Ancient origin and History

Akbar the Great (r. 1556-1605) had seen with his own eyes how his father Humayun, with a small army of Turks, Persians, Afghans, Turkomans, and Uzbeks, combined with a small army, which for him He was ready to fight and die, defeated all the contenders at that time and captured Delhi. He had also seen that Hemun's small army, which was ready to fight and die for him, was going to defeat him in the field of Panipat, despite his vastly larger army, while Suddenly that arrow hit him in the eye and the army ran away. Both these events had a great impact on his heart. He wanted that, being the emperor of India, he should prepare such an army, which would be ready to die in the name of the empire, whether the emperor was present in their midst or not. He also felt that Muslims could fight more in the name of Islam and Hindus in the name of Hinduism, but there was considerable conflict between the two. He wanted to make a compromise between the two religions and turn both of them in favor of the state power. Apart from this, when he built a place of worship in Fatehpur Sikri in 1575 AD, there were also religious debates. The debates going on here had alienated Akbar from the orthodox Islamic stream. Abul Fazl was Akbar's adviser on religious matters in those days. He himself was a liberal, Sufi thinker. His father Sheikh Mubarak was much ridiculed by the Mullahs for being a follower of Mehndi-Panthi ideas. Abul Fazl used to say that all roads lead to God. He was the one who created Akbar's interest in non-Islamic religions. To fulfill this interest, Akbar acquired knowledge of the religion of Hindus, Parsis, Jains and Christians. The leader of one of the Abul parties was Masararte, Akbar sent three parties of priests from Goa to him at the request of Fazal, a Hindu and a Parsi, in his court. These Prayers were also started. done The reins of the revolt were in the hands of the sheikhs, who issued a fatwa against all this and started the revolt against Akbar in 1580 AD, declaring Akbar an infidel and ordering his overthrow. This revolt was concentrated in Punjab and Bengal. The mutineers declared Akbar's youngest son Maha Bhai Hakim, the Subedar of Kabul, as a candidate for the Mughal throne. This rebellion was crushed by Akbar with great difficulty. When in 1581 AD When Akbar returned to Agra after suppressing the rebels, he started preaching a new religion. He named this religion 'Deen-Ilahi'. The good principles of almost all religions were included in this new religion, the main element of this new religion was 'Deen Prasatta'. According to which Akbar was to be glorified as a king. It was partly Mehndi-Panthi, partly Hindu and partly Islamic. This religion advocated mythological beliefs and rituals. Akbar, through this religion, intended to attract mostly courtiers and nobles, but this did not happen, but only the very poor classes of Punjab and Bengal adopted it. Therefore, those who had adopted this religion from the poor Hindu class and the poor Muslim class, Akbar appointed such people mostly in the military service and also appointed some people in other services. Such people started to have relations with each other as well. Those who adopted this religion from Punjab at that time were poor Brahmins, Rajputs and Khatris, who were poor and mostly belonged to the villages. They thought that perhaps by adopting the state religion, their economic condition would improve. The economic condition of the Muslims of the plains of Punjab was much better than that of the hill Muslims of that time. Therefore, most of the Muslims of Punjab, who accepted 'Deen-Ilahi', belonged to the hilly areas only. By the end of Akbar's reign, the military service of most Din-Ilahis had reached two consecutive generations. So Deen-i-llahi, in a way a militant religious community emerged as Great encouragement was given by Raj Sat himself to establish mutual relations in Deen Ilahia. In the year 1562 AD, Bihage Lal, the ruler of Amor or Amber, gave his daughter's hand to Akbar. Seeing this relationship, the rulers of Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur married Akbar or his son Salim. As in Akbar's own palaces, Nimaaj was being read on one side and Aarti was also being performed on the other side. Similarly, such religious tolerance was developed among the followers of 'Deen-Ilahi'. A Hindu girl could become the wife of a Muslim boy without converting to Islam and could perform prayers at the house of a Muslim boy as per her wish, and on the other hand, a Muslim girl, being the wife of a Hindu boy, could recite verses of the Qur'an without hesitation. could and the boy could perform aarti and knock bricks as per his will. This act of 'Deen-Ilahi' people where in the eyes of Islam . Kafrana was extremely dangerous for Brahminism there, because this disease is common. A Muslim when a person marries a Muslim boy or girl. A person who marries a boy or a girl is automatically a Becames Muslim. But ‘Deen-Ilahi’ denied this change. In addition, those who People had inter-caste marriages, they were followers of ‘Deen-Ilahi’ Due to the fact that religion is the state religion, Pandits and Shaikh’s started to understand Were lying So for ‘Deen-Ilahi’ and its adherents, Shaikh’s and Brahmins. Had become objects of intense hatred. Some intercastes of Hindu-Muslims Marriages were taking place even before the existence of Deen-Ilahi, but those couples Sheiks and Brahmins did not suffer the hatred as fiercely as There were inter�caste married couples professing ‘Deen-Ilahi’. Until the throne of Akbar remained, the hatred of Sheikhs and Brahmins remained subdued, but with abolition of Akbar’s reign Shaikh’s and Brahmins hatred also started to come out. The sheikhs were the first to anger those who believed in ‘Deen-Ilahi’. The Sheikhs Following the Brahminical traditions of