Sarabjit Singh

Since last week friday, I have been so angered as well as saddened at the news of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner,( falsely framed by Paki authorities ) who was brutally attacked by jail inmates.Pakistani news media & the Indian media seem to be telling us different stories as to how just was Sarabjit attacked by 2 inmates in the cell at Lakhpat jail, Lahore, though there are sources which mention he was in fact attacked by 6 men with bricks, iron rods & sharp weapons to slit his throat.

It was premeditated. But what gets me, Sarabjit himself knew of this imminent attack for very long, he had also written a letter to the Hijda Manmohan ( PM of India ), Sarabjit's sister,Dalbir Kaur, had repeatedly appealed to PM & Khangress leaders to assist, but to no avail.

It seems clearly a case of attempted murder by the Paki government since Sarabjit himself knew of this imminent danger he may face soon & had written letters describing his fears, the Indian Khangress Government took no notice of this whatsoever. It is almost as if there has been a plan in place to actually conspire along with the Jihadi regime of Islamabad to get 'rid' of Sarabjit as soon as possible before he began to spill the beans.

For some time I had been continuing to raise the issue of Sarabjit Singh on many websites on the net.


Sarabjit Needs Us - He is ' clinically dead '

It is difficult to believe that Sarabjit was hit on his head with bricks and blunt objects on 26 April by fellow Pakistani prisoners in a rush of blood and there was no larger conspiracy. There have been reports, attributed to Indian intelligence sources, that Lashkar-e-Taiba and Taliban planned the attack on Sarabjit in retaliation to the hangings of Pakistani national Ajmal Kasab (21 November, 2012) and Indian national who was in cahoots with Pakistan terror outfits Afzal Guru (9 February, 2013).

There have also been reports that Sarabjit Singh’s attackers Mudassar and Aftab have been foot soldiers of the LeT as well as the Tehree-e-Taliban, Pakistan. Apart from these two, Sarabjit was attacked by five other prisoners whose identity is not yet clear. These Pakistani prisoners had sharpened spoons and plates which they used to attack Sarabjit.

Sarabjit Singh's family returns to India, seeks appointment with Sonia Gandi

Amritsar/Lahore: The distraught family of Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who was brutally assaulted in a Lahore jail last week, returned home via Wagah Border on Wednesday after doctors in Pakistan reportedly indicated that he was "clinically dead".

Upon their return, Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur said that the family will try to meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi soon. Raj Kumar Verka, Vice Chairman of the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes, said in Amritsar on Tuesday that he spoke to Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur who told him that doctors have told her that Sarabjit was "brain dead". "I think that Sarabjit had died earlier. Why did the Pakistan government have to do this drama (of allowing the family to visit him in Lahore) when he was already gone? They sought her permission to remove him from the ventilator," Verka, who was instrumental in securing visas for four members of Sarabjit's family from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Saturday, told media.

Meanwhile, Sarabjit's lawyer Awais Sheikh told a news channel from Lahore that he will file a new petition in Lahore High Court today seeking permission for Indian doctors to examine him. “I am going to file a fresh petition in Lahore High Court seeking its permission to allow the Indian doctors to be part of the medical board which is treating Sarbjit Singh here.”

When quizzed why he was pressing for the inclusion of Indian doctors in the Pakistan medical board, Sheikh admitted that he was doing so as he suspected full information is not being disseminated about Sarabjit Singh’s health. Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur is also seeking an appointment with the UPA chairperson and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to brief her about Sarabjit Singh’s condition and to request her to press the Centre to ask Pakistan to handle the case more sensitively.

Sarabjit Singh, 49, was admitted to a Lahore hospital in a critical condition after a vicious attack on him by fellow prisoners at the Kot Lakhpat Jail April 26. He has been on ventilator support ever since. The Indian government had earlier appealed to Pakistan for Sarabjit's release even while a medical board in Pakistan said that he would continue to get treatment in Pakistan and not shifted out.

Manmohan the Hijda PM of India has completely failed to protect a citizen of India, that too, from a terror Jihadi failed state which needs to be bombed immediately. He ought to either resign or go drown himself - the earlier the better for all of us.

My heart goes out to the family. Waheguruji protect Sarabjit Singh.

Sajjan walks free after committing Sikh Genocide

Maut Ka Saudagar Sajjan Kumar

The testimony of dozens of survivors recorded by Commissions of Inquiry recount how hysterical mobs led by Congress leaders hunted down the Sikhs, drenched the victims in kerosene and set them on fire

The recent order of a Delhi court directing the Central Bureau of Investigation to re-investigate the role of Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the anti-Sikh violence of 1984, has rekindled hopes among the victims of that dreadful pogrom that justice will be done. The order came on the plea of a relative of one of those killed in the violence at Gurdwara Pulbangash in north Delhi.

Mr Tytler is one among several prominent leaders of the Congress, who allegedly led the mobs which indulged in arson, looting and killings in Delhi after Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The CBI had given Mr Tytler a clean chit twice before in this case, but the court wants the agency to examine the allegation afresh. Side by side, a Delhi judge has reserved his order in the case involving another leader of the party — Mr Sajjan Kumar — who is accused of inciting a mob in the Delhi Cantonment area.

These developments come as a timely reminder to all citizens who wish to see that the core values in our Constitution which guarantee a secular and democratic society, will ultimately prevail. It is also a reminder to the Congress that, try as it might, it just cannot make the people forget its barbaric role in unleashing a pogrom against the Sikhs in the national capital and many other parts of north India, after Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31, 1984. 

