Page 32 - Lohgarh

32 w Lohgarh : The World’s Largest Fort

days with them; the Guru agreed and held morning and evening
congregations every day and preached his mission. Then, Bhai Thakar
(father of Godhu and grandfather of Lakhi Ra Vanjara) joined Guru
Nanak’s faith; and, since then, this family remained a part of the Sikh
world, serving the Panth during the time of all the Gurus and even Banda
Singh Bahadur and the Misls’ leaders.

History of the Sikh Vanjaras

Up to the eighteenth century, most of the trade was carried out by the
Vanjaras (literally: traders), who used to carry goods of different types
from one place to another. These goods included foodstuff, clothes,
construction materials and every possible movable thing. These goods
were transported with the help of camels, elephants, horses, oxen and
mules, etc. During the seventeenth century there were three major
trade groups in South Asia and Central Asia: 1. Bangeshri (Parmar Rajput)
family headed by two sons of Bhai Ballu: Bhai Mai Das (father of Bhai
Mani Singh) and Bhai Nathia 2. Bhai Makhan Shah Lubana (Tomar Rajput)
family 3. Bhai Lakhi Rai Vanjara (Yadav Rajput) family. All the three had
hundreds of thousands of camels, elephants, horses, oxen and mules.
To manage and defend their goods, money and animals, each of them
had employed a force of hundreds of thousands of youth. Among these
three trader families, Lakhi Rai Vanjara (4.7.1580 – 28.5.1680), son of
Godhu and grandson of Thakur (Chandarbansi, Atrish Yadav, Barhtia
Kannaut clan) was the richest.
As per Bhat Vahi Karsindu, Lakhi Rai was born at village Khairpur
Sadat, tehsil Muzzafarpur, district Alipur, presently in Pakistan, on
Saravanbadi Ashtami Sammat 1637 (04-07-1580), in the house of Naik
Goddu. Some Vanjaras of Narnaul (Haryana) claim that he was born in
South Haryana and later shifted to Delhi for business.
He was an owner of lands in various parts of South Asia. Villages
Raisina, Malcha, Narela, Bara Khamba and the forest area around these
villages (now a part of New Delhi) were part of his property. Similarly,
all the land of the Lohgarh Fort belt between Kala Amb and Yamuna
river was also his property. It was, in fact, his kingdom (and for this