Sahibzada Ajit Singh
Encyclopedia
Sahibzada Ajit Singh was the eldest of Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...

's four sons. His younger brothers were Sahibzada Jujhar Singh
Sahibzada Jujhar Singh
Sahibzada Jujhar Singh , the second son of Guru Gobind Singh, was born to Mata Jito at Anandpur Sahib on March 14, 1691...

, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh
Sahibzada Zorawar Singh
Sahibzada Zorawar Singh was the third of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. He and his younger brother, Sahibzada Fateh Singh are among the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism....

 and Sahibzada Fateh Singh
Sahibzada Fateh Singh
Sahibzada Fateh Singh was the youngest of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. He and his older brother, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh are among the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism. He is also known as Baba Fateh Singh...

. With his three brothers, Sahibzada Ajit Singh carried on a great family tradition: that of attaining the status of one of the most hallowed martyrs in Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

 history. Before him and his brothers, their grandfather, the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur and great-great grandfather, the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev
Guru Arjan Dev
Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism. He was born in Goindval, Punjab, India, the youngest son of Guru Ram Das and Bibi Bhani, the daughter of Guru Amar Das. He became the Guru of the Sikhs on 1 September 1581 after the death of his father Guru Ram Das. Guru Arjan died in...

 had also been executed by the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

.

Early life

Ajit Singh was born to Mata Sundari
Mata Sundari
Mātā Jīto was the first of three wives of the last Sikh guru Gobind Singh Mata Jito was the daughter of Harjas Bhikia of Lahore. She married the guru on 21 June, 1677. The couple had three children together: Zorawar Singh, Jujhar Singh and Fateh Singh. Very little is known of her life outside the...

 and Guru Gobind Singh at Paonta Sahib
Paonta Sahib
Paonta Sahib पौंटा साहिब is a small beautiful town in the south of Sirmour district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is an important religious spot for Sikhs and a bustling industrial town...

 on 3 January, 1687. The following year, Guru Gobind Singh returned with the family to Anandpur
Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib is a city in Rupnagar district in the state of Punjab, India. Known as "the holy City of Bliss," it is a holy city of the Sikhs and is one of their most important sacred places, closely linked with their religious traditions and history...

 where Ajit Singh was brought up in the approved Sikh style. He was taught religious texts, philosophy and history, and had training in the manly arts such as riding, swordsmanship and archery. He grew up into a handsome young man, strong intelligent and a natural leader of men.

The Ranghars of Nuh

Soon after the creation of the Khalsa
Khalsa
+YouWebImagesVideosMapsNewsMailMoreTranslateFrom: ArabicTo: EnglishEnglishHindiEnglishAllow phonetic typingHindiEnglishArabicAssumptionGoogle Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite TranslatorGlobal Market Finder...

 on 13 April 1699, he had his first test of skill. A Sikh Congregation('Sangat') coming from the Pothohar region of northwest Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

, was attacked and looted on the way by the Ranghars(a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 tribe) of Nuh, a short distance from Anandpur across the River Satluj. Guru Gobind sent Sahibzada Ajit Singh, then barely 12 years old, to that village. Ajit Singh along with a 100 men reached the spot on 23 May 1699, punished the Ranghars and recovered the looted property.

Taragarh and Nirmohgarh

A harder task was entrusted to Sahibzada Ajit the following year when the hill chiefs supported by imperial Mughal troops from Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 and Sirhind attacked Anandpur. Sahibzada Ajit Singh was made responsible for the defence of the Taragarh Fort which became the first target of attack. This happened on 29 August 1700. Ajit Singh assisted by Bhai Udai Singh, a seasoned soldier, repulsed the attack. He also fought valiantly in the battle of Nirmohgarh in October 1700. On 15 March 1701, a Sikh Sangat coming from the Darap area (near Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...

) was waylaid by Gujjars and Ranghars. Sahibzada Ajit Singh led a successful expedition against them.

The birth of Sahibzada Jujhar Singh

In 1691, Mata Sundari gave birth to another boy who was named Jujhar Singh. Sahibzada Jujhar Singh was four years younger than Ajit Singh. Sahibzada Ajit Singh became a model for him. Jujhar Singh also was entrusted with several engagements around Anandpur and on hills. Both Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh led hundreds of successful expeditions, helping the needy who would come to Guru Gobind Singh asking to get them justice.

Chamkaur, Sahibzada Ajit Singh's Final Battle

When Mughal forces besieged Anandpur in 1705, Sahibzada Ajit Singh again displayed his qualities of courage and steadfastness. After a long stalemate, the Mughal Faujdar
Faujdar
Faujdar/Fouzder/Fouzdar/Foujdar was a title awarded by Muslim rulers to people who had responsibility of protecting some territory.In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughal emperor Akbar,...

 gave his assurances that he only wanted the fort of Anandpur and would let the population of the town go unharmed. Anandpur was vacated on the night of 3-4 December 1705. Sahibzada Ajit Singh was given the command of the rearguard. As the besiegers, violating their solemn promises, attacked the column, he stoutly engaged them on a hill-feature called Shahi Tibbi until he was relieved by Bhai Udai Singh. Ajit Singh crossed the Sarsa, then in spate, along with his father, younger brother, Jujhar Singh, and some fifty men. Further reduced in numbers by casualties at the hands of pursuing troops from Ropar, the column reached Chamkaur
Chamkaur
Chamkaur Sahib is a Sub Divisional town in the district of Rupnagar in the Indian State of Punjab. It is famous for the Battle of Chamkaur fought between the Mughals and Guru Gobind Singh....

 on the evening of 6 December 1705, and took up position in a garhi(a stockade) and prepared for a fight to the finish. The host, since swelled by reinforcements from Malerkotla
Malerkotla
Malerkotla is a city and a municipal council in Sangrur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj...

 and Sirhind and from among the local Ranghars and Gujjars, soon caught up with them and threw a tight ring around Chamkaur. An unequal but grim battle commenced with the sunrise on 7 December 1705 - in the words of Guru Gobind Singh's Zafarnamah, a mere forty defying thousands. The besieged, after they had exhausted the meagre stock of ammunitions and arrows, made sallies in batches of five each to engage the encircling host with sword and spear.

Sahibzada Ajit Singh led one of the sallies and laid down his life fighting in the thick of the battle. Gurdwara Qatalgarh now marks the spot where he fell, followed by Sahibzada Jhujhar Singh who led the next sally. An annual fair is held in the commemoration of their martyrdoms in December - January.

Trivia

Mohali
Mohali
Mohali is a city adjacent to Chandigarh, 18th District in Punjab, India. It is officially named after the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh, Sahibzada Ajit Singh . It, along with Chandigarh and Panchkula, form a part of the Chandigarh Tricity...

, a satellite town of Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

, has been renamed as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Mohali(SAS Nagar Mohali) in the memory of Sahibzada Ajit Singh. It is located in the newest district of the state which is also called Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Mohali

See also

  • Sahibzada Jujhar Singh
    Sahibzada Jujhar Singh
    Sahibzada Jujhar Singh , the second son of Guru Gobind Singh, was born to Mata Jito at Anandpur Sahib on March 14, 1691...

  • Sahibzada Zorawar Singh
    Sahibzada Zorawar Singh
    Sahibzada Zorawar Singh was the third of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. He and his younger brother, Sahibzada Fateh Singh are among the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism....

  • Sahibzada Fateh Singh
    Sahibzada Fateh Singh
    Sahibzada Fateh Singh was the youngest of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. He and his older brother, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh are among the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism. He is also known as Baba Fateh Singh...

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