In order to divert public attention from the shameful role it played in 1984, the party repeatedly rakes up the issue of the Gujarat riots of 2002. Often the remarks are ill-mannered. For example, a spokesperson of the Congress said the other day that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was certainly not the knight on the white horse that his party vice president Rahul Gandhi alluded to, while addressing the cream of India’s business and industry. Why? Because Mr Modi’s favoured vehicle is (like Lord Yama’s) a buffalo. His comments were akin to the Maut ke saudagar label that Ms Sonia Gandhi tried to pin on Mr Modi in 2007. That did not go down well with the people of Gujarat, but the Congress will never learn.

Every now and then, there is a re-run of its rusted arguments against Mr Modi in the hope that everything that happened prior to 2002 can be wiped out of public memory. It is exactly this mindset which made it destroy copies of the Shah Commission report which exposed the fascist policies of this party during the Emergency. The same approach is adopted vis-à-vis the mass killing of Sikhs by its cadres in Delhi and elsewhere in 1984. The party thinks that, if it keeps reminding people of Gujarat 2002, somehow, 1984 will be forgotten.

Every Indian must know the facts about the pogrom that the Congress ordered against the Sikhs, following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Thereafter, they must decide who the real maut ke saudagar are in India’s politics. Several commissions and committees probed the systematic and barbarous attack on the Sikhs at that time. Among them, two commissions of inquiry provide us grisly details of the horrific crimes perpetrated by Congress workers at the behest of leading politicians of that party in Delhi.

According to the Ranganath Misra Commission of Inquiry, as many as 3,874 people were killed in 1984, of which a majority —2,307 — were killed in Delhi. The Commission found that many of those who participated in the killings were from the Congress or its sympathisers. It said the mobs comprised persons associated with the Congress and sympathetic to that party. Strangely, the Commission sought to explain this behaviour of Congressmen by saying that everyone who took a dip in the Ganges was not purified. Similarly, everyone in the Congress is not a Gandhi who believes and practises non-violence.

The Nanavati Commission, which was appointed in May, 2000, because of complaints that the riots had not been fairly investigated, also spoke of the involvement of members of the Congress. It said the attacks on the Sikhs took place in a systematic manner and “without fear of police”. Many relatives of victims told these commissions that they were jeered at by policemen when they went to police stations to lodge complaints.

This Commission said large number of Congress leaders and workers “had either incited or helped the mobs in attacking the Sikhs”. Further, it categorically declared that “but for the backing and help of influential and resourceful persons”, so many Sikhs could not have been killed so swiftly. In its view, the mobs were assured “that they would not be harmed”. The testimony of General AS Vaidya, the then Chief of Army Staff, lent credence to this view that the Government was soft on the rioters. He told the Ranganath Misra Commission that, though 6,000 troops were available in the Capital, the Government did not immediately call in the Army.

The testimony of dozens of survivors recorded by these commissions recount the manner in which hysterical mobs fuelled by Congress leaders hunted down members of the Sikh community, drenched the victims and their homes in kerosene and set them on fire. Yet another repulsive method used by Congress workers was to throw burning tyres around the necks of victims and lynch them if they tried to escape. As the victims burnt to death, Congress workers danced around them chanting, “Khoon ka badla khoon se lenge”.

Goons belonging to the ‘secular’ Congress destroyed 131 Gurdwaras in just Delhi alone. These slogans were heard near Teen Murti Bhavan as well and were broadcast by Doordarshan.  Many witnesses said the brutality of Congressmen was worse than that witnessed in the post-Partition riots in 1947.

Today, although 29 years have gone by, not one of the Congress’s leaders who planned and executed the killings has been punished. This dreadful episode in India’s history culminated in the most shameful manner when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi justified the pogrom against the Sikhs. He surmised that such violence against the Sikhs was inevitable when he told a public meeting in Delhi that “when a big tree falls, even the earth trembles”. So, now that we have refreshed our memories, we need to ask the Congress spokesperson as to which animal was the favoured mount of Rajiv Gandhi? And who, Sir, is India’s Maut ka Saudagar?

More crazy Khalistani Myths

Khalistani Myth : 'All the Gurus were Sikhs'

Khalistanis are usually quick to tell us that the Guru Sahibaans were actually Sikhs belonging to a different faith other than Hindu Dharm. They have even gone as far as telling us that the Mughals were actually confused when it came to describing the Gurus. 

Guru Arjan Devji was the 5th Guru in succession, who became Guru in September 1581 after Guru RamDasji. He was the first of the Gurus to be martyred by the tyrannical Mughals. Guruji's clothing such as : Seli topi(cap normally worn by Hindu saints only ), chola, pyjama, Batva, Dushala, Simrana Mala and the Chandan with which he would do Tilak after taking bath everyday  are kept in the historical town of Doaba. The fact that Guruji wore Chandan Tilak proves our Gurus were all Hindus, addressing Hindus of Punjab at the time. Their audience was mainly Hindu as Sikhism was not known at the time. What they preached was indeed Vaishnava Vedanta in its simplest of form to the wider majority who were downtrodden under the Islamic tyranny. 

This is what Jahangir writes  in his diary the "Tuzuk-i-Jahagiri" ( "Memoirs of Jahangir") about Guruji :

"In Govindwal, which is on the river Biyah (Beas), there was a Hindu named Arjun, in the garments of sainthood and sanctity, so much so that he had captured many of the simple-hearted of the Hindus, and even of the ignorant and foolish followers of Islam, by his ways and manners, and they had loudly sounded the drum of his holiness. They called him Guru, and from all sides stupid people crowded to worship and manifest complete faith in him. For three or four generations (of spiritual successors) they had kept this shop warm. Many times it occurred to me to put a stop to this vain affair or to bring him into the assembly of the people of Islam."

