As Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib district gears up for the annual Shaheedi Jor Mela from December 25 to 27, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan has pledged full support to the Aam Aadmi Party government for conservation and protection. Restoration of Jahaz mansionAt one time, Sirhind had the house of Diwan Todermal. But who was Dewan Todar Mal, and how is he connected to the two younger sons of Khalsa founder Guru Gobind Singh?
Who was Dewan Todermal?
Diwan Todermal was a wealthy merchant of Sirhind. Historical accounts state that he served as a revenue officer (diwan) under the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan but was later removed by Aurangzeb. Todarmal was in Sirhind on December 13, 1704 when the Mughal governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, beheaded the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh—Sahibzada Fateh Singh (9) and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (7). His grandmother, Mata Gujri, 81, died after learning of their horror toll the death toll.
The execution of two children has shocked the region. Fear of Wazir Khan’s wrath prevented anyone from performing the last rites until Todermal came forward to claim the body. Wazir Khan imposed strict conditions, demanding that Todermal buy the cremation ground by covering it with gold coins. Moreover, the coin was placed vertically. Undeterred, Todermal complied with the demands, spending a fortune in one of the most expensive land transactions of the era.
Todarmal cremated the bodies of Sahibzada and Mata Gujri with full respect and buried their ashes in an urn on the purchased land. Much later, Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala (1813-45) built Gurudwaras at Sirhind and other places where they stayed. He also changed the name of the district from Sirhind to Fatehgarh Sahib after the major Gurdwara near Sirhind, Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib.
Why were two young Sahibzadas executed?
According to Koir Singh’s Gurvilas Patshahi Dasveen, Mata Gujari was in Chamkaur Gadhi (Fort) after Guru Gobind Singh left. She sets out in search of two small Sahibzadas but is recognized by a “Turk”. Along with others, he entered the fort and found a Sikh with a kalgi (plum). Mistaking him for Guru Gobind Singh, they killed him and took Mata Gujari and two Sahibzadas to Sirhind. The boys were offered tempting rewards and asked to accept Islam, but they refused, and were bricked alive.
In his historical treatise Panth Prakash, completed in 1810, Ratan Singh Bhangu gives a slightly different account. He writes that Mata Gujari and her grandsons were separated from Guru Gobind Singh near Ropar. A cook from Saheri village near Ropar took them to his house but, greedy for the prize, Morinda’s two Ranghar brothers, Jani and Mani, informed. They handed the trio over to Wazir Khan, the Iranian-born governor of Sirhind, who asked them to convert to Islam. The boys and their grandmother were locked in a cold tower for two days but did not retreat. Sher Muhammad of Malerkotla strongly opposed their execution but Wazir Khan ignored him and executed the boys.
Six years later, in May 1710, Baba Band Singh Bahadur avenged his martyrdom by attacking Sirhind and killing Wazir Khan in the Battle of Chapparchiri on May 12, 1710.
What is a ship mansion?
Ship Haveli was the residence of Dewan Todar Mall at Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district. This 17th century ship-like structure is made of Nanakshahi bricks. Despite its historical significance, the mansion has faced neglect, including several half-hearted attempts at preservation. In 2009, the Shiromani Gurudwara Pradanapan Samiti (SGPC) took over the mansion.
Recently, Dewan Todar Mall Heritage Foundation Punjab has been working to highlight its restoration. Foundation chairman Lakhwinder Singh Kahnke announced plans to restore the mansion to its original grandeur, using a 1911 photograph from the British Library as a guide.
Kultar Singh Sandhawan has assured that the Punjab government along with SGPC and Department of Tourism and Archeology will support this project. In 2021, the Congress government renamed the road connecting Jahaj Haveli with the main road as “Dewan Todermal Marg”.
How has the center celebrated the martyrdom of two small Sahibzadas?
In 2022, the Government of India declared December 26 as “Veer Bal Diwas” to honor the bravery and supreme sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh’s younger sons Sahibzada Fateh Singh and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh.
What is the confusion about the date of execution?
Professor Amarjit Singh, director of the Center for the Study of Sri Guru Granth Sahib at Guru Nanak Dev University, says historians of the time used the lunar calendar, which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. The British adopted the Gregorian calendar in September 1752, increasing the difference between the two systems by 11 days.
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