On Monday 22nd January 2024 in Ayodhya, the idol of Ramlala was consecrated in his grand temple. On this occasion, while Hindus across the country and the world celebrated a Diwali-like festival, those Ram Bhakts were also remembered who sacrificed everything in the name of Lord Ram in the 500-year-long struggle. The initial important mention among these sacrifices is that of Mehtab Singh, the reigning king of Bhiti at the time. In 1526-27, he achieved martyrdom by repelling the soldiers of Mir Baqi who attempted to desecrate and demolish the temple.
Nevertheless, the resistance of this devotee of Lord Rama resulted in Mughal emperors venting their fury on the temples in his jurisdiction and Bhiti. Evidence of Mughal brutality is still seen in the Bhiti tehsil area of Ambedkar Nagar district. Most of the leftist historians, who spent their entire lives praising the cruel and inferior Mughal emperors, might not have visited Bhiti. Here not only were idols broken by entering temples, but women and palace servants were also massacred.
Very few people would know that hundreds of years after Babur’s death, Aurangzeb attacked Bhiti considering it as a stronghold of Ram Bhakts. The OpIndia team visited those areas and compiled all the evidence.
Aurangzeb remembered the enemies of his ancestors
OpIndia first visited the palace of Raja Mahtab Singh. Wear and tear was seen in many places in the palace. Some elders standing outside the palace said that they were originally from Bhiti. They told us that the vandalism in many parts of the palace dates back to the Mughal era. Raja Mehtab Singh killed many of Babur’s soldiers while defending Ramjanmabhoomi. Aurangzeb, a descendant of Babur, ascended the throne nearly 130 years after the struggle in 1527 to protect Ramjanmabhoomi. He started demolishing temples including the holy Kashi Vishwanath.
The elders standing around told us that Aurangzeb had also made a list of Hindu kings who fought his ancestors at any given time. Among these names, the name of Bhiti Naresh Mehtab Singh was at the top of his hit list. In the year 1669, when Aurangzeb’s forces went out to demolish the Kashi Vishwanath temple, he also included Bhiti in the map made of the route. Troops from Delhi looted villages on the way, raped Hindu women and demolished temples.
Marks of saw still seen on Shivling
Local residents told us about the Jharkhandi Mahadev temple on Umraan Road, about 2 km from Bhiti Mahal. When we reached the Mahadev temple, we found some devotees and the priest of the temple present there.
Munna Mishra, the priest of the temple, told us, “About 250 years ago, that temple was a victim of Aurangzeb’s cruelty.” We were taken to the sanctum sanctorum. There is a very ancient Shivalinga in the sanctum sanctorum, whose age is said to be more than 1000 years. There are many scratches on the Shivling with cut marks. Even today, this temple is a major centre of faith for local Hindus. A big fair is held here in Mahashivratri.
The priest of the temple further told us that despite all efforts, the Mughal army could not cut the Shivling. Angered by this, on Aurangzeb’s orders, his soldiers desecrated the entire temple, demolished the walls and broke the idols. According to the priest, just a few years ago, the idols broken in Aurangzeb’s attack were lying in a corner of the temple in a mutilated condition. Saddened by the animals and birds spreading dirt on those idols, some villagers took them to Ayodhya and immersed them in the Saryu River. These included idols of Lakshmi, Parvati and Lord Ganesha.
Queens and servants were killed in nearby villages
The priest of the temple claimed that after breaking the shrine, the Mughal army turned towards Sonarpurwa, a village about 1 km away. Here lived goldsmiths who worked for the Bhiti royal family. The queens were hiding in this area to escape the clutches of the Mughal army. On reaching here, Aurangzeb’s companions first looted Sonarpurwa and then beheaded the queens along with their servants. According to the priest, till some time ago, human skulls were found inside a well in excavation, which is from the time of the attack of the same Aurangzeb.
Statues vandalised at Chandapur village
The priest of the Jharkhandi temple further said in a conversation with us that Hindu deities were also worshipped at Chandapur village, about 3 km away from there. The Mughal army, which had already come with all the information, turned towards Chandapur village after looting Bhiti Mahal, Jharkhandi Temple, Sonarpurwa. The temples present here were demolished.
A few days ago, some farmers found an idol of Lord Vishnu buried in the soil. This idol is said to be thousands of years old and it is now with a Nishad family. This historic place has now been leased out to farmers. However, it was claimed that if the place is duly excavated, then more historical things can be found.
Our forefathers fought and sacrificed
Ajit Kumar Dubey, a local villager present at the temple, spoke to OpIndia. He claimed that elders in his acquaintance tell about this attack by Aurangzeb. At that time, not only the soldiers of the Bhiti royal family but also the surrounding villagers fought the Mughal army. Many villagers laid their lives in this fight. Many of Aurangzeb’s attacking soldiers were also killed. The Bhiti royal family often came to worship the Jharkhandi temple which was attacked by Aurangzeb’s forces. The Bhiti royal family also built a temple on the banks of the Bisuhi River.
Ajit claimed that the main reason for Aurangzeb’s attack was the love shown by the Bhiti residents for Lord Ram 125 years ago and the sacrifice they made along with their king in Ayodhya. Many devotees from villages like Bhiti Bazar, Umranwa, Dukhi Dubey ka Purwa, and Dubane ka Purwa near Jharkhandi Mahadev temple came to the temple premises during our visit and interview. All of them said that the cruelty shown by Aurangzeb in the temple still pains their minds. For this temple, the local BJP leader has also arranged tin sheds and seating benches for the devotees.
However, this cruelty shown by Aurangzeb could not distract the Bhiti royal family. About 200 years after Aurangzeb’s attack, Prince Jaydutt Singh of Bhiti was martyred while fighting the jihadi cleric Amir Ali, who went out to attack Ramjanmabhoomi. In this war, Amir Ali was also killed along with all his companions.