Janhangir's passage is very significant, for it clearly indicates a vital point.

 He clearly indicates that Guru Arjan Devji was a Hindu, who was attracting more Hindus (of Punjab) and Hindu converts of Islam to his teaching and Darbar (i.e. having more success than Jahangir and the Ulama at drawing crowds and converts) - he was definitely as Jahangir said 'keeping his shop warm’.

Farid Bukhari was appointed governor of the Panjab with unlimited powers. Within a few months of the new Emperor’s accession (October 1605) Guru Arjun was tortured to death (June 1606).

Shortly after Guru Arjun Devji's death Shaikh Ahmad of Sarhind wrote to Farid Bukhari:

‘The execution of the accursed kafir of Goindwal is an important achievement and is the cause of the great defeat of the accursed Hindus.’

Ahmad clearly indicates how the death of Guruji , who was the spiritual leader of all Hindus would be a great blow to the Hindus of Punjab, who would now have no other option but of defeat & accept Islam.

In a letter written to Shaikh Farid Bukhari entitled Murtza Khan, the Governor of Punjab, he said: 

''The execution at this time of the ‘accursed Kafir’ of Goindwall…with whatever motive…is an act of the highest grace for the followers of Islam.''He added : ''the Hindus should be treated as dogs. Jazia should be imposed upon them and cow slaughter should be allowed in the open.''

These accounts written by the Islamic occupiers of the time clearly indicate 2 things:

1. Guruji had successfully united the Hindus of Punjab under his spiritual leadership & due to this the Islamic rulers had become envious & insecure, therefore executing Guruji to destroy the morale of the Hindus;

2. He was a Hindu himself who addressed his fellow Hindus of the time through teaching the great spiritual philosophy of Sanatan Dharm which was dear to all the Gurus.

Neo Sikhs, see if you can prove any of this wrong.

Going Back to Classical Raga Shabads & Kirtans

I was at one of my favourite Gurudwaras recently for someone's Akhand Paath & the atmosphere as usual was divine.But the Granthis were as usual ill educated, out of 'SUR' when singing Shabads with filmi tunes  - one must have continued to speak of Macauliffe & how the Christian missionary 'saved Sikhi' for the good of Punjab. Looking around, most of the sangat were either not interested in what the Granthi was saying, nor anyone seemed to know who the hell is Macauliffe even.. Little did this Granthi know the extent of damage & poison that has been the main cause of Macauliffe's mistranslations, manipulations of the Shri Adi Granthji & seeds of anti-Hinduism sown into every Sikh's mind. The type of 'Parchaar' or speeches going on nowadays in most Gurudwaras are actually dragging Sikhi backwards & away from the Guru's original words & preaching. Is it any wonder that Sikhs are lost nowadays? Either we get the most radical brainwashed Khalistani Talibani Sikhs with turbans & beards only as their identity with no clue as to what the original Sanatan Sikhi was as per the Guru's word - or  - we get those who don't even care whether they are Sikhs or not. Their's is just to drink their cash away, eat all types of meat, go to the local Gurudwara for showing off to their Sikh neighbours only - but the true essence of Sikhi is truly withering away daily as seen in most Gurudwaras. The most annoying & disappointing thing about the way in which the Granthis sing Shabads & Kirtans nowadays is no way near to arousing any spirituality within the hearts of the listeners or devotees. Perhaps we ought to demand that these Granthis or Raagis to sing in the original Ragas in which the Shabads are meant to be sung in. 

I'll finish the post with this fantastic video & hope you all enjoy listening to this Shabad Kirtan bani of Shri Guru Angad Devji in its traditional Raga Sri Raga Di Vaar.

WaheGuruji Ka Khalsa
WaheGuruji Ki Fateh

 .

Continuing with Khalistani Myths

Khalistani Myth : ' Brahmins are enemies of Sikhism -'

A well known Myth spread by the venomous Talibani Khalistanis. What they do not tell us is that :

1. Several Sikhs were indeed Brahmins such as Bhai Gurdas, Baba Buddha etc  Chhibber (alternatively Chibber or Chhiber) is a Brahmin clan from Kashmiri and settled in Punjab. They are one of the seven clans of the Mohyals who are Saraswat Brahmins of Kashmir. The other six clans are Bali, Bhimwal, Datt/Dutt, Lau, Mohan and Vaid. Punjabi Brahmins other than Mohyals include Barahis (Twelvers), Bawanjais (Fifty-twoers) and Athwans (Eighters). Most Chhibbers are Hindus,  and were closely associated with the Gurus, especially the ninth and tenth Gurus, Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh.

2. Guru Gobindji's teacher & mentor was in fact a Kashmiri Brahmin called Kripa Ram Dutt who was well knowledged in warfare, martial arts, Vedas, Upanishads, sanskrit, Farsee & also fought alongside the Khalsa army & died a martyr for Sanatan Sikhi. He taught the young Guru Gobind Singh all the knowledge of Vedas, warfare & martial arts.

3.  Guru Tegh Bahadur's close followers were Kashmiri Pandit Brahmins. Their names were Bhai Sati Dass, Bhai Dayal Dass & Bhai Mati Dass who all were tortured to death by Aurangzeb. They accepted martyrdom instead of being forcibly converted to Islam. They wore the Janeu, tilak & died for Hindu Dharm. It seems Guru Tegh Bahadurji too died for Hindu Dharm, the faith he so much held close to his heart as per his following statement to Aurangzeb: 

'Tin te sun Siri Tegh Bahadur
Dharam nibaahan bikhe Bahadur Uttar bhaniyo, dharam hum Hindu
Atipriya ko kin karen nikandu Lok parlok ubhaya sukhani
Aan napahant yahi samani Mat mileen murakh mat loi
Ise tayage pramar soi Hindu dharam rakhe jag mahin
Tumre kare bin se it nahin

~ Guru Tegh Bahadur's reply to Aurangzeb's ordering him to embrace Islam

.
(In response, Shri Tegh Bahadur says, My religion is Hindu and how can I abandon what is so dear to me? This religion helps you in this world and that, and only a fool would abandon it. God himself is the protector of this religion and no one can destroy it.)

