The period from mid-17th century to the first quarter of the 18th century is significant in the history of the Indian civilisation. It was during this period that the people rose to challenge the rule of Muslim invaders that had been in place for more than six centuries by that time.
The peaceful and hard-working peasants took up arms and challenged the repressive authority of the Mughals. They became fierce and fearless warriors in a very short period of time under the dynamic leadership of two visionary warriors – Guru Gobind Singh of Punjab and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj of Maharashtra. The similarity in warrior-like qualities and nationalistic vision of the Guru and Shivaji had a strong impact on the future of the nation.
Along with Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji Maharaj, other personages who had a role to play are as follows
• Aurangzeb, the sixth ruler of the Mughals.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, who was tortured to death on orders of Aurangzeb for challenging his repressive religious policies.
• Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh, who refused to succumb to Mughal repression and were brutally murdered by Mughal authorities.
• Chhatrapati Sambha Ji Maharaj, who carried forward Shivaji’s fight for Swarajya (independence).
• Banda Bahadur, who carried forward the fight for justice and righteousness initiated by Guru Gobind Singh.
Chronology of Events
A brief chronology of the events that charted the course for change is as below –
• 1630 – Birth of Shivaji in the hill fort of Shivneri. His father, Shahaji Bhonsle, was a senior official and general in service to the Muslim Sultans of the area.
• 1658 – Aurangzeb became ruler of the Mughals.
• 1666 – Birth of Guru Gobind Singh in the house of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs at Patna, Bihar.
• 1674 – Shivaji became Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom
• 1675 – Guru Tegh Bahadur embraced martyrdom after brutal torture on orders of Aurangzeb.
• !680 – Shivaji died and Sambhaji ascended the Maratha throne as Chhatrapati
• 1681 – Aurangzeb moved his court to Aurangabad and took over command of the Deccan campaign.
• 1689 – Sambhaji was captured by the Mughal forces and brutally tortured to death. Rajaram, the half-brother of Sambhaji, became the new Chhatrapati of the Maratha kingdom and continued the fight against the Mughals
• 1699 – Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa, an army of the pure that vowed to fight for justice/righteousness and protect the poor and the deprived.
• 1700 – Rajaram, the third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom, died of lung infection but was undefeated by Aurangzeb.
• 1704 – Mughals forces and the Hill chieftains, on orders of Aurangzeb, laid siege on Anandpur Sahib with the intention of neutralising Guru Gobind Singh, his family and the Khalsa army.
• 1704 – After months of unsuccessful siege, the frustrated Mughal and Hill chieftain in December 1704 promised safe passage to Guru Gobind Singh and yet attacked him when he came out with his family and followers. The Guru lost his four sons and mother to Mughal atrocity.
• 1705 – Despite making all efforts with an army numbering lakhs of soldiers, the Mughals were unable to defeat the Guru. The Mughal forces retreated in an admittance of defeat.
• 1705 – Guru Gobind Singh wrote the Zafarnama, an Epistle of Victory, in which he denounced the deceit, treachery and repression of Aurangzeb and his Governors.
• 1706 – Guru Gobind Singh set out for the Deccan to meet with Aurangzeb on invitation from the latter. Enroute he received news of the death of Aurangzeb and camped at Nanded, Maharashtra
• 1707 – Aurangzeb died in the Deccan in the month of March at the age of 86, a broken man full of remorse for his misdeeds.
• 1707-1708 – Guru Gobind Singh in Nanded, gave responsibility to Banda Singh Bahadur to carry on the conflict against the Mughals in Punjab.
• 1708 – Guru Gobind Singh left his earthly body in Nanded
• 1710 – Banda Singh Bahadur was joined by thousands of Sikhs and Khalsa at Punjab. He captured Sirhind in the Battle of Chappar Chiri and personally killed Wazir Khan, the murderer of the Sahibzadas
• 1715 –Banda Bahadur was captured and taken to Delhi where he, along with his sons and soldiers, was tortured in the most brutal manner by the then Mughal ruler Farrukhsiyar before being put to death.
Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb was not declared heir to the Mughal throne by his father. He wrested the throne and proclaimed himself the ruler after blinding and imprisoning his father and brutally killing his four brothers. He tortured to death his elder brother, Dara Sikoh, who was the legitimate and most acceptable heir to the throne.
Aurangzeb looked upon himself as a great warrior and strategist. His military victories, however, were against insignificant persons and petty kings. When his armies faced leaders and warriors like Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji, they were exposed as weak, cowardly and disorganised.
In the last two decades of his reign, he remained immersed in his egoistic attempt to win the Deccan and ignored governance totally. As a result, the empire fell to immorality, as Guru Gobind Singh explained to him in Zafarnama.
All Islamic rulers were known to be ruthless and brutal. Aurangzeb took this brutality to another level. He pursued religious fundamentalism and extreme radicalism, whereby, unspeakable atrocity was inflicted upon his non-Muslim subjects.
A chauvinist and a bigot in the true sense, he was also particularly cruel towards his perceived enemies, which is quite obvious by the vicious murders of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Dara Sikoh and Sambhaji.
Aurangzeb thought that his acts would cow down the people to submission, but the reverse happened. The Sikhs and the Marathas, who had been peace-loving farmers, on the call of their leaders, took up arms and became formidable warriors. They heralded not only his ignominious end but also the disintegration of his empire and his dreams to Islamise his subjects.
Guru Gobind Singh and Chhatrapati Shivaji
The two great warriors and visionary leaders belonged to different regions and communities and did not meet in their lifetimes. Yet, they had many similarities in their personal traits and policies.
The Training – The parents of Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji ensured a wholesome education for their wards that included the study of languages, history, administration and, most importantly, military training. Both were brilliant students, articulate philosophers and proficient in the use of arms. They grew up to be great leaders who could motivate their followers to achieve the impossible.
The Socio-Political Environment – The brutal murder of Guru Tegh Bahadur had a deep impact on Guru Gobind Singh. Similarly, Shivaji saw his father as a person subservient to an Islamic master despite being a prominent military general and administrator. Both considered the situation to be unacceptable.
The Vision – Both fought against repression and injustice by the Mughal rulers while carrying a common vision of Swaraj (freedom) for their people and their land.
The Military Acumen – Both were adept in military tactics and strategy. Guru Gobind Singh conceived the Khalsa. Shivaji built a small force called the Mavlas and expanded it into a full-fledged army. Both organised their forces into well-equipped and well-honed military units that were adept in fighting in the available terrain configuration. Cavalry formed their most potent segment; speed and surprise were their biggest asset. Their troops were trained to fearlessly attack vastly superior forces and emerge victorious.
Strength and Resolve – Both remained immune to the show of might that was the preferred method of the Islamists to cow down the opposition. Their resolve bordered on the obstinate, and they did not give up in almost impossible situations. Their strength, courage and determination were unmatched.
Leadership Traits –Both leveraged their leadership skills to motivate their predominantly peace-loving farming community to become a formidable military force. They cared for their troops and subjects at all times as their own family. They set for their men very high moral standards in which respect and security of women and children were sacrosanct. In this, they led by example. Their cruel, vicious and merciless adversaries were exposed when seen in contrast to their high moral threshold.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji
Aurangzeb came to the Deccan almost at the same time as Sambhaji became Chhatrapati of the Marathas. Sambhaji knew Aurangzeb well since, at the age of nine, he had been taken political hostage by the Mughal court, and later, he was a prisoner in Agra along with his father; both made a daring escape from Agra.
A big reason for Aurangzeb’s move to the Deccan was the alliance forged between Sambhaji and Prince Akbar, a son of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb attempted to capture the Maratha capital of Fort Raigad, which led to the Mughal invasion of Konkan.
Despite having a very small force in comparison to the vast Mughal army, Sambhaji fought Guerrilla warfare. He disrupted enemy supply lines and conducted daring raids. Territory changed hands repeatedly during this interminable warfare. Aurangzeb was forced to contest every inch of territory at great cost in lives and money.
