Punjab GK · Sikh history · 18th century

Banda Singh Bahadur and the First Sikh Rule in Punjab (1708–1716) — Exam Notes

Banda Singh Bahadur set up the first Sikh political authority in Punjab, only two years after Guru Gobind Singh Ji passed away. In six years he captured Samana and Sirhind, struck coins in the name of the Gurus, built a capital at Lohgarh and gave land to the tillers. His story bridges the age of the Gurus and the age of the misls, and examiners frequently ask about its dates and places.

By PunjabExams Editorial Team · Updated 29 October 2026 · 7 min read · How we prepare guides

From Lachhman Dev to Banda Singh

Banda Singh Bahadur was born in 1670 as Lachhman Dev at Rajouri in the Poonch region of Jammu. As a young man he left home and became an ascetic (bairagi) under the name Madho Das, eventually settling in a hermitage at Nanded on the Godavari.

In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh Ji reached Nanded. According to Sikh tradition, Madho Das submitted to the Guru, declaring himself the Guru's banda (servant). He received amrit and became Banda Singh, later honoured with the title Bahadur (brave).

Before passing away, the Guru gave him:

• five arrows from his own quiver as a mark of authority,
• a Nishan Sahib and a nagara (war drum),
• an advisory council of five Sikhs, including Bhai Binod Singh and Bhai Baj Singh,
• hukamnamas (letters) asking Sikhs in Punjab to join him.

His task was to punish those responsible for the persecution of the Sikhs, above all Wazir Khan, the faujdar of Sirhind, who had ordered the execution of the younger Sahibzadas.

The campaign in Punjab (1709–1710)

Banda Singh travelled north with a small band. As the Guru's letters spread, peasants, Sikh soldiers and others aggrieved by Mughal officials joined him in large numbers.

Battle of Chappar Chiri (May 1710)

The decisive encounter took place at Chappar Chiri, near present-day Mohali. Wazir Khan's army, with artillery and elephants, was defeated and Wazir Khan was killed. A few days later the Sikhs entered Sirhind, the provincial centre that had become a symbol of oppression. Baj Singh was appointed governor of Sirhind.

The Fateh Burj, a tall victory tower at Chappar Chiri, was built to mark the 300th anniversary of the victory.

Lohgarh and the Sikh state

Banda Singh made the fort of Mukhlisgarh in the Shivalik foothills near Sadhaura his headquarters and renamed it Lohgarh ("Fort of Iron"). It lies in present-day Yamunanagar district, Haryana.

Coins and seal

He struck coins in the names of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji, not in his own name. The Persian inscription on the coin declared that the coin was struck by the grace of the Gurus. He also issued a seal for official orders. This made the Khalsa's claim to sovereignty visible to all.

Land to the tiller

His most remembered reform was in agriculture. He broke the power of the big zamindars (landlords) who collected revenue for the Mughals, and recognised the cultivators as owners of the land they tilled. Many historians regard this as one of the earliest examples of land reform in north India, and it explains his popularity among peasants of all communities.

A new political culture

• Officials were appointed from among ordinary followers, not only from established elites.
• Sikh rule extended between the Sutlej and the Yamuna, with occasional raids into the Jalandhar Doab and the Majha.

Mughal counter-offensive

The fall of Sirhind alarmed the Mughal court. Emperor Bahadur Shah came north himself, and in December 1710 imperial forces besieged Lohgarh. Banda Singh slipped away into the hills, and the struggle continued for several years.

After Bahadur Shah's death (1712), Emperor Farrukhsiyar ordered the governor of Lahore, Abdus Samad Khan, to crush the Sikhs.

Siege of Gurdas Nangal (1715)

Banda Singh and his followers were besieged in the enclosure (haveli) of Duni Chand at Gurdas Nangal, near Gurdaspur. The siege lasted about eight months. Food ran out entirely, and in December 1715 the starving defenders were captured.