In recognition of the devotion and supreme sacrifice made by the Brahmin Mati Dass, Guru Teg Bahadur bestowed the title of Bhai on him. In course of time, all Chhibbers belonging to the village of Karyala adopted this title. 

4. Bhai Mati Dass was a Mohyal Brahmin of the Chhibber clan. He belonged to the village of Karyala, a stronghold of the Chhibbers, in the Jhelum District in Punjab (Pakistan), about ten kilometres from Chakwal on the road to the Katas Raj Temple Complex. The village stands on the top of the Surla hills.Originally from kashmir, these Pandits had fled the tyranny of Aurangzeb's rule in the valley for a safe haven in Punjab.

Mati Dass was the son of Hira Nand, a disciple of Guru Har Gobind, under whom he had fought in many battles. He survived the Guru, and a little before his death he had entrusted his two sons, Mati Das and Sati Das to the care of Guru Har Rai, who had assured the dying man of his full attention and help. Both the lads remained attached to the Guru's family at Kiratpur. When Guru Har Krishan was summoned to Delhi by Aurangzeb, both the brothers, Mati Das and Sati Das, were present in his entourage along with his brother Dayal Dass and Gurditta, a descendant of Bhai Budha (different from Baba Gurditta, the son of Guru Hargobind, brother of Guru Teg Bahadur and father of Guru Har Rai).

5. The title of Bhai was first given to a Kashmiri Brahmin family settled in Kiratpur. It was their nephew Chaupa Singh Chibber who compiled the first Rehat Maryada. He served the last three gurus. He was the care-taker of Guru Gobind Singh.

6. Bhai Kesar Singh Chhibber, son of Gurbaksh Singh, wrote 'Bansavalinama Dasan Patshahian Ka' his work in 1779 AD. He served Mata Sundari (wife of Guru Gobind Singh). Many descendants of this extended Chhibber clan of Karyala (Bhai Charan Singh, Bhai Gaj Singh, Bhai Wazir Singh and Bhai Jai Bhan) were entrusted with senior posts during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and awarded jagirs and stipends. They were issued certificates of honour, exempted from paying salt-tax and severe punishments were provisioned for anyone disturbing the peace of their families.

7. Baba Praga Sen (1507—1638) laid the foundation of Karyala, which remained the home of the Chhibbers for 450 years till the Partition of India in 1947. Praga became a disciple of Guru Nanak Dev. After Guru Nanak Dev, Baba Praga played an important part during the lifetime of the next five Gurus: Guru Angad Dev, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das,Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Har Gobind. In the year 1638, he fought with Paindah Khan, the Governor of Lahore. Baba Praga was wounded and died on his return to Karyala. His samadhi stands on the outskirts of Karyala and another memorial was raised in Kabul at ‘Char Bagh’. The cross section beyond Sarai Guru Ram Das on the periphery of the Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar is named Chowk Praga Das after him. His loyalty and spiritual devotion to different Gurus particularly Guru Arjan Dev finds a mention in the book Suraj Prakash.

8.Praga Das' son, Durga Das was the Diwan of Guru Har Gobind and the seventh Guru, Guru Har Rai. His son, Lakhi Das was anointed to the same post but he died soon afterwards and Durga Mal held that position until Guru Har Krishan. 

9. Several of the advisors, head of bodyguards and army generals of Maharaja Ranjit Singh were Brahmins. 

More Myths from the Khalistani Brigade

Sikhs Saved the whole of India - crazy Khalistani Myth

One well known Myth created by these Talibanised Neo-Sikhs is that Sikhs saved 95% of India ( Read 'ungrateful' Hindus ). It is one of the most common & repeated myths that has been propagated thanks to the illiterate turban wearing Khalistani Jatts to make it look that Sikhs had indeed saved the whole of India from Islamic conversion. Let's take a look shall we?

The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Hindu imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of India, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km². The Marathas, lead by Chattrapati Shivaji are credited for ending the Mughal rule in India. By 1734, most of India had been re-captured from the clutches of the Islamic rulers, by the Marathas.

The Marathas were a Hindu warrior group from the western Deccan that rose to prominence during the rule of the Adil Shahi dynasty andAhmadnagar Sultanate. The empire was founded and consolidated by Chhatrapati ('Emperor') Shivaji Bhosle, who created an independent empire with Raigad as its capital, and successfully fought against the Mughal Empire.  The Maratha Empire waged war for 27 years with the Mughals from 1681 to 1707, which became the longest war in the history of India. The Marathas eventually emerged victorious. Shivaji pioneered "Shiva sutra" or Ganimi Kava (guerrilla tactics), which leveraged strategic factors like demographics, speed, surprise and focused attack to defeat his bigger and more powerful enemies. Venkoji, the younger half-brother of Shivaji, founded the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom.

Maratha Confederacy by 1750

Afterwards, Shahu, a grandson of Shivaji, became ruler. During this period, he appointed Peshwas as the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire. After the death of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the empire expanded greatly under the rule of the Peshwas. The empire at its peak stretched from Tamil Nadu in the south, to Peshawar (modern-day Pakistan) on the Afghanistan border in the north, and led expeditions to Bengal in the east.