Sambhaji was captured by the Mughal forces of Muqarrab Khan at Sangameshwar in February 1689, after more than eight years of conflict with the Mughals. He was asked to surrender his forts and treasures and convert to Islam, which he refused. He was then brutally tortured for forty days. Ultimately, he was decapitated and cut into small pieces.
The Marathas were horrified by the brutal treatment given to their King. They rallied around Chhatrapati Rajaram and exacted terrible vengeance from the Mughals.
Aurangzeb waged continuous war in the Deccan for more than a decade after the murder of Sambhaji and eventually died at the age of 88 without gaining control of the land. The constant warfare drove his empire to bankruptcy.
Banda Bahadur
Guru Gobind Singh, while in Nanded, met an ascetic named Madho Das. He made Madho Das his disciple, renamed him Banda Bahadur and gave him the responsibility of avenging the brutal murder of his younger sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, by Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind. He also bade him to destroy the evil Mughal administration in Punjab and protect the poor people.
In Punjab, Sikhs joined Banda Singh Bahadur in vast numbers. The first major victory for him was the Battle of Chappar Chiri on 24, May 1710. Banda Singh Bahadur killed Wazir Khan, entered Sirhind and announced the establishment of Sikh rule to end the tyranny of the Mughals. This was the first territorial conquest of the Sikhs, which placed them in possession of significant areas south of the River Satluj. He established his capital at Lohgarh and minted coins in the name of Guru Nanak.
In 1713, due to the pressure of a vastly powerful Mughal army from Lahore, the Sikhs under Banda Bahadur left Lohgarh and Sadhaura and went to the remote hills of Jammu, where they built Dera Baba Banda Singh at Reasi.
Due to fervent appeals by the people, Banda Singh Bahadur came back to Punjab and continued to harass the Mughals. He greatly weakened their hold in Punjab. The Sikh soldiers fought with great bravery under the sustained onslaught of the enemy. Sadly, the Mughal force was too big for him. The Sikhs made their last stand at Gurdas Nangal, where the Mughal forces had laid siege for eight months. Finally, on December 17, 1715, Banda Bahadur was captured and taken to Delhi, where he was tortured in the most brutal manner before being put to death.
The brutal murder of Banda Singh Bahadur by Farrukhsiyar enthused the Sikhs into fighting back and it sealed the fate of the Mughal empire. The Sikhs misls soon held sway over Punjab, and within a century, the Sikh Empire had been established in Punjab after having decimated the Mughals as well as the Afghans.
By the middle of the seventeenth century, the Mughals had deteriorated into a repressive, intolerant regime whose ruler, Aurangzeb, had abandoned the legacy of partial tolerance and religious pluralism followed by his predecessors. The Governors of Aurangzeb adopted his repressive policies and caused terrible suffering to the people, especially non-Muslims.
His barbaric behaviour, as manifested by the brutal executions of Dara Shikoh, Chhatrapati Sambhaji and Guru Tegh Bahadur, had a lasting impact on the people who took up arms to end the tyrannical, immoral and exploitative regime. The final nail in the coffin was the ruthless murder of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh by the Mughal Governor of Sirhind. It galvanised the entire Sikh/Khalsa community into rising against persecution and injustice.
Farrukhsiyar did not learn any lesson from Aurangzeb’s mistakes. He heaped the most unspeakable atrocity upon Banda Singh Bahadur and his captured Sikhs while they withstood all torture with courage and stoicism.
The movement against the Mughals in Punjab gained momentum after this incident, and the Mughals soon lost all authority in the region to the Misls. The Sikhs had to fight and defeat another evil empire of the Afghans before the successful creation of the enlightened Sikh Empire by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
The derived lesson is the need to strengthen the concepts of religious pluralism and unity in diversity that have been the benchmark of the Indian civilisation for many millennia. India may have transitioned to a vibrant form of democratic governance, but deep state forces are always at work to create religious divides and spread hatred. Every Indian needs to remain vigilant to secure the freedom that has been earned by Guru Gobind Singh, Shivaji and many more after making very big sacrifices.
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