Bhai Taru Singh
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Bhai Taru Singh ( – 1 July 1745) was a prominent Sikh martyr known for sacrificing his life, for protecting his
Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
values, by having had his head
scalped Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the tak ...
rather than cutting his hair and converting to Islam. A 3D-animated film about Bhai Taru Singh was released globally on 27 April 2018.


Biography

Bhai Taru Singh was born around 1720 in
Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
during the reign of the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
. He was raised as a ravidassia Sikh by his widowed mother and had one sister, Tar Kaur. Singh was engaged in
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
at Poolha,
Kasur Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also Romanization of Urdu, romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. The city serves as th ...
, Lahore District, where he had a small farm and grew
maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
. Upon witnessing Sikh fighters save a poor girl from the clutches of the Mughal oppressors, Bhai Taru Singh decided to become initiated into the
Khalsa Khalsa ( pa, ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, , ) refers to both a community that considers Sikhism as its faith,Kha ...
. During this time, Sikh revolutionaries were plotting the overthrow of the Mughal governor of Punjab,
Zakaria Khan Jayant (born as Zakaria Khan; 15 October 1915 – 2 June 1975) was an Indian actor. He was the father of Amjad Khan and Imtiaz Khan. His notable works are in films like ''Amar'', ''Memdidi'' and ''Nazneen''. He worked in many movies with Dilip ...
. Singh and his sister gave food and other aid to the '' gursikhs'' (devout Sikhs of the
Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
). An informant reported them to Zakaria Khan and the two were arrested for treason. Some sources, however, say that a ''
mahant Mahant () is a religious superior, in particular the chief of a temple or the head of a monastery in Indian religions. James Mallinson, one of the few westerners to be named as a mahant, describes the position of a mahant as a combination of an ...
'' (akin to a 'great priest') was the one to have tipped off Mughal authorities because Bhai Taru Singh was harboring Sikh fighters. Though his sister's freedom was bribed for by the villagers, Singh refused to seek a pardon. After a period of imprisonment and torture, Bhai Taru Singh was brought before the Khan and asked him where he got his powers from to undergo all of the agony. His reply was through his ''keshas'' ('unshorn hair') blessed by
Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...
. Zakaria Khan ordered a barber to cut his hair to deprive him of his power and strength. When the barber attempted to do so, his hair became as strong as iron. Angered by this, the emperor ordered his scalp be cut off. According to prominent early Sikh historian
Ratan Singh Bhangu Akali Ratan Singh Bhangu Nihang was a Sikh historian and Nihang who wrote about the Sikhs' struggles and rise to power in North India, in his book Prachin Panth Prakash. This work describes how the Sikh people came to dominate Punjab in the 1700s ...
, in response to having his scalp torn off, Taru Singh cursed Zakaria Khan, saying he would be killed by his shoes. According to Sikh sources, after cutting Singh's scalp, Zakaria Khan was stricken with unbearable pain and the inability to urinate. As a last resort, Khan sent an apology to the
Khalsa Panth Khalsa ( pa, ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, , ) refers to both a community that considers Sikhism as its faith,Kha ...
for his persecution of Sikhs and begged for forgiveness. It was suggested that if Khan hit himself with Singh's shoes, his condition might be lifted. Although it would cure Khan of his condition, he died 22 days later from having hit himself with the shoes, just as Singh predicted. Upon hearing that he had outlived the Khan, Bhai Taru Singh let go of his breath on his own will on 1 July 1745.


Legacy

In
AD 1762, the Bhangi Sikh Sardar army conquered
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
and took over the
public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...
where Singh was scalped. The Abdullah Khan Mosque adjacent to the square was also occupied and converted into Shaheed Ganj Gurdwara. On the location today,
Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) or Gurdwara Shahidi Asthan Bhai Taru Singh ji is a Sikh Gurdwara at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore, Pakistan, which commemorates the spot where Bhai Taru Singh was executed. The shrine w ...
in
Naulakha Bazaar Naulakha Bazaar (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ur, ) is Bazaar (Market (place), market) located in Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. This Bazaar was established in 1633 and is located in Lahore Fort near Naulakha Pavilion. The Shaheed Ga ...
, marks the place where Singh's scalp was removed.


Films on the story of Bhai Taru Singh

* A print representing Singh's martyrdom is present in the 2007 film ''
The Darjeeling Limited ''The Darjeeling Limited'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, which he co-produced with Scott Rudin, Roman Coppola, and Lydia Dean Pilcher, and co-wrote with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. The film stars Owen W ...
'', in a scene set in a
Sikh temple A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...
. * A 3D-animated film about Bhai Taru Singh was released globally on 27 April 2018, directed by Vismaad Singh.


See also

*
Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) or Gurdwara Shahidi Asthan Bhai Taru Singh ji is a Sikh Gurdwara at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore, Pakistan, which commemorates the spot where Bhai Taru Singh was executed. The shrine w ...
* List of Sikhs *
Chhota Ghallughara Chhota Ghallughara ( pa, ਛੋਟਾ ਘੱਲੂਘਾਰਾ , "Smaller Massacre") was a massacre of a significant proportion of the Sikh population living in the region around present-day city of Lahore situated in Punjab, Pakistan, Pakistani P ...


References


External links


Bhai Taru Singh - Animated Film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Bhai Taru Sikh martyrs Punjabi people 1720 births 1745 deaths Executed Indian people People executed for refusing to convert to Islam