More on Shivaji Maratha 

Shivaji was a Maratha aristocrat of the Bhosle clan who founded the Maratha empire. Shivaji led a resistance to free the Maratha people from the Sultanate of Bijapur, and re-establish Hindavi Swarajya ("self-rule of Hindu people"). He created an independent Maratha kingdom with Vedant Raigad as its capital, and successfully fought against the Mughals to defend his kingdom. He was crowned as Chhatrapati('sovereign') of the Maratha empire in 1674.

The Marathas had lived in the Desh region around Pune for a long time, in the western portion of the Deccan, where the plateau meets the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. They had resisted incursions into the region by the Mughal rulers of northern India. Under their leader Shivaji, the Marathas freed themselves from the Muslim Turkic sultans of Bijapur to the southeast under the leadership of Shivaji, and became much more aggressive, frequently raiding Mughal territory and ransacking the Mughal port of Surat in 1664 and again in 1670. In 1674 Shivaji proclaimed himself king, taking the title Chhatrapati. By the time of Shivaji's death in 1680, the Marathas had expanded their territory to include many parts of central and south India. According to Indian historian Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar, Shivaji was inspired by the Vijayanagara Empire, a bulwark against the Muslim invasion of South India. The victories of the then king of Mysore, Kanthirava Narasaraja I against the Sultan of Bijapur also inspired Shivaji.

Sambhaji Maratha

Shivaji had two sons: Sambhaji and Rajaram. Sambhaji, the elder son, was very popular among the courtiers. In 1681, Sambhaji had himself crowned and resumed his father's expansionist policies. Sambhaji had earlier defeated the Portuguese and Chikka Deva Raya of Mysore. To nullify any Rajput-Maratha alliance, as well as the Deccan Sultanates, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb himself headed south in 1681. With his entire imperial court, administration, and an army of about 500,000 troops he proceeded to conquer the entire Maratha Empire along with the sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda. During the eight years that followed, Sambhaji led the Marathas, never losing a battle or a fort to Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb had almost lost the campaign but for an event in early 1689. Sambhaji called his commanders for a strategic meeting at Sangameshwar to decide on the final onslaught on the Mughal forces. In a meticulously planned operation, Ganoji Shirke and Aurangzeb's commander, Mukarrab Khan attacked Sangameshwar when Sambhaji was accompanied by a few men. Sambhaji was ambushed and captured by Mughal troops on 1 February 1689. He and his advisor, Kavi Kalash were taken to Bahadurgad. Sambhaji and Kavi Kalash executed for rebellion against the Empire on 11 March 1689.

Rajaram & Maharani Tarabai

Rajaram, Sambhaji's brother, now assumed the throne. Mughals laid siege to Raigad. Rajaram fled to Vishalgad and then to Ginge for safety. From there, the Marathas raided the Mughal territory and many forts were captured by Maratha commanders Santaji Ghorpade, Dhanaji Jadhav, Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi, Shankaraji Narayan Sacheev, and Melgiri Pandit.  In 1697, Rajaram offered a truce but this was rejected by the emperor. Rajaram died in 1700 at Sinhagad. His widow, Tarabai, assumed control in the name of her son Ramaraja (Shivaji II). Then Tarabai heroically led the Marathas against the Mughals; by 1705, they had crossed the Narmada River and entered Malwa, then in Mughal possession.

Malwa was a decisive battle for the Maratha Empire. The Mughals lost their eminent position on the Indian subcontinent forever and the subsequent Mughal emperors became titular rulers. The Marathas emerged victorious after a long drawn-out and fiercely fought battle. The soldiers and commanders who participated in this war achieved the real expansion of the Maratha Empire. The victory also set the foundations for the imperial conquests achieved later, under the Peshwas.

Ramchandra Pant Amatya Bawdekar was a court administrator who rose from the ranks of a local Kulkarni to the ranks of Ashtapradhan under guidance and support of Shivaji. When Rajaram fled to Jinji in 1689 leaving Maratha Empire, he gave a "Hukumat Panha" (King Status) to Pant before leaving. Ramchandra Pant managed the entire state under many challenges like influx of Mughals, betrayal from Vatandars (local satraps under the Maratha state) and social challenges like scarcity of food. With the help of Pantpratinidhi, Sachiv, he kept the economic condition of Maratha Empire in an appropriate state. He wrote Adnyapatra in which he has explained different techniques of war, maintenance of forts and administration etc.

Shahuji

After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, Shahuji, son of Sambhaji (and grandson of Shivaji), was released by Azam Shah, the next Mughal emperor, under conditions that rendered him a vassal of the Mughal emperor but his mother was still held captive to ensure good behaviour from Shahuji. He immediately claimed the Maratha throne and challenged his aunt Tarabai and her son. This promptly turned the now-spluttering Mughal-Maratha war into a three-cornered affair. The states of Satara and Kolhapur came into being in 1707, because of the succession dispute over the Maratha kingship. By 1710, two separate principalities had become an established fact, eventually confirmed by the Treaty of Warna in 1731.

In 1713, Furrukhsiyar declared himself Mughal emperor. His bid for power depended heavily on two brothers, known as the Saiyids, one of whom was the governor of Allahabad and the other the governor of Patna. However, the brothers had a falling-out with the emperor. Negotiations between the Saiyids andPeshwa Balaji Vishwanath, a civilian representative of Shahu, drew the Marathas into the vendetta against the Mughal emperor.

