Page 222 - Lohgarh

Chapter 17

Contribution of

Banda Singh Bahadur

Banda Singh was not just a great general of army; he was a ‘miracle’
because he exercised wonders. He created a people-oriented revolution
on the land of five rivers, known as the Punjab. He laid the foundation
of freedom of not only of the Punjab but also of the whole sub-continent
of South Asia from the seven hundred years’ old slavery of the foreign
rulers. It was he who shook Empire of the Mughals. He was such a great
military general as shattered the false belief that the Mughal empire
was ever-powerful, permanent and unchallengeable. So long as he was
alive, three Emperors, more than a dozen governors and more than
two hundred small rulers, generals, police-chiefs, feudals, plus countless
jehadis could not have a peaceful sleep, even for a day. More than one
hundred thousand royal soldiers (more than two-third of total imperial
army) were engaged in operations to defeat him.
During this struggle, thirty to forty thousand Sikhs died, but in spite
of such a big number of casualties, the Sikhs continued their struggle
for freedom. Even after the martyrdom of Banda Singh, the Mughals
could not have a peaceful reign in the Punjab. The fall of the authority
of the Mughal power, which had started in the Punjab, now began
spreading to other areas too. With the passage of time, the Sikhs had
become the decisive force not only in the Punjab but also in areas of
Rajputana, the hills and even parts of the Hindustan (the present
provinces of U.P., M.P. , Bihar etc, then, was known as Hindustan). All
this was an extension due to achievements of Banda Singh.
On the other hand, if we analyse the circumstances in which Banda
Singh launched his struggle to uproot Mughals, he deserves to be given