Bhai Dayala
Encyclopedia
Bhai Dyala ji(died 1675) was one of the earliest and great Martyr
s to the Sikh
faith. Along with his companions Bhai Mati Das
and Bhai Sati Das
as well as Ninth Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur
ji, Bhai Dayala was martyred at Chandni Chowk
at Delhi
in November 1675 on account of his refusal to barter his faith.
District of Punjab
whom Giani Gian Singh Dullat has connected with Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed.
, the authenticity and trustworthiness of which is yet to be ascertained, examined and accepted by the Historians and Scholars, Bhai Dayala was son of Mai Das and an elder brother of Bhai Mani Ram of Punwar) Rajput
lineage from village Alipore, Multan
, now in Pakistan
.
, now in Haryana
. The village is commonly called "Theh". But according to Harbans Singh Thind
, Bhai Dayala was born in village Kalhe in Majha-des, District
Amritsar
, Tehsil Tarn Taran
in a family of Kamboh farmers. The village Kalha adjoins village Kang and is located few miles east of Tarn Taran. His father Lall Chand was from Mutti clan
of the Kamboj. His mother’s name was Chandika. Sher Singh Sher (a non-Kamboj researcher) writes that Bhai Dayala ji belonged to the Kambo or Kamboh caste
and was a real paternal uncle (Chacha ji) of Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed. Another well known research scholar S Kirpal Singh states that Bhai Dayala was Kamboj
but does not give any further information about his family or his village. A more likely scenario is that Bhai Dayala belonged to those famiilies of Kambohs which had earlier moved from Kambohwal (now Longowal) and had settled at Anandpur
in the service of the Gurughar during the times of ninth Guru ji.
s who accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur when the latter left Anandpur
on 11 July 1675 to court martyrdom at Delhi
, the other two were brothers---Bhai Mati Das
, a Dewan and Bhai Sati Das
, a Scribe at Guru’s court. Along with Ninth Guru ji, they were arrested under orders from Emperor
Aurangzeb
at Agra
. On 9 November 1675 A.D, the Qazi pronounced his religious order that Bhai Dayala must either accept Islam
or be prepared to embrace death by being boiled in a cauldron. Bhai Dayala heroically accepted the latter alternative and asked leave of the Guru
. The Guru graced Bhai Dayala for his lifelong devotion as a true and dedicated Sikh
and blessed him with glory and success. Bhai Dayala was put into a big cauldron
full of water which was later heated to the boiling point. Bhai Dayala continued to his last breath to recite the Japji of Guru Nanak and the Sukhmani
of Guru Arjan.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s to the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
faith. Along with his companions Bhai Mati Das
Bhai Mati Das
Bhai Mati Das Bhai Mati Das Bhai Mati Das (Punjabi: ਭਾਈ ਮਤੀ ਦਾਸ, is one of the greatest martyrs in Sikh history. He along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dyal Das, all disciples of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, were executed along with him at the Kotwali(police-station)...
and Bhai Sati Das
Bhai Sati Das
Bhai Sati Das along with his elder brother Bhai Mati Das is one of the greatest martyrs in Sikh history. Bhai Sati Das and his elder brother Bhai Mati Das were followers of ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur...
as well as Ninth Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur
Guru Teg Bahadur
Guru Tegh Bahadur became the 9th Guru of Sikhi on 20 March 1665, following in the footsteps of his grand-nephew, Guru Har Krishan. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi....
ji, Bhai Dayala was martyred at Chandni Chowk
Chandni Chowk
Chandni Chowk , originally meaning moonlit square or market, is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, now in central north Delhi, India...
at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in November 1675 on account of his refusal to barter his faith.
Dullat Jat
According to one version, Bhai Dayala belonged to Dullat family of Chaudhury Bika Dullat (Jatt). He is said to have been a real brother of Bhai Mani Singh Dullat from village Kambowal (now Longowal) in the SangrurSangrur
Sangrur is a city in the Indian state of Punjab, India. It is the headquarters of the Sangrur district. It is located at the intersection of the roads connecting Delhi with Ludhiana and Patiala with Bathinda, at a distance of 80 km from Ludhiana and 48 km from Patiala. The...
District of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
whom Giani Gian Singh Dullat has connected with Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed.
Punwar Rajput
According to another claim which is solely based on the Bhat VahisBhat Vahis
Bhat Vahis were scrolls or records maintained by Bhatts, hereditary bards and genealogists. According to Nesfield as quoted in W. Crooke, The Tribes and Castes of the North Western India, 1896, Bhatts are an "offshoot from those secularised Brahmans who frequented the courts of princes and the...
