Part 46 Sadaura Destroyed/ the Makbarra of the Peer Burnt

The Banda thought to himself: “I need to gather the army and loot Wajeera.  I don’t want the Majhail Singhs do miss this.  They are coming from afar.  The place of the Turks, close to the Jamuna, we should loot Kunjpur first (the birthplace of Wazeer Khan).  Let’s destroy that first.  We will then meet with the Majhails.”  Sadaura was where Peer Buddhu Shah ji lived and was murdered by the authorities for helping Guru Gobind Singh ji in the Battle of Bhangaani.  Sadaura also had a powerful Peer who was against other faith.  He had died.  His crypt was kept there.  When the shadow of the crypt fell upon a dead body, the body did not burn anymore.  Baba Banda Singh ji wanted to burn that powerful Peer’s crypt first: “I will burn his crypt like burning cotton.  He causes others not to burn.  Fire will burn him.  Burn his crypt!  I will blow his ashes away in the wind; then you can know the power of the Guru’s follower.”  The Banda got ready to attack Sadaura.  They first fought and then looted the city.  He protected the homes of the Hindus.  Many Mussalmaans were killed.  The ones with hair locks (Bhodis) were not bothered.  Without Bhodis, they were killed.  The ones who hid in the homes of the Hindus, they survived.  Whoever was found by the Singhs, they were killed.  The Peer’s crypt was next.  There was a way underneath.  Whoever came under its shadow, fire wouldn’t burn their dead body.  Hindu or Mussalmaan, they all had to cross under it.  The Hindus had to bury their dead too.  It was like they died like Turks.  The crypt was taken down.  The remains of the Peer were taken out.  Baba ji looked at the bones.  The bones trembled.  When the remains were lit, they burnt like gunpowder.  The remains became a pile of ash.  This news reached Mecca.  The Banda then said: “I have the Mantra from the Aloona.  The Peer only had ¼ of the Mantra.  I have the full Mantra to control fire.  For this reason, he was able to stop the fire.  I have them all to finish his remain.” 

Part 47 Attacking Banoor/ Admitting Wajeed Khan’s Spies

News spread about the Banda: “he is a Hindu Avatar!  It seems as though he is the Nehkalank Avatar, that kills the Turks.”  Some said: “he is a magician.”  Some said: “he is a Rasayanghar.”  Some said: “he has Birs in his hands.”  Some said: “he is a faithful Sikh of the Guru.”  Wajeera, the murderer, thought to himself: “I feel him coming towards me.”  He got really worried: “the Banda won’t leave me.  He had 2 Birs but the Guru gave him 5 more.  The Banda was already a black snake.  With the arrows of the Guru, he now has wings.”  Some told Wajeera: “his shadow does not touch the ground.”  Some told Wajeera: “his feet do not touch the ground.  He is complete in all of the Ridhis and Siddhis.  His arrows and bow show that he is a great warrior.”  Wajeeda faced cold sweats, hearing all of this.  He was like a hiding thief about to be caught.  He thought to himself: “he won’t leave me now.  There is no where to run now.  If I run away, the Badshah won’t leave me.  I can’t find any place to hide in the 22 Soobas of Hindustan.”  The sinner regretted his actions but the time can’t come back: “I listened to Sucha Nand.  My bad destiny came in front.”  The nephew of Sucha Nand was standing by.  He then said: “I will go and kill the Banda with deceit.  I will take 1,000 soldiers to join Banda’s army.  When they come to fight, I will loot his army and cause chaos.  You can then catch the Banda as a Fakir.  For this, I want Jageers that are huge.”  Wajeera accepted this.  He gave him money for this task.  He said: “kill the Banda and come back.  I will give you a lot of Jageers.” 

