PAGES OF HISTORY: - SIKH WARRIORS: The Saviors of Kumbh

By Col SS Gill

The Sikhs have a glorious history of fighting against the injustice of emperors like Aurangzeb and be one of the major reasons of finally bringing its downfall. They have always played a major role in the history of Punjab. However probably only a handful people would know that they played a massive role which had a permanent impact which is prevalent till date outside Punjab. This was in the most important event that happens in India- The Kumbh Mela. Sadly, this incident doesn’t find mention at any place. Hence referring to many sources (Chahar Gulshan book on Kumbh, Dabestan-e-malaheb by Mohisin Fani, Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh, Geographer Captain Francis Raper report of 1760, Allahabad District Magistrate Report of 1888, Biography of Begum Samru and various historical topics in newspapers / magazines in last 15 years) I have tried to resurface this critical incident for the knowledge of everyone

 

Sikh Warriors fighting one the battles during Misl Periods

For those of us who do not know Kumbh Mela, it is the most important and one of the oldest religious events of Hindus. It is celebrated once in 12 years in rotation at four Dhams of sacred rivers – Haridwar on Ganga, Ujjain on Shirpa River, Nashik on Godavari and Prayagraj and Triveni of Ganga, Yamuna and mystical Sarawati. While Kumbh is held after 12 years, Ardh Kumbh is held after 6 years (Ardh means half). Both are held on fixed dates based on combination of position of Jupiter, Sun and Moon as per the Vikram Samvat Calendar. I will not touch upon the history of Kumbh but it surely is an occasion when millions of Sadhus, Traders, Pilgrims and Visitors attend the Kumbh. With the passage of time the number of visitors has only swelled. In the last Maha Kumbh of 2013 more than 120 million people are said to have visited Prayagraj

The event that Sikhs played a critical role was at the 1796 Ardh Kumbh at Haridwar. However before going into the details, we should know the background and why Sikhs interfered and made an impact

The Background

With such a huge gathering of people, the Kumbh is not just a religious event. It was a whole commercial event and can make a political impact. Traders from across the religious and even neighboring countries came to the event. The trade along with religious activities like order of taking baths and various other religious ceremonies involved huge amount of money in Kumbh. There were various Akharas involved in these activities. Over time there were serious clashes between the various Akharas over the control of activities.

The Kumbh at Haridwar

There is a long history of clashes recorded right from 1310 to 1760 where, as per report of geographer Captain Francis’s report more than 18000 Vaishnavi Sadhus were killed by the ferocious Naga Sadhus of the Shaivite Sect. Even bigger number are feared to have drowned about whom no accounts are there. This continued in 1766 at Ardh Kumbh at Haridwar where a reported 9000 Sadhus of the peaceful sect of Nirvani/Mahanirvani who are based at Prayagraj were killed. Over time the Shaivaite Naga Sadhus emerged the most violent Akhara which had many people and arms under its control. They played an important role in the subsequent wars between various kingdoms (They went by political considerations rather than religious as they had supported Mughals against Hindu kings in many wars)

Naga Sadhus participating in a recent Kumbh

The British were also very watchful of the Kumbh. Such a huge gathering religious of people could be easily used by a strong personality to rally support and throw the handful Britishers out of India for good. The Kumbh also was an excellent opportunity for the Christian missionaries to carry out their proselytizing activities.

As the Shaivite sect was most powerful due to numbers with it and firearms, East India Company started to back them. This resulted in all the power of collection of taxes, allotment of places, judiciary and policing to come under them after 1760. Also, East India Company was backing Begum Samru (Samru state near Meerut) who was a Christian convert from Islam. She has employed hundreds of Europeans in her cavalry and administration and was married to a French Army Officer from her army. She was at forefront to organize the Christian Missionary activities at Haridwar Kumbh.

Begum Samru

Company banned participation of Vaishnav Sadhus in the Kumbh. This meant open field for Shaivite Sadhus, Begum Samru and East India company in terms of money collection, justice mechanism, propaganda including Christian missionaries. This one-sided positioning led various peaceful sects of Sects / Akharas which included Vaishnav, Nirmala, Udasis, Nirvani, Panchayali Mahanirvani, Niranjani, Taponidhi, Nirmohi (Which is a party to Ayodhya dispute) to get together in these desperate times and approached Raja Sahib Singh Sahib Singh of Patiala (Ancestor of Captain Amarinder Singh, CM of Punjab).

Raja Sahib Singh of Patiala whose troops played a pivotal role

The local population had also started to look up to the Khalsa warriors for help and started to pay Rakhi (Protection money) to them. The Rani of the Raja, Rani Ratan Kaur played a key role in all this incident. She sent requests to all the local chiefs of the region. Many agreed to support overtly or covertly. Ranjit Singh who was not in a very strong position at that time chose to stay away. The Bhangi Sardars of Bhangi Misl which was the most powerful Misl and Dhanna Singh of Kaithal wanted to help the peace loving Vaishnav sects and local population. To remind all this was a time when all peaceful sects and Akharas were being kept out of the Kumbh by Shaivite sect

Decisive clash of 1796 Ardh Kumbh at Haridwar

As per Captain Thomas Hardwick in “Asiatick Researches” approximately 2.5 million people were participating at 1796 Ardh Kumbh of Haridwar. The Udasis sect with the backing and support of the Khalsa warriors decided to participate. This was a provocative move but with Sikhs strong holding their back, they decided to break the cycle of injustice.

As the Udasis started to reach Haridwar, about 2000 cavalry men camped at Jwalpur near Haridwar under the leadership of Dhanna Singh of Kaithal and Sahib Singh of Patiala. The rest of cavalry of 12000 under leadership of Rai Singh Bhangi and Sher Singh Bhangi was resting secretly between Haridwar and Roorkee about whom both East India Company and Begum of Samru were not aware. They also simultaneously were providing protection to families of Vaishnav followers which consisted mainly women and children.

The Udasis chose a site near the Ganga and set up their base erecting their flag. However, there was a violent reaction from the Shaivite Mahants who lead an attack on the camp and looted and injured the Udasis and many more Bairagis who were tagging along. Despite this Raja Sahib Singh of Patiala sent a Vakeel (Agent) along with Dhanna Singh Kaithal to meet the head Mahant of Shaivite Sect and other committee members. Tax was paid to Gossain Mahant and matter was resolved. Dhanna Singh requested looted stuff to be returned which was then agreed upon. However, the episode had irked the Gosain Shaivite Mahants as a very provocative move as per them had been made by Udasis and the Vaishnav Sadhus and they were required to be taught a lesson.

All went well as per the agreement for first three days of the Kumbh. However, on the 4^th day, 10^th April 1796, Gosain Mahant turned violent and started to beat the Vaishnav Sadhus. They were joined by the troops of Begum of Samru and they started to now loot them adding to the insult. While all this was going on a battalion (1000 Troops) of East India Company stood by as mute spectators allowing this to happen.

This lead the 2000 cavalry to come to the rescue and asked Gosain Mahants and Begum Samru to stop as all taxes had already been paid. Instead they were attacked which lead to a counter attack by the Sikhs and pitched battle had started. In an hour the 12000 Cavalry under the Bhangi Sardars also joined the small Sikh Cavalry. Against them stood 50000 armed Gosain Mahants and 1500 infantry/cavalry of Begum of Samru. The Sikh warriors soon gained an upper hand and killed many Gosain Mahants and the infantry of the Begum. Staring at a complete rout and wipeout of Gosain Mahants and Begum’s troops the British started to interfere in favor of their allies. They rescued many Mahants from drowning around various Ghats and asked the Sikhs to stop the fight. The British were forced to punish many Mahants for breaking the treaty and cause violence. As per British records over 2000 Gosain Mahants and Begum’s infantry were killed while 20 Sikhs fell in the battle.

This was the first live encounter which British had witnessed on the fierce fighting skills of the Khalsa warriors and took a serious note which was incorporated in their strategy (The Khalsa Raj of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the last territory occupied by East India Company once rest of the country had been subdued).

