Life of Baba Deep Singh

1. Baba Deep Singh Ji Shaheed
(26th January 1682 - 13th November 1757)
By: Commander Balvir Singh

2. < siqgur pRswid]
ਜਉ ਤਉ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਖੇਲਣ ਕਾ ਚਾਉ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਧਸਰ ਤਲੀ ਗਲੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਆਉ ॥
ਇਤੁ ਮਾਰਸਗ ਪ੍ੈਰੁ ਧਰੀਜੈ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਦੀਜੈ ਕਾਸਣ ਨ ਕੀਜੈ ॥20॥
Those who wish to play the game of love (follow the Guru's path), come to
me with your head in your palm. If you wish your feet to travel this path,
don't delay in accepting to give your head.“20” (Ang 1412, SGGS).

3. Early life of Baba Deep Singh Ji
• Baba Deep Singh Ji was born on 26 January 1682 to his father Bhagta, and his mother Jioni. He
lived in the village of Pahuwind in Amritsar district.
• He went to Anandpur Sahib on the day of Vaisakhi in 1700, where he was baptised into Khalsa Guru
Gobind Singh Ji, through the Khande di Pahul (Amrit Sanchar).
• As a youth, he spent considerable time in close companionship of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, learning
weaponry, riding and other martial skills. He learnt reading and writing Gurmukhi and the
interpretation of the Gurus' words from Bhai Mani Singh.
• In 1704, about two years after his return to Pahuwind, a Sikh messenger inform him that Guru Ji had
left his fort in Anandpur Sahib in Dec1704 after fighting with the Mughals and Hindu hill Rajput
Rajas.
• He also learned about the battle of Chamkaur Sahib and incidents of Sirhind leading to the
Martardom of Sahibzade’s and Mata Gujri.

4. Joined Guru @ Talwandi Sabo.
• Upon hearing such disheartening news,
Baba Deep Singh Ji immediately left his
home at Village Pahuwind to join with
Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
• Baba Deep Singh Ji caught up with
Guru Ji at Damdama Sahib in Talwandi.
• He was give an important task to
prepare copies of Granth Sahib with
Bhai Mani Singh Ji.

5. Service at Takhat Damdama Sahib
• In 1706, before Guru Gobind
Singh Ji travelled to the Deccan
with Bahadur Shah, Guru Ji gave
responsibility of Damdama Sahib
to Baba Deep Singh Ji.
• He sent Bhai Mani Singh Ji to
head the Sangat at Harmandir
Sahib in Amritsar.
• Baba Deep Singh Ji spent many
years at Damdama Sahib
preaching Sikh values and
teachings and doing service for the
community.

6. Warrior -Misldar
• In 1709, Baba Deep Singh joined Banda Singh Bahadur during the Battle of Sadhaura and
the Battle of Chapar Chiri where Nawab of Sirhind was killed and Banda Singh Bahadar
established First Sikh Raj. .
• In 1732, he went to the rescue of Sardar Ala Singh who had been besieged in Barnala by Manjha
and Bhatti Rajputs in collaboration with the faujdar of Jalandhar and the nawab of Malerkotla.
• In 1733, Nawab Kapur Singh appointed him as a leader of an armed squad (jatha).
• On the Vaisakhi of 1748, at the meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa in Amritsar, the 65 jathas of the Dal
Khalsa were reorganized into twelve Misls. Baba Deep Singh was entrusted with the leadership
of the Shaheed Misl.
• As the leader of the Shaheedi misl, he achieved numerous victories for the Sikhss in battle
aganst Mughals and Afghans. The Shaheedi misl had its sphere of influence south of the River
Sutlej.
• Baba Deep Singh's headquarters remained at Talvandi Sabo. The tower in which he lived still
stands next to the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib and is known as Burj Baba Deep Singh Shaheed.
• He was also the first head of Damdami Taksal.