The deceiver came to the Banda and said: “I am a Hindu.”  The Banda saw the person and noticed he was a Rangar.  Baba Banda Singh ji said: “your heart is not solid.  What you will do, you will have to suffer.  I won’t dismiss you.”  The Banda reached into his wallet and give the Rangar a lot of golden coins.  He said: “take this for your men.  Put our salt in your stomach.  If you eat our salt and deceive us, you will die right away.”  Baba Banda ji had him mobilize. 

They looted Banoor and set up a Dhera.  The Hindus of the area were saved.  The Mussalmans were found and killed.  The Majhail Singhs were called there.  Baba Banda Singh ji said: “come from the mountainous area to Banoor.”

Part 48 Fighting the Malerian in Ropar/ Khwaja Khijjar dies/  Sher Mohammed Survives.

The Banda sent Singhs to call the Majhail Singhs: “we are going to Sirhind.  You should take the route through Ropar.”  The Majhails read the letter and set off from Kiratpur.  They travelled through Ropar.  Wazeer Khan got news of this: “Pashaura Singh funded the 5,000 Singhs from Majha.”  The army of Maler Kotla was sent by Wazeer Khan.  4 Sardars came with them: the brothers of Nahr Khan (from the battle of Chamkaur).  Khwaja Khijjar and Sher Mohammed were Nahr Khan’s brothers.  Two of his step-brothers were the other two.  They attacked the Majhail Singhs.  The Singhs and Pathaans had a battle.  When the Singhs came close to the Maler Kotla Pathaans, they fought hard.  The Singhs did not back down.  They fought face on.  One was about the Deen, the other was to take revenge for the Guru’s son.  The Singhs moved forward to attain Shaheedi.  The guns and canons fired.  The Singhs wanted to die for this cause.  The Singhs grabbed the earth, crawling and firing, but did not back down.  They fought from pot holes.  Nobody backed down.  They wanted revenge.  The Turks were pushed back.  The Singhs advanced.  Many Singhs died, which made them angry.  The Singhs charged hard.  The Turks retreated.  The Singhs grabbed the horses, guns and canons.  Khwaja Khijjar brought a new and fresh army.  The Singhs were pushed back.  The Khalsa thought to themselves: “if we run, we won’t be saved.  They will kill us all.”  The Singhs stayed there and fired.  They sat like it was their own home.  The Pathaans fought hard but the Singhs did not move.  They laid down and waited for nightfall.  The Turks wanted to kill the Singhs till they had light during the day.  Night was near.  The Turks said: “the Singhs aren’t dying nor can we surround them.  Their bullets and gunpowder are finished.  They are hungry and thirsty.  They don’t have any more strength.  Charge them and kill them.”  The Malerians did this.  Khwaja Mehmood Ali attacked at the front.  He came to attack the Khalsa.  The Singhs had at the most 2 bullets each.  They aimed their rifles.  One hit Khwaja Mardood in the head.  He fell to the ground, dead.  The one Guru ji called Mardood, he was like a goat with dry skin on the neck, difficult to jhatka.  His brothers came to pick up his dead body but they were both killed as well.  Sher Mohammed heard of the death of his 3 brothers and came ahead.  He was injured by the Singhs’ bullets and retreated back.  That same Sher Mohammed survived who spoke up against the execution order of the younger Sahibzadas by Wazeer Khan in Sirhind.  He called them “milk-drinking children,” while the Sahibzadas were sentenced to murder.  Guru ji heard this and said: “their roots will remain.”  He saved them.  Till today, Guru ji’s words still hold.  They did not lose till today.  The dead bodies of the Pathaans were picked up during the night by their fellow soldiers who then ran back.  The three brothers were buried in graves.  Wazeer Khan got news of this and got really worried. 

