Daya Singh (Punjabi: ਦਇਆ ਸਿੰਘ (Gurmukhi); born Daya Ram; 1661–1708) was one of the Panj Pyare, the first five Sikhs to be initiated into the Khalsa order in 17th-century India.[1]
Bhai Daya Singh Ji | |
|---|---|
ਦਇਆ ਸਿੰਘ | |
.png) Daya Singh, one of the inaugural/original Panj Pyare, depicted in an old Sikh fresco from inside an abandoned Sikh samadhi located in Kot Fateh Khan, Attock, Punjab, Pakistan | |
| Panj Pyare | |
| In office 1699–1708 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Daya Ram Sobhi 1661 Lahore, Punjab (modern-day Pakistan) |
| Died | 1708 (aged 47) Nanded, India |
| Cause of death | Martyrdom |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Parents |
|
| Known for | Member of the original, inaugural Panj Pyare; was the first to answer the call by the Guru for a head |
| Occupation | Shopkeeper |
| Institute | Khalsa |
Biography edit
He was born in a Sobti Khatri family in 1661 to Bhai Suddha and Mai Diali.[2] Daya Singh reunited with and accompanied the Guru in the Malwa region in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Chamkaur.[3] He, alongside Bhai Dharam Singh, were the two Sikhs entrusted with delivering the Guru's Zafarnama letter to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.[4][5] They were dispatched from either Kangar village, Bathinda or Dina village, Moga, for this purpose.[4][5] Daya Singh prepared a copy of the original Zafarnama letter, which is still extant.[6]
He was part of a Panj Piare quintet commanded, by Guru Gobind Singh, to accompany Banda Singh Bahadur and provide him counsel on his northwards conquest of Sirhind.[7]
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Dasam Granth manuscript from Aurangabad attributed to Bhai Daya Singh -
Ending and beginning of the 8th "Hikayat" of the Dasam Granth, written by Bhai Daya Singh, present within the "Aurangabadi Bir"
References edit
- ^ Sangat Singh (2001). The Sikhs in history: a millennium study, with new afterwords. Uncommon Books. p. 71. ISBN 978-81-900650-2-3.
- ^ "Bhai Daya Singh | Discover Sikhism". www.discoversikhism.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Singh, Patwant (2007). The Sikhs. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307429339.
Both Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, along with Mohkam Singh and Himmat Singh, two of the original five panjpiyare, were killed in hand-to-hand combat. The Sikhs, by then reduced to the Guru and three others, Daya Singh, Dharam Singh and Man Singh, managed to evade the enemy and head for territory favourable to the regrouping of a resurgent Khalsa.
But this tragic phase was still to reach its nadir. With the break of dawn-after leaving Chamkaur at the dead of night-the Guru found himself separated from his companions and alone in the heart of the Machhiwara forest. He was without food, shelter or his trusted mount, his mind filled with thoughts of Mughal betrayal and the loss of his men and sons; only his iron will sustained him in that bleak hour. As luck would have it his three companions, following the route they had agreed upon, were eventually reunited with him. The four, with the help of loyal Sikhs and at least three friendly Muslims, made their way through the enemy patrols who were searching for them.
They finally reached the village of Jatpura where the Guru was warmly received by the Muslim chief of the area, Rai Kalha. - ^ a b Singh, Harbans. The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. I: A-D. Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 484–485.
- ^ a b Fenech, Louis E. (2013). The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9780199931439.
- ^ Sharma, Sarika (23 April 2023). "20 Years of Panjab Digital Library: 6.5 Crore Manuscripts & Counting". The Tribune.
- ^ Sagoo, Harbans Kaur (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 119. ISBN 9788176293006.
Bibliography edit
- Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sn Gur Pratap Sura/` Granth. Amritsar, 1926–37
- Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi 10. Patiala, 1968
- Chhibbar, Kesar Singh, Bansava/inama Dasari Patshahian Ka. Chandigarh, 1972
- Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The Sikh Religion. Oxford, 1909
- Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs, vol. I. Princeton, 1963
- Harbans Singh, Guru Gobind Singh. Chandigarh, 1966