The event had a lasting impact on Kumbh itself. Shaken by the swift and ferocious action, the East India Company was forced to apply a standard operating procedure for Kumbh involving all sects. This SOP is still followed till present day. The Various Akharas were provided with timeslots for the Shahi Ishnaan for future. The Missionaries were also forced to move out of Kumbh. With a semblance coming at Kumbh mela became an even bigger center of religious, social and commercial activities that traders from far off areas of Persia, Tibet, Nepal, Arabia and many more came to participate in it

20 years later Maharaja Ranjit Singh Decided to attend the Kumbh at Haridwar in 1806, the British aware of the 1796 clashes and wary of any repeats specially deputed a very senior officer Charles Metcalfe to personally accompany the Maharaja. The trip did not ultimately materialize due to reasons best known to the Maharaja himself

For the Sikhs while this great contribution was lost in history and known to a few, also represented a lost opportunity in many ways. The area between Ganga Yamuna doab which included cities like Meerut, Shamli, Muzzaferpur became quite pro Sikh and paid Rakhi (Protection) money to them. The Jaat caste of the region started to put Singh in their names and in many cases even the females started to put Kaur behind their names. The general population which were non-Sikh started to build small Gurudwaras in their localities. These were however dismantled by the British at later stages

In hindsight Maharaja Ranjit Singh could have used the advantage to bring these areas under his rule which would not have been hostile instead of expanding further west to hostile areas which drained the resources of the Sikh Raj.

In-fact there are quite many evidences which indicated that the British in 1809 were ready to have Yamuna as the boundary with Maharaja Ranjit Singh at a time when they were badly caught up with Marathas, Tipu Sultan and Jats of Bharatpur. History knows that Sutlej was agreed upon as the boundary. The above caused Maharaja Ranjit Singh to practically give up Sindh and the critical access to sea it could provide. This would have been decisive in long term. Rest is History.

Hussaini Brahmans: A bridging community, Hindu by religion, Islamic by faith

By Col Satwant Singh Gill

The Hindu society for ages has been divided in 4 Varnas and various Jatis. The Brahman were supposed to be educated & religious ones, the Khastraya the warriors; the Vaish the traders and the other daily activities; Shudras to do the minial work. Manu in his ManuSmriti further strengthened the order of Varnas with punishment for those who went against it. When Islam came to India it further added to the complicated equation especially as the later were in power. The British as rulers made the most of it to rule over India. In the present times, the atmosphere of divide and mistrust has been the same if not increased.

Shia Muslims whose many traditions are followed by Hussaini Brahmans like Taziyas. 

However in such times there is still one community which is Hindu by religion but Islamic by faith. These are the Hussaini Brahmins!!! How did it happen? There is a whole history behind them. But first we go into a brief about Brahmins and then the story.

The Brahmins over the times have been divided into various clans mostly based on regions- Mohyal's (Dutt, Chibber, Bakshi) are  mainly from Afghanistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoonwa, Sharma's from northern part of India like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, HP etc, Maithli's from Gangetic plains and Central India, Iyer's & Aiyengar's from South India,Mahitaya's from North East, Peshwas/ Chitpavan from Deccan and various others spread all across the country.

Out of these clans one caste, the Dutt/Dutta of Mohyal Brahmin clan call themselves as Hussaini Brahamans. As per legend they are the children of Rahib Dutt. Rahib Dutt fought on the side of truth with Imam Hussain and in that infamous war lost his seven sons and many of his kith & kin. How they landed in Iraq has two versions of the story. As per one account they were courtiers based at Lahore and went there to support the imam. Other story says that they were based in Baghdad, probably due to diplomatic duties or as cloth merchants. 1400 Hussaini Brahmans joined the Battle of Karbala alongside Imam Hussain. According to them, they were participating in Mahabharata of their times representing the side of truth. However unlike Mahabharata Imam Hussain lost and his life could not be saved against the superior forces of Caliph Yazid IbnMuawiyah. It is also said Rahib was childless for long time.  He had his 7 children only with the blessing of Imam. They were born to serve the Imam and fulfilled their destiny sacrificing their lives for him.

Battle of Karbala where Rahib Dutt and his 7 sons participated. The 7 sons were martyred in the Battle

After the war, the family of the Prophet blessed Rahib Dutt and  is said to have given the name of Hussaini Brahmin to Rahib & his family as blessings.

Rahib is said to have left Bahgdad after the war for India. However many of the Brahmins were still said to be left behind. Over many centuries many of them have either converted to Islam or left for India. There still today a place known as Dair-i-Hindiya or Indian quarter strongly pointing towards the story.

In Pre Independence India most of the Husaini Brahmans were settled in cities of Lahore, Sheikhpura, Dipalpur and in Sindh. After Partition these families migrated all across India in cities of Pune, Pushkar, Indore, Jammu & Delhi. A part of them are said to have merged with Kashmiri Pandit's and Bhumihar's of Bihar

When in present times, a strong undercurrent of communal distrust is present in Indian society, Hussaini Brahmans sound like oxymoron. A section of the community even takes out Tazias every year during Muharram. A report in Times of India pointed in one of it's report of Mr Rakesh Kumar of Shadipur heading the Kalyanpuri Tazia. The popular saying for the community is "Wah Dutt Sultan, Hindu ka Dharam Mussalman Ka Iman, Aadha Hindu Aadha Musalman" (Wow Dutt Sultan, Hindu by Religion, Muslim by faith, Half Hindu Half Muslim a rough translation)

Besides Taziyas, there are many examples where Hussaini Brahmins have contributed to many Shia traditions like composing Marsiyas, constructing Imambaras. Chunnu Lal Dilgeer(1778-1846) one Hussaini Brahman of 19th Century composed 70000 couplets in praise of Hussain and War of Karbala. Mewa Ram was another member & a great follower of Imam and constructed Imambara at Lucknow besides arranging Taziadari at him home.

Sunil Dutt is a Hussaini Brahman. Nargis though a muslim was from a Hussaini Brahmin converted family

There have been many famous Hussaini Brahmins- Sunil Dutt (Actor), Lara Dutta (Actress), Padam Shri winner of Birendra Nath Datta and Arpita Singh (Earlier Dutta), JP Dutta (Film Producer of Border fame), Divya Dutta (Actress), Barkha Dutt (Journalist) and many more. Nargis a muslim was from a family of Hussaini Brahmins converts to Islam (& Married to a Hussaini Brahmin Sunil Dutt- A ghar wapsi probably in modern terminology). In Indian army many Mohyal have risen to the highest ranks and play a very important role as modern fighters.

Lt Gen M.L. Chibber one of the many Generals from the Mohyal Brahmins

Besides Hinduism & Islam, the Husaini Brahmans played a great role in Sikhism too. Bhai Mati & Sati Das who were martyered with Guru Teg Bahadur were Chibber Brahmin before converting to Sikhism. Bhai Praga was another Chibber who was a martyr was with Guru Hargobind (6th Guru). In later times of Sikh Misls, Mai Karmo who was incharge of Katra area of Kanhaiya Misls (Capital at Batala) was another Mohyal. Some infamous personalities associated with Sikhism were also from the community like Diwan Dina Nath, Pandit Jallah and General Lal Singh during times of Anglo Sikh Wars. However this would be true for people from any community

Bhai Mati Das & Bhai Sati Das were Chibber Brahmins by ancestory

Whatever be the case, the community surely is a great link between Hinduism & Shia Muslims and can be even extended to Sikhism. Shia Islam has surely been a much more peaceful sect in Islam. They have been voters of Atal Bihari in Lucknow where they reside in great numbers (Globally Iran is leader of Shia world). Not only have they been such a strong link between these two religions, they have played a strong role in building modern India. In such vicious times, more people should know about this unique community and help to try to get over the narcissistic tendencies that has crept into most of the religions.