, the authenticity and trustworthiness of which is yet to be ascertained, examined and accepted by the Historians and Scholars, Bhai Dayala was son of Mai Das and an elder brother of Bhai Mani Ram of Punwar) Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
lineage from village Alipore, Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
, now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Kamboj
According to Principal Satbir Singh, Bhai Dayala was real brother of Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed and belonged to village Kakaru in District AmbalaAmbala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
, now in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
. The village is commonly called "Theh". But according to Harbans Singh Thind
Thind
Thind is the most prominent clan name found among the people living in Greater Punjab. The Thinds are well known in the areas of agriculture, military, sports and Punjabi literature. Thinds are numerously found as Sikhs, Hindus and the Muslims...
, Bhai Dayala was born in village Kalhe in Majha-des, District
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, Tehsil Tarn Taran
Tarn Taran
Tarn Taran may refer to:*Tarn Taran Sahib, a city in Tarn Taran district, Punjab, India*Tarn Taran district, a district in Punjab, India*Tarn Taran...
in a family of Kamboh farmers. The village Kalha adjoins village Kang and is located few miles east of Tarn Taran. His father Lall Chand was from Mutti clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
of the Kamboj. His mother’s name was Chandika. Sher Singh Sher (a non-Kamboj researcher) writes that Bhai Dayala ji belonged to the Kambo or Kamboh caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
and was a real paternal uncle (Chacha ji) of Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed. Another well known research scholar S Kirpal Singh states that Bhai Dayala was Kamboj
Kamboj
The Kambojs , also Kamboh, are an ethnic community of the Punjab region. They may relate to the Kambojas, an Iranian tribe known to the people of Iron Age India and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and epigraphy. Kamboj is frequently used as a surname in lieu of the sub-caste or the gotra name...
but does not give any further information about his family or his village. A more likely scenario is that Bhai Dayala belonged to those famiilies of Kambohs which had earlier moved from Kambohwal (now Longowal) and had settled at Anandpur
Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib is a city in Rupnagar district in the state of Punjab, India. Known as "the holy City of Bliss," it is a holy city of the Sikhs and is one of their most important sacred places, closely linked with their religious traditions and history...
in the service of the Gurughar during the times of ninth Guru ji.
Martyrdom
Bhai Dayala was one of the SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s who accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur when the latter left Anandpur
Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib is a city in Rupnagar district in the state of Punjab, India. Known as "the holy City of Bliss," it is a holy city of the Sikhs and is one of their most important sacred places, closely linked with their religious traditions and history...
on 11 July 1675 to court martyrdom at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, the other two were brothers---Bhai Mati Das
Bhai Mati Das
Bhai Mati Das Bhai Mati Das Bhai Mati Das (Punjabi: ਭਾਈ ਮਤੀ ਦਾਸ, is one of the greatest martyrs in Sikh history. He along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dyal Das, all disciples of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, were executed along with him at the Kotwali(police-station)...
, a Dewan and Bhai Sati Das
Bhai Sati Das
Bhai Sati Das along with his elder brother Bhai Mati Das is one of the greatest martyrs in Sikh history. Bhai Sati Das and his elder brother Bhai Mati Das were followers of ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur...
, a Scribe at Guru’s court. Along with Ninth Guru ji, they were arrested under orders from Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
at Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
. On 9 November 1675 A.D, the Qazi pronounced his religious order that Bhai Dayala must either accept Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
or be prepared to embrace death by being boiled in a cauldron. Bhai Dayala heroically accepted the latter alternative and asked leave of the Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
. The Guru graced Bhai Dayala for his lifelong devotion as a true and dedicated Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
and blessed him with glory and success. Bhai Dayala was put into a big cauldron
Cauldron
A cauldron or caldron is a large metal pot for cooking and/or boiling over an open fire, with a large mouth and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger.- Etymology :...
full of water which was later heated to the boiling point. Bhai Dayala continued to his last breath to recite the Japji of Guru Nanak and the Sukhmani
Sukhmani
Sukhmani Sahib is the name given to the set of hymns divided into 24 sections which appear in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scriptures on page 262. Each section, which is called an Ashtpadi, consists of 8 hymns per Ashtpadi. The word Sukhmani literally means Peace in your mind...
of Guru Arjan.
See also
- Bhai Mati DasBhai Mati DasBhai Mati Das Bhai Mati Das Bhai Mati Das (Punjabi: ਭਾਈ ਮਤੀ ਦਾਸ, is one of the greatest martyrs in Sikh history. He along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dyal Das, all disciples of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, were executed along with him at the Kotwali(police-station)...
- Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadar
- SikhismSikhismSikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
- Sikh GurusSikh GurusThe Sikh Gurus established Sikhism from over the centuries beginning in the year 1469. Sikhism was founded by the first guru, Guru Nanak, and subsequently, all in order were referred to as "Nanak", and as "Lights", making their teachings in the holy scriptures, equivalent...
- Guru Granth SahibGuru Granth SahibSri Guru Granth Sahib , or Adi Granth, is the religious text of Sikhism. It is the final and eternal guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708...