Hindustanis To the offspring of religious brothers, who after accepting ‘Deen�Ilahi’ with Hindu girls Had married, given the name ‘Ranghar^[3] ’ (According to Brahminical traditions before this the birth of a Brahmin mother and a Shudra father, the name Chandal was given . Similarly, Brahminism also, the Hindu boys with Muslim girls , The offspring of those who got married were called ‘Ranghar’ but the next generation after them Called ‘Rangharetde’ to save Ranghrete and the next generation even more. Someone . In order to get rid of him, his name had to be changed like this. To Jat The release was called Jatra, Jatungra or Jattana. To get rid of Bhat Was called Bhatra or Bhatra. In the same way, Brahmanism gave ‘Deen-Ilahi’ Children of inter-caste couples are not only following in the footsteps of Muslims He called ‘Ranghar’ only, but his next child was called Ranghareta and them And the next child was called Ranghratra and released even more. Karta ‘Mahan Kosh’ Ranghareta [7] ’ has been rightly described as ‘Ranghar’s son’. It is also common to create a new caste based on the occupation adopted after the progeny of If a Shudra man and a Pandit woman marry inter-caste after conversion to Brahminism or inter-caste marriage, their offspring would become Chandal, but if a Brahmin man marries a Shudra woman, the offspring will automatically become beautiful. Used to go The offspring of a Rajput father and a Shudra mother used to become Rathi. If these Rathi become rich, then Thakur. They used to become and in this condition they used to be among the Rajputs (Kaun Bada Maya Vadiai). Sir JB According to Lait, Thakurs of the second class are Shudras of the first class. If a rich Rathi married his daughter to a king, then the entire clan of that caste would become a Thakur-Rajput. If a Rajput started farming, he would become poor. Sometimes the state power also gave someone the status of Brahmin, Rajput or Chhatri. , women corroborate Mr.Likhari's above statement that Ranghreta, who later came to be called Chuhras for various economic and political reasons, were actually the offspring of Rajput, Khatri or Brahmin fathers married to Muslims, 'GS. Ghure has done this in his book 'Cast and Race in India' "I have tried to find out on the basis of some data taken by anthropologists, which caste people are very close to the race of the people of which caste on the basis of some data of all these data. I have collated the data with the Brahmins of Uttar Pradesh by their own special Aryan myth and high place in their varna structure and find that the highest Brahmin of Uttar Pradesh and another high caste Chhatri, with the Rats of Punjab. Most meet. Similarly, U.P. The highest castes have the highest demographics of the Punjab, the lowest caste, the Chuhras, and the next highest demographics of the Chhatris more closely than anyone else.” (Customs and Customs in India, GS Ghure, pp. 173-174, translated) It is evident from this statement that various anthropological data have proved that U.P. The internal structure of the body of Brahman and Punjab rats is very similar. Secondly, their body structure is very close to that of Khatris and Chhatris. Kshatriya and Chhatri are the rung below Brahmana in the varnic structure. Thus science has proved that U.P. The Brahmins of India and the Chuhras of Punjab are of the same origin. Time has turned some into Brahmins, some into Kshatriyas, some into Chhatris and some into rats. In fact, all the Aryans of the first wave were Brahmins, the Brahmins who established the kingdom became Kshatriyas. After the punishment inflicted on the Kshatriyas by Pashurama, some of the descendants of the Kshatriyas became Chhatris, and those who established kingdoms among the Chhatris became Rajputs. But those who did not follow religious works as a profession, did not hold a sword, but used other businesses as a means of livelihood, according to their profession, they were carpenters, Blacksmiths, goldsmiths, Chamars, etc. became Shudras. The people whom Brahminism expelled from their respective communities issued orders, they became rats. The process of being expelled in Punjab. Most of them stayed among Brahmins, Khatris and Rajputs, because the independence-loving, looting people of Punjab always turned their noses up at Brahmin restrictions. Therefore, Brahminism repeatedly provided opportunities to expel them from the community. The second Punjab was the most prosperous and prosperous province. Therefore, the Brahmins were afraid of getting more worship from this province, but no one would perform the worship until such time, as long as there was no respect and fear of the Brahmins in their minds. The only way they had to instill fear was to issue orders to shut off hookah water to as many people as possible. For this reason, it is only natural that the internal structure of the body of rats of Punjab matches with the human figures of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Chhatriyas or Rajputs. Ranghreta is Rajput, Ranghreta is Brahmin, Ranghreta is Kshatriya, Ranghreta is Jain, Ranghreta is Pathan and to some extent Ranghreta may be Scythian-Aryan. But it is less possible to be a Rangareta as a Sudra. The author of : 'Mujamal-ut-Tawarikh’ says that “Hindus are also called Jats.” It is evident that Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Rajputs are the races of the first wave of Aryans, but even among these people who could neither choose a religious profession nor acquire state power, they began to practice agriculture. But the second movement to adopt this occupation was also the Aryan-Scythian race. So while Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Rajputs are pure Aryan race, Jats, Aryans and Aryan-Scythians are mixed race. Some of the Pathans also became Jats by following Hindu customs and taking up agriculture as their occupation.

