ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>PRITH&#298 CHAND B&#256B&#256 (1558-1618)</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="PRITH*,CHAND,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">&#65279PRITH&#298 CHAND, B&#256B&#256 (1558-1618), the eldest son of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s (1534-81), and M&#257t&#257 Bh&#257n&#299, was born in 1558 at Goindv&#257l, in present-day Amritsar district of the Punjab. He was by nature ambitious and haughty. Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s chose his youngest son Arjan (1563-1606) as his successor to the spiritual seat This excited the jealousy of Prith&#299 Chand who endeavoured to harm Gur&#363 Arjan in every possible way. His attitude became even more hostile as the latter had a son born to him in 1595. His conspiracies to get the infant poisoned having failed, Prith&#299 Chand retired to Hehar, village his wife came from. There he set himself up as gur&#363 and established a separate sect. He also spread his influence in the M&#257lv&#257 region where he founded a village named Koth&#257 Gur&#363, now in Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 district. He misled the Sikhs by composing <i>b&#257n&#299</i> in the name of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. He also induced Sulh&#299 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, a Mu <u>gh</u>al commander, to lead a force against Gur&#363 Arjan. Sulh&#299 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, however, met with an unholy end and was accidentally burnt alive in a brick kiln before he could attack the Gur&#363. Prith&#299 Chand became desperate and joined the detractors of the Sikh faith who frequently carried complaints against the Gur&#363 to the Mu <u>gh</u>al officials at Lahore and even to Prince Sal&#299m, the heir apparent to the Delhi throne. It was Prince Sal&#299m who, after accession to the throne as Emperor Jah&#257&#7749g&#299r, had Gur&#363 Arjan executed in 1606. The Sikhs derisively called Prith&#299 Chand and his followers <i>M&#299&#7751&#257s</i> (lit. hypocrites).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prith&#299 Chand died at Hehar in April 1618.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Gurd&#257s, Bh&#257&#299, <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i>.<BR> <li class="C1"><i>Gurbil&#257s Chhev&#299&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299</i> . Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>. Amritsar, 1927-35<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh. <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh Padam<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>