The Journey of Sikh Gurus & Leadership- Aspirants, Hostile Candidates & Schisms

Sikhism is known by all to have been started by Guru Nanak Dev ji and then the Guruship passing to 9 succeeding Gurus and finally to Guru Granth Sahib. Except once when Guru Teg Bahadur (The 9th Guru) became Guru, the rest of the journey is defined at most places as passing from Guru to another.

In Terms of leadership & political structure of Sikhism after Guru Gobind Singh ji (10th Guru) is recognized as being under Banda Bahadur, then chaos time of Ghallugharas, further down Misls, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, British & finally Indian Republic

However all this has been is too simplistic view and a linear view. There have been multiple players inside Sikhism who had their influence and lead to many Schisms. Then there were the external political forces especially the Mughals, who also interfered. This all lead to complex situations at various parts of the journey some of whom I try to highlight

Baba Sri Chand Ji
Baba Sri Chand Ji was the elder son of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1st Sikh Guru). Guru Nanak Dev ji through his life traveled across the world on Udasis propagating the message of God. In later stages of his life he settled at Kartarpur Sahib. Before Guru Nanak Dev Ji passed to heavenly abode, he chose Guru Angad Dev Ji as his successor for Gurgadi instead of his two sons especially Baba Sri Chand

An Udasi Village in Nepal

Baba Sri Chand did not believe in the path of his father but followed path of asceticism. Quite a significant numbers of the followers of Guru Nanak Dev ji did not accept Guru Angad Dev ji as Guru but rather followed Baba Sri Chand. It is due to this reason that Guru Angad Dev ji had to move out of Kartarpur Sahib and move and establish his center at Khadur Sahib.

Baba Sri Chand formed his sect known whose followers were known as Udasis. He propagated messages of Guru Nanak Dev ji. However despite some schism during succession, Baba Sri Chand had very good relations with Sikh Gurus. Guru Ramdas ji (4th Guru) & Guru Hargobind Ji (6th Guru) both met Baba Sri Chand. Baba Sri Chand is also have said to contributed towards sarovar at Harmandir Sahib and provided materials in his possession towards Granth during times of Guru Arjan Dev ji(5th Guru). Infact Guru Hargobind is said to have sent his son, Baba Gurditta on request of Baba Sri Chand to become the successor of the Udasi Sect. It was this relationship that enabled Udasis to to be made caretakers of Gurudwaras over the years (However if this story is true then would have made Baba Sri Chand age at 134 years. Another alternate version is that Guru Hargobind sent his favourite son & probable successor Baba Gurditta to Kartarpur to help consolidate one sect the Udasis in favour of Sikhism at time of other threats from other Sect like the Minas, Dhir Mal)

However as the time progressed the Udasis sect became more corrupt with Brahamincal practices coming in them which lead to the Singh Sabha & Akali movement to restore Gurudwaras from the control of Udasis and hence Schisms between Sikhs & Udasis

Baba Dattu Ji & Baba Dassu Ji

Like Guru Nanak Dev ji, Guru Angad Dev(2nd Guru) also chose a true disciple- Guru Amar Das ji as the third guru. Dattu(Younger) & Dassu(Elder) were the sons of Guru Angad Dev Ji. They were not happy that the Guruship did not remain in the family. While Baba Dassu realized his father's desire and reconciled, Dattu remained very aggressive towards the 3rd Guru throughout his life.

Guru Angad Dev ji (2nd Guru) had also asked Guru Amar Das ji to move to Goindwal Sahib from Khadur Sahib when he was anointed the guru as he expected sharp reactions from his sons. When he became guru he shifted from Khadur Sahib to Goindwal Sahib.

However Baba Dattu still remained aggressive. It is said Guru Amar Das while in Goindwal was kicked by Baba Dattu and to have overall peace left Goindwal for his native town of Basarke. It was only after some time on the urging of Baba Buddha ji that he returned back to Goindwal. Meanwhile Baba Dattu is said to have picked valuable from Goindwal but was looted on his way by Bandits and returned empty handed to Khadur Sahib

Baba Dattu had a desire to be the Guru but didn't have the qualities. Hence over the years his following dwindled very quickly. He remained dis grunted for  many years. It was finally during the period of Guru Arjan Dev ji (5th Guru) that he realized his mistake and asked for forgiveness from the Guru

Baba Mohan

Baba Mohan ji was the elder son of Guru Amar Das ji (3rd Guru). He aspired to be the 4th Guru and was jealous of Bhai Jetha (Later Guru Ramdas) the son in law of the guru. However he sensed that Guru Ramdas would be chosen as the successor. He then picked up the 'pothis' of his father and walked off (Later known as Mohan Pothis). These were not available with Guru Ramdas during his life.

It was also due to hostile reactions of Baba Mohan & Baba Mohari, Guru Ramdas is said to found a new city of Ramdaspur now famously known as Amritsar

It was years later that Guru Arjan (5th Guru) first send Baba Buddha & Baba Gurdas but they failed to convince Baba Mohan. Finally the Guru himself was able to change heart of Baba Mohan who made the Mohan Pothis available to the guru for compilation of Adi Granth

Prithi Chand, Meharban & Harji (The Minas)

Prithi Chand turned out to be one of the most vicious enemies of the Sikhs. He was the eldest son of Guru Ram Das ji (4th Guru) and challenged the succession of 5th Guru Arjan Dev ji and founded his sect known as Minas (Meharbans as they call themselves. Mina is derogatory version) and declared himself as the rival Guru setting up a rival Guruship in which he was succeeded by his son Meharban and grandson Harji and the line still continues.

It is said during the life of the Guru Ramdas,  Prithi continuously conspired against his brother & youngest son of Guru, Arjan Dev. He also took the middle son Maha Dev under his influence. However the Guru ultimately chose Guru Arjan Dev ji as his successor and publicly chastised him. After this Prithi left Amritsar & set up his Guruship at his wife's village at Hehar very near to Amritsar.

The Family Tree of Guru Ramdas. The biggest 3 threats to Sikhism (Minas, Dhir Malias & Ram Raias) came from the family who set themselves as fake gurus against the legitimate successors

Prithi Chand continued to conspire against Guru Arjan Dev ji (5th Guru). He carried out parallel activities whatever the Guru undertook- like laying having his parallel Gur Gaddi (He had all the symbols of Guru Ram Das like Mala, Topi, Selhi of Guru Nanak), foundation of Temple & Tank when Guru Arjan Dev was laying foundation of Har Mandir sahib to rival the guru.

As Guru was without a child for long, he hoped that Guru would pass away childless and planned to  have his son Meharban installed as successor of Guru Arjan Dev ji . When in 1595 a son was born to the guru, he was really jealous and even tried to poison him.

While in Hehar, he tried to promote distorted & fake hymns on the name of Guru Nanak Dev ji. His son Meharban started compiling and circulating his own Granth and under the pen name of 'Nanak' and added fake verses of Prithi Chand & himself. They also added Brahmanical features in their Granth showing themselves as incarnation of Vishnu. Many in Sikh community started getting influenced by him and regarding Prithi Chand as their guru. It is one of the main reasons which lead Guru Arjan Dev ji to compile the Adi Granth and remove any attempts for distortions in the future.

Prithi Chand continuously is said to have complained and conspired with the Mughals and other enemies. Akbar with his liberal policies, when visited the Guru found no threat. However ultimately, when Jahangir came to the throne, to prove a point to the Islamic clergy and establish himself as a leader, was pushed by the influence of Prithi & others. This lead to the martyrdom of the Guru by Emperor Jahangir.

Prithi Chand died in 1618 and he was succeeded by his son Meharban. Meharban during the life of Prithi had prepared their version of Granth in which they mixed teaching of Nanak with Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and their own teachings. He also chose of more adherent & pro government policy of non violence as opposed to the policy of Miri Piri of Guru Hargobind chose. This was perhaps to be in good books of Mughal overlords and seek their patronage and an official government recognition & support. He continued to propagate his version of Granth.