Connections of Maharaja Patiala's family in Rangreta community

Captain Sewa Singh (retd) that some close Sidhu brothers of Maharaja Patiala's ancestors also accepted 'Deen-Ilahi', but the family of Maharaja Sahib's descendants after those ancestors had a relationship with them. was not broken They remained emotionally attached in some way to their old tribesmen. It has been told that this family is settled near the Sheranwala Gate of Patiala and Subedar Pratap Singh (retd) is related to this dynasty. Their old village is Bulahari. The Maharaja's family regularly interacted with these families.

Connections of Chauhan's and other Rajput around from Delhi

Such around Delhi hidden connections maintain those ancient Rajput connections of the Ranghretas.^[2][3] They are also made with relatives. Delhi of the Chauhan Rajputs around Delhi Connections. The relationship with the neighboring Rajput also comes in the same series.

Rangreta caste and gotra's originated from rajputs are below

Atwal, oothwal or athwal rajputs ( panwar rajput origin ) rajput warriors on the camel.

This list is fully mentioned in the books^{[6] [2]}and the articles and it is not a fictional work. These are some examples of gotra's of Rangreta sikhs^[6][2][3] froms Rajputs, kshatriya, Brahmins and jatts.

From Kshatriyas origin related gotras are below

1. Nair
2. Chopra
3. Malhotra
4. Soni
5. Chugh
6. Sodhi
7. Bedi
8. Duggal
9. Ghai
10. usury
11. Bhandari
12. Sabharwal
13. Bhatia
14. Dhapp
15. sodhi

Rangharatas-tribes belonging to Brahman-origin are below

Rangretas from jatt origin

Jats formed by adopting agricultural occupation by Rajputs, similarly by Rajputs adopting the agricultural practice of producing vegetables, they have become rye. The upper castes who took up agriculture as an occupation, entered into inter-caste marriages under ‘Din-i-Ilahi’ and later their offspring were called Ranghrete.^{[5][3][1][2][6]} Their details are as follows:

• Singhar
• Bal
• Uppal
• Mattu
• Momi / Momye
• Grewal
• Sahotra/ Sahota

Origin of the Balmiki Brahmins

S. Shamsher Singh Ashok ^[4]has written with reference to Patal-Khand of Padma Purana that once Maharikhi Balmik Ji went to the court of Maharaj Ram Chandra Ji from where he received a lot of wealth, he in Agni Kot on the banks of Sarasvati river in Punjab, which is now included in Haryana, started performing Yagna, in which many Rishi Munis like Gautama came. The Ashram in which Maharishi initiated Gaya was 52 kohs long and 36 kohs wide. When the yagya was complete, Maharishi prayed to Gautama and other monks that at this time he wanted to do something that would increase the honor of their ashram. At that time there were one lakh disciples in the ashram. Maharishi, with the advice of the sages, appointed fifty thousand disciples to protect the cows, who were called Gomiya Brahmins, and assigned forty-eight thousand disciples to Lord Surya, who were called Ravi (Sun) Brahmins. The two thousand disciples who were his own flesh and blood and who belonged to the Nirmal gotra, were called Balmik-Brahmans. Referring to Padma-Purana^[2] about who are Valmik-Brahmins, it is written like this-

“Valmiki Satu Satu vigyeya vikhayat bhuvan ye.”

That is, you consider them as Valmik Brahmins who are famous among the three peoples of Surga, Pitra and Patal.

