October 9, 2021, marks the 301st birth anniversary of Bhai Taru Singh, a prominent Sikh martyr who gave up his life to protect Sikh values by having had his head scalped rather than cutting his hair and converting to Islam.
PM Modi took to Twitter to pay his tributes to the Sikh martyr on his birth anniversary. “Remembering Bhai Taru Singh Ji on his Jayanti. Generations to come will never forget his bravery. His unwavering commitment to truth and justice are deeply inspiring,” he tweeted.
Remembering Bhai Taru Singh Ji on his Jayanti. Generations to come will never forget his bravery. His unwavering commitment to truth and justice are deeply inspiring.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 9, 2021
Who was Bhai Taru Singh?
Bhai Taru Singh was born around 1720 in the Amritsar region during the rule of the Mughal empire. Right from his childhood days, Singh was deeply inspired by the Sikh ethos and attached to his religion. When he saw Sikh rebels rescuing a poor girl from the clutches of Mughal oppressors, he decided to become initiated into the Khalsa.
Singh has one sister, Tar Kaur. Both the siblings started serving food and aid to gurusikhs(devout Sikhs of the Guru). At that time, Sikh rebels were planning to topple the Mughal governor of Punjab, Zakaria Khan. According to historical accounts, an informant reported the siblings to Khan. The two were arrested on charges of treason.
It is said that villagers were able to secure the release of his sister by bribing the Mughal governor, but Bhai Taru Singh resolutely refused to seek a pardon. For his refusal to bow down before Khan, Singh was sent to imprisonment. He was reportedly tortured during his incarceration, but Singh did not grumble and stoically endured the agony.
Mughal governor Zakaria Khan had Bhai Taru Singh’s head scalped for refusing to convert to Islam
Later, when he was brought before Khan and asked about what gave him the strength to continue patiently suffer torture meted out to him, he said he drew his powers to endure torture through his keshas (‘unshorn hair’) blessed by Guru Gobind Singh. Rattled by his unwavering faith in Sikhism, Zakaria Khan gave Singh an ultimatum of either embracing Islam and have his hair cut off as an offering or face execution.
When he refused to abandon his religion, Khan had Bhai Taru Singh’s scalp cut away from his skull with a sharp weapon to prevent his hair from growing further. As per Sikh historian Ratan Singh Bhangu, after his scalp was torn off, Singh cursed Zakaria Khan, saying he would be killed by his shoes.
Sikh sources say after cutting Singh’s scalp, Khan was afflicted by unbearable pain and the inability to urinate. Realising his mistake, Khan sent an apology to the Khalsa Panth for his atrocities against the Sikhs and asked for their forgiveness. They reportedly suggested to him that if he wanted his pain to subside, he will have to hit himself with Singh’s shoes. Though it cured Khan of his condition, he died 22 days after having hit himself with the shoes, just like Singh had predicted. Upon learning that he had outlived his tormentor, Bhai Taru Singh died on 1 July 1745.
Mosques present in vicinity of Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh demolished after dispute over ownership of the site
As a mark of remembrance, Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh was built at the spot where Bhai Taru Singh was executed, which is in present-day Pakistan. The gurdwara was built after 1762 when the Sikh rule began in Punjab. The shrine was built on the grounds of the Shaheed Ganj Mosque in Naulakha Bazar of Lahore and was commissioned in 1722 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Alamgir II, with its construction completed by Abdullah Khan in 1753.
But in the 1880s, the dispute between Sikhs and Muslims started over the ownership of the place. The Sikh community started protesting and objecting over the existence of a mosque near the spot where Bhai Taru Singh was martyred and soon the matter reached the court. In July 1935, when British authorities were hatching out a settlement between the two communities, a group of Sikhs demolished the mosque, touching off a deadly wave of communal riots.
However, as per Pakistani historian Shahid Shabbir, the mosque was demolished in presence of British officials after a court ruled in the favor of the Sikh community. Shabbir says the photographs of British officials and Sikh protesters standing at the site when walls and dome of the mosque were brought down were published in leading dailies.
Nevertheless, the site became a thorn in the side of Muslims and Sikhs since then. Even today, there are claims and counterclaims over the ownership of the land. Sikhs claim the land belongs to them while Muslims say they are the rightful heir to the site. It is said that the site is associated with four historical shrines. These include the Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Bhai Taru Singh (Shaheedi Asthan), Shaheed Ganj mosque (now non-existent), Darbar Hazrat Shah Kaku Chisti (dargah) and Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Singh Singhnian.
Pakistan had recently sealed Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh after a Muslim group claimed they won’t allow the Sikh shrine to exist
Recently, in July 2021, Pakistan had sealed the historical Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh after a land dispute between local Sikhs and a group of activists of Dawat-e-Islami (Barelvi). According to reports published then, Dawat-e-Islami claimed that the Gurdwara was located on the burial site of Muslims Pir Kaku Shah and they wouldn’t allow a Gurdwara to exist in the same premises. As communal tensions escalated, the Pakistani government intervened and sealed the premises which house a Gurdwara as well as a Mazar to avoid any untoward incident.