Execution in Delhi (1716)

Banda Singh and hundreds of his companions were taken to Delhi in a humiliating procession. The companions were executed in batches over several days, refusing offers of life in exchange for conversion. In June 1716, near Mehrauli, his young son Ajai Singh was killed before his eyes, and Banda Singh was then tortured to death.

Legacy

• He proved that the Mughal hold on Punjab could be broken, and that peasants could be mobilised as a political force.
• After his death, the Sikhs faced decades of persecution, but the idea of Khalsa sovereignty survived and led to the organisation of the Dal Khalsa and the misls (see the related guide on the misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh).
• A difference arose in the community between the Tat Khalsa and the Bandai Khalsa after his death; the Tat Khalsa view prevailed.
• Places linked with him — Chappar Chiri, Sirhind, Lohgarh and Gurdas Nangal — are now memorial sites.

Common exam traps

• Lohgarh of Banda Singh is in Haryana (Yamunanagar), not to be confused with the Lohgarh gate of Amritsar.
• The person killed at Chappar Chiri was Wazir Khan, faujdar of Sirhind; Abdus Samad Khan was the governor of Lahore who captured Banda Singh later.
• The Mughal emperor at the time of Banda Singh's execution was Farrukhsiyar, not Aurangzeb (who died in 1707).

Key points to remember

• Original name Lachhman Dev; as an ascetic, Madho Das; met Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Nanded, 1708.
• Samana (1709) → Chappar Chiri and Sirhind (1710); Wazir Khan killed.
• Capital Lohgarh near Sadhaura; coins in the names of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
• Abolished zamindari power; gave land to tillers.
• Captured at Gurdas Nangal (1715); executed in Delhi (1716) under Farrukhsiyar.

Practice questions

1. Q1. Before meeting Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Banda Singh Bahadur was an ascetic known as:

   • (a) Lachhman Das
   • (b) Madho Das
   • (c) Ram Das
   • (d) Hari Das
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Madho Das — As a bairagi at Nanded he was known as Madho Das; his birth name was Lachhman Dev.

2. Q2. Wazir Khan, faujdar of Sirhind, was killed at the Battle of:

   • (a) Samana
   • (b) Chappar Chiri
   • (c) Gurdas Nangal
   • (d) Bhangani
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Chappar Chiri — Banda Singh's forces defeated and killed Wazir Khan at Chappar Chiri in May 1710.

3. Q3. Banda Singh Bahadur's capital Lohgarh is near:

   • (a) Sadhaura
   • (b) Sirhind
   • (c) Anandpur Sahib
   • (d) Gurdaspur
   Show answer

   Answer: (a) Sadhaura — Lohgarh (earlier Mukhlisgarh) is near Sadhaura in Yamunanagar district, Haryana.

4. Q4. Banda Singh Bahadur's coins were struck in the name of:

   • (a) Banda Singh himself
   • (b) The Mughal emperor
   • (c) Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji
   • (d) The Dal Khalsa
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji — The coins honoured Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

5. Q5. Banda Singh Bahadur was captured after the siege of:

   • (a) Lohgarh
   • (b) Sirhind
   • (c) Gurdas Nangal
   • (d) Chamkaur
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Gurdas Nangal — He was captured at Gurdas Nangal near Gurdaspur in December 1715.

6. Q6. Which Mughal emperor ruled when Banda Singh Bahadur was executed in 1716?

   • (a) Aurangzeb
   • (b) Bahadur Shah
   • (c) Farrukhsiyar
   • (d) Muhammad Shah
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Farrukhsiyar — Farrukhsiyar was emperor; Banda Singh was executed in Delhi in June 1716.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Banda Singh Bahadur remembered for land reform?

He broke the power of the revenue-collecting zamindars and recognised the cultivators as owners of the land they tilled.

Who appointed Banda Singh Bahadur?

Guru Gobind Singh Ji, at Nanded in 1708, sent him to Punjab with five arrows, a council of five Sikhs and letters to the Sikh community.

What is the Fateh Burj?

A victory tower at Chappar Chiri near Mohali, built to mark 300 years of the 1710 victory over Wazir Khan.

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