Part 50 The Majhails meet and Destroy Chatt

Wazeer Khan was really worried.  He said: “everyone has died.  It is time for me to die.”  The Singhs were confident.  They were celebrating the win upon the Malerians.  They said: “this is the first victory of the Khalsa on this campaign.”  The Singhs set up their Dhera and made Langar.  They then travelled on.  The Banda and the Khalsa met them ahead in the field of Chappar Chirri.  The Banda got up to meet the Singhs.  He had already told his Malwai Singhs: “the Majhails will defeat the Malerians and come to us.”  The Banda respected the Majhails.  He gave them a lot of wealth.  The Singhs said the Fateh of the Guru to the Banda.  They met like brothers, the Malvais and the Majhails.  The Banda was happy to see this.  He said: “make the Karah of the Satguru.  This is what our Guru said to do.  Do this now.  The time has come.  Let’s kill Wajeeda now!  We will then destroy the Paharis after.”  The Singhs agreed.  The Majhails set up their Dhera.

In the morning the Banda first attacked Chatt and killed the Turks.  The city was looted.  They looted Lakhs of money, horses and wealth.  They saved the Hindus.  The Banda then left from there.  The ones that became humble, they joined the campaign.  They sat on a high hill. 

Part 51 The Battle of Chappar Chirri/ Wazeer Khan killed.

Wazeer Khan heard that the Banda was coming.  He was getting ready to fight his last battle.  His canons and swivel guns were ready.  He took many foot soldiers, elephants and horse.  There were camels with small Shutri rifles.  There were hundreds.  In this way he got ready.  He played his Nagaras.  The Banda’s army came.  The cannonballs fell.  The balls came down like rain.  Canons and swivel guns fired.  The balls fells like chains, one after the other.  It was May 10 (or 12), 1710 CE.  Wazeer Khan had all of the automatic canons firing, lined up by chains.  Many trees were destroyed.  The balls rained and wouldn’t let anyone sit or stand.  There was a lot of smoke.  It was like night in the middle of the day.  The horses ran and made dust fly.  It was like night.  The firing of the rifles looked like fireflies in the night.  The smoke and dust flew.  The canons fired like lightening.  The new followers of the Banda ran away and hid from the Banda.  The robbers and thieves that joined the Banda for looting, they hid as well.  They left the battle.  They couldn’t fight and die.  They said: “why did we listen to this Fakir?  He can’t win the Sooba of Sirhind.  We will work for a living.  Forget about looting Sirhind.”  The follower Sadhoos of the Banda also ran away.  The Singh Warriors stood to fight.  The battle raged on.  It was fierce.  The looters ran away.  Wazeer Khan had prepared everything.  The Banda did not have as much as the Sooba.  He had no bullets or gunpowder, nor canons.  Wazeer Khan had royal arrangements.  The Singhs did not have food.  The Turks had golden coins.  The Singhs had to loot and eat.  Look at the drama of the Prabhoo, the Fakirs won and the Shahs lost.  The Guru can make the grass into the Sumer Mountain; dry up the ocean and put it into a pot. 

