Honorable Jathedar
Diwan
Darbara Singh
ਪੰਥ ਪਾਤਸ਼ਾਹ
ਦੀਵਾਨ ਦਰਬਾਰਾ ਸਿੰਘ
Honorable Jathedar
3rd Jathedar of Akal Takht
In office
1722–1734
Preceded byMani Singh
Succeeded byKapur Singh
2nd Jathedar of Buddha Dal
In office
1716–1734
Preceded byBinod Singh
Succeeded byKapur Singh
Personal details
Born
Darbara Singh

1644
Dal, Panjab
DiedJuly 1734
RelationsBaba Kalyana (grandfather)
Gharbara Singh (younger brother)
Parent
  • Nanu Rai (father)

Baba Darbara Singh (1644 – July 1734[1]), also known as Diwan Darbara Singh[2], was second Jathedar of Budha Dal and third leader of the Akal Takht.[3][4][5] He should not be confused with other Darbara Singh of Sirhind who fought in the Battle of Anandpur.[6]

Biography

Birth and family background

Darbara Singh was born in the village of Dal to a Khatri family as the son of Bhai Nanu Rai from Dilwali of Delhi and had a younger brother name Gharbara Singh, they belonged to the family of Guru Hargobind.[7] He was born into a mercantile family of Sirhind.[8] His grandfather, Baba Kalyana, had served in the forces of the Akal Sena during the guruship period of Guru Hargobind.[7] His father, Nanu Rai, would later assist with the rescue of the severed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur in Delhi.[7] Later, his father would undergo the Pahul in 1699 and be rechristened as 'Nanu Singh'.[7] Nanu Singh was martyred in the Battle of Chamkaur.[7] Darbara's younger brother, Gharbara, would be martyred in the Battle of Agampura (near Anandpur) in 1700.[7]

Early life

He entered into the service of the Guru Tegh Bahadur as a child.[7] He learnt the martial art of Shastar Vidya from Guru Tegh Bahadur.[9] When Guru Gobind Singh was born on 18 December 1661 in Patna, Guru Tegh Bahadur instructed Darbara to travel to Patna and from there make his way to Punjab, passing on the auspicious news to the Sikh congregations along the way.[7] Per Sikh lore, during this time the Guru had placed a turban upon the head of the young Darbara (dastar bandi), a great honour.[7] This is said to signify that the Guru foresaw Darbara becoming a great leader of the Sikhs in the future.[7] He was further instructed to establish an Akhara (Indic martial training centre) in Punjab to educate many ranks of men for the upcoming battles of the Sikhs.[7] Darbara would establish this Akhara in 1661.[7]

When Guru Tegh Bahadur returned to the Punjab in 1670 to where Darbara and his disciples were located.[7] After this, the Guru was accompanied by Darbara to Anandpur.[7]

He served Guru Gobind Singh for 16 years. He underwent the Pahul ceremony and became baptized into the Khalsa order on 30 March 1699.[8] He was a participant in the many battles of Anandpur.[8] He also served as a warrior within the ranks of Banda Singh Bahadur's army and gained a high-level of repute while doing so.[8] He held the rank of diwan, being the commissar in charge of rations and forage.[8]

After the death of Banda, he worked together with other Sikh sardars of his time.[10] Each had been assigned different roles and responsibilities, he was responsible for managing the finances of the Sikh nation.[10]

Leadership

He took-over the leadership role of the Budha Dal after Binod Singh was killed in a clash against Mughal forces in 1721.[9]

In 1721, a young and aspiring Kapur Singh would join his jatha of Sikh warriors.[11] However, another sources states Kapur Singh joined Darbara Singh's jatha in June 1726.[12]

After the last-stand and martyrdom of Tara Singh Wan in 1726, many Sikhs, motivated by feelings of revenge, decided to join the jatha of Darbara Singh to fight the Mughals.[13]

Under the leadership of Darbara Singh, the Sikhs managed to reorganize and reconvene themselves after being in disarray since the death of Banda Singh Bahadur.[14] He did so by arranging a Sarbat Khalsa in 1726 in Amritsar.[14] He orchestrated the guerilla attacks upon hostile forces by the Sikh jathas during the 1720s.[15] After a Gurmatta passed under his watch, the Mughal imperial treasury was targeted for looting by the Sikhs.[2] One such looting occurred in 1727, when Mughal royals made a stop in Sri Hargobindpur.[5]

