Bhai Jiwan Singh

Baba
Jiwan Singh
ਬਾਬਾ ਜੀਵਨ ਸਿੰਘ
ਭਾਈ ਜੈਤਾ
Bhai Jaita, detail from a fresco painting of the scene from Anandpur Sahib where Guru Gobind Singh bows to the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur which was brought in palanquin, led by Bhai Jaita
Born
Jag Chand

(1649-11-30)30 November 1649
Kiratpur
Died7 December 1705(1705-12-07) (aged 56)
Shahi Tibbi, Sirsa River, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire[1]
(present-day Rupnagar district, Punjab, India)
SpouseRaj Kaur
ChildrenBhai Gulzar Singh
Bhai Gurdayal Singh
Bhai Sukha
Bhai Sewa Singh
Parent(s)Sada Nand
Mata Premo
RelativesBhai Khazan Singh (father-in-law)

Baba Jiwan Singh (Gurmukhi: ਬਾਬਾ ਜੀਵਨ ਸਿੰਘ; born Jaitha; 30 November 1649 – 7 December 1705) was a Sikh general and companion of Guru Gobind Singh.[2] He is remembered by Sikhs for bringing the severed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur to Anandpur Sahib so it could be cremated rather than remaining in Mughal possession.[3] He wrote a hagiographical account of the tenth guru's life, known as Sri Gur Katha.[4]: 1  He was regarded as the Panjwan Sahibjada (fifth son) of Guru Gobind Singh due to the respect he held in Sikh circles.[4]: 4 

Family background

Jaita's great-great-grandfather, Bhai Kaliana of Kathu Nangal (Amritsar district), had converted to Sikhism during the era of Akbar and the Sikh gurus Ram Das and Arjan. Jaita's great-grandfather Sukhbhan shifted to Delhi and became an accomplished musician who founded the Kalyan Ashram at Raiseena, later known as the Kalayane di Dharamshala with it being used for accomodation by visiting Sikhs, including Guru Tegh Bahadur on 20 January 1670 when he was returning from Assam. Jaita's grandfather Jasbhan was a musician associated with Guru Har Rai. Jasbhan had two sons, named Agya Ram and Sada Nand, with Sada Nand being close to the ninth Sikh guru and was the father of Jaita.[4]: 3 

Early life

Bhai Jaita was born as Jag Chand (with the diminutive forms Jagu or Jota) in Kiratpur on 30 November 1649 to father Sada Nand (or Sada Chand) and mother Mata Karmo.[2] Other sources claims he was born on 13 December 1661 in Patna and that his mother was named Premo.[5] He was the eldest son of the family,[4]: 3  he had a younger brother named Bhag Chand (nicknamed Bhagu).[2] His family were originally based in Kiratpur, serving Guru Har Rai..[2] The Patna version of his early life claims he grew up at Patna where he got training in various weapons and learned the art of warfare. In addition, he learned horse-riding, swimming, music, and kirtan.[6] Later, either from Kiratpur or Patna, Jaita and his family shifted to Jhanda Ramdas village, and served Bhai Gurditta (1625–1675), the great-great-grandson of Baba Buddha.[7][2]

Career

Bhai Gurditta was arrested alongside the ninth Sikh guru in Delhi. Jaita was in Delhi as his family had instructed him to give a message to the imprisoned Gurditta.[2] When Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of Sikh, was martyred on 11 November 1675[2] by the Mughals at Chandni Chowk, Delhi, Bhai Jiwan Singh along with two other Sikhs, recovered his dismembered body from a crowd and brought it back to his son, Guru Gobind Singh.[8][9] Initially, no Sikh had the courage to recover the martyred guru's remains until Jaita made a successful attempt.[2]

Painting of the head of Guru Tegh Bahadar being brought to Anandpur, where Guru Gobind Singh pays obeisance, circa 19th century

There after Guru Gobind Singh honoured them with the title Mazhabi ("faithful")[10] and said loudly, "Rangrete Guru Ke Bete"(The Rangretas are the Guru's sons)[4]: 4  to the all Mazhabi Sikhs. After that, Bhai Jiwan Singh was instructed by his father to behead him in order to swap the head of his father for that of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Bhai Jiwan Singh carries out his father's wish and carried the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur from Delhi to Gobind Rai in Anandpur Sahib.[11][12] Jaita remained at Anandpur Sahib thereafter and became a nagarchi (drum-beater) of the Ranjit Nagara established by Guru Gobind Singh.[2] He was renamed Jeevan Singh after his Khalsa initiation,[4]: 4  which occurred on 30 March 1699.[2] He served as a marksman in the guru's army and also was responsible for training two of the guru's sons, Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, in warfare.[2]

