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'''VADBHAG SINGH SODHl''' (1716-61), a lineal descendant of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) through the latter's son, Baba Gurditta, and grandson, Dhir Mall, was born the son of Sodhi Ram Singh on 13 August 1716 at  Kartarpur, in present day Jalandhar district of the Punjab.  
[[File:DpKoGK9XcAA8bVQ.jpg|thumb|Baba vadbhag singh sodhi]]
==A brief History==
Baba Vadbhag Singh was born to Baba Ram Sodhi and Mata Raj Kaur when the atrocities inflicted by the invading Mughals were at their peak. Vadbhag Singh, even at the tender age of five, would listen intently as his mother read Gurbani and other holy scriptures. Realising that his son was a child prodigy, Baba Ram Singh appointed some of the most learned scholars to coach his son in all branches of knowledge, including the martial arts.


Vadbhag Singh became chief of Kartarpur owned by the family as a freehold grant since 1598, after the  death  of his father in 1737. Ahmad Shah Durrani  during his fourth invasion of India in 1756-57 annexed  Punjab  to his empire and appointed his young son, Taimur, governor of Lahore, with his trusted general Jahan Khan as his deputy and de facto administrator.  
Baba’a parents got him married to Radhaji. After her untimely death, he was persuaded to marry Sanghliji. Although Baba Vadbhag Singh was inclined towards spiritualism, he wielded the sword with great skill; as wave after wave of Mughal invasions had created havoc in the region. When Nassar Ali attacked Kartarpur, Baba Vadbhag Singh fought valiantly but had to take shelter in the hills because he had only a handful of soldiers as compared to over 10,000 soldiers of Nassar Ali.


In April May 1757, two Afghan troopers travelling from  Sirhind to Lahore were murdered near Kartarpur. Jahan Khan had Sodhi Vadbhag Singh, the chief of the area, arrested, and tortured him mercilessly. The latter's followers rescued him during the night and took him to a distant village, Mairi, in the hills that now form part of Una  district of Himachal Pradesh. The Afghans, chagrined at the escape of the prisoner, pillaged  Kartarpur  and the neighbouring country and, helped by Nasir 'All Jalandhar, burnt down the Sikh  temple along with the sacred relic, Thamm Sahib, the Holy Prop, and desecrated the holy tank.  
Not content with shedding blood, Nassar Ali burnt Gurdwara Thamm Sahib to ashes, razed many temples to the ground, raped and converted Hindu women to Islam, and slaughtered cows. To defend the honour of his country and religion, Baba Vadbhag Singh organised a band of soldiers and, with the help of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Kapoor Singh, Adina Baig and others, attacked the mighty army of Nassar Ali. In the ensuing battle, Nassar Ali was captured and later burnt alive.


When  Sikhs,  consolidated into the Dal Khalsa under the overall command of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluvalia, heard of the outrage, they conjointly with Adina Beg Khan, the ousted raujdar of Jalandhar Doab, attacked Jalandhar in December 1757 to avenge the spoliation of Kartarpur. A 20,000strong Afghan army sent by Jahan Khan from Lahore was routed near Mahilpur and its artillery and baggage train were captured. A few months later, the Sikhs, aided by a strong Maratha army, drove the Afghans out of the Punjab. Sodhi Vadbhag Singh, however, did not return to Kartarpur and continued to reside in Mairi where he died on 31 December 1761 and where a shrine called Dera Vadbhag Singh now stands in his honour, attracting visitors and pilgrims all the year round. The Dera is in popular belief connected with exorcism of evil spirits. Many go there to be so treated.
The Dal Khalsa defeated the Pathan army defending Jalandhar. Upon this, knowing of the vengeance, fearful civilians appealed to Adina Beg for mercy on them. Afraid of Vadhbhag Singh, Adina Beg appealed to Jassa Singh of the Khalsa Army for mercy upon the civilians of Jalandhar(9)


[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJu6VXn5rU4 Dera Baba Vadhbhag Singh's anti Gurmat videos]
Jassa Singh convened a Sarbat Khalsa to discuss this proposal, which Vadbhag Singh answered by swearing that he would kill himself and any Sikh who stopped him from totally destroying Jalandhar. At this, the Khalsa Army agreed to move forward with the original, brutal, plan (10)
[[category:misc]]
 
In perhaps of the most merciless attacks by the Sikh army, all the surrendered Pathans in Jalandhar were slaughtered, and the entire city was sacked. Vadhbhag Singh only explicitly offered mercy to women & those who converted and became Sikhs on the spot (11)
 
In an act of personal retribution, Vadhbhag Singh dug up the tomb of Nasar Ali (the Afghan general who had tortured him and defiled Kartarpur) stuffed pork into his mouth as an act of sacrilege, and burnt his remains the same way he had burnt Gurdwara Thumm Sahib (12)
 
Following this, the Mughals under Adina Beg reclaimed custody of Jalandhar+Doaba, and formed an alliance with the Khalsa Army. Vadhbhag Singh retreated to the hills (in present day Himachel Pradesh) and lived the left of his life as an ascetic, starting a dera (13)
 
After the war, Baba wanted to retire to the hills in order to pursue his spiritual goals. While he bathed in the cool waters of one of the valleys, he saw the images of the 10 Gurus. Thus he decided to name it the Darshani Khud and the waters of this khud came to be called Dhauli Dhar or Charanganga.
 
Later he pitched the Nishan Sahib under a berry tree and began to meditate. But life was not easy as the valley was full of evil spirits however with there is spiritual light, darkness cannot come near. The spirits were powerless against Baba Vadbhag Singh.
 
==Dera Sahib==
The Baba constructed a gurdwara on a hill nearby (Dehra Sahib), opposite it; Manji Sahib, the place where the Baba used to meditate and relax. The Baba soon began to attract a large following and the place came to be known as Mairhi Sahib. Mairhi is now in Una district of Himachal Pradesh.
People still go to Dera Sahib and are mainly gathered on times of Holi and Baisakhi when it is believed to be the most powerful time of the year and most effective time of the year for people to get evil spirits at Dauli Dhar and have their problems solved with the blessings of Baba Vadbhag Singh ji.
 
It is also believed that Holi and Baisakhi is a time of the year when Baba Vadbhag Singh Ji was most happy and people who have made a visit to Dera Sahib in that time will also wait for the day "Parsaad" is served at Dera Sahib. This is only served after a main festival called the "Mela" What happens at the Mela is the Parsaad is made and then covered. Then after the Ardaas it is believed that Baba Vadbhag Singh Ji comes and puts his blessings on the Parsaad - the Parsaad has a large hand printed in it, which is then callled "Panja Sahib Da Parsaad.

Latest revision as of 08:51, 12 May 2022

Baba vadbhag singh sodhi

A brief History

Baba Vadbhag Singh was born to Baba Ram Sodhi and Mata Raj Kaur when the atrocities inflicted by the invading Mughals were at their peak. Vadbhag Singh, even at the tender age of five, would listen intently as his mother read Gurbani and other holy scriptures. Realising that his son was a child prodigy, Baba Ram Singh appointed some of the most learned scholars to coach his son in all branches of knowledge, including the martial arts.

Baba’a parents got him married to Radhaji. After her untimely death, he was persuaded to marry Sanghliji. Although Baba Vadbhag Singh was inclined towards spiritualism, he wielded the sword with great skill; as wave after wave of Mughal invasions had created havoc in the region. When Nassar Ali attacked Kartarpur, Baba Vadbhag Singh fought valiantly but had to take shelter in the hills because he had only a handful of soldiers as compared to over 10,000 soldiers of Nassar Ali.

Not content with shedding blood, Nassar Ali burnt Gurdwara Thamm Sahib to ashes, razed many temples to the ground, raped and converted Hindu women to Islam, and slaughtered cows. To defend the honour of his country and religion, Baba Vadbhag Singh organised a band of soldiers and, with the help of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Kapoor Singh, Adina Baig and others, attacked the mighty army of Nassar Ali. In the ensuing battle, Nassar Ali was captured and later burnt alive.

The Dal Khalsa defeated the Pathan army defending Jalandhar. Upon this, knowing of the vengeance, fearful civilians appealed to Adina Beg for mercy on them. Afraid of Vadhbhag Singh, Adina Beg appealed to Jassa Singh of the Khalsa Army for mercy upon the civilians of Jalandhar(9)

Jassa Singh convened a Sarbat Khalsa to discuss this proposal, which Vadbhag Singh answered by swearing that he would kill himself and any Sikh who stopped him from totally destroying Jalandhar. At this, the Khalsa Army agreed to move forward with the original, brutal, plan (10)

In perhaps of the most merciless attacks by the Sikh army, all the surrendered Pathans in Jalandhar were slaughtered, and the entire city was sacked. Vadhbhag Singh only explicitly offered mercy to women & those who converted and became Sikhs on the spot (11)

In an act of personal retribution, Vadhbhag Singh dug up the tomb of Nasar Ali (the Afghan general who had tortured him and defiled Kartarpur) stuffed pork into his mouth as an act of sacrilege, and burnt his remains the same way he had burnt Gurdwara Thumm Sahib (12)

Following this, the Mughals under Adina Beg reclaimed custody of Jalandhar+Doaba, and formed an alliance with the Khalsa Army. Vadhbhag Singh retreated to the hills (in present day Himachel Pradesh) and lived the left of his life as an ascetic, starting a dera (13)

After the war, Baba wanted to retire to the hills in order to pursue his spiritual goals. While he bathed in the cool waters of one of the valleys, he saw the images of the 10 Gurus. Thus he decided to name it the Darshani Khud and the waters of this khud came to be called Dhauli Dhar or Charanganga.

Later he pitched the Nishan Sahib under a berry tree and began to meditate. But life was not easy as the valley was full of evil spirits however with there is spiritual light, darkness cannot come near. The spirits were powerless against Baba Vadbhag Singh.

Dera Sahib

The Baba constructed a gurdwara on a hill nearby (Dehra Sahib), opposite it; Manji Sahib, the place where the Baba used to meditate and relax. The Baba soon began to attract a large following and the place came to be known as Mairhi Sahib. Mairhi is now in Una district of Himachal Pradesh. People still go to Dera Sahib and are mainly gathered on times of Holi and Baisakhi when it is believed to be the most powerful time of the year and most effective time of the year for people to get evil spirits at Dauli Dhar and have their problems solved with the blessings of Baba Vadbhag Singh ji.

It is also believed that Holi and Baisakhi is a time of the year when Baba Vadbhag Singh Ji was most happy and people who have made a visit to Dera Sahib in that time will also wait for the day "Parsaad" is served at Dera Sahib. This is only served after a main festival called the "Mela" What happens at the Mela is the Parsaad is made and then covered. Then after the Ardaas it is believed that Baba Vadbhag Singh Ji comes and puts his blessings on the Parsaad - the Parsaad has a large hand printed in it, which is then callled "Panja Sahib Da Parsaad.

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