7. 4th invasion of Ahemed Shah Abdali:
• Ahemed Shah Abdali on the invitation of Mughlani Begum, invaded India for the fourth
time (1755-56). He plundered Indian cities and on his return journey Abdali carried
enormous stores of wealth (gold, silver and other valuables) looted from the towns of
Mathura, Bindraban, Agra and Delhi.
• These valuables were loaded on the backs of horses and other animals. In addition
thousands of beautiful unmarried girls and married women, from both Hindu and Muslim
communities, were being forcibly taken against their wishes, to serve as maidens and
slaves of Abdali, and to be auctioned in open market. They were herded together in
bullock carts and bound to prevent their escape enroute.
• The cries for help of these unfortunate women fell on deaf ears and nobody dared to
rescue them till the caravan arrived near Kurukshetra.
• When the leaders of the Khalsa Panth (Misaldars) came to know of this caravan passing
through the Punjab, they decided to intervene with force to free those girls and women
and save their honour and that of the country.

8. Rescue of Indian Women and
Men from the slavery of Abdali
• Baba Deep Singh's Jatha (army) was
assigned the task to rescue Indian women
and men being taken as slaves by Abdali.
When Abdali’s carvan reached near
Markanda (near Ambala) he and his brave
companions stormed out and pounced
upon Abdali's caravan, like lightening bolts
from an angry sky.
• While some of them attacked Abdali's
soldiers, others captured and drove away
bullock carts laden with the children,
women and looted valuables to the safe
place in their nearby jungle hideouts.
• Sikhs had rescued about 300 women and
young girls as well as 100 boys from the
clutches of Abdali. The freed boys, girls
and married women both Muslim and
Hindu, were escorted safely to their
homes by the Sikh soldiers.

9. Demolition of the Harmandir Sahib
• On arrival in Lahore, Ahmed Shah Abdali,
embittered by his loss, ordered the
demolition of the Harmandir Sahib (the
"Golden temple Gurudwara"). Later, the
shrine was blown up by his men and the
sacred pool was filled with the entrails of
slaughtered animals.
• He assigned the Punjab region to his
son, Prince Timur Shah, and left him a
force of ten thousand men under General
Jahan Khan to control the area.

10. Cont :-
• Baba Deep Singh vowed to avenge the
desecration of the Golden Temple by
the Afghan Army. He led an army of Sikhs
to defend sovereignty of the Sikhs and
punish Afghan for their action of
desecrating and demolishing the Golden
Temple.
• Five hundred men came forward to go
with him. Baba Deep Singh offered
prayers before starting for Amritsar: "May
my head fall at the Darbar Sahib." As he
went from hamlet to hamlet, many
villagers joined him.
• By the time baba Deep Singh
reached Tarn Taran Sahib, ten miles from
Amritsar, over five thousand Sikhs armed
with hatchets, swords, and spears joined
him.

11. Clash with the Mughals
• At the news of movement of Sikhs towards Amritsar was received, the Governor
of Lahore sent one of his generals with an army of twenty thousand to face them.
His army took up position six miles north of Amritsar and waited for the Sikhs
there.
• Both the armies clashed near Gohalwarh on the 11th November, 1757. Fighting
bravely, the Sikhs pushed the army back and reached village Chabba where Attal
Khan came forward and fierce battle ensued during which Attal Khan inflicted a
blow on Baba Deep Singh Ji severing his head from his body.
• Baba Deep Singh, more than 75 years of age at that time, started to lose his
footing under the impact of the blow, when a Sikh reminded him, "Baba ji, you
had resolved to reach the Parkarma of Sri Darbar Sahib." On hearing this, a
divine energy suddenly took over, and Baba ji placed his head on the palm of one
hand and with the other hand moved his 14kg Khanda (double-edged sword) with
such ferocity and strength that enemy soldiers started running away in panic.

