As the Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab prepares for the annual Shaheedi Jor Mela from December 25 to 27, Punjab Parliament Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has promised that the Aam Aadmi Party government will fully support conservation and conservation. the restoration of Jahazi-Abelwhich was once the residence of Diwan Todar Mal in Sirhind. But who was Diwan Todar Mal, and how is he related to the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the founder of the Khalsa?
Who was Diwan Todar Mal?
Diwan Todar Mal was a rich merchant from Sirhind. Historical accounts suggest that he served as a revenue officer (Diwan) under the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan but was later removed by Aurangzeb. Todar Mal was in Sirhind when Guru Gobind Singh’s two young sons—Sahibzada Fateh Singh (9) and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (7)—were bricked alive on the orders of Wazir Khan, the Mughal ruler of Sirhind, on December 13, 1704. .Their grandmother, Mata Gujri, 81, died of shock after hearing about their tragic death.
The killing of these two children shocked the region. Fear of Wazir Khan’s wrath prevented anyone from performing his last rites until Todar Mal went forward to retrieve the bodies. Wazir Khan imposed strict conditions, demanding that Todar Mal buy the cremation ground by covering it with gold coins. In addition, the coins had to be placed face up. Undeterred, Todar Mal fulfilled the demands, spending a fortune in what was considered one of the most expensive land deals of the time.
Todar Mal cremated the bodies of the Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri with full respect and buried their ashes in an urn in the purchased land. Later, Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala (1813–45) built a gurdwara at Sirhind and other places where they lived. He also renamed the district from Sirhind to Fatehgarh Sahib, after the main gurdwara, Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib, near Sirhind.
Why are young Sahibzadas killed?
According to Koer Singh’s Gurbilas Patshahi Dasveen, Mata Gujri was in Chamkaur Garhi (fort) after Guru Gobind Singh left. He went out to look for the two young Sahibzadas but was identified as “the Turk.” Along with others, he entered the garhi and found a Sikh with a kalgi (plume). Mistaking him for Guru Gobind Singh, they killed him and took Mata Gujri and two Sahibzadas to Sirhind. The boys were given testing rewards and asked to accept Islam, but they refused, and were stoned alive.
In his memoir Panth Prakash, completed in 1810, Rattan Singh Bhangu gives a slightly different account. He writes that Mata Gujri and her grandchildren were separated from Guru Gobind Singh near Ropar. A cook from Saheri village near Ropar took them to his home but, greedy for reward, he informed Jani and Mani, two Ranghar brothers from Morinda. They gave the three to Wazir Khan, the Iranian ruler of Sirhind who asked them to convert to Islam. These boys and their grandmother were locked in a cold house for two days but they did not stop. Bangu notes that Sher Muhammad of Malerkotla strongly opposed their killing but Wazir Khan did not listen to him and killed the boys.
Six years later, in May 1710, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur avenged their martyrdom by attacking Sirhind and killed Wazir Khan in the battle of Chappar Chiri on May 12, 1710.
What is Jahaz Haveli?
Jahaz Haveli was the residence of Diwan Todar Mal in Sirhind, Fatehgarh Sahib district. This 17th century ship-shaped structure is made of Nanakshahi bricks. Despite its historical importance, the hasili has suffered from neglect, with several efforts to preserve the heart. In 2009, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) took over the haeli.
Recently, Diwan Todar Mal Heritage Foundation Punjab has been working to highlight its restoration. Foundation president Lakhwinder Singh Kahneke announced plans to restore the hasili to its original glory using a 1911 photograph from the British Library as a guide.
Kultar Singh Sandhwan assured that the Punjab government will cooperate with the SGPC and the Department of Tourism and Archeology to support the project. In 2021, the Congress government renamed the road connecting Jahaz Haveli to the highway as “Diwan Todar Mal Marg.”
How did the institution remember the martyrdom of the two young Sahibzadas?
In 2022, the Government of India declared December 26 as “Veer Baal Diwas” to honor the courage and great sacrifice of Sahibzada Fateh Singh and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh.
What is the confusion about execution dates?
Professor Amarjit Singh, director of the Center for Sri Guru Granth Sahib Studies at Guru Nanak Dev University, explains that historians of the time used a lunar calendar, which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. The British adopted the Gregorian calendar in September 1752, by which time the difference between the two systems had grown to 11 days.
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