The scriptures of the Balmika-Brahmins are the Shukla-Yajar-Veda and the Mayandini branch. They follow Kokil Muni’s creed. Eleven hundred Yastha disciples of those Brahmins also called Balmiki Kayaths. Their abode was found to be Valmikpur (Valam). Surprised Maharikhi Balmik has seven sub-incarnations after the 24 . Historian of Majbhi Sikhs,^[2] S.Shamsher Singh Ashok^[4],incarnations of Hindus, has no idea that these Balmik-Brahmins cleansed when and how they made cleaning their occupation. I am of the view that all Balmik-Brahmins have neither the occupation of cleaning nor Nor did all the Balmik-Brahmins ever make cleaning a profession. Aryan people were wild and wild people. Their civilization was zero compared to the civilization of Mohanjdaro and Harappa. They did not have any urban civilization nor did they have any systematic sanitation system. When these people felt the need to live, eat and drink, the rich people kept the economically weak people as servants for minor household chores. But as the invading nations plundered, oppressed and destroyed these people, the slaves became enslaved in double, triple and quadruple slavery, and the extremely poor became weaker and weaker. Now the invaders from outside needed servants for their comfort. The first owners, enslaved, were impoverished and the new owners (invaders) started taking bread and unwanted services from the servants, which included cleaning work. No one was forced to serve all this preaching. Only common people were ready for such service due to economic depression. Although the society was divided into four varnas, but this varna-division was on the basis of occupation, not on the basis of birth. A Brahmin could become a Brahmin, Vaishya, Kshatriya and Shudra while a Shudra could become a Vaishya, Kshatriya and Brahmin by his own abilities. There was no ban on inter-caste marriages. Buddhism and Jainism (atheistic religions) destroyed Brahmanism to such an extent that at one point Brahmanism was reduced to zero point. But then the Brahmins held their own. He announced that Brahmins would from now on conduct marriages only among Brahmins, thereby removing the biggest objection of Jainism that women of any varna were not safe in the hands of Brahmins. Brahmin rose in the eyes of the people, now the marriages of learned Brahmin girls could also be with learned and talented Brahmins, so the women of other castes could worship God without fear. She started living in advantage. Seeing these good results, people of other castes also imposed restrictions on themselves in the matter of marriages. In this way, the servant remained a servant or sudra forever. Now the path of becoming a Brahmin, Vaishya or Kshatriya was closed for him forever. Those who were servants at that time became servants for ever, (of the invading nations, and because of this fixed division of their own people, when Brahmanism stood on a firm footing. Then it over all the varnas to maintain its rule forever made rules for These rules were such that the Brahmin was the highest in the society. Status was achieved. Hence the punishments for those who break these rules. Also determined. The greatest of these punishments was to cut off one’s hookah water. The whole society would immediately break all ties with the person whose water was cut off, no matter how high he might be. He would stop taking water from wells, rivers, canals, ponds, ponds, springs, etc., the hatti would stop giving him a deal, a merchant would stop buying anything from him, on the occasion of birth and death, his No one would cooperate with him, even his own community, afraid of the body of Brahmins, stopped even talking, what was the point of treating him by a sage or a physician. Therefore, such people would become rats for the entire society. Not tolerating such abhorrent behavior by their own relatives, such people would reach a distant, unheard and unseen place at night and mingle with those who were already standing at the lowest place in the society. Maharishi Valmik was a highly respected sage in those days because he did not look down upon the Brahmanical caste. Therefore, such distressed people came to the shelter of Maharikhi Balmik for their welfare. Since the kingdom was in the hands of the invaders whose right of recognition was in the hands of Brahminism, the followers of Maharishi could not rise higher. The Guru Sahibs were able to carry out this work very well because at first only the state was in their favor and later the Guru Sahibs themselves became saint-soldiers, and after that the government also belonged to their worshipers for a long time. It is evident from the above discussion that the Balmik-Brahmins do not do the cleaning work, the cleaning workers include the economically impoverished of all castes, the servants and later the outcasts who have become the Maharishi Valmik. Accepted him as his guru-pir. Nor RANGRETAs are any depressed class nor they are Balmik bhramins. Nor are Rangaretes^[6][2] etc. from the class of servants. So as from above, the origin is from the first three varnas, Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. Whose fathers had inter-caste marriages with Muslim women under the influence of 'Deen-Ilahi'. Their fathers did not even change their religion because 'Deen-i-Ilahi^[1]' religion did not insist on change, nor was 'Deen-Ilahi' a single religion, rather it was a mixture of good and good principles of many religions. was Dine-Ilahi, the first religion of the converts continued as it was. Therefore, the Ranghrets, the offspring of Muslim mothers from Hindu fathers, are of course and therefore a new caste has been formed on the principle of Lom or Prati-Lom, but they have neither been excommunicated nor expelled from the religion. So in reality Rangharets of Brahmin origin are still Brahmins, Rangharets of Kshatriya origin are still Kshatriyas, Rangharets of Rajput origin are still Rajputs and Rangharets of Vaish origin are still Vaishas (this is only a theoretical line, so Rangharets are no Brahminical caste is not accepted at all). The 'Dine-Ilahi' religion was not accepted by the common Shudras. So Ranghreta could only rarely be of a Shudra origin. The relationship between the Balmikis and the Ranghratas in the past and in the present times, the basis of these relationships is definitely not racial-unity but mental brotherhood born out of economic-unity. However, there may be Ranghretas,^[1][2] Balmiki-Brahmins,^[2][6] but both have become socially integrated in such a way that it has become impossible to separate one from the other.

Baba Bir Singh

Baba Bir Singh (1768-1844), soldier-become-religious preacher and saint, was born in July 1768 at the village of Gaggobua, in Amritsar district of the Punjab. The son of Seva Singh and Dharam Kaur. after the death of his father (in one of the campaigns against the Afghan rulers of Multan) Bir Singh joined the Sikh army. He participated in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's campaigns for the capture of Kashmir and Peshawar. After several years of active service, he secured his dismissal from the army after he came under the influence of Baba Bhag Singh, a Sikh saint belonging to Kuri, in Rawalpindi district. Bir Singh took to preaching Guru Nanak's word and soon attracted a considerable following in the Majha area. He set up his dera in the village of Naurangabad, near Tarn Taran. The dera, named Santpura, soon became a popular pilgrim centre were it is said that about 4,500 visitors were fed in the langar every day. Such was the influence Baba Bir Singh had acquired that a volunteer army of 1,200 musket men and 3,000 horse attended upon him. Baba Bir Singh was a true wellwisher of the dynasty of Ranjit Singh and was deeply grieved at the disaster which had overtaken it through the envy of the courtiers after the death of the Maharaja in 1839. During that critical period, Sikh soldiers and peasantry began to turn to him for guidance. On 2 May 1844, Atar Singh Sandhanvalia, who had been in residence in British India for some time, crossed the Sutlej into Sikh territory and joined Baba Bir Singh who was then camping near Harike Pattan. Prince Kashmira Singh and Prince Pashaura Singh and many Sikh sardars, including Jawahar Singh Nalwa, son of the celebrated Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa, and Diwan Baisakha Singh, had already taken asylum at Bir Singh's dera. Bir Singh's camp had become the centre of a Sikh revolt against the Dogra dominance over the Punjab. Perturbed at these developments, Hira Singh, the Dogra prime minister of the Sikh kingdom, sent a strong force comprising 20,000 men and 50 guns under the command of Mian Labh Singh to attack the citadel of Baba Bir Singh. The troops besieged the camp on 7 May 1844. Baba Bir Singh forbade his Sikhs to fight back saying, "How can we attack our own brethren?" He was in meditation in the presence of the Holy Book, when he was killed with a shell from the besiegers. Prince Kashmira Singh and Atar Singh Sandharivalia also lost their lives in the heavy cannonade and, in the panic, hundreds of Baba Bir Singh's followers were drowned in the river while trying to cross it. The troops, however, never forgave Hira Singh for forcing them into an action which led to the death of a holy man. He tried to atone for what had happened by promising to build a samadh where Baba Bir Singh had been cremated, and set aside land yielding Rs 5,000 annually for its maintenance, but his critics were far from assuaged. He had to pay for this onslaught on Naurarigabad with his own life before the year was out. General Court's battalion, which had played a leading part in the action, was boycotted when it reached the headquarters and was always referred to as gurumar (killer of the guru or holy man).