In 1714, an army of Marathas commanded by Parsoji Bhosale marched up to Delhi unopposed and managed to depose the Mughal emperor.  In return for this help, Balaji Vishwanath managed to negotiate a substantial treaty. Shahuji would have to accept Mughal rule in the Deccan, furnish forces for the imperial army, and pay an annual tribute. But in return, he received a firman, or imperial directive, guaranteeing him Swaraj, or independence, in the Maratha homeland, plus rights to chauth and sardeshmukh (amounting to 35 percent of the total revenue) throughout Gujarat, Malwa, and the now six provinces of the Mughal Deccan. This treaty also released Yesubai, Shahuji's mother, from Mughal prison.

During regime of Shahu, Raghuji Bhosale expanded the empire in East reaching present-day Bangladesh. Senapati Dabhade expanded in West. Peshwa Bajirao and his three chiefs Pawar (Dhar), Holkar (Indore) and Scindia (Gwalior) expanded in North. These all houses became hereditary, thereby undermining kings authority in due course of time.

The Peshwa Era (1749 to 1761)

During this era, Peshwas controlled the Maratha army and later became the hereditary rulers of the Maratha Empire from 1749 to 1818. During their rein, the Maratha empire reached its zenith ruling most of the Indian Subcontinent. Prior to 1700, one Peshwa received the status of imperial regent for eight or nine years. They oversaw the greatest expansion of the Maratha Empire around 1760 with the help of Sardars like Holkar, Scindia, Bhosale, Pantpratinidhi, Gaekwad (Dhane), Panse, Vinchurkar, Pethe, Raste, Phadke, Patwardhan, Pawar, Pandit ,Purandare and Mehendale, until its eventual annexation by the British East India Company in 1818.

Ramachandra Pant Amatya

Ramchandra Pant Amatya Bawdekar was a court administrator who rose from the ranks of a local Kulkarni to the ranks of Ashtapradhan under guidance and support of Shivaji. He was one of the prominent Peshwas from the time of Shivaji, prior to the rise of the later Peshwas who controlled the empire after Shahuji.

When Chhatrapati Rajaram fled to Jinji in 1689 leaving Maratha Empire, he gave a "Hukumat Panha" (King Status) to Pant before leaving. Ramchandra Pant managed the entire state under many challenges like influx of Mughals, betrayal from Vatandars (local satraps under the Maratha state) and social challenges like scarcity of food. With the help of Pantpratinidhi, Sachiv, he kept the economic condition of Maratha Empire in an appropriate state.

He received military help from the Maratha commanders – Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav. On many occasions he himself participated in battles against Mughals and played the role of shadow ruler in absence of Chhatrapati Rajaram.

In 1698, he happily stepped down from the post of "Hukumat Panha" when Rajaram offered this post to his wife, Tarabai. Tarabai gave an important position to Pant among senior administrators of Maratha State. He wrote "Adnyapatra"  in which he has explained different techniques of war, maintenance of forts and administration etc. But owing to his loyalty to Tarabai against Shahuji (who was supported by more local satraps), he was sidelined after arrival of Shahuji in 1707.

Baji Rao I

After Balaji Vishwanath's death in April 1720, his son, Baji Rao I was appointed as Peshwa by Chattrapati Shahuji, one of the most liberal emperors. Shahuji possessed a strong capacity for recognising talent, and actually caused a social revolution by bringing capable people into power irrespective of their social status. This was an indication of a great social mobility within the Maratha Empire, enabling its rapid expansion.

Pandit Baji Rao Vishwanath Bhatt (18 August 1700 – 25 April 1740), also known as Baji Rao I, was a noted Brahmin general who served as Peshwa (Prime Minister) to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shahu between 1720 until death. During his lifetime, he never lost a battle. He is credited with expanding the Maratha Empire especially in north that reached its zenith twenty years after his death. Peshwa Bajirao fought over 41 battles and is reputed to have never lost one. Battle of Palkhed was a land battle that took place on 28 February 1728 at the village of Palkhed, near the city of Nashik, Maharashtra, India between Baji Rao I and the Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad. The Marathas defeated the Nizam. The battle is considered an example of brilliant execution of military strategy. The Battle of Vasai was fought between the Marathas and the Portuguese rulers of Vasai, a village lying near Bombay in the present-day state of Maharashtra, India. The Marathas were led by Chimaji Appa, a brother of Peshwa Baji Rao I. Maratha victory in this war was a major achievement of Baji Rao I reign.

Balaji Rao

Baji Rao's son, Balaji Bajirao (Nanasaheb), was appointed as a Peshwa by Shahuji. The period between 1741 and 1745 was one of comparative calm in the Deccan.  Shahuji died in 1749 bequething power to peshwa with condition that the dignity of house of Shivaji will be maintained and also welfare of subjects will be looked after.

In 1740, the Maratha forces came down upon Arcot and invaded the Nawab of Arcot, Dost Ali in the pass of Damalcherry. In the war that followed, Dost Ali, one of his sons Hasan Ali, and a number of prominent persons lost their lives. This initial success at once enhanced Maratha prestige in the south. From Damalcherry the Marathas proceeded to Arcot. It surrendered to them without much resistance. Then, Raghuji invested Trichinopoly in December 1740. Unable to resist, Chanda Saheb delivered the fort to Raghuji on 14 March 1741, on the day of Ram Navami. Chanda Saheb and his son were arrested and sent to Nagpur.

