Social media often sees non-Sikhs taunt the Sikh community with the “12 o’clock” joke. Sikh scholars answer boldly: Turks and Mughals kidnapped women — Sikhs hunted them down and stopped them. Under cover of night, Sikhs hunted down the kidnappers and brought every woman safely home. This response directly and appropriately addresses the spirit of the question.
Now let us look at the history behind this subject. Nader Shah, the king of Khurasan, rose to power around 1736. In 1738, he launched his first invasion of India — not out of deliberate ambition, but driven by circumstances. The immediate cause was his campaign against Pashtun rebels near Kabul. At that time, the Subedar of Kabul was under the authority of Delhi. Nader Shah ordered the Delhi court to deny shelter to any of his rebel enemies who fled into the Kabul region. However, the court did the opposite and granted them shelter.
He sent messengers to the Delhi court two or three times, but Emperor Muhammad Shah gave no satisfactory reply. Enraged by this defiance, Nader Shah invaded India. He reached Lahore and briefly clashed with Zakaria Khan. Khan surrendered quickly, and Nader Shah continued toward Delhi. Three key figures marched with him: his son Nasir Khan, his general Ahmad Khan (the future Ahmad Shah Abdali), and his younger wife. Delhi fell to Nader Shah — and what followed was the Nadarshahi Massacre, one of history’s most devastating campaigns of plunder.
Nader Shah looted Delhi and began his return. He carried away camels, horses, artisans, precious gemstones, the Kohinoor, and another priceless diamond. In addition, he took many women as captives. Punjab’s great Sikh warriors were waiting. Sardar Kapur Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Charat Singh, and Hari Singh hit his forces hard — and they hit repeatedly. The Sikhs fought using “Kaman Gosh Niti” — a deadly guerrilla strategy. Shah Muhammad himself documented it in his Jangnameh, while writing about Sham Singh Attari at the Battle of Sabraon. The Singhs struck at Abdali’s military units, freed the captive women from bondage, and ensured their safe return home.
Nader Shah did not only take non-Muslim women captive. He also arranged a marriage between his son Nasir Khan and the daughter of Emperor Muhammad Shah — the king’s own daughter. Some historical sources also mention that Nader Shah himself wished to marry the daughter of a Delhi general named Muzaffar Khan, but his younger wife forbade him from doing so.
Throughout his return journey, the Sikhs — who were at that time living in hiding in the forests due to Zakaria Khan’s orders for their public massacre — repeatedly ambushed Nader Shah’s forces at multiple points, seized his ammunition, and freed the captive women.
From the invasions of Nader Shah to those of Ahmad Shah Abdali, this pattern continued. Whenever a foreign invader carried away the women of India as prisoners, the Sikh commanders would block his path, free the captives, and deliver them safely to their homes. Over time, the title “Bandi Chhor” (Liberator of Captives) became associated with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia in popular memory.
The Origin of “12 O’Clock”
Now, regarding the “12 o’clock” saying — clocks as we know them today did not exist during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. So how did this expression come to be associated with those historical events?
The phrase has its roots in the Punjabi language. In earlier times, when someone was having great success or fortune, people would say ‘ਪੌ ਬਾਰਾਂ ਨੇ’ (pau baaran ne). Expressions like ਪੌ ਬਾਰਾਂ, ਪੱਕੇ ਬਾਰਾਂ, and ਬਾਰਾਂ ਵੱਜਣੇ were all signs of victory and triumph.
When Sikh commanders freed women from captivity, people throughout the community would say ‘Singha diyan 12 pai gaiya’ — meaning “the Singhs have struck 12,” signifying their decisive victory.
In ancient times, this idea of “falling 12” was understood through a game called Chaupar — a board game central to the entire drama of the Mahabharata. The game consists of 4 sections of 24 squares each, totalling 96 squares. Players originally used cowrie shells, which were also used as currency, and later moved to dice. When double sixes appeared on the dice — totalling 12 — it signified a decisive win.
Phrases like ’12 bajne’ and ‘pau 12’ thus came to mark an ultimate, decisive victory. During the Anglo-Sikh Wars, British General Gough, after defeating the Sikhs, reportedly said he had “kept them at 12 o’clock.” However, historical accounts indicate this was a reference to the timing of battle — the record states only that a British victory was almost certain by noon, and no direct use of the phrase “12 o’clock” in the modern taunting sense is documented.
Original content by Team Being Sardar | beingsardar.com |