In 1627 when Shah Jahan ascended to the throne, brought a more hostile policy by new king against Guru Hargobind. In 1628, he was forced to move out of Amritsar never to return and found the city of Kiratpur. Like his father, Meharban had a huge role of conspiring with the Mughals. Then in 1635 after the Guru had moved out after Battle of Kartarpur (1634) to far away Kiratpur, Meharban as Grandson of Guru Ramdas, laid claim to Harmandir Sahib and got control of it.  The Mughals were happy to collude as they wanted a weaken the Sikh movement. It will be surprising for most to know that no Guru after that including Guru Hargobind himself during his balance life afterwords visited Amritsar. What was worse years later Meharban's son Harji the next fake guru, even denied entry to Guru Tegh Bahadur (9th Guru) when he went there for a visit. This control of Harmandir Sahib, brought in further legitimacy to Meharban & Mina sect and many started to believe him as their Guru.

In 1640, Meharban died and was succeeded by his son Harji. Like his father the biggest resource Harji had was Harmandir Sahib under his control and he made most of it. He used it to viciously promote their version of Sikhism and managed a good following especially among the upper castes as their teachings unlike the Guru's promoted the version of those in power rather than all human beings as equal which was exactly opposite to what Guru Nanak even though he preached in his name. He promoted that Guru Nanak to Meharban (Including Guru Arjan but not Guru Hargobind) as being incarnations of Vishnu.

Harji lived as Guru right up-till 1696 when he died. The sect had continued to challenge right upto Guru Gobind Singh ji (10th Guru). Finally after death of Harji and when his three sons were fighting for succession, was Guru Gobind Singh ji finally able to install Bhai Mani Singh as Granthi of Harmandir sahib while the 3 sons of Harji had moved out.

As per the Minas however, Prithi Chand accepted Guru Arjan Dev ji as the guru. However when Guru Arjan Dev ji was martyred, as per them the a select group installed the 11 yr old Guru Hargobind as successor and maligned Prithi Chand even though he had not deviated from path of Guru Nanak. To prove their point they point that all verses of Prithi Chand were as Mahala 6 and not 5 showing he accepted Guru Arjan Dev ji as a true Guru. However this is also said to have been ploy of Harji to build legitimacy of their sect.


Dhir Mal
Dhir Mal surely can be categorized as another big threat and enemy during critical times of Sikhism. To understand the level negative impact he had, we will have to understand the background.

Sikh Gurus (6th Guru Onwards) timelines along with contemporary Mughal Emperors and Fake Gurus of 3 major threat lines (Minas, Dhir Malias & Ram Raias)

Guru Hargobind ji (6th Guru) was the Guru for the longest period of all Gurus after Guru Nanak Devji. He became the guru in critical times when Guru Arjan Dev ji (5th Guru), his father was martyred. This was during the times when Jahangir has just come on the throne and wanted to establish his writ and carried out such actions. Also around the same time Prithi Chand is also said to have conspired with Mughals to get Guru Arjan martyred. He also declared himself the Guru and continue to challenge Guru Hargobind ji which was followed by his successors

Guru Hargobind during such times navigated Sikhism. He established Miri & Piri (Temporal Power & Spiritual Authority) and established the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne) right opposite Harmandir Sahib to show Sikh power and so that in future are not pushed so easily. In this delicate balance of power he had to spend few years in the Gwalior Fort as a prisoner. When Jahangir became more secure in his rule and with diplomatic efforts, lead to finally the Guru being released. It is for this occasion of his release that Sikhs celebrate Diwali.

When Shahjahan became emperor, the relations again became bitter. There were battles with the Mughals due to which Guru has to first shift to Kartarpur (As Amritsar was too near to Lahore) and  too avoid further confrontations, the base was shifted to Kiratpur Sahib.

The Guru during these period which were very challenging was blessed with 6 Children- Baba Gurditta, Suraj Mal, Ani Rai, Atal Rai, Teg Bahadur & Bibi Biro. While Suraj Mal  & Bibi Veero were involved in household duties and moved on with their lives (Suraj Mal's Grandson & all 5 sons of Bibi Veero participated in Battle of Anandpur and most attained martyrdom). They were not considered worthy to be Gurus. Teg Bahadur, Ani Rai were godly people who lived recluse lives. Teg Bahadur (Who became 9th Guru) settled in Bakala and Ani Rai passed away in Kiratpur only.

Baba Gurditta was esteemed highly by Guru Hargobind and was always groomed by him as the next Guru. It was during the times when Minas were constantly trying to undermine the Guru and alluding with the authorities of the day that Guru met Baba Sri Chand who requested one son to be given to him as successor of his sect the Udasis. In an strategic move Guru gave Baba Gurditta as son to Baba Sri Chand. Thus Baba Gurditta was now next in line of succession for both Sikhs and Udasis just helping to consolidate the sect back into Sikhism and ward of threats of Minas & Mughals. It is this relationship that led in times to come to make Udasis as the caretakers of Gurudwaras (It is other story how in later generations they became corrupt and away from Sikhism). Baba Gurditta made Kartarpur as his center where his two sons Dhir Mal & Har Rai were born.

When Guru Hargobind had to move to Kiratpur, Baba Gurditta moved with him but left his family at Kartarpur. The Guru also left the Adi Granth at Kartarpur . This was probably it was hoped that when things settle down, Guru could return back and make this as a center. Soon Amritsar was also occupied and claimed by Meharban as ancestor of Guru Ram Das. It was during these turbulent time that Baba Gurditta passed away at a young age of 25 only.

His son Dhir Mal did not even go to Kiratpur for last rights of his father. He remained in Kartarpur and refused to share the Adi Granth with Guru Hargobind. He started acting as a Guru designate and with the copy of Adi Granth strengthened his claim.  He openly colluded with the Mughal authorities who granted him land adjacent to Kartarpur.

After Guru Hargobind (6th Guru) passed away, instead of Dhir Mal he appointed his younger brother- Guru Har Rai as the 7th Guru. Dhir Mal continued to preach himself as Guru and obstruct Gur Har Rai (7th Guru) & his young son Guru Har Kishan (8th Guru).

When Guru Harkishan (8th Guru) passed at a young age and directed next Guru (Teg Bahadur) was at Bakala, Dhir Mal moved his base there and proclaimed to be the Guru. When finally Guru Teg Bahadur (9th Guru) was recognized by Makhan Shah Lubana, Dhir Mal even tried to assassinate the Guru.

Having failed in all his efforts, he finally settled in Kartarpur. His successors still continue to proclaim themselves as Gurus and still hold the original Adi Granth known as Kartapuri Bir. When Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) requested the Adi Granth to be borrowed so that a copy could be made, Bahar Sodhi, son of Dhir Mal and fake Guru refused to share it. It was then Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) prepared it from the memory adding verses of his father and his one verse and is the Adi Granth (Now Guru Granth Sahib) which is used across the world.

The Dhir Malias now proclaim that after the attack on Guru Teg Bahadur (9th Guru), one Sikh managed to get the copy of Adi Granth. However Guru Teg Bahadur on finding out asked the Sikh to return the copy back and hence have the claim, citing which they don't share the copy to be kept as Amritsar and also that they have been forgiven by the Guru. This is highly unlikely as Dhir Mal was in a position of strength and highly likely that Bir could have been stolen. Also even post this said incident, Dhir Mal continued in his mislead ways. This whole is most likely a way to justify their claim to hold the Bir and also call themselves as Sikhs.

When Aurangzeb came in power and Dhir Mal (Who had lost much influence) was not of much use, put him in jail where he passed away. The Dhir Malias are now limited to Kartarpur and to the family of Sodhis outside which have minimal influence.

Ram Rai
Guru Har Rai (7th Guru) had two sons- Ram Rai & Har Kishan. He lived during one of the most tough times for the religion. The Minas lead by Harji was in control of Amritsar and proclaimed themselves as Guru's and had their own version of Granth. On other hand Dhir Mal was in Kartarpur and had the original granth and too proclaimed himself as Guru. Both has colluded with the Mughals. It is due to these threats that Guru Har Rai continued to stay in Kiratpur during his 17 years as Guru. He lead some visits in the Malwa region and tried to reform the Masands from the corruption but was always extremely challenged.

