ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>S&#256HIB DEV&#256&#7748</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="SHIB,DEVD"> <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">&#65279S&#256HIB DEV&#256&#7748, by tradition mother of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, was the daughter of Bh&#257&#299 Har Bhagv&#257n <i>alias</i> R&#257m&#363, a Bass&#299 Khatr&#299, and his wife, Jas Dev&#299, a devout Sikh couple of Roht&#257s, in Jehlum district (now in Pakistan). Her parents had from the beginning dedicated her to the service of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. They took her along as they came to Anandpur on the occasion of the Bais&#257kh&#299 festival of 1700, and disclosed to the Gur&#363 their heart's wish to give away their daughter in marriage to him. The Gur&#363, who already had two wives and was the father of four sons, refused the offer. But when Bh&#257&#299 Har Bhagv&#257n insisted that their daughter had been brought up as a prospective spouse of the Gur&#363 and would not countenance marriage with anyone else, he agreed, but made it explicit that she would remain virgin all her life. The nuptials took place at Anandpur on 15 April 1700. Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh proclaimed M&#257t&#257 S&#257hib Dev&#257&#7749 to be the mother of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. Ever since the custom has been that, at the time of initiation, the novitiates declare themselves to be the sons and daughters of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh and M&#257t&#257 S&#257hib Dev&#257&#7749.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During the fateful night of 5-6 December 1705, after Anandpur had been evacuated, the Gur&#363's withdrawing column was attacked on the bank of the rivulet Sars&#257. In the confusion that followed, the Gur&#363's family and disciples got scattered, and M&#257t&#257 S&#257hib Dev&#257&#7749 and M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 were escorted by Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh to Delhi. They re-joined the Gur&#363 at Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo for some time during 1706 and were sent back to Delhi before Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh set out on his journey through the desert of R&#257jasth&#257n on his way to meet Emperor Aura&#7749gz&#299b in the South. But on learning of the emperor's death, he changed his course and went to &#256gr&#257 via Delhi to meet the new emperor, Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h, whom he accompanied to R&#257jasth&#257n and onward to the Deccan in 1708. This time M&#257t&#257 S&#257hib Dev&#257&#7749 accompanied Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh to N&#257nde&#7693, but again, shortly before his assassination in early October 1708, she was persuaded to return to Delhi and stay with M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299. She brought with her from N&#257nde&#7693 five weapons said to have originally belonged to Gur&#363 Hargobind. From Delhi she, jointly with M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299, supervised the affairs of the community as is evident from some of the <i>hukamn&#257m&#257s</i> issued to <i>sa&#7749gats</i> in her name. The exact date of M&#257t&#257 S&#257hib Dev&#257&#7749's death is not known, but it is believed that she passed away some time before M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 who died in 1747. The available <i>hukamn&#257m&#257s</i> issued by M&#257t&#257 S&#257hib Dev&#257&#7749 bear dates between 1726 and 1734 indicating that she must have expired some time between 1734 and 1747. The memorial in her honour stands close to the one commemorating M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 in the premises of Gurdw&#257r&#257 B&#257l&#257 S&#257hib, New Delhi. The weapons said to have been brought by her from N&#257nde&#7693 are preserved as sacred relics in Gurdw&#257r&#257 Rik&#257bgañj in Parliament Street, New Delhi.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Kuir Si&#7749gh <i>Gurbil&#257s P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 10</i>. Patiala 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Chhibbar, Kesar Si&#7749gh, <i>Ba&#7749s&#257val&#299n&#257m&#257 Das&#257&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299&#257&#7749 K&#257</i>. Chandigarh,1972<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"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u> Gur&#363 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i> [Reprint]. Patiala,1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion : Its Gur&#363s, Sacred Writings and Authors</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>