It is a great tragedy of history that when many sources are read to prepare a topic, the date, name, and incident of any source are not found same among the sources. There are four main things to present history: The Place (where the event occurred), The Person (with whom the event occurred), The Witness (who witnessed the event), and The Source (who wrote the event).
Personality and character pass away with time, ultimately two things remain: place and source. Unfortunately, management committees and Babas have damaged our historical places, while today’s preachers have depleted our resources. The Indian Army also destroyed a lot of precious history in 1984.
Among the ancient sources about Paonta Sahib, there is a very important source (‘ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਪਾਵਟਾਂ ਕੀ ਸੁੱਧ ਲਈ’). To be pure means to take the mind. When it comes to taking the Surat of a place, it proves that that place has been desolated once.
In 1058, there was the rule of Raja Uday Malla. After him, another king from the area of Jaisalmer ruled there. After some time, floods completely devastated this area, but people started settling there again after Guru Gobind Singh Ji visited. Because of this, this city got the name ‘ ਪਾਵਟਾਂ ‘ after their feet. Historical sources confirm this. If we look at the traditions of the hill people, they say an ornament worn at the foot of the hill people called a ‘Pavat’ gave the city its name. Historians find these two different pieces of evidence in history.
The next thing comes about Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji’s mother. Here, there is a dilemma in history, some scholars say that Mata Sundar Kaur Ji’s paternal name was Jeeto, and Mata Sundar Kaur Ji and Mata Jeeto Ji are one and the same. Principal Satbir Singh mentions this. However, historians cannot accept this claim because the community performed Mata Jeeto Ji’s last rites in Anandpur Sahib, while Mata Sundar Kaur Ji stayed in Delhi for a long time. This evidence proves that Mata Sundar Kaur Ji and Mata Jeeto Ji are two distinct personalities.
According to other evidence, Guru Gobind Singh Ji married Mata Jeeto Ji first and Mata Sundar Kaur later. However, Sahibzada Ajit Singh was born from Mata Sundar Kaur. One source says that when Mata Jeeto Ji passed away in the year 1700, Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji was about one and a half years old. Guru Ji married Mata Sunder Kaur Ji for the second time to raise his children. Historians find these three types of evidence in history. After studying a lot of evidence, most of the evidence testifies to the fact that Sahibzada Ajit Singh was born from Mata Sundar Kaur Ji. Most historians agree on this point.
Now the next thing comes to naming. The author of ‘Bansawali Nama’ writes the name of Sahibzada Ajit Singh as Jit Singh. (Sailapati) In Shri Guru Sobha, the name is written as Ranjit Singh but in most of the sources the name Ajit Singh is found. In the sources 3 names are found Jeet Singh, Ranjit Singh, and Ajit Singh. The reason for this is that when it comes to the naming of Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the source prior to these sources states that Sahibzada Ajit Singh was named after winning the Battle of Bhangane, which took place about one and a half to two months after his birth. And, in the sources related to that war, both the names Ajit Singh and Ranjit Singh are found.
‘ਰਣਨ-ਜੀਤ ਰਾਏ ਜੈਅਨ ਗੀਤ ਗਾਏ
ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਾਲ ਕੇਰੀ ਭਈ ਜੀਤ ਮੇਰੀ’
Among these, 14-15 of our authentic sources mention Sahibzada Ajit Singh. Similarly, we face these dilemmas regarding the names of the remaining 3 Sahibzadas. When Sahibzada Ajit Singh grew up a little, he took lessons in gatkebaji, javelin throw, and horse riding from teachers. Sahibzada Ajit Singh fought the first battle of his life, a very important battle. The Sangat was coming from the Potohar area. When the Sangat was coming from this area, there was a very famous Rangar in the way, whose name was ‘Kesho Ram Nagar’. He took his goons with him because he was under the patronage of the hill kings, who were opponents of Guru Sahib. Latif also mentions that the opposition of the hill kings to Guru Sahib was the most important reason why Guru Ji publicly broke the caste system.
The hill kings could not digest Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s key words. Ancient sources record these words, which not only reject the caste system but also mention abolishing it and granting the throne to the Sikhs.
‘ਜਿਨਕੀ ਜਾਤ ਪਾਤ ਕੁਲ ਮਾਹੀ
ਸਰਦਾਰੀ ਨਾ ਭਈ ਕਦਾਹੀਂ
ਤਿਨਹਿ ਕੋ ਸਰਦਾਰ ਬਨਾਊਂ
ਤਬੈ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਨਾਮ ਕਹਾਊਂ।’)
The hill kings opposed this and provided protection to everyone who opposed the Guru’s house. Keso Ram Rangar also robbed the congregation. When the congregation returned, they came and narrated the entire incident that had happened to them in the Guru’s Darbar.