After the successful campaign of Karnatak and Battle of Trichinopolly, Raghuji returned from Karnatak. He undertook six expeditions in Bengal from 1741–1748. Raghuji was able to annexe Odisha to his kingdom permanently as he successfully exploited the chaotic conditions prevailing in Bengal, Bihar and Odisha after the death of their Governor Murshid Quli Khan in 1727. Constantly harassed by the Bhonsles, Odisha or Katak, Bengal and parts of Bihar were economically ruined. Alivardi Khan, Nawab of Bengal made peace with Raghuji in 1751 ceding in perpetuity Katak up to the river Suvarnarekha, and agreeing to pay Rs.1.2 million annually in lieu of the Chauth of Bengal and Bihar. The smaller States of Raipur, Ratanpur, Bilaspur and Sambalpur belonging to Chhattisgad territory were conquered by Bhaskar Ram, and were placed in charge of Mohansingh, an illegitimate son of Raghuji. Towards the end of his career, Raghuji had conquered the whole of Berar; the Gond kingdoms of Devgad including Nagpur, Gadha-Mandla and Chandrapur; the Subha of Katak; and the smaller states spreading between Nagpur and Katak.

Pandit Ragunath Rao

Continued expansion saw Raghunath Rao, the brother of Nanasaheb, pushing into in the wake of the Afghan withdrawal after Ahmed Shah Abdali's plunder of Delhi in 1756. Delhi was captured by Maratha army under Raghunath Rao in August 1757 defeating Afghan garrison in the Battle of Delhi. This laid the foundation for the Maratha conquest of North-west India, including Punjab. In Lahore, as in Delhi, the Marathas were now major players.

Raghoba's letter to Peshwa Balaji Bajirao, 4 May 1758:

Lahore, Multan, Kashmir and other subhas on this side of Attock are under our rule for the most part, and places which have not come under our rule we shall soon bring under us. Ahmad Shah Durrani's son Timur Shah Durrani and Jahan Khan have been pursued by our troops, and their troops completely looted. Both of them have now reached Peshawar with a few broken troops. So Ahmad Shah Durrani has returned to Kandahar with some 12–14 thousand broken troops. Thus all have risen against Ahmad who has lost control over the region. We have decided to extend our rule up to Kandahar.Pandit Raghinath Rao and his troops entered Amritsar and cleaned up the Shri Harimandir temple which had been defiled by the Muslim troops.

In September 1758, Sambaji Bhosle was appointed governor of Punjab. 

Marathas Capture Peshawar & most of Punjab

On 8 May 1758, the Marathas captured Peshawar, defeating the Afghan troops in the Battle of Peshawar. In 1759, The Marathas underSadashivrao Bhau (referred to as the Bhau or Bhao in sources) responded to the news of the Afghans' return to North India by sending a big army to North. Bhau's force was bolstered by some Maratha forces under Holkar, Scindia, Gaikwad and Govind Pant Bundele. The combined army of over 100,000 regular troops had re-captured the former Mughal capital, Delhi, from an Afghan garrison in August 1760. Delhi had been reduced to ashes many times due to previous invasions, and in addition there being acute shortage of supplies in the Maratha camp. Bhau ordered the sacking of the already depopulated city. He is said to have planned to place his nephew and the Peshwa's son, Vishwasrao, on the Mughal throne. By 1760, with defeat of the Nizam in the Deccan, Maratha power had reached its zenith with a territory of over 2,800,000 km² acres.

Ahmad Shah Durrani, then called Rohillas and Nawab of Oudh to assist him in driving out 'infidel' Marathas from Delhi. Huge armies of Muslim forces and Marathas collided with each other on 14 January 1761 in the Third Battle of Panipat. The Maratha army lost the battle which halted imperial expansion.

Mahadaji  Sindhia 

Mahadaji Sindhia was the Maratha ruler of the state of Gwalior in central India. Mahadaji was instrumental in resurrecting Maratha power after the debacle of the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, and rose to become a trusted lieutenant of the Peshwa, leader of the Maratha Empire, as well as the Mughal king Shah Alam II.

He took full advantage of the system of neutrality pursued by the British to resurrect Maratha power over Northern India. In this he was assisted by Benoît de Boigne who increased Sindhia's regular forces to three brigades. With these troops Sindhia became a power in northern India.

After the growth in power of feudal lords like Malwa sardars, landlords of Bundelkhand and Rajput kingdoms of Rajasthan, they refused to pay tribute to Mahadji. So he sent his army conquer the states such as Bhopal, Datiya, Chanderi (1782), Narwar, Salbai and Gohad. He launched an expedition against the Raja of Jaipur, but withdrew after the inconclusive Battle of Lalsot in 1787.The strong fort of Gwalior was then in the hands of Chhatar Singh, the Jat ruler of Gohad. In 1783, Mahadji besieged the fort of Gwalior and conquered it. He delegated the administration of Gwalior to Khanderao Hari Bhalerao. After celebrating the conquest of Gwalior, Mahadji Shinde turned his attention to Delhi.

In early 1771, ten years after the collapse of Maratha supremacy in North India following the Third Battle of Panipat, Mahadji recaptured Delhi and installedShah Alam II as the puppet ruler on the Mughal throne,  receiving in return the title of deputy Vakil-ul-Mutlak or vice-regent of the Empire and that ofVakil-ul-Mutlak being at his request conferred on the Peshwa. The Mughals also gave him the title of Amir-ul-Amara(head of the amirs).Mahadji ruled the Punjab as it used to be a Mughal territory and Sikh sardars and other Rajas of the Sutlej region paid tributes to him.

The Battle of Gajendragad was fought between the Marathas under the command of Tukojirao Holkar (the adopted son of Malharrao Holkar) and Tipu Sultanfrom March 1786 to March 1787 in which Tipu Sultan was defeated by the Marathas. By the victory in this battle, the border of the Maratha territory extended till Tungabhadra river.