12. Martyrdom of Baba Deep Singh Ji
• Baba Deep Singh made his way to the Parkarma of Sri Harmandar Sahib where,
due to the severe injury, attained martyrdom. In this battle Afghan fled the battle
field, the temple complex was freed of the invading army and sanctity of this holiest
of holiest shrine was restored.
• The spot where Baba Deep Singh's head fell is marked in the Golden
Temple complex, and Sikhs from around the world pay their respects there.
• Baba Deep Singh's Khanda (double-edged sword), which he used in his final
battle, is still preserved at Akal Takht, first of the five centres of temporal Sikh
authority.
• Baba Deep Sigh ji left a legacy of sacrifice among Sikhs which helped them to rise
in most difficult situations for the liberation of their religious places and later made
them rulers of the land of Punjab.

13. Anokhe Shahhed Baba Deep Singh

14. Golden pages from Sikh History
• It was through the leadership and guidance of Baba Deep Singh Ji and Bhai Mani Singh ji that
the Sikhs could remain united and continued their fight against the oppression by the invaders of
India.
• Abdali invaded and plundered northern India eight times during 1748 and 1767. In 1761, he
defeated the Maratha in the Third Battle of Panipat. Even then, Abdali did not found a new
Afghan kingdom in India. The main reason being that he and his successors could not tame the
warriors of the Punjab and every time he ventured into attacking India, he faced innumerable
problems crossing through Punjab.
• N.K. Sinha deals this account of the Sikhs in his research book “Rise of The Sikh Power”. He
starts the book with these remarks “The history of India in the eighteenth century is mainly a
record of anarchy and confusion, selfishness, cowardice and treachery, unpatriotic, betrayals and
horrible reigns of terror, the tyranny of the strong, the agony of the weak and the futility of isolated
attempts. The depth of this gloom is, however, relieved the story of the rise of Sikh political power,
as a result of the collective endeavour of a united people. This successful ‘endeavour of a united
people’ inspired the author to write this book.

15. Cont:-
• Abdali-Mughal-Maratha struggle and the elimination of the Mughals and the Marathas from the
scene of Northern India, provided opportunities to the Sikhs to recoup and reorganize themselves
for the bid for power.
• Dal Khalsa was organized and the regular struggle was waged by the Sikhs. The Sikhs moved
into the Afghan governed Punjab and thus, they were engaging directly with the Afghans to be the
supreme power. This Afghan-Sikh contest was decisive and the Sikhs emerged victorious
ultimately. Ahmad Shah Abdali failed to put down the Sikhs because they refused to meet him on
his terms. “They were everywhere and yet elusive; they displayed temerity in attacking armies
much stronger than their and alacrity in running away when the tide of battle turned against them
• N.K. Sinha views the Sikh struggle for sovereignty during eighteenth century as a national struggle
for Indian independence. He writes that the famous Khalsa was to settle down, like a wall of
concrete, a dam against the encroachments of the northern flood. What was almost equally
important, the establishment of the power of the Sikhs in Punjab put an end to the immigration of
adventurers from Persia and Turkestan.
==

16. Respect of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Gurdwara’s
Baba Deep Singh Ji's martyrdom incited the Sikhs to continue to fight against
oppression for many years. Even today, his life serves as an example for all
Sikhs on how to live and die with dignity, and never stand or tolerate the beadbi
(violation of sanctity) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji or the Gurdwaras.
===

17. References:
• A History of the Sikh Misals. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. p. 241.
• History of the Sikhs, Volume I by Khushwant Singh.
• Gurmat Parkash -Jan 2009, Feb 2013 ( Art of Prof Kirpal Singh Bandugar and Prof Mohan Singh)
• Rise of Sikh Power- NK Sinha
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I hope this booklet will help understand life of Baba Deep Singh Ji. Suggestion for improvement are welcome. Thanks.
ਜਉ ਤਉ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਖੇਲਣ ਕਾ ਚਾਉ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਧਸਰ ਤਲੀ ਗਲੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਆਉ ॥
ਇਤੁ ਮਾਰਸਗ ਪ੍ੈਰੁ ਧਰੀਜੈ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਦੀਜੈ ਕਾਸਣ ਨ ਕੀਜੈ ॥20॥
Commander Balvir Singh
e-mail : balvir57@gmail.com
18/01/2022