The challenges however did not abate. The sons of Shah Jahan- Aurangzeb & Dara Shikoh started a war of succession, there are some references that Guru had blessed Dara Shikoh (Most likely would not have been the case as no reference to the same is there in Mughal records). While the relationship were already bad, on coming of Aurangzeb and his fanatic ways, they further deteriorated.

In such times that Aurangzeb asked for the presence of the Guru in his court. The Guru instead sent his eldest son Ram Rai to the court. In the court when confronted by Aurangzeb on a reference to Muslims being shown in a bad way (Which is not the case), Ram Rai changed the verses. This infuriated the Guru, who excommunicated Ram Rai. Aurangzeb saw this as an golden opportunity to divide the Sikhs and granted Ram Rai with lands near Dehradun.

Thus during the life of Guru Har Rai (7th Guru) and next 3 Guru's, there was 3 rival claimants to Guru- Harji (Minas) in Amritsar, Dhir Mal at Kartarpur and Ram Rai at Dehradun. It is due to this reason that Guru Teg Bahadur built up his center at Anantpur near Kiratpur away from these 3 centers. Also with so much hostility in Punjab, he chose a wise step to go to East India. Here the Sikhs had not been visited after Guru Nanak (1st Guru). He could consolidate and meet with the sangats reassuring them that Guruship is in safe hands and avoid any hostility which could impact Sikhism. This was critical as Guru Harkishan had passed away in a very young stage and had just indicated where new Guru was and still the succession was challenged across.

Ram Rai continued to preach and have his following. He also stayed in Garhwal Srinagar and good relations with Raja Fateh Chand over whom had his influence and built some following in the region. He tried during the life of Guru Teg Bahadur (9th Guru) & Guru Gobind Sing (10th Guru) to build back relations. It is said in the end the Masands due to greed of his wealth (He had no offspring)burnt him when he was in deep slumber. His wife Punjab Kaur pleaded with Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) for help who is then said to have burnt the Masands alive.

His Dera continues to be run by nominated Masands till date and some following continues.

Gulab Rai
After Guru Gobind Singh ji moved out of Anandpur Sahib, it was confiscated by Mughals. Then Gulab Rai who was the grandson of Baba Suraj Mal (Son of 6th Guru Hargobind) bought Anandpur Sahib. He set up his manji and established himself as Guru. He began to initiate orders and have his own sect of Sikhs known as Gulab Rahis. As he had the seat of Anandpur Sahib under his control, gave way for him to have access to large amounts of funds.

The only credit that can be given to Gulab Rai is that he reconstructed the city of Anandpur Sahib. However since he had gained ground on flimsy and over time could not gain much support. Also there were opposition to him in Anandpur Sahib from Gurbakh Das an true follower of Gurus and an Udasi. These all factors kept the influence to the minimum and he was lost in history.

Ajit Singh & Hathi Singh
When Mata Sundari after death of Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) settled in Delhi, she adopted Ajit Singh as her son, as he reminded him of his son by the same name. However as Ajit Singh grew old, he turned out to be arrogant. Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah also tried to project him as a Sikh Guru to counter balance the influence of Banda Bahadur.

Ajit Singh under all these influences, encouraged by Mughals started to display himself as the Sikh Guru. This resulted in him being disowned by Mata Sundari who then moved out with his son (Hathi Singh) & his wife. Finally over time Ajit Singh behavior did not him any favour and lost all following. He was finally tried and sentenced to death for murder by Emperor Muhammad Shah

Hathi Singh also despite of living away from his father & with Mata Sundari also started to consider him as a Sikh Guru. He started to replace name of Guru Nanak (1st Guru) and put his name and propagate them as his hymns. This lead Mata Sundari to disown him too.

He finally moved to Burhanpur in MP where he built his dera and has a small following there. He passed without any heirs.

Tat Khalsa & Bandai Khalsa
Banda Bahadur after passing away of Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) took Punjab by storm. He defeated the Mughals in various battles including capture of Sirhind. He had an lasting impact. However in the second half of his conquests post attack on Lohgarh many started to leave him due to differences that had started to emerge. Baba Deep Singh could have been one of them as records show he participated till attack on Sirhind. Baaj Singh son of Baba Binod Singh left Banda Bahadur before the siege at Gurdas Nangal and Baba Binod Singh during the siege.

Banda Singh Bahadur

Why this schism was created has many sides of the story which has some elements of truth and knowing all helps in creating an balanced perspective. The more propagated version is that Baba Banda Bahadur started to diverge from the path of Guru. He started to seat himself higher than others, started to propagate his own salutation "Fateh Darshan" instead of "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ki Fateh", brought elements not in line with Sikhism and started to demonstrate himself as Guru. This lead to many Sikhs leaving him including Baba Binod Singh.

However this is surely not the complete picture. Mata Sundari after the death of Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) settled in Delhi. She started to issue Hukumnama's in her own name and were followed by many Sikhs. As the time progressed, Banda Singh Bahadur's movement started to have an radical and revolutionary impact. They finished the Zamindari system, empowered the masses in the regions  where they were in power. This threatened the established order of the times. The political elite across religions hence doubled their efforts to oppose this and tried all things in their books. They tried to push Banda to the corner and tried to maximize all the schisms.

It is during this period of last stand, Mata Sundari on her own will or under pressure from Mughals (As she was in Delhi) issued Hukumnama against Banda Bahadur (Hukumnama could have been falsely created by Mughals too). Also Baaj Singh who had left Banda opened negotiations with Mughals. The Mughals agreed to give some land to Baba Binod Singh & Baba Kahn Singh. This lead to Baba Binod Singh and other Sikhs leaving. Further to add strength to this Baaj Singh was employed by Mughals (Even grandson of Baba Binod Singh was also employed by Mughals). This strongly points to Schism either being created or strengthened by Mughals allegedly with collusion with Mata Sundari (Or falsely using her name).

Banda cornered finally agree to surrender on certain agreed conditions. According to the terms of the settlement the Nawab promised to spare the lives of the Sikhs if they relinquished their hold over the fortress and that the Nawab would recommend their case to the Emperor and would mediate on their behalf. Probably these included assurance given to Baaj Singh & Baba Binod Singh. However finally how it ended we all know. Like most political elites, when things came out in their favour, they punished Banda Bahadur earlier and after him even did not spare Baba Binod Singh.

After the death the Khalsa split into Bandai Khalsa (Followers of Banda Bahadur) and Tat Khalsa. They both clashed and a ceasefire was agreed with both getting Bungas at Amritsar. Finally there was a clash where open fighting happened in the premises of Harmandir Sahib and victory of Tat Khalsa. Probably Tat Khalsa during these times had tactical support of Mughals.

This was a period of extreme challenges. However Sikhism produced some great leaders like Baba Deep Singh, Nawab Kapur Singh & later Jassa Singh Ahluwalia & Jassa Singh Ramgarhia who helped get over the schisms and reintegrate & strengthened the cause of Sikhism despite whatever their role was during the time of previous schisms. However what happened during those period is certainly much more complex with loads of intrigues than what is known to most people. The truth would be somewhere inbetween both the versions.

Namdharis
The schisms and people who proclaimed themselves as Guru's did not abate after passing away of Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) & his clear instructions of Guru Granth Sahib as being the eternal Guru. For all practical purposes the movement was started by Ram Singh.

Ram Singh

Ram Singh was a soldier in the forces of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. After first Anglo Sikh war he was deeply disillusioned by the some of the practices that had crept in Khalsa. He left the army and went to another pious man Baba Balak Singh who then anointed him as his successor and he left Khalsa. He then in 1857 settled in Bhaini Sahib and started to preach his own version of Sikhism in which non veg & alcohol were shunned, killing cow were prohibited and own version of Sikh practices were created. They chose white as their colour, tie turbans in a different way. They played an important role against the British who severly repressed them. Ram Singh was even sent of exile in Rangoon. They also help stop influence of Christian & Dev Samaj proselytism.

