ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SUNDAR&#298 M&#256T&#256 (d. 1747)</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="SUNDAR*,MT"> <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">&#65279SUNDAR&#298, M&#256T&#256 (d. 1747), the second wife of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh (1666-1708), was the daughter of Bh&#257&#299 R&#257m Saran, a Kumar&#257v Khatr&#299 of Bijv&#257&#7771&#257, in present-day Hoshi&#257rpur district of the Punjab. She was married to Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh at Anandpur on 4 April 1684. On 26 January 1687, at P&#257o&#7751&#7789&#257, she gave birth to S&#257hibz&#257d&#257 Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh, the eldest son of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. Consequent upon the evacuation of Anandpur on the night of 5-6 December 1705, M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299, along with M&#257t&#257 S&#257hib Dev&#257&#7749, was escorted by Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh to Delhi. She re-joined Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh in 1706 at Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo, where she heard the news of the martyrdom of her son and the other S&#257hibz&#257d&#257s as also of the death of her aged mother-in-law, M&#257t&#257 Gujar&#299. She went back to stay at Delhi while Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh left Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo for the South. At Delhi, M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 adopted a young boy whom she named Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh because of his resemblance to her own late son. After the passing away of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh at N&#257&#7751de&#7693 in October 1708, the Sikhs looked up to her for guidance. She appointed Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh to manage the sacred shrines at Amritsar and also commissioned him to collect the writings of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. She also issued under her own seal and authority <i>hukamn&#257m&#257s</i> to <i>sa&#7749gats</i>. The <i>hukamn&#257m&#257s</i> since discovered and published bear dates between 12 October 1717 and 10 August 1730.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 was disappointed in her adopted son, Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh. Emperor Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h treated him as the successor of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, called him to his court and gave him a robe of honour in September 1710. This went to his head and he started living in style as a courtier. He grew arrogant and haughty even towards M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 who disowned him, and migrated to Mathur&#257. Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh was later convicted for murder and was put to death on 18 January 1725. M&#257t&#257 Sundar&#299 returned to live in Delhi where she died in 1747. A memorial in her honour stands in the compound of Gurdw&#257r&#257 B&#257l&#257 S&#257hib, 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"> 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"> Harbans Singh, <i>Guru Gobind Singh</i>. Chandigarh, 1967<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>