Bhai Aali Singh Salodhi ji and Bhai Baaj Singh ji Patti folded their hands and said to Baba Banda Singh ji: “why are you sitting here and not getting on your horse?”  Baba Banda Singh ji said: “stay strong for 3 hours.  The master will give us the victory then.  The Turks will all die.”  The Sikhs gathered and said: “we can’t wait a half hour.”  Baba Baaj Singh ji, Baba Shyam Singh ji and other Singhs who came from Guru ji, they folded their hands and said: “we can’t fight without you.  We will die but you need to come ahead.  Only the Khalsa remains.  Everyone else ran away.  You can save them or have them killed.  We won’t run away.  We will stay.  We will die in front of you.”  The Banda said to the Khalsa: “fight for an hour and a half.  I will fold my hands and ask for an hour and a half from the master.”  The Sikhs said: “we won’t last past a half hour.  We can’t wait that long.  You are our master.  If you don’t help, we won’t survive.  The Turks are coming ahead.  Our ship is sinking in the ocean.  You can save it or let it sink.  You are the master.  You need to save it.  We are like salt in flour.  How can we fight them?  They will blow us with their canons.  An hour and a half is too long.  We can’t survive a second without you.  We can’t fight a half hour.  We will die without you.  We can’t fight without you.  The canons and guns will blow us away.  You first said you won’t let their canons fire.  You said: “their weapons will destroy themselves.”  The Majhails said this to the Banda: “we will fight.  You stay siting.”  The Banda’s followers ran away.  The Khalsa advanced and fought.  The Banda saw a hill and sat there.  Wazeer Khan told the canon gunner to shoot at the Banda.  The Banda sat quietly on the hill.  The battle was fierce.  The cannonballs rained like rain.  The Banda remained sitting.  He didn’t get up.  People got worried and said: “the Banda is sitting there and will get killed.”  The followers ran and hid.  They couldn’t hear the cannonballs firing.  Some said: “he will die here.”  Some said: “he will go to the Fakirs and hide.”  Some said: “he will lead us astray.  The Sadhoos do many façades.”  The Khalsa got mad.  They went ahead to fight.  The Khalsa said: “you stay here.  You don’t need to worry till we are alive.”  The nephew of Sucha Nand made his men retreat.  He wanted to make others run away, putting a dent in the army.  He ran but fell off his horse and died.  He was punished for his wrongdoing.  The Banda saw this and laughed.  He called for his horse and said: “the master has commanded me to kill and loot now.”  Baba Banda Singh ji mounted Guru ji’s arrow and released it.  As soon as he released the arrow, the Army of the Shaheeds came.  The dust flew.  The Turks went blind by the dust.  They fought each other and died.  The Banda told the Khalsa to charge.  The Khalsa charged like a lion rushing into a herd of animals.  The Khalsa looked for the Turk Generals that were leading the battle.  The Khalsa killed them all.  Wajeera was injured and huffing.  One Singh stabbed Wajeera with a spear and took him forward.  He was dragged to the Banda.  He was burnt alive, slowly, hung upside down on a tree.  In this way, Wazeer Khan was killed in the month of Jeth Sudhi, 1767 Vikram.

Part 52 Entering Sirhind but not Looting it

They entered the city of Sirhind.  Bhai Baaj Singh ji Bal was a Jatt from Mirpur Patti.  The Banda made him into the Divaan.  The wealth was looted from the Sirhind fort.  The treasury was given to Bhai Baaj Singh ji.  They were four brothers who were very strong.  Bhai Baaj Singh ji and Bhai Shyam Singh ji became the Soobas of Sirhind.  The other two stayed with Baba Banda Singh ji: Bhai Ram Singh ji and Bhai Koer Singh ji.  They were paid 52 Lakhs to rule the area.  Bhai Aali Singh ji was their representative who collected the taxes.  When Baba Banda Singh ji came into Sirhind, he took the wealth of Sirhind.  He didn’t loot the city as it was running.  He missed the time to ruin Sirhind.  He didn’t follow Guru ji’s command to destroy the city.  They were to loot and beat the city and mix it into the dust.  The Banda forgot the task that was assigned to him by Guru ji.  The Banda got distracted and that is why he eventually lost later on.  He kept the city as is.  He took taxes from the rich people of the city.  The Hindus became the administrators.  The Mussalmaans hid and saved themselves.  Bhai Baaj Singh ji mounted his horse and remembered Guru ji’s words.  He began destroying the Turks in the city and made the Turks run away.  The city was 36 Lakh Rupees of Parganas.  The Banda called the Khalsa and told them to loot the Turks.

