Banda Singh Bahadur - Early Life

Early Life

There are different views regarding origin of Banda Singh Bahadur:

• According to prominent sikh Historians such as Dr. Ganda Singh, Harbans Singh Bhatia, Khushwant Singh, Sir Gokul Chand Narang, Dr Hari Ram Gupta and some other scholars, he was born to a farming family of Hindu Dogras. According to this version, he was born on October 16, 1670 at Rajouri in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. He was named Lachman Dev. Wrestling, horseback riding, and hunting were his major hobbies. As a young man, he once shot dead 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. He left his home and became a disciple of a Bairagi Sadhu: Janaki Das, who gave him the name: Madho Das. In the company of the Sadhus, he travelled through Northern India and finally arrived at Nanded (in present-day Maharashtra), situated on the bank of the river Godavari.
• In the Mahan Kosh, a Sikh encyclopedia written by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, (Bhasha Bibhag Punjab, Patiala), it is stated that he was Minhas Rajput, either from Rajouri in Jammu region or Doaba region of Punjab.
• P.N. Bali calls him a Mohyal Brahmin.
• Hakim Rai calls him a Punjabi Khatri/Rajput.
• Giani Budh Singh a noted scholar of Poonch in his famous book "Chhowen Rattan" described Banda Bahadur as "Brahmin".
• Also a book released by the All India Brahmin Federation described him as Brahmin(http://www.scribd.com/doc/25665157/Brahmin-Sikh-History).
• J.D Cunningham labelled him a native of South India.
• Major A.E. Barstow called him a runaway Peshwa Maratha.
• Major James Brown thought he was a native of Punjab.
• Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer in his book 'Sikh Twareekh (1469-2007)' (published by Singh Brothers Amritsar, in 5 volumes in 2008) narrates that Banda Singh was a Rajput, born in 1670. At the age of 16 he left his home and joined the party of wandering Hindu ascetics (sadhu). He spent two years with two saadhus (Janki Das and then Ram Das)and then joined Baba Lunia, near Burhanpur. In 1696, he met Guru Gobind Singh at Kankhal, near Hardwar but this was a short meeting. After this, Sri Guru Gobind Singh visited him in August 1708.