Page 27 - PSLgurmatbook62020

Lesson 10: Chhota Ghallughara

Banda Singh Bahadur’s death in 1716 was a blow to the Sikhs. They

were hunted by the Mughals who wanted to wipe them out. Sikhs

retreated to jungles. Eventually the Mughals thought that the Sikhs
had vanished. But then the Sikhs started organizing again. They

gathered at Amritsar to celebrate Bandhi Chhod Divas.

The new governor of Lahore, Zakaria Khan did not like this. He

started killing as many Sikhs as he could once again. No matter how

many efforts were made by the Mughals to finish the Sikhs off,
they failed. Sikhs were able to save themselves and fight Mughals.

Sikhs continued to oppose the Mughals. In 1739 Nadir Shah’s had

invaded India. He stole much gold, jewels and abducted Hindu

women. He was taking everything back to Iran (Persia). Sikhs
attacked his caravan of horses and camels and rescued many Hindu

women he had abducted. In 1740, they killed Massa Rangarh who had
destroyed Harimandar Sahib. Zakaria was killed by Sikhs in 1745.

After Zakaria Khan died, his son Yahiya Khan became governor of
Lahore. Governor Yahiya Khan sent a small troop of soldiers to scare

away the Sikhs. Diwan Jaspat Rai, a military commander of

Eminabad, led the troop of soldiers against the Sikhs, but was killed
in an encounter with the Sikhs. The Mughal soldiers fled when they

saw their commander was killed.

The defeat of the Mughal soldiers and the death of Jaspat Rai

upset Yahiya Khan and Lakhpat Rai, the Diwan (revenue minister) at
Lahore. Lakhpat was also Jaspat Rai's brother and he took an oath

to finish the entire Sikh Panth.

A wave of violence started against the Sikhs. Lakhpat Rai ordered
Sikh places of worship to be destroyed and Guru Granth Sahib

burnt. He decreed that anyone uttering the word ‘guru’ should be
put to death. He even banned the word ‘gurh’ (guV), because it

Sikh History and Gurmat Sikhia Book 6 2020 Edition Page 25