Many famous Sikh historical personalities were administered the Pahul under his watch.[16][17]

In 1733, Zakariya Khan, the governor of Lahore province, attempted to make peace with the Sikhs and sent an envoy named Subeg Singh to meet with them.[8] Subeg Singh offered a jagir-ship and nawab-ship to the Sikhs.[8] According to Rattan Singh Bhangu's Panth Prakash, the Sikhs at the time held an assembly and decided to award the title of nawab to Darbara Singh but he rejected it and did not believe the Sikhs should accept a title from the Mughal government as they did not need to do so to legitimize their sovereignty as per his belief.[8][18] However, the Sikh congregation overruled Darbara Singh's protest and decided to confer the title upon Kapur Singh instead, whom was also a highly-respected Sikh at the time.[8][19][18]

Death and succession

After declining the title of nawab, he remained the manager of provisions until his death in July 1734.[8][1] He died aged 90 and was succeeded by Nawab Kapur Singh, whom had assisted him in his campaigns after the Mughals during his life.[20][21][5][22] His year of date is recorded as either being 1734 or 1735 and a discrepancy exists within sources regarding his exact date of death.[9][22] According to Giani Gian Singh, he died in 1734.[22]

His successor, Kapur Singh, would shortly after reform the organization of the Sikh army and establish the Dal Khalsa force with its various formations.[23][24]

