Page 211 - Lohgarh

Battle of Gurdas Nangal and Arrest of Banda Singh Bahadur w 211

cutting of his tongue, pulling out his eyes, pulling skin from his flesh
and tearing flesh from his bones; and also killing his son before his eye.
According to Khafi Khan, the Emperor had ordered that Banda Singh
should be forced to kill his own son with his own hands.
The execution was to be carried near the tomb of Khwaja Qutub-
Ud-Din (near Qutub Minar) at Mehrauli. The order of the Emperor was
translated into action immediately and Banda Singh was at once taken
to the site of execution.
At Mehrauli, Banda Singh was taken around the tomb of Khwaja
Kutub-Ud-Din and then brought to the site of execution. Along with
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Banda Singh, his son and 26 more Sikhs too were brought there. These
Sikhs were offered life if they chose to embrace Islam; but, not a single
Sikh accepted this offer; rather they put their heads forward for getting
beheaded: “Aan grftaaraanay beghum khud gardan payish jalladaan
mi nihadand. Va vahguru goyaan jaan mi daadand” [Meaning: all of
them put ahead their necks, for being beheaded, before the executioner
and accepted martyrdom by uttering the name of Waheguru]. 38
Scene of the Execution of Banda Singh: To execute Banda Singh,
he was brought out of the cage. His right hand was freed; he was given
a dagger and asked to kill his son Ajay Singh, who was just four and a
half years old. (Khafi Khan writes that he was seven-eight years old and
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Sohan Lal Suri makes him six years old) . He became youngest martyr
of the world. When Banda Singh did not move, the executioner himself
killed the child, cut his stomach, pulled out his heart and tried to thrust
it into Banda Singh’s mouth. Banda Singh kept his teeth clenched. After
this, the executioner pulled his (Banda Singh’s) right eye out of the
socket, followed by peeling of the left eyeball; next his left foot was
chopped off, followed by the right foot; the next target was his hands.
In spite of this Banda Singh did not even cry; now the executioner pulled
his flesh with pincers and finally attacked his head with a hammer. By
then, Banda Singh was dead, but even after this, the executioner
chopped off his dead body into pieces.
Muhammed Qasim Aurangabadi says that when a Banda Singh’s
son was hacked to pieces, he did not utter even a word with his tongue,