What created the schism with Sikhism and Kukas or Namdharis not being accepted in Sikhism were the belief that Baba Balak Singh & then Ram Singh and further successors are Gurus of Sikhism. As per Kukas, Guru Gobind Singh ji did not die in Nanded but came to Punjab where he in secret helped the Sikhs. He then appointed Baba Balak Singh as the next guru and who then made Ram Singh as his successor. The Namdharis still have their line of Gurus and even though they consider themselves as Sikhs, most Sikhs do not consider them as Sikhs

Nirankaris
Nirankari movement was formed by Baba Dyal Singh during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He opposed all the ritualism in Sikhism and propagated returning back to the teaching of Guru Nanak Dev ji and believed in the god in form of "Nirankar" or no form. According to him, the Sikhs were increasingly being seduced by the military glories and economic opportunities of Ranjit Singh's time, and were neglecting their duty to remember Akal Puralth through the practice of nam simaran.

Baba Dyal Singh

Baba Dyal Singh left a brief manual of instructions known as Rahit Nama. He stressed a path which did not agree with Khalsa Path propagated by Guru Gobind Singh ji  (10th Guru). Hence instead of "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh" they say "Dhan Dhan Nirankar" which brought them in conflict with mainstream Sikhism. Also Baba Dyal Singh was himself Sahajdhari (Without long hair) which is another main point of contention.

Whether Baba Dyal Singh wanted himself to be considered Guru is highly controversial. Baba Darbara Singh who took over from Baba Dyal Singh started to act like a Guru and since then there have been successive Gurus.

The Schism continued to grow as during the times of Singh Sabha Movement, most Nirankaris associated themselves with Sanatanis Sikhs who believed that there was no difference between Sikhism & Hinduism.

However Nirankaris do not question the 10 Sikh Gurus. They have supported Tat Khalsa during the times Anand Karaj was incorporated. The major reason for the schism with Sikhs is that they continue to believe in their own line of Guru's.


Thus as we can see, the journey of Sikh Gurus was not simple transfer from one Guru to another. There were various challenges from inside in form of Fake Gurus, from outside especially Mughals and at various points many Schisms were created. It is the faith and dedication of many who have helped us to continue to this day and we should never forget their sacrifices. However the tradition of the self proclaimed gurus continues to this day. We have recently seen Dera Sacha Sauda's Ram Rahim Singh trying to portray himself as Guru by dressing up as Guru Gobind Singh. Various other Deras and Babas still continue to flourish all over Punjab & surrounding states and a large number of Sikhs continue to follow them. It is perhaps that we don't read ourselves and look to external "Gurus" for guidance which has always prompted such Gurus and if we don't change ourselves will always continue with chain of such Gurus.

Maharaja Sher Singh: The forgotten Maharaja of Punjab

By Col. Satwant Singh Gill

History has many great leaders who fell through the cracks and never recognized. Maharaj Sher Singh was one of them. He was a leader whose talent was not recognized during his times and not in times after him.

Maharaja Sher Singh was the 2nd son of the great Maharaja Ranjit Singh & his first wife Maharani Mehtab Kaur. Maharani was herself the daughter of Sada Kaur & Gurbaksh Singh of the famous Kanahya Misl with capital at Batala. Ironically the eldest son of Ranjit Singh, Kharak Singh was born to Dataar Kaur  (the 2nd wife) who was daughter of younger sister of Sada Kaur married into the Nakai Misl

Maharaja Sher Singh

Sher Singh had a twin brother Tara Singh, who unlike him was a very simple godly man who did not get involved in the politics of the time. Sher Singh besides being the son of Ranjit Singh and 2nd in line to succession of Khalsa Raj was also the legitimate successor of Kanhaya Misl too, as Sada Kaur did not have any sons and Sher Singh was the son of the eldest daughter. Her husband had been killed long ago fighting Maha Singh (Father of Ranjit Singh). As one could guess these equations made the whole situation a really complex one

Sada Kaur, the capable ruler of Kanhaiya Misl. Mother in law of Ranjit Singh, maternal grandmother of Sher Singh

Sada Kaur was a very acute & capable leader and a visionary in her own right. The way in which she managed the Kanhaiya Misl after turbulent times when Gurbaksh Singh was killed demonstrates all those qualities. Many of those qualities were inherited by Sher Singh over whom Sada Kaur had a deep imprint.

These strong qualities in Sada Kaur always made Maharaja Ranjit singh wary of her for her entire life and never had good relations with her. Rather there was a grudging acceptance due to realistic factors of the day. As Mehtab Kaur (Sher Singh's mother) was close to her mother contributed to distancing between her & Ranjit Singh and in future over his relationship with Sher Singh too.

Mehtab Kaur, eldest queen of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, daughter of Sada Kaur and mother of Maharaja Sher Singh & Kunwar Tara Singh

Sher Singh was an extremely handsome, well built, well mannered prince. His upbringing was in Batala away from Khalsa capital of Lahore & Ranjit Singh and under Sada Kaur.

Baradari of Sher Singh at Batala

As per Britishers, Ranjit Singh believed that Sher Singh was not his son. However this is most likely to be propaganda as they were aware of the strained relationship between Ranjit Singh & Sada Kaur. The British on the other hand were also very impressed with the intellect & sophisticated habits of Sher Singh (& even his son Tikka Pratap Singh). As per them he could easily adapt to the ways of living & diplomacy and was quite popular with them. Infact the culture of tying one's beard was started by Sher Singh himself. Before him the culture in Sikhs was to leave the beard open & flowing. This trend started by him has infact now become a norm but rarely people know he was the creator of the sytle

Hari Singh Nalwa, the famous general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who extended his boundary much beyond the traditional borders of Punjab

As Sher Singh rose over time he started to prove his mettle. Away from the courts of Lahore, he proved his worth in battles and really impressed the famous general, Hari Singh Nalwa. It was perhaps due to these qualities that he was offered a chair in the Durbar in 1829 despite a strained relationship with Ranjit Singh.

He continued this display of character & further participated in various famous battles including Battle of Balakot (Now known for Air Strikes by India post Pulwama), Haripur & Hazara in 1831 against Sayeed Ahmed Shah Barelvi who had started a Jihad against the Khalsa Raj with masked support of the British (It is due to the same reason of concept of Jihad that Jaish e Mohammad has chosen Balakot as site of their training camp but that is a story for another day). Further Sher Singh was in the thick of action when Hari Singh Nalwa captured Peshawar from the Afghans in 1834 and once for all put the invasions of Afghans to a halt.

Battle of Balakot

It was his extra-ordinary display and recommendation of Hari Singh Nalwa, that obligated Maharaja to make him Governor of Kashmir from 1831 to 1834. He did not let anyone down as he displayed extra-ordinary display of leadership and managed the province with great acumen.

Diplomatically, Sher Singh continued to impress. He was known to have the finest Buggy in Khalsa Raj which was always preferred by the British to travel around during their visits to Khalsa Durbar as mentioned in accounts of various Britishers.

The only Prince who was as capable as Sher Singh during Ranjit Singh's life was Kunwar Nau Nihal Singh son of Kharak Singh (The declared successor of Ranjit Singh who as per many was one of the most incapable leader).

Maharaja Kharak Singh & his capable son Kunwar Nau Nihal Singh

 After death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Kharak Singh was declared the successor. Sher Singh during that time stationed himself at Batala. He waited and closely watched the treacheries and intrigues of the Lahore Durbar.

The opportune time came when Kharak Singh passed away and Nau Nihal Singh was murdered. Chand Kaur on behalf of unborn child of Nau Nihal Singh declared herself as the regent. Sher Singh reached with his army at Budhu ka Awwa near Lahore to take over. The Khalsa Raj was now divided with Chand Kaur at one end and Sher Singh at other. Not known to them, the Dogra brothers were playing a master game with Gulab Singh aligning himself with Chand Kaur and Dhian Singh supporting Sher Singh were playing them around and playing both camps against one another. In this grand chess the Sandhwalia brothers were also instigated by Gulab Singh to support Chand Kaur.

