ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>D&#298P SI&#7748GH SHAH&#298D B&#256B&#256 (1682-1757)</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="D*P,SIDGH,SHAH*D,BB,Person,Person"> <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">&#65279D&#298P SI&#7748GH SHAH&#298D, B&#256B&#256 (1682-1757), founder of the Shah&#299d <i>misl</i> or principal&#299ty as well as of the Damdam&#299 &#7788aks&#257l or Damdam&#257 school of Sikh learning, was born in 1682, the son of Bh&#257&#299 Bhagat&#257 and M&#257&#299 Ji&#363&#7751&#299, a Sikh couple living in Pah&#363vi&#7751&#7693, a village 40 km southwest of Amritsar. He received the vows of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 at Anandpur where he stayed for some time to study the sacred texts under Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh. He re-joined Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh at Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo in 1706 and, after the latter's departure for the South, stayed on there to look after the sacred shrine, Damdam&#257 S&#257hib. He, at the head of a small group of warriors, joined Band&#257 Si&#7749gh Bah&#257dur in his campaign against the Mu<u>gh</u>al authority, but left him in 1714 when the Tatt <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 rose against him (Band&#257 Si&#7749gh). Retiring to Damdam&#257 S&#257hib at Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo with his band of warriors, he resumed his study and teaching of the Scripture and training in martial skills. In 1726, he had four copies of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib made from the recension prepared earlier by Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh under the supervision of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh during their stay at Damdam&#257 S&#257hib. In 1732, he went to the rescue of Sard&#257r &#256l&#257 Si&#7749gh who had been besieged in Barn&#257l&#257 by Manjh and Bha&#7789&#7789&#299 R&#257jp&#363ts in collaboration with the <i>faujd&#257r</i> of Jalandhar and the <i>naw&#257b</i> of M&#257lerko&#7789l&#257. In 1733, when the Mu<u>gh</u>al governor of Lahore sought peace with the Sikhs offering them a naw&#257bship and a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i>, D&#299p Si&#7749gh and his <i>jath&#257</i> or fighting band joined Naw&#257b Kap&#363r Si&#7749gh at Amritsar to form a joint Sikh force, the Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, which was soon divided for administrative convenience into Buddh&#257 Dal and Taru&#7751&#257 Dal, the latter being further split into five <i>jath&#257s</i>. D&#299p Si&#7749gh, now reverently called <i>B&#257b&#257</i>, was given the command of one of these <i>jath&#257s</i> which in 1748 were redesignated <i>misls</i>. It came to be known as Shah&#299d <i>misl</i> after its founder met with the death of a martyr (<i>shah&#299d</i>, in Punjabi). The <i>misls</i> soon established their authority over different regions under <i>r&#257kh&#299</i> system which meant, like <i>chauth</i> of the <i>Mar&#257&#7789h&#257s</i>, collection of a portion of the revenue of the region for guaranteeing peace, protection and security. Shah&#299d <i>misl</i> had its sphere of influence south of the River Sutlej and D&#299p Si&#7749gh's headquarters remained at Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo. The tower in which he lived still stands next to the Ta<u>kh</u>t Sr&#299 Damdam&#257 S&#257hib and is known as Burj B&#257b&#257 D&#299p Si&#7749gh Shah&#299d.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During his fourth invasion of India in the winter of 1756-57, Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299 annexed the Punjab to the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n dominions and appointed his son, Taim&#363r, viceroy at Lahore, with the veteran general, Jah&#257n <u>Kh</u>&#257n, as his deputy. Jah&#257n <u>Kh</u>&#257n invested Amritsar in May 1757, razed the Sikh fortress of R&#257m Rau&#7751&#299 and filled up the sacred pool. As the news of this desecration reached D&#299p Si&#7749gh, he set out with his <i>jath&#257</i> towards the Holy City. Many Sikhs joined him on the way so that when he arrived at Tarn T&#257ran he had at his command a force of 5, 000 men. Jah&#257n <u>Kh</u>&#257n's troops lay in wait for them near Gohlva&#7771 village, 8 km ahead. They barred their way and a fierce action took place. D&#299p Si&#7749gh suffered grave injury near R&#257msar, yet such was the firmness of his resolve to reach the holy precincts that he carried on the battle until he fell dead in the close vicinity of the Harimandar. This was on 11 November 1757. A legend grew that it was B&#257b&#257 D&#299p Si&#7749gh's headless body holding his severed head on his left hand and wielding his <i>kha&#7751&#7693&#257</i>, double-edged sword, with his right hand that had fought on until he had redeemed his pledge to liberate the holy shrine. Two shrines now commemorate the martyr, one on the circumambulatory terrace of the <i>sarovar</i> surrounding the Golden Temple where he finally fell and the other, Shah&#299dgañj B&#257b&#257 D&#299p Si&#7749gh Shah&#299d, near Gurdw&#257r&#257 R&#257msar, where his body was cremated.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bha&#7749g&#363, Ratan Si&#7749gh, <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n Panth Prak&#257sh</i>. Amritsar, 1914<BR> <li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Panth Prak&#257sh</i> [Reprint]. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> &#7788h&#257kar Si&#7749gh Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Shah&#299d Bil&#257s B&#257b&#257 D&#299p Si&#7749gh J&#299</i>. Amritsar, 1904<BR> <li class="C1"> Cunningham, Joseph Davey, <i>A History of the Sikhs</i>. London, 1849<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">K. S. Th&#257par<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>