Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji

Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji

Sahibzada Ajit Singh (1687 - 1705), was the eldest of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's four sons. His younger brothers were Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh.

Sahibzada Ajit Singh was born to Mata Sundari Ji at Paonta Sahib on 11th Feb 1687. The following year, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji returned with the family to Anandpur Sahib where Sahibzada Ajit Singh was brought up in the approved Sikh style. He was taught the religious texts, philosophy and history, and also had training in the manly arts such as riding, swordsmanship and archery. He grew up into a handsome young man, strong and intelligent.

The Ranghars of Nuh

Soon after the creation of the Khalsa panth on 30 March, 1699, he had his first test of skill. A Sikh sangat coming from Pothohar, Northwest Punjab was attacked and looted on the way by the Ranghars of Nuh, a short distance from Anandpur Sahib across the River Sutlej. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji sent Sahibzada Ajit Singh, barely 12 years of age then, to that village. Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Bhai Ude Singh along with 100 Sikhs reached there on 23 May, 1699,punished the Ranghars and recovered the looted property.

Taragarh and Nirmohgarh

A harder task was entrusted to him the following year when the hill chiefs, supported by imperial troops, attacked Anandpur Sahib. Sahibzada Ajit Singh was made responsible for the defense of Taragarh Fort which became the first target of attack. This, according to the Bhatt Vahis, happened on 29 August, 1700. Sahibzada Ajit Singh was assisted by Bhai Ude Singh, and they successfully repulsed the attack. He also fought valiantly in the battles of Nirmohgarh in October, 1700.

On 15 March, 1701, a sangat, column of Sikh devotees, coming from Darap area (present Sialkot district) was way laid by Gujjars and Ranghars. Sahibzada Ajit Singh led a successful expedition against them.

As instructed by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji, he took out (7 March, 1703) 100 horsemen to Bassi, near Hoshiarpur, and rescued a young Brahman bride forcibly taken away by the local Pathan chieftain. In the prolonged siege of Anandpur sahib in 1705, Sahibzada Ajit Singh again displayed his qualities of courage and steadfastness. When, at last, Anandpur sahib was vacated on the night of 5-6 December, 1705, he was given command to rearguard the whole Sikh troops. As the besiegers, violating their solemn promises for a safe conduct to the evacuees, attacked the column, he stoutly engaged them on a hill-feature called Shahi tibbi until relieved by Bhai Ude Singh, who fought bravely till his last breath. Sahibzada Ajit Singh crossed the Sarsa River, and later joined his father, his younger brother, Jujhar Singh, and some forty Sikhs.


Battle of Chamkaur Sahib

Further reduced in numbers by casualties at the hands of a pursuing troop from Ropar, the column reached Chamkaur Sahib in the evening of 6 December, 1705, and took up position in a garhi, high-walled fortified house. The host, since swelled by reinforcements from Malerkotla and Sirhind and from among the local Ranghars and Gujjars, soon caught up with them and threw a tight ring around Chamkaur. An unequal but grim battle commenced with the sunrise on 7 December, 1705 - in the words of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's Zafarnamah, a mere forty defying a million.

When groups of Sikhs started going out of Garhi (fortress) and fought bravely in afflicting heavy causalities before laying down their precious lives, Sahibzada Ajit Singh himself came forward and bravely sought permission of his father to also allow him to go out to fight side by side the brave Sikhs.

Guru Gobind Singh Sahib was immensely pleased at this and embraced his son. He himself armed his son and sent him out with the next group of five Sikhs whom he considered no less dear than his own sons, to prove Guru's saying that he would be worthy of being Gobind Singh when he would make a Sikh so brave and fearless that he would fight with one lakh and quarter enemies alone.

Coming out of the fortress Ajit Singh, the brave son of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, attacked the enemy soldiers like a lion leaping on a flock of sheep to be cut to pieces. Many enemy soldiers were both astonished and terrified on seeing the fighting caliber and methods of attack of this young boy. The accompanying Sikhs prevented enemy soldiers from other sides from encircling the brave Sahibzada Ajit Singh. After the brave son of the Master exhausted his arrows, he attacked to enemy with his spear. However, the blade of spear which had penetrated into the chest of one of the adversaries piercing his steel dress broke inside the body of the enemy solider. Taking advantage of this delay caused by stuck up spear of Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the enemy soldiers were successful in injuring his horse, which fell dead. Sahibzada Ajit Singh swiftly dismounted the horse and pulled his sword from its sheath, engaged the enemy soldiers. He was cutting the adversaries to pieces by lightening attacks with his sword, and thus attained martyrdom in the battle field under the watchful and appreciative eyes of his great father. Scores of enemy soldier's bodies were lying in heaps around the fallen body of brave Sahibzada Ajit Singh.

Guru Gobind Singh Sahib was watching the brave acts of his son in the battle field from the fortress. He had been keeping the enemy at bay by his arrows thus providing his son a chance for prolonged fight with the enemy soldiers. Guru Sahib was immensely pleased at the courage shown by his son and the tactics employed by him for inflicting heavy casualties on the adversaries.

Guru Gobind Singh Sahib thanked God for helping, Ajit Singh to live up to his father's expectations. Guru Sahib thus proved that for the cause he was fighting, he would not hesitate to offer his own sons for sacrifice, while demanding supreme sacrifice from his Sikhs. The Sikhs were as dear to him as his own sons.

Thus fell the brave son of the Great Guru Sahib providing inspiration to the Sikhs for generation to come. The Sikh community will keep remembering this young martyr son of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib for all times to come.

With his three brothers, Sahibzada Ajit Singh carried on a great family tradition: that of attaining the status of one of the most hallowed martyrs in Sikh history. Before him and his brothers, their grandfather, ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib and great-great grandfather, fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Sahib had also laid their lives to uphold the basic and ethical values of human beliefs.

The heroic deeds of both elder sons of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib will keep inspiring the young Sikh generations to rise to the occasion when ever called upon to fight for justice and rights against injustice and cruelty for times to come.