In 1788 Mahadji's armies defeated Ismail Beg, a Mughal noble who resisted the Marathas. The Rohilla chief Ghulam Kadir, Ismail Beg's ally, took over Delhi, capital of the Mughal dynasty, and deposed and blinded the king Shah Alam II, placing a puppet on the Delhi throne. Mahadji intervened, taking possession of Delhi on 2 October, restoring Shah Alam II to the throne and acting as his protector. Mahadji sent Benoît de Boigne to crush the forces of Jaipur at Patan (20 June 1790) and the armies of Marwar at Merta on 10 September 1790.

By the early 1700's Rajputs had full control over their domains & territories, while the South of Delhi was ruled by Jat Hindu Kings. The Hindu/Sikhs were able to gain control most of Punjab after 1700 though the Marathas maintained rule over Punjab during Mahdaji Sindhia's time. 

The Khalistani Neo Sikhs will never tell us this true account of Hindu history of how bravely the Rajputs as well as Marathas have fought off Islam for 700 years, but will want us to fall for their Bullshit myth of how 'Sikhs' saved the whole of India & Hindus from the clutches of Islam. 

Here is a map showing the entire of India during Maratha resistance of 700 years against Islamic fascism. So can any Khalistani bigotted idiot please tell any of us gullible Sikhs that did we actually save the ungrateful Hindus - or was it the other way around?

The Third Battle of Panipat saw an enormous number of deaths and injuries in a single day of battle. It was the last major battle between indigenous South Asian military powers until the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

To save their kingdom, the Mughals once again changed sides and welcomed the Afghans to Delhi. The Mughals remained in nominal control over small areas of India, but were never a force again. The empire officially ended in 1857 when its last emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was accused of being involved in the Sepoy Mutiny and exiled.

The Marathas' expansion was stopped in the battle, and infighting soon broke out within the empire. They never regained any unity. They recovered their position under the next PeshwaMadhavrao I and by 1771 were back in control of the north, finally occupying Delhi. However, after the death of Madhavrao, due to infighting and increasing pressure from the British, their claims to empire only officially ended in 1818 after three wars with the British.

Meanwhile the Sikhs—whose rebellion was the original reason Ahmad invaded—were left largely untouched by the battle. They soon retook Lahore. When Ahmad Shah returned in March 1764 he was forced to break off his siege after only two weeks due to a rebellion in Afghanistan. He returned again in 1767, but was unable to win any decisive battle. With his own troops complaining about not being paid, he eventually abandoned the district to the Khalsa, who remained in control until 1849.

Many historians, including British historians of the time, have argued that had it not been for the weakening of Maratha power at Panipat, the British might never have gotten a strong foothold in India.

Latest News on Christian conversions in Punjab

AMRITSAR: Religious conversions have generally raised the hackles of the clergy and bodies associated with the affected religion. The villages along the national border in Punjab are the latest affected, with cases of conversion of some Sikhs and Hindus to Christianity. Sikh bodies have called for revamping of Sikhism-preaching institutions to combat the trend.

           

Village Nagoke along the country's border lies in Amritsar district. Lying adjacent to the border, these villages have witnessed upheavals of communal tension. Since independence, however, they have settled down to a predominantly Sikh and Hindu population. Happenings and reports over the last couple of weeks have shown minor signs of a will to accept change in the religious texture. Christian missionary bodies preaching redressal of social ills supplemented with financial help have gained acceptance among a section of the economically backward.

          Religious conversion is already a sensitive issue that has raised the hackles in other parts of the country. Here too, whereas some claim it to be a balm that Christianity provides, others dismiss it as downright bribery given in the name of faith. Says one of the young boys whose family has converted to Christianity, "As a child I remember my father coming home drunk and shouting at us without any control. There was no food in the house and we were reduced to beggary. Once, some missionaries came home and taught us lessons for a better life. "This made my father give up his bad habits and he started going to work. With the Lord's blessings things changed for the better. My father adopted Christianity and I followed suit."

           Another villager, however, puts it down to giving away of material favours by the missionaries who are convincing the villagers to convert. "When I asked the boys as to why they have converted to Christianity, they said they had been given cash and free education. In our village alone, 5 to 6 people have converted and, of course, their generations to come would also be Christians", he says.

          Prayer meetings like this one held regularly in the area preach the message of Christianity which is said to be attracting the populace. Six churches have already come up over an area of 4 or 5 villages. On their part, Sikh experts and religious leaders have called for an awakening on the part of Sikh preachers and social workers to revive the tenets of peace and equality that lie at the core of the Sikh religion too. It is all, they say, about getting the message accross.

           Gurbachan Singh Bachan, former Secretary of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, says " People who are converting from Hinduism and Sikhism to Christianity are those who have lost understanding of their own religion. "Under the moral and ethical extension programme, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, Singh Sabha, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Khalsa institutions and the Government need to educate the people about the values of a religion, and tell them that all religions are equal and no religion teaches us to fight with each other."

           Villagers who are against the working of the missionaries have urged imposition of control, if not ban, on their activities before tensions rise further. Somewhere though, this is also a pointer to maladies that have crept into Sikhism and Hinduism that need to be looked into quickly. Former SGPC general secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur puts it down as the failure of the committee of religious preachers. "The Sikh preachers who go to the villages and teach the message of the Gurus have failed to reach out to the people and change their attitude. They have not moulded themselves according to the demands of the day. They need to be given orientation and a form of training so they can carry out their duties in an effective manner, as per the demands of the changing times."

           The divider between religious groups working to remove social ills and, as alleged, handing out money and blatant incentives for conversion, is a thin one indeed touching on issues of ethics +and religious sentiment. The response, perhaps, lies on which side of that divide one is on.