Battle of Bhangani             On July 8, 1675, Before Guru Teg Buhadur Ji left to become a martyr, he named Baba Gobind Rai the tenth Guru. He was only nine years old at the time.               Guru Gobind Rai had his Sikhs trained in archery and sword fighting. When he was sixteen, he had introduced the Ranjit Nagara – Drum of victory. He also had a fort built at Paonta Saheb. While here, he met a nearby Muslim saint – Pir Budhu Shah.               One day, 500 Pathans in military uniform came to Pir Budha Shah. They said that they are professional warriors who were employed by King Aurangzeb’s army, but he has fired us. Now we have no work, we have come here to ask you to help us find work.               Pir Budha Shah knew that Guru Gobind Rai had an army, so he asked the Guru to hire the men. The Guru agreed to hire the men and gave them a ransom salary.               The Guru and his army was at Poanta Saheb when the word spread that Raja Bhim Chand of Bilaspur was leading an army of the mountain kings to attack the Guru.               The 500 new men that had joined the Guru’s army started to get scared. Four of their generals – Haiyat Khan, Nijabat Khan, Umre Khan, Bhikhan Khan along with 400 of their men deserted the Guru and joined the enemy soldiers.               Only one of the Generals, Kale Khan, and 100 men stayed faithful to the Guru. The Guru also had 500 Udasi Sadhus who would stay with the Guru, but all of them also ran away during the night. Only their leader, Mahant Kirpal Das stayed with the Guru.               Pir Budhu Shah heard what had happened, he felt ashamed because he was the one who asked the Guru to hire those 500 soldiers. He along with his two brothers, four sons, and 700 of his disciples went and joined the Guru’s army for this battle.               The Guru stationed his troops about 12 kilometers north of Paonta Saheb at the village of Bhangani. A battle took place here. Two of Pir Budhu Shah’s sons and many of his disciples died fighting in this battle. Mahant Kirpal Das killed Haiyat Khan, one of the four generals who betrayed the Guru.               The enemy started to retreat and the Guru’s army celebrated victory.               After the battle, the Guru was very pleased with Pir Budhu Shah’s contribution and asked him what he wanted as a reward. The Pir said that he does not want anything, but the Guru insisted. Guru Gobind Rai was combing his hair, Pir Budhu Shah said, “Give me the comb with your lose hair in it.”               The Guru gave the comb along with a robe and sword to Pir Budhu Shah.                Back to Main Page   | Gurmat Studies Foundation | Guru Nanak Academy | Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Gatka Akhara | Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!