Bota Singh

Bota Singh (died 1739) was a Sikh martyr who was killed by Mughal forces dispatched by Zakaria Khan under the command of Jalal Din after he started collecting a tax from travellers on the main road to Lahore as a mark of sovereignty for the Sikhs.[1][2] He is remembered by Sikhs as one of the notable martyrs of the 18th century.[3] His martyrdom was a sign of the changing power dynamics of Mughal Punjab between the Mughals and the Sikhs.[4]

Biography

Bota Singh was from the village of Bharana in Amritsar district.[5][6][2] He was born into a Sandhu Jat family.[1] His companion Garja Singh was of a Rangreta background.[5][6]

During the days of anti-Sikh persecution when there was a bounty for the head of a Sikh, the Sikhs had dispersed to hiding spots, such as forests.[2] Bhai Bota Singh lived in one such forest near Tarn Taran and would come out of hiding at night to find food and sometimes visit Amritsar to take a dip in the holy pool around Darbar Sahib.[6][2] One day he was noticed by some zamindars who thought he was a Sikh but a member of their party objected saying he could not have been a Sikh, for had he been one, he would not have concealed himself.[6][2] Other versions of the story say that Mughal guards were passing the forest when one said that the Sikhs were all deceased and there were none left.[7]

Vexed by the observer's remark, Bota Singh set on a plan whereby he and his companion Garja Singh took up a position on the main highway near Tarn Taran in a dilapidated inn.[2] There, they proclaimed the sovereignty of the Khalsa and collected a small toll tax (octroi tax) from each passerby.[8][9][2] However, this failed to attract the Mughal governor's attention so they also sent a notice with a traveller for the governor of Lahore province to be noticed.[10][9][4] After seven days 1000 soldiers[11] with 100 horsemen[12] under Jalal Din came to apprehend the two Sikhs who then died fighting in 1739 as they refused to surrender.[13][14][2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b Grewal, J. S. (Oct 8, 1998). "Rise to Political Power". The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780521637640.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Singha, H. S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Hemkunt Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN 9788170103011.
  3. ^ Oberoi, Harjot Singh (Dec 15, 1994). The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition. University of Chicago Press. p. 330. ISBN 9780226615929.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ a b c Fenech, Louis E.; McLeod, W. H. (Jun 11, 2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. p. 72. ISBN 9781442236011.
  5. ^ a b Gandhi, Surjit Singh (1980). Struggle of the Sikhs for Sovereignty. Gur Das Kapur. p. 92.
  6. ^ a b c d Singh, Teja; Singh, Ganda (1950). A Short History of the Sikhs. Vol. I: 1496-1765. Orient Longmans. pp. 127–128.
  7. ^ Singh, Harjinder (2008). Game of Love. Akaal Publishers. p. 28. ISBN 9780955458712.
  8. ^ Grewal, J. S. (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab, Volumes 2-3. Cambridge University Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780521637640.
  9. ^ a b Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh. The Sikh Reference Book. Denmark: Sikh Educational Trust for Sikh University Centre. p. 319. ISBN 9780969596424.
  10. ^ McLeod, W. H. (2005). The A to Z of Sikhism (Volume 45 of The A to Z Guide Series). Plymouth: Scarecrow Press. p. 39. ISBN 9780810863446.
  11. ^ Gandhi, Surjit (1999). Sikhs in the Eighteenth Century: Their Struggle for Survival and Supremacy. Singh Bros. p. 124. ISBN 9788172052171.
  12. ^ Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Punjabi University. p. 30.
  13. ^ J.S. Grewal, "The Sikhs of Punjab", The New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge, 1998, p. 90
  14. ^ Bhagat Singh, "Bota Singh", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume I, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1995, pp. 387–88.
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