The Martyrdom of Baba Deep Singh
In 1757, Ahmad Shah Durrani invaded India for loot and plunder a fourth time. This time, he was so harassed by Sikh fighters who several times slew his guards and pillaged his baggage train that he determined to take his revenge on them. Since Durrani could not lay his hands on the elusive bands of Sikhs, he determined to vent his fury on their holy city of Amritsar. The Harimandir Sahib was blown up and the surrounding pool filled with the entrails of slaughtered cows.
Hearing of the sacrilege, Baba Deep Singh, an elderly scholar of the Sikhs living at Damdama Sahib, 160 kilometers (99 mi) south of Amritsar, was stirred to action. As leader of one of the Sikh divisions entrusted with care of the temple, he felt responsible for the damage that had been done to it and announced his intention of rebuilding the Harmandir Sahib. He then set out with a body of Sikhs toward the holy city. Along the way, many others joined, so there were about 5,000 as they reached the outskirts of Amritsar. In the nearby town of Tarntaran, they prepared themselves for martyrdom by sprinkling saffron on each other's turbans.
When word reached Lahore that a large body of Sikhs had arrived near Amritsar, a general mobilization was ordered. Two large forces were sent. Approaching Amritsar, Baba Deep Singh and his companions encountered them and a fierce battle ensued.
Wielding his double-edged sword, the sixty-nine-year-old Sikh sustained many wounds. According to tradition, his head was nearly severed. Baba Deep Singh still pressed on in his determination to reach the holy shrine, until he made the precincts of the Harmandir and expired. A legend grew that it was Baba Deep Singh's headless body holding his head on his left hand and wielding his great sword in his right that had fought on until he redeemed his pledge to reach the holy temple.
Read more about this topic: Sikh Holocaust Of 1762
Famous quotes containing the words martyrdom, deep and/or singh:
“The myth of motherhood as martyrdom has been bred into women, and behavioral scientists have helped embellish the myth with their ideas of correct “feminine” behavior. If women understand that they do not have to ignore their own needs and desires when they become mothers, that to be self-interested is not to be selfish, it will help them to avoid the trap of overattachment.”
—Grace Baruch (20th century)
“Then down, deep down, in the mighty ship, unseen by the midday
suns,
You’ll find the chaps who are giving the raps—the men behind the guns!”
—John Jerome Rooney (1866–1934)
“We may die today, we may die tomorrow,
so why worry about this death?”
—Punjabi proverb, trans. by Gurinder Singh Mann.