References

  1. 1 2 Singh, Teja; Singh, Ganda (1989). A Short History of the Sikhs: 1469-1765. A Short History of the Sikhs. Vol. 1. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. p. 117. ISBN 9788173800078.
  2. 1 2 Dharam, Santokh Singh (1986). Internal and External Threats to Sikhism. Gurmat Publishers. pp. 108–113.
  3. ↑ ਨਵਾਬ ਕਪੂਰਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਇੱਕ ਪੰਥ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਨਿਵਾਸ ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਜੀ ਸੀ. ਆਪ ਦਾ ਦੇਹਾਂਤ ਸੰਮਤ ੧੭੯੧ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋਇਆ.:dharabārāsingha, Gur Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh: Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha
  4. ↑ Bhatia, Harbans Singh; Bakshi, Shiri Ram (1999). Encyclopaedic History of the Sikhs and Sikhism: National movement and the Sikhs: The Martyrdom Tradition. Encyclopaedic History of the Sikhs and Sikhism. Vol. 5. Deep & Deep Publications Pvt. Limited. p. 12. ISBN 9788176291347.
  5. 1 2 3 Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. pp. 19–24.
  6. ↑ ਸਰਹਿੰਦ ਨਿਵਾਸੀ ਬਾਣੀਆ, ਜੋ ਦਸ਼ਮੇਸ਼ ਤੋਂ ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਛਕਕੇ ਸਿੰਘ ਸਜਿਆ, ਅਤੇ ਆਨੰਦਪੁਰ ਦੇ ਜੰਗਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀਰਤਾ ਨਾਲ ਲੜਦਾ ਰਿਹਾ।: dharabārāsingha, Gur Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh: Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Singh, Teja (2013). "Baba Darbara Singh Akhara". Sanatan Shastar Vidiya. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Singh, Harbans (2002). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. 1: A-D (4th ed.). Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 508–509.
  9. 1 2 3 Nihang, Nidar Singh; Singh, Parmjit (2008). In the Master's Presence: The Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib. Vol. 1. Kashi House. ISBN 9780956016805. Binod Singh died in a skirmish with the Mughal forces in 1721. Akali Darbara Singh Nihang (1645-1735), a veteran warrior who had learnt shastar vidya from Guru Tegh Bahadur, succeeded him as the Buddha Dal's second jathedar.
  10. 1 2 Seetal, Sohan Singh (1971). Rise of the Sikh Power and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Dhanpat Rai. p. 173. The responsibilities of the organisation were shared among the Sardars, Sardar Bhai Mani Singh was the priest of the temple of Amritsar. The finance was with Diwan Darbara Singh. Nawab Kapur Singh was the flag captain, Gurbakhsh Singh the artillery commander, Hari Singh, the food controller and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, the provender ...
  11. ↑ Sikh Courier International, Volume 39, Issue 88 - Volume 42, Issue 92. Sikh Cultural Society of Great Britain. 1999. p. 45.
  12. ↑ Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh (2000). Who are the Sikhs?. Sikh Educational Trust. June 1726 - (Nawab) Kapur Singh joined the Jatha (battalion) of Diwan Darbara Singh.
  13. ↑ Johar, Surinder Singh (2002). The Sikh Sword to Power. Arsee Publishers. p. 47. The Sikhs burnt with the spirit of revenge. They vowed to avenge the death of Bhai Tara Singh. Many, willing to sacrifice their lives, joined the Jatha of Diwan Darbara Singh.
  14. 1 2 Singh, Jagraj (2009). A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. p. 54. ISBN 9788171427543. Banda Singh was captured alive and executed in Delhi by the Moghul Government of Hindustan in 1716, after which two most powerful nations of Asia at that time, the Moghul Emperor of Hindustan from Delhi and Ahmad Shah Abdali King of Afghanistan from Kabul vowed to wipe out the Sikhs from the face of the earth. The Sikhs left their homes and hearths and escaped to the safety of jungles, mountains of the Punjab and desert of the adjoining Rajputana, refused to submit and continued their struggle for the independence of the Sikh Nation. They re-organized themselves and first Sarbat Khalsa meeting was held at Akal Takhat Amritsar under the leadership of Jathedar Darbara Singh on the Vaisakhi day in 1726. Thereafter Amritsar became the headquarters of Dal Khalsa, Buddha Dal, Taruna Dal and then 12 Misls.
  15. ↑ Singh, Sangat (2001). The Sikhs in History: A Millenium Study, with New Afterwords (4th ed.). Uncommon Books. pp. 97–98. ISBN 9788190065023. The Sikh guerrillas during 1720s were led by Jathedar Darbara Singh. Their main operations consisted of raids on government treasuries, despoiling the small parties carrying revenue of cash, horses and armaments, mulcting of ...
  16. ↑ The Panjab Past and Present. Vol. 21. Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University. 1987. p. 20.
  17. ↑ Singh, Harbans (2002). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. 1: A-D (4th ed.). Punjabi University, Patiala. p. 531.
  18. 1 2 Sandhu, Jaspreet Kaur (2000). Sikh Ethos: Eighteenth Century Perspective. Vision & Venture. p. 28. ISBN 9788186769126.
  19. ↑ Seetal, Sohan Singh (1981). The Sikh Misals and the Punjab States. Lahore Book Shop. p. 51. The assembly had unanimously offered Kapur Singh the insignia of Nawabship, and since then he had been called Nawab Kapur Singh . Diwan Darbara Singh was the leader of the Panth and Nawab Kapur Singh was appointed its flag bearer.
  20. ↑ Jathedar Baba Darbara Singh Ji:Official website of Budha Dal
  21. ↑ Rao, P. V. Narasimha (1984). Parliament Debate on White Paper on Punjab. A.I.C.C.(I). p. 69. After Darbara Singhji, Nawab Kapur Singh succeeded him, then came Jessa Singhji Ahluwalia, who is known to be the king of the Khalsa Panth (Padshah). He was succeeded by Jathedar Singh Sahib Nayana Singhji , followed by Akali ...
  22. 1 2 3 Nayyar, Gurbachan Singh (1979). Sikh Polity and Political Institutions. Oriental Publishers & Distributors. pp. 102, 129.
  23. ↑ Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh (1995). Kerr, A. T. (ed.). Akal Takht Sahib (2nd ed.). Sikh Educational Trust in collaboration with the Sikh University Centre, Denmark. p. 18. ISBN 9780969596417. In 1734, Diwan Darbara Singh, the chief of the Sikh army, died and Sirdar Kapur Singh became the sole commander of the entire Sikh army. He decided to reorganise the army into different units . A Sarbat Khalsa gathering was held at ...
  24. ↑ Singh, Teja (1956). Sikh Tracts. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. p. 29. It was however discovered, especially after the death of Diwan Darbara Singh in July 1734, that the Army of Young needed further sub-division to provide for its leaders greater opportunities of service and fewer of friction.
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