Part 53 Killing the Ram Rais in Ghurani

There was a Singh named Bhai Bulaka Singh ji who stayed with Bhai Aali Singh.  He folded his hands and stood to do an Ardaas to Baba Banda Singh ji: “there is a village named Ghurani near Payal.  Many Khatris live there who call themselves the Masands of Baba Ram Rai.  They bother the Khalsa and make fun of them.  I held a Shabad Chaunki there once.  I said Vahiguru and did the Ardaas.  They heard this and broke my Dutaara.  They spoke harsh words to me and spoke bad about the Satguru.  I can’t forget that time.  They physically fought with me as well.  They beat me up.  I forgot about that but they said to me: “he had his sons killed and got killed himself.  The Vahiguru word has not died yet.”  They said this and broke my Dutaara.  They opened up my hair and beat me up.  They said: “you Jatts got together and made him your Guru.  You call Gobind, Gobind Singh, the Sacha Paatshaah.”  Baba Banda Singh ji heard this and got really angry.  He made Bhai Bulaka Singh ji the Thanaydaar of Payal Village by writing a proclamation.  He then said: “let’s take revenge!  Let’s destroy the village and beat the people.”  After taking over the Thana of Payal, they arrested the Masands of Baba Ram Rai.  Some were beaten up.  They were all looted and kicked out of the village.

Part 54 Maler Kotla Attack

The Banda then headed towards Maler Kotla.  Maler Kotla found out.  It was known that there would be looting done here.  Many looters and robbers joined the campaign to loot the city.  The words of the Satguru came and stopped everything.  The army came but they stopped and didn’t go ahead.  They wanted to loot the city but the Satguru made them change their minds.  Guru ji gave them greatness instead.  There was a time when the Banda was a Fakir and lived in Maler Kotla for 4 months.  There was a merchant named Kishan Das in the market who served Baba Banda ji when he was a Fakir.  When the merchant found out about Baba Banda Singh ji coming, he came to meet him.  Baba Banda Singh ji respected him and said: “ask for what you wish for.  You are deserving.”  The merchant said: “don’t give pain to the people of the city.  Please don’t kill the city or the people.  If you want, you can take all the money.  They are my relatives and friends.”  He called upon their old relation and asked Baba Banda Singh ji to stop.  In this way, the words of the Guru came to stop the destruction.  The Pathaans of the city ran away and avoided the battle.  Some Pathaans went to Delhi and some went to Lahore.  They knew that they would have been beaten up by the Khalsa if they stayed.  The Khalsa took all of the wealth of the Pathaans.  They took Kishan Das along and charged taxes from all of the rich people of the city.  The wealth was distributed among the Singhs.  It was a good time for the Singhs now.  They had a lot of wealth.  The army of the Singhs was good with pay.  They began to receive taxes from the people of the area.  The ones who apposed them, they were killed or beaten.  Khwaja Khijjar who was killed by the Singhs in Ropar, who was called the Mardood; he was a big sinner among the Pathaans.  His remains were taken out of his grave and displayed.  They were put against a wall.  The Banda said: “he was quite tall and strong.  He had killed the Singhs like a vulture by hiding.  Set his remains on fire.  Find the grave of the other Shiekh Syed and burn him in fire.  He called himself the “Peer of Maler.”  He would do magic by making men to women.”  The Singhs found his grave and tore down his Makbarra.  His remains were taken out and burnt.  The Turks of the city were taxed.  The Malvais were given the wealth.  Bhai Fateh Singh ji was made the leader of the area.  The Malvais were put under his command.  The Malvais were made the Navaabs.  The Navaab title was given to Bhai Fateh Singh ji.  Sirhind was the Pargana of 52 Lakhs Rupees of taxes a year.  Hisar, Kaithal, Jind, Panipat and Moonak were also controlled by Baba Banda Singh ji.  The Banda hoisted the Nishans in Panipat.  The Delhi army was not permitted to cross the Nishans.  The Turk army was not permitted.  Some Turks tried to cross and pull the Nishans.  When they tried to pull the Nishans, the Nishans went deeper into the ground.  The strings that tied the Nishans, the Turks tried to cut them.  With the first swing, their arms got cut.  There was nobody guarding the Nishans.  When the Turks would come close to the Nishans, they would get burnt. 

