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 Mai
Bhago was was a descendant of Pero Shah,
the younger brother of Bhai Langah a
Dhillon Jatt who had converted a Sikh
during the time of Guru Arjan. Born
at her ancestral village of Jhabal in
present-day Amritsar district of the
Punjab, she was married to Nidhan Singh
Varaich of Patti. A staunch Sikh by
birth and upbringing.
Mughals and hilly chiefs had sorrounded
Anandpur and were demanding it be evacuated.
They called that any Sikh who says that
"he/she is not anymore a Sikh of
Guru Gobind" will be left untouched.
A group of 40 Sikhs, led by Mahan Singh
Brar told Guru Gobind Singh that they
are not his Sikhs anymore. Guru told
them that they have to write it in a
document that "they are not his
Sikhs anymore" and sign it. All
fourty Sikhs signed this document Bedava
and left Guru Gobind Singh. Mai Bhago
was distressed to hear that some of
the Sikhs of her neighbourhood who had
gone to Anandpur to fight for Guru Cobind
Singh had deserted him under adverse
conditions. Hearing her taunts, these
Sikhs were ashamed at their deed. She
rallied the deserters persuading them
to meet the Guru and apologize to him.
she set off along with them and some
other Sikhs to seek out the Guru, then
travelling across the Malva region.
Meanwhile, Guru Gobind Singh had to
evacuate the fort of Anandpur, his children
were lost in the confusion. Two youngest
one's Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh,
went along with their grandmother (mother
of Guru Gobind Singh). While elder one's
Ajit Singh and Jhujhar Singh were with
their father. Then at battle of Chamkaur
Guru's elder sons attained martyrdom,
Guru was saved by five Sikhs and he
evacuated Chamkaur and was travelling
in Malva region, being pursued by Mughal
forces of Aurungzeb. Travelling day
and night in the Jungles of Malva region,
imperial Mughal forces were in constant
pursuit of Guru. Guru Gobind Singh reached
village of Khidrana, when Mai Bhago
and the men, she was leading stopped
near the dhab or pool of Khidrana where
an imperial army in pursuit of Guru
Gobind Singh had almost overtaken him.
They challenged the pursuing host and
fought furiously forcing it to retreat.
All fourty Sikhs attained martyrdom
in this pitched battle, in which Guru
himself was supporting them with a shower
of arrows from a nearby high ground,
found all the men except one Mahan Singh,
killed when he visited the battlefield.
Mai Bhago and Guru Gobind Singh ji were
the sole survivors of this fiercely
fought battle.
Mahan Singh, who had been seriously
wounded, also died as the Guru took
him into his lap. Guru Gobind Singh
blessed those forty dead as the Forty
Liberated Ones. He took into his care
Mai Bhago who had also suffered injury
in the battle. She there after stayed
on with Guru Gobind Singh as one of
his bodyguard, in male attire. After
the death of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded
in 1708, she retired further south.
She settled down at Jinvara, 11 km from
Bidar in Karnataka where, immersed in
meditation, she lived to attain a ripe
old age. Her hut in Jinvara has now
been converted into Gurdwara Tap Asthan
Mai Bhago. At Nanded, too, a hall within
the compound of Takht Sachkhand. Sri
Hazur Sahib marking the site of her
residence is known as Bunga Mai Bhago.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
encyclopedia of Sikhism.
Kur Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi 10. Patiala,
1968
Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sri Gur Pratap
Suraj Granth. Amritsar, 1926-37
Padam, Piara Singh, and Giani Garja
Singh, eds., Guru klari Sakhlari. Patiala,
1986
Harbans Singh, Guru Gobind Singh. Chandigarh,
1966
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