Dogra brothers with Maharaja Ranjit Singh

A temporary truce was agreed. However it quickly fell through and finally Sher Singh managed to capture Lahore and declare himself as Maharaja. Chand Kaur was put under house arrest and the Sandhawalia brothers crossed Sutlej and went under British protection staying in Calcutta for two years. It can also be induced that when Chand Kaur was killed by Dogra brothers, they had tactic approval of Sher Singh.

Ajit Singh Sandhawalia

Sher Singh ruled capably during the short rule. He wanted to get over the fissures and re-integrate all stakeholders. In the process he forgave the Sandhawalia Sardars Ajit Singh & his uncle Lehna Singh. However they seeing this as a right oppurtunity planned to eradicate Sher Singh and the willy Dogras.

They got their chance on 15th September, 1843. Sher Singh after watching a wrestling match at Shah Behlol, went to a raised platform to review a parade. He called Ajit Singh near him to show him the new gun which had been recently purchased from the British. Ajit Singh used this opportunity to get near Sher Singh and shot him. He then chopped his head and put it on a spear and started to move towards Lahore fort. Meanwhile Lehna Singh killed Kunwar Tikka Pratap Singh, the son of Sher Singh and joined Ajit Singh. This was the end of the rule of a capable but unfortunate king of Khalsa Raj. Who knows if he could have been more shrewd like his grandmother Sada Kaur, he could have passed over this phase.

When the British finally annexed Punjab, they only recognized Sher Singh's rule as the last legitimate rule and all properties acquired after his rule were confiscated.

In hindsight Sher Singh was a talented capable leader. He however failed to understand the conspiracies and instead of being careful, started to trust people too soon. This resulted in a tragic end.

He & his son's samadhis are located at Shah Behlol (Where he was killed). Shah Behlol, was ironically the place from where his father (Maharaja Ranjit Singh) & his grandmother (Sada Kaur) with their forces had launched an attack to capture Lahore from the Bhangi Sardars (Gujar & Jhanda Singh) in 1779 to start the Khalsa Raj. Sadly it became the spot where it also practically ended (Although Britishers finally captured it after Anglo Sikh wars in 1846 & 1848).

Maharaja Sher Singh

History has many what if moments (Like if Dara Shikoh has succeeded instead of Aurangzeb). What if instead of incapable Kharak Singh, Sher Singh was recognized as legal successor. He was capable, intelligent, sophisticated & intellectual. However History is not "what ifs". It is what has happened and what we can do is learn from it. Instead of blindly declaring Maharaja Ranjit Singh as great and blaming failures on others (especially the Dogras), we should develop appetite to critically examine certain things that Maharaja Ranjit Singh should have done better in his later half of rule especially building a robust line of succession. The failure of the same lead to the crash in Khalsa Raj after he passed away. Part of the blame surely lies within. We should perhaps learn and implement these leanings in the present times too- the fault of failure is both external & internal. The challenge is to recognize internal shortcoming by not being narcissistic about it. 

Indian Elections 2019

It's 2019 and the much awaited elections are back. For the ruling party supporters, they are in hope and almost certainly believe that the government is coming back. They hope the agenda started by the government will be completed in the next 5 years. Many are doubly sure, that the government will again get a majority. They believe that the charm of Mr Modi will take it to their side. They believe in a presidential style competition between Mr Modi vs other or Pappu or Mahamilavat depending on where you belong to.

For the opposition supporters, they hope that the government will be dislodged as they believe this government is bad for country. It is destroying the institutions. They are hoping though less sure that the government will be dislodged.

But which way will the election go. It's surely very difficult to predict. The country is divided and biased views are presented. I due to my job get to travel across various parts of the country which includes both urban and rural areas. As many Indians I am interested in politics. Hence besides work, I also try to get the political mood of the area. While I am no expert I surely will try to build in an unbiased analysis on which way the elections will swing.

To start with, we must look at India by dividing into many regions and further states. The regions and states behave very differently and hence only a national view would not be fair. The regions are divided based on the language, culture and type of political structure (Bipolar or Multipolar, National vs Regional parties etc)

The Minority North
We start from the north of the country. There are two states where our Majority is in minority in these states, hence the dynamics are quite different. However these states are not aloof and surely there are some regions where the Modi wave impacted like Jammu region of J&K

J&K
Last time it was a even split of 3 each between BJP & PDP. However it will not be so straight forward. PDP faces massive anger and anti incumbency in valley along with likelihood of boycott by many sections. PDP which draws it's support from more orthodox and boycott crowd is likely to lose from this and NC will gain
In Leh where BJP had won will find it very difficult. The MP had quit the party and overall it's in a weak state. Here too NC is likely to gain
In Jammu region, NC & INC have an alliance. However BJP is still very strong here and the alliance in the end may not be successful.

Punjab
Vidhan Sabha election was a triangular fight between INC, AAP & SAD-BJP. INC edged out both these parties comfortably. Much has changed in state in favour of INC. AAP has split and dodged by infighting. SAD has not been able to overcome the "Beadbi" of Guru Granth Sahib and it's Majha division has split in SAD (Taksali) all to advantage of INC

Overall

It surely is gain for INC in this region

The Hindi Hills
The two hill states are known to give clean sweeps. In 2009 it was INC and 2014, it was BJP. BJP repeated the feat in the state elections. Not much has changed in these states to have any major changes, except for perhaps senior BJP leader Gen Khanduri's son joining INC. Overall a clean sweep of BJP is expected with INC slipping one odd seat

BJP holds it fort

Trans Yamuna Hindi Heartland
Not to confuse people, these are states of Haryana, Rajasthan, National Capital Delhi and UT of Chandigarh. Most had been bipolar except Haryana, but with coming of AAP have turned into multi cornered elections except Rajasthan where it is still Bipolar

Rajasthan
The biggest prize here are the 25 seats of Rajasthan where BJP had a clean sweep last time. However in Vidhan Sabha, it was trumped by INC, which though of anti incumbency just managed to cross the half way mark. However the scenario will be different in Lok Sabha, where Mr Modi would be still popular and advantage will be with BJP but not with clean sweep like last time

Haryana
In Haryana BJP continues to be comfortable. INC is marred by infighting, INLD has split between 2 Chautalas and JJP being formed splitting the Jaat vote and AAP not so strong. If an AAP-JJP-INC alliance is formed, BJP has plan B to tie up with INLD. So surely the state is with BJP

Delhi
With AAP-INC alliance almost ruled out, will favour BJP. However AAP also is in a much better position than 2014 and will give a tough fight to BJP. INC surely will be a washout here

Chandigarh
Sole seat of Chandigarh has strong INC candidate of Pawan Bansal while Kiron Kher didn't do much and will not get the ticket. AAP is quite weak and will not make much impact like last time. In a tight race, advantage is with INC here

Overall

BJP remains the power house but will lose seats

The Ganga Hindi Heartland
This is the core of the country contributing to the most seats. The region is divided into castes and jatis with powerful ties. On top of that we have powerful set of alliances taking on each other. Here the BJP had swept last time. It is still dominant here but will surely drop seats

Uttar Pradesh
With SP & BSP tying up on paper is a very big threat to BJP. However the votes are not likely to be mutually transferable. The Yadavs of SP and Jatavs and other SCs are not known to like each other and would rather vote for BJP & INC respectively. Similarly on other side, dropping INC may actually be better for SP-BSP. The upper caste vote would have gone to BJP rather than SP-BSP if there was an alliance. Now it will remain with INC just impacting BJP. The state is all set for a cut throat competition where Mr Modi surely has a great personal appeal but opposition has got it's arithmetic right

Bihar
2 Maha Gathbandans are fighting it out. Each of them are fighting cut throat for each caste, each vote. The state has swung many ways. Mr Modi is popular, Nitish has good image, Paswan has a secure vote base. On other hand Lalu has a secure vote base but is marred by his son's fighting, INC is not getting its favourite seats and Kushwaha who is of same caste as Nitish is no match to him. In the end advantage is with BJP but still opposition cannot be discounted

Overall

BJP dominates but huge loss as clean sweep will not repeated due to alliances. INC remains minor player

Heart of India
These are two states which BJP lost of INC recently. These states are mostly Bipolar with other players only playing role of a destroyer and cutter of votes. Mr Modi has a great personal appeal in these states

Madhya Pradesh
Even though INC won the state elections, but the advantage is surely with BJP because of personal appeal of Mr Modi. In State elections BJP polled more seats than INC but due to concentration of votes lost in terms of seats. If state elections are super imposed, BJP will win 16 seats.