Part 55 Doaba Won/ The Show of the Banda’s Power

Baba Banda Singh ji headed towards Doaba after Maler.  The Hakam of Doaba left the land, hearing of the Banda’s conquests.  Nobody wanted to fight him.  Raho, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur; the Hakams left the area, crossing the Ravi.  Baba Banda ji took over and made preparations.  He gave the land to the Sikhs of the area.  Many people in Doaba became Sikhs.  The Banda started a new tradition and the Sikhs became his Sikhs.  The hungry people that came to the Banda, he gave them everything and made them satiated. 

The Hakims of Phagwara came to the Banda.  They accepted his rule and so the Banda gave them the charge of the area to collect the taxes.  Other Panchs of other lands came to meet the Banda.  They pledged their allegiances and so the Banda gave them his faith till they would pay the taxes to the Khalsa.  The Hindus were in joy.  The Mussalmaans faced a lot of problems.  The Banda would give to the Hindus when they came to him.  He kept them with him.  The ones who became his subjects, the Banda looked after them.

Panipat, Hisar, Majha and Patti were all under him.  No Turks were allowed to play the Nagara nor call out the Bhaang.  Sital and Butala, the Pathaans had taken over these areas which the Banda took over.  The Jaswalia Doon was where the Banda headed to next.  Parole and Basohli became his subjects.  They stopped paying taxes to the Delhi Badshah.  The taxes came to the Khalsa instead.  Whoever came with taxes, they became the subjects of the Khalsa.  The Khalsa left no opposition.  Seeing the Turks as without strength, there was no more money for them left in Punjab.  The Banda then looted Kashmir, Bahaaval, and Bhakhar.  The Banda was strong in Punjab.  The 22 Soobas of Hindustan came to know of his strength.  Kabul became worried: “we hope the Banda doesn’t come here.  He has taken Doaba and all of Punjab.”  If the Hakims didn’t come, they sent their ambassadors to see the Banda.  The flags of the Khalsa were hoisted.  The Turks’ flags were ripped and thrown.  The Navaab of Sirhind was now Bhai Baaj Singh ji.  In Doaba, Bhai Shyam Singh ji was the Navaab.  Pathankot and Achal Vatala; the Sooba was killed by the Banda.  The third brother of Bhai Baaj Singh ji was made the Navaab of Pathankot and Achal Vatala.  The fourth brother stayed with Baba Banda Singh ji in his presence. 

Delhi and Lahore were afraid.  The Turks could not step foot anywhere.  Nobody could cross the Banda’s line.  The Nishans were hoisted in Panipat.  There were no guards there.  The Banda then decided to take all of the forts and make them into courts (Thanas).  One place was allotted in the forts for them to stay in.  From Panipat to Pathankot, the forts were established.  They were all connected.  The Banda would travel between the forts to keep watch.  He didn’t tell the other forts when he was going there.  He would come all of a sudden, without anyone knowing when he came.  The locks of the gates would remain locked when he came.  He came through the ground or the sky, using his powers.  He couldn’t be seen by anyone when he came close.  He didn’t drink water nor eat anything.  He would go wherever he wanted to go.  He travelled through all of the forts.  He would get news of everyone in this way.  Everyone told the Banda what they thought.  He could see their secrets as well.  He would destroy everyone’s worries.  Whoever came to him with hopes, he would fulfill them.  He would come and sit with everyone.  As the Krishan of the Gopis stayed with all of them, that is how the Banda came to all the forts and complete their wishes.  He didn’t sleep all night.  He heard people’s wishes without them saying them.  He could hear from far away.  He had the Door Darshi Siddhi.  The Banda had all of the Siddhis.  He had Anima, Mahima and others.  He had a lot of Ridhis.  He had the Siddhi of flying as well.  He had many Siddhis.  He would take water out of a well without a bucket.  He lighted fire without fire.  He could make it rain if needed.  He could stop rivers or let them flow again.  He could stop wind from blowing.  He could change the direction of the wind.  He had many amazing powers.  He would show the Sikhs without delay.