Chandu Shah

Chandu Shah was a govenor of Lahore who was responsible for the torture of Guru Arjan Dev. He was a wealthy banker and revenue official at the Mughal court at Lahore. He earned the resentment of sikhs over some very disparaging comments he made when his family priest suggested that Guru Arjan's son, Har Gobind would be the best choice as a husband for his daughter who was of marriageable age. Chandu Shah laughed at the suggestion and remarked that the Guru was little more than a beggar who lived off money given to him by his followers. Word of the remarks got back to the local Sangat, who felt injured and passed Chandu's remarks on to Guru Arjan.

Later with his aging daughter still unmarried and his wife, who had favoured the match with the Guru's son, bothering him, Chandu Shah came to see the match as beneficial. So Guru Arjan was approached by Chandu's representatives with the proposed match. Knowing of the words Chandu had spoken the Guru turned down the proposal.

Where he had once verbally besmeared the Sikh Guru's face—Chandu Shah now felt he was the one with a Kala Muk (besmeared, darkened face). The rich and powerful man who was use to getting things his way now became a deadly foe of the Guru and began to conspire against him. He got his chance when the tolerant Emperor Akbar died (October 12, 1605) and his son, Salim taking the imperial name Jahangir (World grabber or Conqueror of the World), took over the Mughal throne. Emperor Jahangir came to Lahore in April 1606 in pursuit of his rebellious son Prince Khusrau who had tried to grab the throne himself at the death of his grandfather.

Chandu Shah and other detractors of the Sikhs worked to turn the new Emperor against Guru Arjan. Guru Arjan was arrested on the charge that he had received and blessed the rebel prince's attempts. Guru Arjan, a non-violent man, had merely given his blessings to the young prince and had taken no part in the prince's scheme. The Guru was beaten and a fine was set against his release. The heat of the summer growing unbearable Emperor Jahangir hurried of to his beloved Kashmere, leaving the Guru's fate to Murtza Khan. The Quazi issued an injuction demanding that the Guru pay the fine and that the referrences to the Muslim and Hindu religions be taken from the Holy Granth or face death by torture. Murtaza Khan, the governor of Lahore, was to carry out the sentence, but, according to Sikh chronicles, it was Chandu Shah who took charge of the holy prisoner and had him done to death with the cruellest torments. As time passed, Jahangir became reconciled to Guru Arjan's successor, Guru Hargobind. He had Chandu Shah seized and delivered into the Guru`s custody. Dragged through the streets of Lahore by angry Sikhs who had witnessed the atrocities perpetrated by him, Chandu Shah died a miserable death. The final blow came ironically from the very person whom Chandu Shah had employed to pour hot sand on Guru Arjan`s blistered body.

References

1. Gurbilas Chenvi Patshahi. Patiala, 197Q

2. Sarup Das Bhalla, Mahima Prakash. Patiala, 1971

3. Sahib SINGH, Jivan-Britant Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Amritsar, 1979

4. Max Arthur Macauliffe , The Sikh Religion. Oxford, 1909

5. Ganda Singh, Guru Arjan`s MARTYRDOM Re-interpreted. Patiala, 1969