Bota Singh

Bota Singh (died 1739) was a Sikh martyr who was killed by Mughal forces dispatched by Zakaria Khan under the command of Jalal Din after he started collecting a tax from travellers on the main road to Lahore as a mark of sovereignty for the Sikhs. ^{[1] [2]} He is remembered by Sikhs as one of the notable martyrs of the 18th century. ^[3] His martyrdom was a sign of the changing power dynamics of Mughal Punjab between the Mughals and the Sikhs. ^[4]

Biography

Bota Singh was from the village of Bharana in Amritsar district. ^{[5] [6] [2]} He was born into a Sandhu Jat family. ^[1] His companion Garja Singh was of a Rangreta background. ^{[5] [6]}

During the days of anti-Sikh persecution when there was a bounty for the head of a Sikh, the Sikhs had dispersed to hiding spots, such as forests. ^[2] Bhai Bota Singh lived in one such forest near Tarn Taran and would come out of hiding at night to find food and sometimes visit Amritsar to take a dip in the holy pool around Darbar Sahib. ^{[6] [2]} One day he was noticed by some zamindars who thought he was a Sikh but a member of their party objected saying he could not have been a Sikh, for had he been one, he would not have concealed himself. ^{[6] [2]} Other versions of the story say that Mughal guards were passing the forest when one said that the Sikhs were all deceased and there were none left. ^[7]

Vexed by the observer's remark, Bota Singh set on a plan whereby he and his companion Garja Singh took up a position on the main highway near Tarn Taran in a dilapidated inn. ^[2] There, they proclaimed the sovereignty of the Khalsa and collected a small toll tax (octroi tax) from each passerby. ^{[8] [9] [2]} However, this failed to attract the Mughal governor's attention so they also sent a notice with a traveller for the governor of Lahore province to be noticed. ^{[10] [9] [4]} After seven days 1000 soldiers ^[11] with 100 horsemen ^[12] under Jalal Din came to apprehend the two Sikhs who then died fighting in 1739 as they refused to surrender. ^{[13] [14] [2] [4]}

References

1. Grewal, J. S. (Oct 8, 1998). "Rise to Political Power". The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. p. 90. ISBN   9780521637640.
2. Singha, H. S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Hemkunt Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN   9788170103011.
3. Oberoi, Harjot Singh (Dec 15, 1994). The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition. University of Chicago Press. p. 330. ISBN   9780226615929.
4. Fenech, Louis E.; McLeod, W. H. (Jun 11, 2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. p. 72. ISBN   9781442236011.
5. Gandhi, Surjit Singh (1980). Struggle of the Sikhs for Sovereignty. Gur Das Kapur. p. 92.
6. Singh, Teja; Singh, Ganda (1950). A Short History of the Sikhs. Vol. I: 1496-1765. Orient Longmans. pp. 127–128.
7. Singh, Harjinder (2008). Game of Love. Akaal Publishers. p. 28. ISBN   9780955458712.
8. Grewal, J. S. (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab, Volumes 2-3. Cambridge University Press. p.  90. ISBN   9780521637640.
9. Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh. The Sikh Reference Book. Denmark: Sikh Educational Trust for Sikh University Centre. p. 319. ISBN   9780969596424.
10. McLeod, W. H. (2005). The A to Z of Sikhism (Volume 45 of The A to Z Guide Series). Plymouth: Scarecrow Press. p. 39. ISBN   9780810863446.
11. Gandhi, Surjit (1999). Sikhs in the Eighteenth Century: Their Struggle for Survival and Supremacy. Singh Bros. p. 124. ISBN   9788172052171.
12. Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Punjabi University. p. 30.
13. J.S. Grewal, "The Sikhs of Punjab", The New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge, 1998, p. 90
14. Bhagat Singh, "Bota Singh", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume I, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1995, pp. 387–88.