Baba Deep Singh Ji

Baba Deep Singh draws his line in the sand with his Sikh Saint-Soldiers, a depiction by artist Kirpal Singh.

(26 January 1682 – 13 November 1757) is revered among Sikhs as one of the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism. Baba ji was born in rangreta sikh family to bhagato ji and mai jioni ji in pahuwind. He is remembered for his sacrifice and devotion to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. Baba Deep Singh was the first head of Misl Shaheedan Tarna Dal – an order of the Khalsa military established by Nawab Kapur Singh, the then head of Sharomani Panth Akali Buddha Dal. The Damdami Taksal also state that he was the first head of their order.

Hari Singh Nalwa

Oil painting of Hari Singh Nalwa displayed in the Lahore Museum

Hari Singh Nalwa^[2][6] was born into a Rangreta Sikh family of the Sukerchakia Misl. The family originally came from Majitha, near Amritsar. His grandfather, Hardas Singh, had been killed fighting against Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1762. His father, Gurdial Singh, had taken part in many of the campaigns of the Sukkarchakkias Charat Singh Sukkarchakia and Mahari Singh. Hari Singh Nalwa was the Commander-in chief at the most turbulent North West Frontier of Ranjit Singh's kingdom. He took the frontier of the Sarkar Khalsaji to the very mouth of the Khyber Pass. For the past eight centuries, marauders, who had indulged in looting, plunder, rape, and forcible conversions to Islam had used this route into the subcontinent. In his lifetime, Hari Singh became a terror to the ferocious tribes inhabiting these regions. He successfully thwarted the last foreign invasion into the subcontinent through the Khyber Pass at Jamrud, permanently blocking this route of the invaders. Even in his death, Hari Singh Nalwa's formidable reputation ensured victory for the Sikhs against an Afghan force five times as numerous. Hari Singh Nalwa's performance as an administrator and a military commander in the North West Frontier remains unmatched. Two centuries on, Britain, Pakistan, Russia and America have been unsuccessful in effecting law and order in this region. Hari Singh Nalwa's spectacular achievements exemplified the tradition established by Guru Gobind Singh such that he came to be hailed as the "Champion of the Khalsa".

General Zorawar singh rangreta

A 19th century depiction of General Zorawar Singh, following his conquest of Ladakh, with the Gyalpo (King) and Gyalmo (Queen) of Ladakh

Zorawar Singh^[2][6] (1784–12 December 1841) was a military general of the ranghar Rajput ruler, Gulab Singh of Jammu. He served as the governor (wazir-e-wazarat) of Kishtwar and extended the territories of the kingdom by conquering Ladakh and Baltistan. He also boldly attempted the conquest of Western Tibet (Ngari Khorsum) but was killed in battle of To-yo during the Dogra-Tibetan war. In reference to his legacy of conquests in the Himalaya Mountains including Ladakh, Tibet, Baltistan and Skardu as General and Wazir, Zorowar Singh has been referred to as the "Napoleon of India", and "Conqueror of Ladakh".

Baba jiwan singh ji

Baba jiwan singh ji

Bhai Jaita^[6][2] was born on 13 December 1649 to mother Premo (aka Kanno) and father Sada Chand. At the time of his birth, he was named Jag Chand, shortened to Jagu or Jota but it is said that Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib at some stage named him 'Jaita'. He and his younger brother Bhag Chand, also called Bhagu, were disciples of Guru Har Rai, Nanak VII from Kiratpur, in the Sivalik hills, Where the Guru then resided. They shifted along with their parents, to the village of Jhanda Ramdas where they stayed with Bhai Gurditta (1625-1675), the great-great-grandson of Bhai Buddha As Bhai Gurditta was detained in Delhi following the arrest of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Jaita was sent by the family to bring news of him. He thereafter lived at Anandpur, becoming the first nagarchi or beater of the Guru Gobind Singh's awesome Ranjit Nagara. He was: the first drummer of the Ranjit Nagara, the trainer of the Sahibzadas in the Art of Warfare, Martyr at the battle of Chamkaur In 1691, he was married to Raj Kaur daughter of Sujan Singh of the village of Riar near Amritsar. Waheguru blessed the couple with four sons. He became famous as a marksman and trained the two elder sons of Guru Gobind Singh in the art of warfare. He himself took part in all of Guru Gobind Singh's battles against the hill chiefs and the Mughals. Bhai Jivan Singh fell, a martyr, in the Battle of Chamkaur on 8 December 1705. Gurdwara-Shahid-Burj a (tower) now a Gurdwara stands on the site as a monument to his memory.

Akali Phula Singh

Painting commissioned by Jean-Francois Allard of Akali Phula Singh Nihang.