Chhattisgarh
BJP was routed in this state in state elections. The tribals are clearly not happy with the party. Also INC did everything correct in this state. INC will take majority of seats. However since it is national elections definitely BJP will perform much better than state elections

Overall

BJP dominates but will lose seats vs 2014

East Central
This is the region where BJP has spent disproportionate share of it's energy as it feels, it will offset the minor losses it faces in other places. The INC as a major opposition is virtually become a very minor player with BJP taking it's place. However, except for Jharkhand, the regional satraps still continue to dominate and push back BJP here. Here the predictions can go off the track for most, as there are many unknowns

West Bengal
The TMC & BJP are having a fight like cats & dogs with a very toxic campaign on both sides. This has pushed INC & CPM out of mind share but in the process we tend to underestimate their pockets of strength. The BJP like Tripura surely has the ability to surprise and gain a lot of seats here. Will be the state where I will have my eye

Orrisa
The tribal heavy state is dominated by BJD who hopes to repeat the magic again as we have the state elections also going simultaneously. BJP came in very powerfully at 3rd in terms of votes and 2nd in terms of seats. It has improved on that in local elections. Whatever be the case, BJP will have more seats than last time

Jharkhand
This state always has a fractured mandate except last time. This time it will surely return back to it's normal course. The tribals may not back BJP with the strength like they did last time

Overall

Paradoxical region where BJP gains but doesn't dominate

North East
It's a very different region from rest of country. It is highly diverse in terms of states, tribes, insider outsider, religion etc. The tendency has been to be with the national dominant party. BJP has made massive strides in this region but lately due to the citizenship bill lost a large amount of support too. INC has it's pockets of strength but is losing it's grip

Assam
Contributing to more than half the seats, Assam holds the key for North East. BJP managed to dislocate INC both in state & national elections, still has the momentum but will not be able to repeat the performance. INC will try hard to regain the lost ground but will be minorly successful

Other Sisters
I am not ignoring these states like most mainland Indians. Only trying to club them here else this section will drag
Arunachal where BJP took 1 seat last time and then in a mid night coup ensured a defection of all MLAs except the Chief Minister!!! will continue to dominate.
Nagaland has a unique situation where NPF if supporting INC. However the core of NPF has formed NDPP which is supported by BJP and will surely win the election
Manipur will go 1-1 between national parties. BJP having NDPP support and ensuring Kukis are also on its side will take the hills, while INC may dominate the valley
Mizoram will be a easy win for MNF like state elections & so will be the case in Tripura where BJP will repeat it's performance
Meghalaya will return to old guard with INC & NPP likely to be the in the race with advantage with INC. Sikkim will continue to be dominated by SDF

Overall

Despite losing some seats in Assam, BJP will gain from this region

Industrial West
This is the commercial heart of India and highly urban area is the source of strength of the BJP. The RSS is based out of Nagpur and Mr Modi is from Gujarat. BJP has managed to rule this region and the grip doesn't seem to loosen

Mahrasthra
This is the second biggest state in terms of seats. Last elections BJP along with Shiv Sena (SS) led a complete dominance taking 42 out of 48 seats. It then formed the state government for the first time. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnadvis has managed to do a decent job and been able to make his personal standing. He along with Mr Gadkari both have ensured that the pace of development picks up in Vidharbha and especially Nagpur. The talks of drought are no longer heard in news. The same is true for Marathwada region where the Jalyukt Shivar Yojana has really addressed the watershed problem.
However rural distress in many regions and bickering with Shiv Sena have been dampeners. INC & NC have tried to gather strength, however the previous image of huge corruptions seems to be a huge impediment. On top of that JVA & MIM have made an alliance and standing in all the seats. They will cut the votes of INC & NC and help BJP-SS alliance only

Gujarat
This is the hub of Mr Modi. In state elections at one point it looked like INC will take the state, but better organization skills of BJP along with comments of some INC leader turned the tide and BJP scraped through. However in national elections, the tide surely will be more towards BJP but a clean sweep like last time will not happen. Many local leaders like Mevani, Alpesh Thakor & Hardik Patel also have started to play a role

Goa
This is a state of family bastions who are guided more by interests rather than ideology. Hence BJP managed to form the government even though INC had more seats. However with death of My Parikar things might change for the party and it will be a tough competition

Overall

BJP here also remains dominant but will lose seats vs 2014

Dravidian South
In our mind share filled with Hindi Belt or West, the media, working professionals and Hindi belt always tends to ignore this region. Even during Modi Wave, this region behaved quite differently. Every state has some regional players who play a very important role. On top of everything, this region contributes to a significant number of seats

Tamil Nadu
The biggest state of this region will first time go into polls without 2 stalwarts- Karunanidhi & J Jayalalitha. On top of that, ruling party had some internal differences and Sasikala who was supposed to take over reins of AIADMK was convicted and is in Jail. Stalin also faced some resistance from Alagiri but has been able to overcome.
BJP, ADMK and smaller parties have formed a alliance on one side, while DMK and INC have been able to ink a pact. This converts the competition into a 2 sided contest. Stalin with a cleaner and stable image will surely have an advantage

Kerala
BJP trying hard to make some inroads has developed some pocket of strengths. However at present it will be tough for it to convert that into seats. The UDF & LDF will seems to fight out between each other with LDF having performed better in recent local body elections.

Karnataka
What BJP did to INC in Goa, Manipur & Meghalaya, INC did to it in Karnataka. When no party got a majority, it supported JD(S) with Kumaraswamy as its leader. BJP has been trying hard to scramble back but at present has not had much luck. On top of that INC & JDS have sealed pact for Lok Sabha
However INC & JDS did not have a easy relationship and has lost some support. On top of that JDS draws its support in South Kar while BJP in North, hence the alliance may be of limited use. However like at many places, BJP will not be able to match 2014

Telangana
TRS has being all things correctly politically. It has manged to stay away from both BJP & INC tactically supporting Center to ensure the funds keep flowing. On top of that it has launched some schemes for poor and farmers which has helped it to comeback even more strongly in an earlier called elections. TDP has decided not to contest, while INC & BJP are on no match

Andhra Pradesh
AP faces tough competition between YSRC & TDP. Like in case of TDP power in whole of AP where it did a phenomenal job is Hyderabad but lost in rural hinterland, the same has been the case in new AP with more focus on Amravati. On top of the coffers have been dry and special status not coming has made things even more tough. All the advantage of this will be taken by YSRC. INC & BJP without alliance with TDP will really struggle in this state

Overall

ADMK, TDP come out as biggest losers, while DMK & YSRC as major gainers. National Parties are minor players

National Picture
This brings us to national picture on how the Lok Sabha will look like and who will form the next government

BJP will come out as the largest party but will lose over 90 seats vs last time. INC will gain roughly 55 of those seats. However this will result in a hung assembly

BJP will be near to the majority but leaves us with several possibilities
1. Swing in favour of NDA and as a coalition actually gets 272+ seats
2. BJP gathers support with Mr Modi as PM
3. BJP gathers support with Mr Gadkari as PM being the condition
4. UPA cobbles together the support
5. Third Front with either INC or BJP supporting it

My guess will be number two option with support coming as follows
NDA(237)+YSR(18)+TRS(13)+TDP(7, on promise of Special Status for AP)+JJP(1) and maybe tactical support from BJP.

Let's see how much of predictions actually fall through