The devotees said, ‘Guru Ji, we were bringing a Kar Sewa offering for you. And on the way, we were robbed.’ The Kalgidhar Patshah Guru Gobind Singh Ji sent two Sikhs to punish Keso Ram Ranghar. Those two Sikhs were Sahib Ajit Singh and Baba Udhe Singh (son of martyr Bhai Mani Singh). These two Singhs took back all the loot from Keso Ram. They did not kill Keso Ram. They tied up Keso Ram and brought them to the presence of Guru Sahib.
When Syed Wali Hasan, who was the Qazi of Sirhind during the time of Aurangzeb, came to Anandpur Sahib with the Quran Sharif, on which Aurangzeb had asked Guru Gobind Singh Ji to leave the fort and had taken a false oath.At that time, thinking that Aurangzeb (the current king) had sent him, Qazi Wali Hasan started talking with a little ego. Hakim Mirza Allah Yar Khan Jogi has also mentioned this,
‘ਇਤਲਾਹ ਹੁਈ ਸਰਹੰਦ ਸੇ
ਕਾਸਿਦ ਇੱਕ ਆਇਆ ਹੈ ਵੋਹ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਕਾ ਪੈਗ਼ਾਮ ਲਾਇਆ ਹੈ।’
He tried to speak in the dignity of Guru Sahib like this, “I have come from the side of the King of Hindustan, you are very young.” Then Sahib Ajit Singh took the hilt of the sword in his hand. However, Guru Gobind Singh Ji said to Sahib Ajit Singh, “No, my son, attacking a messenger (one who brings a message) is against the rules of war.”But one source states that the Singhs had beaten the messenger of Ahmad Shah Abdali because he had also spoken many abusive words, but he was not killed either.
But in the history of India, if anyone has violated this tradition, it has been the Rajputs. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, after conquering Sirhind, sent four Sikhs to Raja Jai Singh. This is mentioned in the ‘ਅਖਬਾਰਾ ਤੇ ਦਰਬਾਰੇ ਮੌਲਾ’, which is a Persian source. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur had sent a message that I have a very small army and we have uprooted the Mughal rule and if you support us then we can eliminate them from India. Raja Jai Singh had all the four envoys killed and wrote to Farrukhshiar in a letter that I have killed the envoys sent by Banda Singh Bahadur.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji stopped Sahibzada Ajit Singh with great love, saying, ‘No, of course he spoke abusively in the midst of his glory, but the rules of war say that a Qasid is not attacked’. Sahibzada Ajit Singh presented Keso Ram Rangarh alive in front of the Guru, he did not kill him. The reason for not killing him was that he had only looted and had not killed anyone. He was of advanced age and had not committed any rape. When Sahib Ajit Singh brought him before the Guru Ji, Guru Ji asked the Sangat what they should do with him now. The Sangat replied that their tributes had finally reached Guru’s doorstep, so rather than punishing him, Guru ji simply forgive him. History is witness that after that Keso Ram Rangarh became a Sikh of the Guru’s house.
Kesho Ram Rangar, who used to rob the devotees of the Guru Ghar, became a Sikh of the Guru Ghar. When Kesho Ram Rangar became a Sikh of the Guru Ghar, the hill kings prepared two more bandits. Ancient sources record two names for these two robbers: Chitta Malha and Mittu Ram Rangar. Historians rarely mention their names because traditional popular history merely entertains and pleases the ear. Both Mittu Ram Rangar and Chitta Mall were cousins. The hill kings pushed them to carry so much that Sangat comes and they come with offering, you are brave, you can loot them. We have no restrictions on you.
When they started looting the congregation, they also killed some devotees during the looting. Sahibzada Ajit Singh went to punish them, accompanied by Baba Bachittar Singh Ji. In the same battle, they killed both these bandits. After that, Sahibzada Ajit Singh fought his next battle without any equal general companion to him. Sahib Ajit Singh was a little young between the first two wars. In the first war, he went with Baba Uday Singh Ji and in the second, he went with Bhai Bachittar Singh Ji. Both of them were sons of Bhai Mani Singh.
To understand this entire phenomenon, it is necessary to understand an old incident. Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s court was in session, and the Singhs came after fought into the battlefield. Earlier, when the Singhs used to win into the battlefield, they would bring the weapons, armor, ammunition, etc. looted from the enemy and offer them to the Guru Ji. But today, attendants brought a palanquin and placed it before the Guru. Curtains covered the palanquin. The Guru asked, whose palanquin is it and who is in it? The Sikhs replied, ‘Patshah, we had a war. The Nawab of Rahimpur left his wife and fled from the battlefield.
Guru Ji ordered the Singhs to leave this palanquin safely in the area of Rahimpur and come. Sahib Ajit Singh also went with him. At this time, a Sikh asked Guru Ji, “Why should we go to return the king? If any of our women had fallen into the hands of the Mughals, they would not have returned them.” Then Guru Ji replied, ‘ਤਬ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਬੋਲੇ ਇਕ ਬੇਰੇ ਹਮ ਲੇ ਜਾਨੋ ਪੰਥ ਉਚੇਰੇ’। ” We will not do what they do, our ideology is unique.