Akali Baba Phula Singh^{[2] [4]}was born January 14, 1761 in the village of Sarinh, In the present day district of Sangrur Punjab. In to a mazabhi sikh, His father, Baba Ishar Singh of Misal Shaheedan, was seriously wounded in the Wadda Ghalughara (the Great Holocaust) of 1762, and died shortly thereafter. Deeply religious from early childhood, Akali Phula Singh joined the Jatha of Akali Baba Naina Singh ji, Misal Shaheedan and started living with Babaji. Misal Shaheedan^[6] was the Dal of Baba Deep Singh ji Shaheed, Jatha of dedicated Gursikhs who had a highly spiritual life and lived life according to True Gurmat principles. This was the first Jatha to be given a Nishan (a Flag) and a Nagara (a Battle Drum) when the Khalsa Panth was organized into five jathas in 1734.I Its duty was to look after Gurudwaras and Takhats, give Gurbaani vidya, Shastarvidya and Naam Abhyaas. The Sixth Jathedar of Misal Shaheedan, Akali Baba Naina Singh ji lived at Sri Amritsar Sahib most of the time. Baba Phula Singh ji also started living at the Harimandir at an early age in a sangath of Gursikhs that included Baba Naina Singh ji and Giani Bhai Soorat Singh ji, who was the head granthi of Sri Darbar Sahib. In no time he was well trained in Gurbaani Vidya and all the martial arts and ended up becoming the leader of the devout band of fearless fighters. He also punished Maharaja Ranjit Singh for breaking the sikhism law and order.^[2]

Jassa Singh Ahluwalia

Maharaja Jassa Singh Ahluwalia^[3][2][6] (1718-1783) Sultan ul Quam^[6] Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (1718-1783) was a prominent Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy. He was democratically elected as the supreme military commander of the Sikh Confederacy on March 29, 1748 - on Baisakhi, this appointment is considered to be one of the greatest honours ever bestowed, in the 18th century, to any Sikh. He was further honored by the Sikh Confederacy with the title of 'Nawab', at Amritsar in 1754, after the passing of Nawab Kapur Singh in 1753. He was also the Misldar (Chief/Baron) of the Ahluwalia misl or army group. This period was an interlude, lasting roughly from the time of the death of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716 to the founding of the Sikh Empire in 1801. The period is also sometimes described as the Age of the Misls [3] . He was the also the fourth jathedar (leader) of Buddha Dal.

Bhai Baghel Singh Rangreta

Bhai Baghel Singh^[6][3][2] (1730 - 1802) was born in village Jhabal Kalan, Amritsar District of Punjab, in to a Dhillon mazabhi sikh family around 1730's, he was the descendant of Chaudhary Bhai Langaha Dhillon, the Sikh chief of 84 villages in the Majha, who along with his younger brother Bhai Pero Shah Dhillon the grandfather of the famous Mai Bhago, had converted to Sikhism, during the time of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, in the 1580s. From humble beginnings he arose to become a formidable force in the area between River Sutlej and River Yamuna. He aligned himself with Karor Singhia misl led by Sardar Karora Singh. After the early demise of Karora Singh, Bhai Baghel Singh succeeded as a leader of Karora Singhia misl in 1765. He is celebrated in Sikh history as the vanquisher of Mughal Delhi.^[6][2] On the 11th of March 1783, the Sikhs entered the Red Fort in Delhi and occupied the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), where the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, made a settlement with them that allowed Baghel Singh to raise Gurdwaras on Sikh historical sites and allowed them to take six annals of each rupee (of all the Octrai duties) and any other taxes collected by the Mughal state (roughly 12.5 %). Baghel Singh set up camp in the Sabzi Mandi area of Delhi, with 4000 troops, taking charge of the police station in Chandani Chowk. He located seven sites connected with the lives of the Sikh Gurus and had shrines raised on the sites within the space of eight months (April to December 1783). Gurdwara Sis Ganj marked the spot in the main Mughal street of Chandani Chowk where Guru Tegh Bahadur had been executed at the orders of Aurangzeb and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, near the modern day Parliament House, where the Guru's body was cremated. Bangla Sahib and Bala Sahib were dedicated to the memory of the Eight Guru, Guru Har Krishan. Four other Gurdwaras Gurdwara Majnu ka Tilla, Moti Bagh, Telivara and Gurdwara Nanak Piao were also constructed during this period.

Banda Singh Bahadur Bairagi Rangreta

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur (16 October, 1670 - 9 June, 1716) (Lachhman Dev alias Madho dass Bairagi), originally from the Jammu region, is revered as one of greatest Sikh warriors as well as one of the most hallowed martyrs of the Khalsa Army. He was rangreta Rajput belongs to bairagi community^[8].^[6][4][2]

The Khalsa were engaged in a prolonged fight against the cruel Mughals, who were practising their tyranny and terrorism. His confrontation with the Mughal administration in Northern India, though brief, was strong and vigorous enough to shake the foundations of this evil empire.

The agrarian uprising that he led in the Punjab was the underpinning on which the Dal Khalsa, the Sikh Misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh built the edifice which finally culminated with Ranjit Singh capturing Lahore in 1799 and establishing the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab. This resulted in the end of a dark period in the history of India.

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was born in a Minhas Rajput family^[6][4][2] on October 16, 1670 at Rajouri in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, Northern India; he was named Lachman Dev. Wrestling, horseback riding, and hunting were his major hobbies. He was a very active and energetic child.

Gilded panel (repoussé plaque) from Takht Hazur Sahib, Nanded. Madho Das declares he is Guru Gobind Singh’s ‘Banda’ slave on the banks of the Godavari River in Nanded. Published in: 'In the Master's Presence: The Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib' (2008), by Nidar Singh Nihang, Parmjit Singh, London, Kashi House.