Battles and death

Jiwan Singh participated in all the Sikh battles against Mughal and Pahari forces.[2] Baba Jiwan Singh was with the Guru during the evacuation of Anandpur Sahib[13] and fought the battles of Bhangani, Nadaun, Anandpur Sahib, Bajrur, Nirmohgarh, all four wars of Anandpur Sahib, Bansali/Kalmot, Sarsa and the battle of Chamkaur.[14][15] In Dictionary of Battles and Sieges, the author states that Bhai Jiwan Singh attained martyrdom at Shahi Tibbi while the Sikh army was attempting to cross the Sirsa River.[16] According to The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, he was killed during the Battle of Chamkaur on 7 December 1705.[2]

Marriage

Jaita married Raj Kaur, daughter of Surjan Singh of Riar village, in 1691.[7][2] The couple had four sons.[2]

Literature

Bhai Jiwan Singh also wrote about the exploits of Guru Gobind Singh, in his magnum opus the Sri Gur Katha.[17][4] His pen-name was Jaiyata or Jaiyate.[4]: 5 

Legacy

After his death in 1704 or 1705 a burj (tower) was erected to honour him at Gurudwara Shaheed Burj Sahib at Chamkaur.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jacques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 914. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Banerjee, A. C. "JĪVAN SIṄGH, BHĀĪ (1649-1705)". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism (Online Conversion). Punjabi University, Patiala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Singh, Nikky-Guninder Kaur (1 February 2012). The Birth of the Khalsa: A Feminist Re-Memory of Sikh Identity. State University of New York Press. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9780791482667.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hans, Raj Kumar (19–21 October 2012). "Bhai Jaita's Epic Sri Gur Katha: A New Milestone in the Sikh Literature". Paper for the Conference on Sikhi(sm), Literature and Film. Hofstra University. pp. 1–15 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ↑ Singh, Jugraj. "ਭਾਈ ਜੈਤਾ ਜੀ ਦੀ ਕੁਰਬਾਨੀ ਦਾ ਸਿੱਖ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਥਾਨ" [The place of Bhai Jaita ji's sacrifice in Sikh history]. Tribuneindia News Service (in Punjabi). Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Gandhi, S.S. (2007) History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606–1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist p1109 ISBN 8126908580
  7. 1 2 "Bhai Jaita Ji known 'Ragureta Guru ka Beta' daily post". Latest Punjab News, Breaking News Punjab, India News | Daily Post. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Khanna, Bharat (25 December 2016). "Martyrdom of Bhai Jiwan Singh observed". The Tribune. "Guru Gobind Singh hugged Bhai Jiwan Singh and said 'Rangrete Guru ke Bete' after Bhai Jiwan Singh brought back the head of beloved ninth Sikh guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had challenged the Sikh community to take back the head of their Guru," said Kiranjit Singh Gehri, Vice-Chairman, Shaheed Baba Jiwan Singh Nishkam Sewa Society. "People are rarely aware of the facts that Baba Jiwan Singh, known as the first General of Khalsa Panth. Baba Jiwan Singh along with his father Sadanand and uncle had planned how to bring back the guru's head. Bhai Jiwan Singh replaced the head of his father with that of the guru's head. All this was possible with the help of Aurangzeb's daughter Zeb-un-Nisa, who used to take classes of music with Baba Jiwan Singh. When the ninth guru was in jail, it was Zeb-un-Nisa, who helped Bhai Jaita to escape from the jail along with 52 hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur," added Gehri.
  9. ↑ Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Vol. 2. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 664–65. ISBN 9788126908585. As per order of the government the Guru's body was to be quartered and exposed to public view, obviously to impart stern warning to all such people as dared to go against the wishes and order of the Emperor. But because of prompt and timely action of Sikhs, this could not be done. According to Bansavali Nama, a furious storm raged immediately after this brutal deed was accomplished. In the confusion caused by it, a man, named Jaita (later Jiwan Singh) the resident of Dilwali Gate, Delhi, dashed out of the crowd and instantaneously disappeared with the holy head of the Guru.
  10. ↑ Yong, Tan Tai (2005). The Garrison State: The Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab, 1849–1947. SAGE. p. 73. ISBN 978-8-13210-347-9.
  11. ↑ McLeod, W. H. (2009). The A to Z of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-81086-344-6.
  12. ↑ Cole, W. Owen (2004). Understanding Sikhism. Dunedin Academic Press. p. 153. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  13. ↑ Gandhi, S.S. (2007) History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606–1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist p1109 ISBN 8126908580
  14. ↑ "Bhai Jiwan Singh - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia". www.sikhiwiki.org. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  15. ↑ Grewal, J. S. (25 July 2019). Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): Master of the White Hawk. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-099038-1.
  16. ↑ Jaques, Tony. "Wayback Machine". m.friendfeed-media.com. Greenwood Press. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2025. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ↑ Nayar, Rana (5 July 2017). Cultural Studies in India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-57037-4.
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