![]() She then moved to Jinvara in Karnataka, close to Bidar, where she preached Sikhism till she passed away at a ripe old age. Mai Bhago travelled with Guru Gobind Singhji to Nanded and served him until his death in 1708. Her wish was granted, and she continued to serve as one of his bodyguards. However, she pleaded with the Khalsa to restore her as a saint-solider so that she may stay with the guru, according to Khalsa Vox. The Khalsa himself took care of her recovery.Īs she had lost both her husband and brother in the war, the guru later urged her to return to her village. Later, Mahan Singh died, leaving Mai Bhago with severe injuries. ![]() He blessed them as “Challi Mukte,” or the forty pearls. The Khalsa was so moved by their bravery when they had earlier deserted him and renounced their religion, that he tore the paper that he had asked them to sign. Only Mahan Singh Brar was barely alive when Guru Gobind Singh arrived on the battlefield. Despite losing 39 soldiers in the battle, she and her army were successful in driving the Mughals from their territory, Khalsa Vox report further read. In the true sense of the word, she was Punjab’s lioness. Her war cry was “Waheguruji Da Khalsa, Waheguruji Di Fateh.” Under Mai Bhago’s leadership, the Sikhs battled bravely as she charged into the fray wearing a full Khalsa costume, a ‘Keski’ tied around her head, and a ‘kirpan’ in her hand. The Mughal battalion of hundreds of troops attacked these forty fighters and Mai Bhago as they travelled to the Guru in the vicinity of Anandpur Sahib. Then she decided to take matters into her own hands and convinced them to go back to the Khalsa. Being a staunch ‘Sikhni’, she was devastated to learn that some of the troops from her own town had betrayed their Guru. In the meantime, Mai Bhago was receiving military training from her father. As the Sikh warriors gradually killed or deserted, Guru Gobind Singhji was forced to seek refuge in hiding, as per Khalsa Vox. She was married to Sardar Nidhan Singh Warraich.Ī massive military campaign was organised by Aurangzeb against Guru Gobind Singh, and he dispatched thousands of soldiers to battle a much smaller Sikh force. Since the time of Guru Arjan Dev, the family has been devoted to Sikhism. She was Bhai Malo Shah’s only daughter and Bhai Piro Shah’s granddaughter. Thus starts the story of Mai Bhago’s bravery in the battle of Kidhrana, fought on December 29, 1705, between Sikhs headed by Guru Gobind Singhji and the powerful Mughal army, which arrived to capture the Guru and put an end to Sikhism.Īlthough Mai Bhago’s early years are not fully documented, it is known that she was born in the Punjabi village of Jhabal Kalan in the Amritsar area. He was particularly hostile to the Sikhs, mostly because he disagreed with their egalitarian norms that treated women and men equally, Khalsa Vox reported. He reinstated strict Sharia laws and levied discriminatory taxes on Hindus. ![]() Aurangzeb, a brutal despot, governed the Mughals at this time. Let’s back up a bit more and peek through the windows of history. ![]() Sikhism, which had carved out a safe place where multitudes believed in equality and were free to practise a faith of their choosing, provided a silver lining to these terrible times. The zealous and harsh rule of the Mughals caused great suffering on the Indian subcontinent in the 17th century. The lioness of Punjab, Mai Bhago, was born as Mata Bhag Kaur. Hers is a tale of the shining armoured knight who made her sword the symbol of her undying love for her faith and her country, as per Khalsa Vox. Mai Bhago was undoubtedly a warrior and was well-regarded both within and outside of the Sikh community.
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