ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>AJ&#298T SI&#7748GH P&#256LIT (d. 1725)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="AJ*T,SIDGH,PLIT"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279AJ&#298T SI&#7748GH P&#256LIT (d. 1725), adopted son of M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299, the mother of S&#257hibz&#257d&#257 Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh. Little is known about the family he came of except that M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 took him over from a goldsmith of Delhi and adopted him because of his striking resemblance with her son, Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh, who had met a martyr's death at Chamkaur. She treated him with great affection and got him married to a girl from Burh&#257npur. Emperor Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h, considering Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh to be Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's heir, ordered, on 30 October 1708, the bestowal of a <i><u>kh</u>ill'at</i> upon him as a mark of condolence for the Gur&#363's death. When Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h came to the Punjab in 1710 personally to handle the situation created by the exploits of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh he ordered R&#257j&#257 Chhatras&#257l Bundel&#257 to bring Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh to his court. Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh appeared in the imperial court on 26 September 1710 and was given a robe of honour, but on 27 December 1710 the emperor placed him under the surveillance of one K&#257r-talab <u>Kh</u>&#257n. On 1 June 1711, he was transferred to the camp of Sarbar&#257h <u>Kh</u>&#257n. On 30 December 1711, Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h assigned to him the <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> of Gur&#363 Chakk (Amritsar). His purpose in honouring Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh as Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's successor was to use him as a counterweight against Band&#257 Si&#7749gh Bah&#257dur, who was then leading a general uprising of the Sikhs. Suspecting his Hindu officers to be in sympathy with the Sikhs, Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h had issued a proclamation, early in September 1710, to "all Hindus employed in imperial offices to shave off their beards. " On 10 December 1710 was issued a special order to all <i>faujd&#257rs</i> around Sh&#257hjah&#257n&#257b&#257d "to kill the worshippers of N&#257nak wherever found. " Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh, however, revelled in royal patronage. Back in Delhi after Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h's death in 1712, he continued to live in style as a courtier and grew arrogant and haughty even towards M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299. Once as she reproached him for his pretensions and for his desire to wear Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's weapons, he threatened to attack her. M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 disowned him, and he started living in a separate house. On receiving a complaint one day that Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh and his followers had mocked an assembly of Muslims at prayer, the emperor ordered him to present himself at court with hair shaven or face severe punishment. Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh cut off his hair and abjectly begged the emperor's pardon. This deprived him of whatever respect he commanded among the Sikhs of Delhi. M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 left Delhi and went to live at Mathur&#257 with Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh's wife, T&#257r&#257 B&#257&#299, and his son, Ha&#7789h&#299 Si&#7749gh. Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh kept up the pretence of being a <i>gur&#363</i>. Once, in his haughtiness, he caused a Muslim mendicant to be beaten to death by his followers. Under the orders of Emperor Muhammad Sh&#257h, he was sentenced to death by torture. Dragged behind an elephant in the streets of Delhi, he met with a painful end. This was on 18 January 1725. His dead body was cremated in Sabzi Ma&#7751&#7693&#299 area, where a shrine was raised in his memory. His son, Ha&#7789h&#299 Si&#7749gh, as he grew up, also belied the expectations of M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299, who came back to Delhi. Ha&#7789h&#299 Si&#7749gh, a pretender to gur&#363ship like his father, went to live at Burh&#257npur after the sack of Mathur&#257 by Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299 in 1757. He died there, issueless, in 1783.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Padam, Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh and Gi&#257n&#299 Garj&#257 Si&#7749gh, eds. , <i>Gur&#363 k&#299&#257n S&#257kh&#299&#257&#7749</i>. Patiala, 1986<BR> <li class="C1"> Chhibbar, Kesar Si&#7749gh, <i>Ba&#7749s&#257val&#299n&#257m&#257 D&#257s&#257&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299&#257&#7749 K&#257</i>. Chandigarh, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"> Sain&#257pati, Kav&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Sobh&#257</i>. Patiala, 1980<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>