However, as a young man, he shot a doe and was shocked to watch the mother and her aborted fawn writhing in pain and dying. After this gloomy scene, he had a change of heart. This experience moved him so much that he completely changed his outlook to life. He left his home and became a recluse. Soon, he met a Bairagi Sadhu, Janaki Das and became his disciple.

The Sadhu gave him the name, Madho Das. In the company of the Sadhus he travelled through Northern India and then finally arrived at Nanded (in present-day Maharashtra) in central India, situated on the bank of the river Godavari, where he built a hut to meditate upon God.

Before the British Raj era

The Mazhabis were recruited to the army of Ranjit Singh but as separate companies attached to regular battalions rather than as part of an integrated force. This situation was forced upon him because high-caste Sikhs refused any closer connection. They served as pioneers, operating mainly as a labour corps that worked on construction of roads, bridges and canals. They were not, however, mere labourers because it was expected that their infantry skills would enable them to defend themselves in the event of attack.^[7]

British Raj

The Mazhabis, whom historian Stephen Cohen says "had strong caste traditions of violence and aggressiveness and were classed as a criminal caste by the British",^{[lower-alpha 2]} lost their military employment following the defeat of the Sikhs in the Anglo-Sikh Wars. Some eventually found employment as pioneers in the army of Gulab Singh, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.^[16] In 1857, the British turned to them for help during the Indian Rebellion, apparently to counteract the rebellious sepoys of the Bengal Army.^[7][17] The First Pioneer Sikh Regiment soon found itself helping to break the Siege of Delhi, a second regiment was raised in 1858 and a third followed soon after.^[17] This military employment contributed to a gradual improvement in their social status and in 1911 their official classification in Gujranwala and Lyallpur was uplifted to that of "agricultural caste" by the British authorities.^[7] The British military classification system, which rated recruits according to their caste, continued to assert that Mazhabis were best suited as pioneers while, for example, Jat Sikhs should be infantry.^[18]

It was calculated in 1898 that there were 2,452 Mazhabis in the army, along with 28,146 Jat Sikhs and 9,000 other Sikhs.^[19] During World War I the single-battalion regiments of the Mazhabi Sikh Pioneers – the 23rd, 32nd and 34th Pioneer Regiments – were expanded to comprise three battalions each. These units served in Egypt, Europe, Mesopotamia and Palestine and performed well. The 1/34th Sikh Pioneers were awarded the title of "Royal".^[20]

The Sikh Pioneer regiments, which were practically the only military employer of the Mazhabis, were disbanded in December 1932. The cause was mainly advances in road-building techniques and the need to economise. Most of their recruits were released from the army, the only means by which they had been able to advance themselves in society.^[21] A Mazhabi Sikh platoon did replace Rajputs as the Indian Platoon of the Welch Regiment in 1933.^[22]

The Mazhabi Sikhs, together with the Ramdasia, were recruited to the Sikh Light Infantry regiment (SLI) after its formation in 1941.^{[23][lower-alpha 3]} Despite unwillingness among some policy makers, the British had to abandon their traditional distinction between martial and non-martial races during the Second World War. This was necessitated by the need for more recruits than could be supplied by those communities upon which they usually relied, such as the Jat Sikhs, Dogras and Punjabi Musalmans. In addition, indiscipline among Jat Sikhs caused by their concerns regarding a post-war division of India was another reason to prefer recruitment of new classes. While recruitment from the pre-war martial classes was still pre-eminent, that from newly recognised classes such as the Mazhabis and Ramdasias became significant. Mazhabis were even recruited into units such as the 13th Frontier Force Rifles, which previously would not have contemplated them.^[26]

After independence of India

The Sikh Light Infantry march past during the Republic day parade in New Delhi, India

When India became independent in 1947, the British Indian Army became the Indian Army. This, like its predecessor, relies on the martial race theory for much of its recruitment and thus there is a grossly disproportionate number of Sikhs within its ranks.^[27] The Mazhabi Sikhs and Ramdasias continued their service with the SLI in the new army.^[23] The SLI has served in almost all of the post-1947 conflicts involving India, including the wars with Pakistan in 1947, 1965 and 1971, the Hyderabad Police Action of 1948 and the Chinese aggression in 1962. It has also served in Sri Lanka, where the 1st, 7th, 13th and 14th Battalions have contributed towards peace-keeping.^[28]

The Mazhabi Sikh soldiers have a reputation for their loyalty and reliability. During Operation Blue Star in 1984, when the Indian Army entered the Golden Temple, Jat Sikh soldiers broke out in mutiny against their officers in the Sikh Regiment and Punjab regiments A total of 2,000 Sikh personnel took part in the mutinies. In the most sensational case 1,400 mainly Jat Sikhs deserted after killing their commanding officer and armed themselves. A significant number of those were also new recruits who were incited easily into mutiny and some were forced at gun point to take part in the mutinies.^[29] Despite that, the Indian Army officers were correct when they expressed confidence to journalists that the Mazhabi Sikhs of the Sikh Light Infantry would not mutiny.^[30]

