Shaheedi Baba Fateh Singh ji and Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Mata Gujar Kaur ji
SAKA SIRHIND – ਸਾਕਾ ਸਿਰਹੰਦ ।
Lecture by young Khalsa: Angad Singh, Age 14 Years delivered on December 29, 2024 at:
Gurdwara Sachkhand Darbar, Hamden, CT USA)
(Please share with your children)
Encourage them to read the content below:
ਨਿਕੀਆਂ ਜਿੰਦਾਂ – ਵੱਡੇ ਸਾਕੇ ।
ਚਿਹਰੋ ਪਿ ਗ਼ਮ ਕਾ ਨਾਮ ਨਾ ਥਾ ਔਰ ਨਾ ਥਾ ਮਲਾਲ॥
ਜਾ ਠਹਰੇ ਸਰ ਪਿ ਮੌਤ ਕੇ ਫਿਰ ਭੀ ਨਾ ਥਾ ਖ਼ਯਾਲ॥
In the year of 1705, Guru Gobind Singh ji, the Khalsa Amy and the family left Anandpur Sahib because the Mughal and Hindu Hill Rajas swore not to attack them. However, the Mughals and Hill Rajas betrayed Guru Sahib and attacked the Sikhs by the Sirsa River. This splits the Sikhs into three groups. Last time we talked about Vadde Sahibzade (two elder sons), Guru Gobind Singh ji and the 40 sikhs. Today we will talk about Guru ji’s two younger sons, Baba Fateh Singh ji and Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Mata Gujar Kaur ji, Guru Gobind Singh ji’s mother. Chotte Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji spent one night at the hut of Bhai Kumma Ji who was a boatman. Bhai Kumma ji was a Hindu forcibly converted to Islam but still practices Hindu traditions. The next day, they were invited to stay with a family cook, Gangu Brahimin who was a Khashmiri Pandit. But Gangu Brahimin was blinded by greed and took several gold coins from Mata Gujar Ji. Mata Gujar ji let Gangu Brahimin take them, but to get even more money, Gangu Brahimin reported Mata Gujar Ji and the Chotte Sahibzade’s whereabouts to the Mughal officers looking for them. Jani Khan and Mani Khan, who were authorities in the village of Morinda, took them. They tried to force the Chotte Sahibzade to accept Islam. When they refused, the Chotte Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji were taken to Nawab Wazir Khan in Sirhind. Baba Fateh Singh ji was only about 6 years old and Baba Zorawar Singh ji was around 9.
Once they reached Sirhind, Chotte Sahibzade and Mata Gujri ji were taken to the Thanda Burj (cold tower). The Thanda Burj was designed for the summer season, and Mata Gujri Ji and Chotte Sahibzade stayed there in the winter, meaning it was very cold and windy.
The next day, Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji said goodbye to Mata Gujar Kaur ji and were summoned to Wazir Khan’s court.
They were told to enter through a small door. However, entering through this door would force the Chotte Sahibzade to bow their heads, a signal of submission. Instead, the Chotte Sahibzade entered feet first. When they entered, they yelled bravely, Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh! Wazir Khan promised Baba Fateh Singh and Baba Zorawar Singh ji with titles, honors, riches, land, expensive clothes and foods if they would convert to Islam. The Mughal officials also tried hurting the Chotte Sahibzade. For example, in one event Mughal officials whipped the Chotte Sahibzade, creating bruises and wounds on their skin. Sahibzada Zorawar Ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji still remained true in Sikhism. In one conversation between Pandit Sucha Nand, a Hindu biased to the Muslims present at the court and the Chotte Sahibzade, Sucha Nand asked, “What would you do, if we were to give you your liberty?” Chotte Sahibzade said, “We would collect our Sikhs, supply them with implements of war, fight with you and put you to death”. Sucha Nand asked, “If you were defeated in the fight, what would you do then?” The Chotte Sahibzade said, “We would collect our armies again and either kill you or be killed.” Every night when they returned to the Thanda Burj with Mata Gujri Ji, she told them stories of great Sikh shaheeds who gave their lives to protect other people such as Guru Arjan Dev ji and Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to give them strength and courage. A Sikh named Bhai Moti Ram Mehra Ji did seva for Guru sahib’s family by risking his life and giving them warm milk by climbing a tree by the Thanda Burj.
The court trial lasted about three days, during which Mughal officials argued on what to do with the Chotte Sahibzade. The decision to try and execute Baba Fateh Singh ji and Baba Zorawar Singh ji was very controversial. Some people said that Chotte Sahbzade themselves had not done anything wrong. On the other hand, Pandit Sucha Nand claimed that the Chotte Sahibzade were not children, but young snakes who should be destroyed. Sucha Nand said that ‘children of a snake will one day bite too’, meaning that the Mughals were worried and scared that the Chotte Sahibzade would revolt against the Mughals.
Sahibzade would be bricked alive. While the wall was going up, Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Baba Fateh Singh ji were in very high spirits. They began reciting Jap Ji Sahib. About thirteen minutes later, the Chotte Sahibzade had shaheedi on December 26th, 1705. After hearing about the Chotte Sahibzade, Mata Gujri Ji thanked Waheguru ji for giving them the strength to remain loyal to Sikhism and had jyoti jot at the age of 81. The shaheedi of the Chotte Sahibzade and Mata Gujri ji is known as Saka Sirhind.
Diwan Todar Mal, a wealthy jeweler wanted to cremate the Chotte Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji. However, the Mughal officials refused to cremate them on government land. They said that the only way it could happen was if Diwan Todar Mal purchased the land from a separate company, and also lay gold coins all over the land. Diwan Todar Mal gave all his money to cremate Chotte Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji. This is now known as Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop Sahib.
When Guru Gobind Singh ji came to know about the shaheedi of the Chotte Sahibzade and Mata Gujri ji, Guru ji took the branch of a tree in a jungle and proudly declared that the Mughal Empire had finally been uprooted. After that day, it is said that the Mughal Empire began a slow decline.
Sahibzada Fateh Singh ji and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh ji were so young when they were threatened with death and had their whole life to live, but even at the ages of 6-9, they were fearless and sacrificed their lives for what they believed in despite everything.
ਹਮ ਜਾਨ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਔਰੌ ਕੀ ਜਾਨੇ ਬਚਾ ਚਲੇ॥
ਸਿੱਖੀ ਕੀ ਨੀਵ ਹਮ ਹੈ ਸਰੋ ਪਰ ਉਠਾ ਚਲੇ॥
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh!