we need to be very careful.51 It suggests that a letter from Banda Singh Bahadur meant for Jaipur chief had fallen into the hands of Mughals. In the Mughal court there was apprehension that Banda Singh Bahadur may go to Ajmer via Lakhi Jungle52, obviously to join the Rajputs. A vakil report submitted on September 16, 1711 unfolds that there were strong apprehensions in the Mughal court that the Rajas were in league with Banda Singh Bahadur.When Bahadur Shah was encamped at Lahore a report came that Banda Singh Bahadur has appeared near Ropar and may again go to Sadhaura. Therefore the Emperor devised a military strategy according to which the Rajas were asked to station their forces at Ropar and whenever the situation demands they were to support Muhammad Amin Khan to subdue the Sikhs. All these reports provide significant insights into the proposed Sikh–Rajput alliance which was a cause of serious concern for the Mughals. However, the alliance failed to take off, chiefly because of the indecisiveness as well as selfish interest on the part of Rajput chiefs. Instead of throwing away the Mughal yoke forever they were satisfied if they are left in quite possession of their hereditary country coupled with an increase in their jagir or mansab at the Mughal court. At the same time the Mughal nobles especially Shahzada Azim-ush-Sham and Muhabat Khan were constantly in touch with the Rajas. They promised the Rajas to protect their interests and finally succeeded to persuade them to join the Mughal expedition against the Sikhs. Our sources indicate that the Rajas instead of entering into an alliance with the Sikhs decided to help the Mughals. According to a report of September 21, 1711 Raja Jai Singh and Raja Ajit Singh had reached in the vicinity of Delhi for their onward march to Sadhaura.55 Another dispatch of October 9, 1711 describes that Bhup Parkash Raja of Nahan who was imprisoned in Salimgarh sent his men with a request to the Rajput chiefs to intervene to get him free from the prison. The Rajas wrote back, they were the servants of the Mughal Emperor and are going to Sadhaura. They advised the chief of Nahan that he should write to his men at Nahan that wherever the Sikhs were found they must be made captive.56 Though the Rajas along with their forces had encircled Sadhaura, yet Banda Singh Bahadur again offered to them to form an alliance with him. The Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla of November 30, 1711 informs that “the rebel Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] wrote to Raja Ajit Singh and Raja Jai Singh that they should come to his territory. They [the Sikhs] should be considered to have reached their territory. The Rajas killed the spies of the rebels and told that they were the servants of the Emperor. The rebels would be captured or killed soon.” It further adds, "Muhammed Amin Khan wrote to Raja Ajit Singh and Raja Ajit Singh if they jointly marched against the rebel leader they could capture or kill him soon. The Rajas wrote in reply that the matter be reported to the Emperor. In case the Mughals were attacked by the rebels they [Rajas] would immediately reach there".The Mughals who entertained apprehensions that the Rajput Rajas were in league with the Sikhs, had very tactfully prevented the Rajas to enter into any understanding with the Sikhs. To recapitulate, we can say that when the Sikhs under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur were fighting the Mughals to establish their own rule, the Rajput chiefs were sitting on the fringe totally unconcerned. They were satisfied to administer their hereditary possessions under the suzerainty of the Mughals. Unfortunately, they spurned Banda Singh Bahadur's proposal of Sikh–Rajput alliance which would have been a formidable challenge to the Mughal empire at that time.
Mata Sundari, Banda Singh Bahadur and later Sikhs
When Mata Sundari moved from Delhi to Mathura, the then Raja of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh, provided her with suitable residence and maintenance. Earlier during Bahadur Shah's expedition against Banda Singh Bahadur in 1710-11, while the Rajput princes of Mcvar and Kishangarh joined the imperial camp at the royal summons, Maharaja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur and Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur, despite the emperor's pressing orders, marched leisurely only arriving in the Punjab ten months after Bahadur Shah's campaign was over.
During the period after Banda Singh, Sikh jaihds or subunits of the Dal Khalsa, adopting guerilla tactics against the Mughal and Afghan regimes, took refuge on several occasions in the desert of Rajputana. We have it on the authority of Ratan Singh Bharigu, Prdchin Panth Prakdsh, that Bhai Mahitab Singh Mirarikotia and Bhai Sukkha Singh of Man Kannbo went to Jaipur and joined the service of its ruler. Bharigu also records a Sikh force assisting the ruler of Bikaner in his attack on Jaisalmer. According to Giani Gian Singh, Shamsher Khalsa, the jathd of Buddha Singh and Sham Singh of Narit had at one time been in the service of Bikaner.
In December 1765, RajaJawahar Singh of Bharaipur was at war with Raja Madho Singh of Jaipur. He hired 25,000 Sikhs under Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluvalia while Madho Singh invited the Marathas for help. The Marathas had also been engaged by Jawahar Singh's step brother, Naval Singh, who was in possession of Dholpur. Jawahar Singh decided first to deal with Naval Singh. He, therefore, made his peace with Madho Singh and dismissed the Sikhs after paying them their subsidy. In December 1767 Madho Singh attacked Jawahar Singh. The latter engaged 10,000 Sikhs to fight for him, but was defeated on 29 February 1768. He hired another Sikh force making a total of 20,000 at 7,00,000 rupees per month. He advanced again to meet Madho Singh, but the latter retired without giving a fight.
The Sikhs and Rajputs seem to have had no mutual, large scale contact of any kind thereafter.