In Punjab, Sikh militants had stepped up their attacks on law enforcement as well as civilians, including minority groups. The Punjab had now reached a state of emergency and Director General of Police, Kanwar Pal Singh Gill, responded by raising Mazhabi Sikhs as "Special Police Officers". This tactic was designed both for community protection and to dull any incentive for Mazhabis to join with the militants, although in fact Mazhabis had often been victims of attacks by those people. Their loyalty was to the government and was never questioned.^[31] Mostly unemployed people, they were provided with guns by the state and were literally given a licence to kill. Gill received heavy criticism^[32] for the brutality and ruthlessness of his tactics but the Sikh militants were neutralised. A large number of these special police officers were said to have been used during the February 1992 elections. An open season was declared on Sikh terrorists and the police were able to use whatever means deemed necessary to achieve victory. Major Sikh militant leaders were targeted, and many did not survive.^[33]

Discrimination within the Sikh community

Most of them live in separate clusters in villages. As the 19th century drew to a close, untouchables such as the Mazhabis were still denied equal access to the gurdwara (places of worship) by their fellow Sikhs and during the early years of the 20th century members of the Arya Samaj tried to capitalise on this in their attempts to reconvert those groups to Hinduism.^[1] In spite of Sikhism's egalitarian tenets, the Singh Sabha movement also viewed them as being inferior,^[34] despite initially being established in 1873 in part with the aim of eradicating untouchability.^[35]

The British Raj system of land allocation in the Punjab also worked against the Mazhabis. As land in the new canal colonies was made available for cultivation, the Raj allocated it to people on the basis of the scale of existing landholdings, which meant that dominant landholding communities such as the Jats received most of the 4,000,000 acres (1,600,000 ha) that became available between 1885 and 1940 while outcastes were excluded entirely.^{[36][lower-alpha 4]}

During the numerous discussions, conferences and proposals that preceded Indian independence, the Mazhabis sought to obtain an autonomous region within partitioned Punjab which they proposed to be called "Mazbhistan". This was one of many instances reflecting the lack of coherence among adherents of Sikhism at that time.^[37]

Many Jat Sikhs continue to look down upon the Mazhabis,^[38] and they are also considered to be of lower status by the other Dalit communities, being the Ramdasia/Ravidasia.^{[35][lower-alpha 5]} The internal division between Jat Sikh and Mazhabi still broadly follows the economic distinction between farmer and landless labourer.^[39] It is land-ownership rather than varna's stress on occupational status that defines discrimination within the Sikh communities of the Punjab, and Ronki Ram notes that the nature of untouchability itself in Punjab differs from the rest of India because it is "related more to prejudice than pollution". Many Mazhabi are still exploited in low-status jobs, they are often forced to live in less desirable areas of villages, cannot use the gurdwaras frequented by higher-caste Sikhs and must use special cremation grounds.^{[35][lower-alpha 6]}

Politics

The outcome of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) elections in December 1954 favoured Punjabi Suba, a Jat Sikh-dominated movement. Akali Dal, a religio-political party founded in 1920 and dominated by Jat Sikhs,^[35] won all 111 seats that it contested and Khalsa Dal – a new party created with government support – managing to win only three of the 132 in which it put forward a candidate. The campaign saw the Arya Samaj and Jan Sangh, who were both opposed to Punjabi Suba and believed in Hindu upper caste domination, stressing a fear of Sikh domination. They encouraged Hindu Punjabis to lie by claiming Hindi to be their first language even when it was almost always in fact Punjabi. This attempt to cause a division along religious lines had the tacit support of the government and its impact echoed down the years.^[40] In 2005, 56 expelled employees of the SGPC abandoned Sikhism and alleged that they were being discriminated against because they were Mazhabis.^[41]

According to a report published in The Tribune on 16 March 1966, a spokesperson for the Federation of Mazhabi Sikhs stated that "the Sikh Scheduled Castes had been reduced to a position of mere serfs by the Sikh landlords who would literally crush the Mazhabi Sikhs if Punjabi Suba was formed." The federation offered support for Arya Samaj and Jan Sangh in opposition to the Punjabi Suba.^[40]

Although Sikh leaders recognise the contribution of the Mazhabis and Ravidasias to the community and have tried to include them in their organisations, not least because of the size of their population, both groups still feel alienated because of discrimination by higher-caste Sikhs, especially the Jats. It is because of this that they have turned to political parties such as the Bahujan Samaj Party rather than maintaining past associations with Sikh politics through the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and SGPC.^[42]

Perhaps the most notable politician to come from the Mazhabi community is Buta Singh, former Minister of Home Affairs and chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes of the central government.

Modern-day conversions

In 2014, both the SAD and the Indian National Congress (INC) voiced their opposition to Christian Mazhabi people being reconverted to the Sikh faith in a ceremony organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Parkash Singh Badal, then Chief Minister of Punjab and an SAD elder, said that such conversions are "unfortunate and against the basic tenets of Sikhism as Sikh gurus sacrificed their lives resisting conversion", while Amarinder Singh of the INC considered the move by the Hindutva-centric RSS to be "forced conversion". The RSS said that it was not sponsoring conversion to Hinduism but rather to Sikhism and that the SGPC had been lax in stemming the tide of poor Sikh families switching to Christianity.^[13] It was claimed by an RSS colleague, Ram Gopal, that 2,470 people had already been converted in the year prior to the controversy being commented upon and that the SGPC had initially supported the idea.^[43] There were also protests by Christians, who claimed that the conversions were an attempt by the RSS to drive a wedge between their religion and Sikhism where previously there had been a harmonious relationship.^[44]

Reservation

The Government of India recognises Mazhabi Sikh as a Scheduled Caste as part of their official affirmative action program.^[14]

Notes

Citations