Chandigarh, October 16: Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal said that under the guidance of Shri Guru Govind Singh Ji, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur had emerged as a great warrior who fought for his country especially when resentment was rising following the atrocities by the Mughal Empire. The atmosphere was rife with darkness and fear at that time. The youth should come forward with the spirit of patriotism, taking inspiration from the life of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, he added.

The Chief Minister said this during a webinar organised on the occasion of the 350th birth anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.

He said that even though Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was born in a Rajput family in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir and named Laxman Dev, he was later known as Madho Das Bairagi for his reclusive life at Nanded in Maharashtra. It was the era of the Bhakti Movement; however, there was a lack of quality leadership, and military spirit to confront the Mughals, he added. He said that during that time, Shri Guru Govind Singh Ji commanded Madho Das Bairagi to fight against the Mughal Empire in Northern India. After getting inspired by Guru Gobind Singh, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur constituted a force and declared Sirhand as his financial capital, that spread over Hansi, Hisar, Kaithal, Tohana of Haryana. Thus he established the first Sikh state in 1710.

Later, Lohgarh was made its capital, which is located along the border of Himachal Pradesh in Yamunanagar district of Haryana, he added.

The Chief Minister said that Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was a great example of humanity. The soldiers in his force belonged to all religions and he addressed every soldier in his force as lion. He said that Banda Singh Bahadur laid a strong foundation of patriotism and proved to be a courageous general. He said that Banda Singh Bahadur introduced coins and stamps in the name of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Shri Guru Govind Singh Ji in his state. Besides this, he assisted the landowners to take possession of their own land, he added.

Referring to his own ancestors, the Chief Minister said that they were among the 700 soldiers in the force of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, who were martyred while fighting the Mughals.

The Chief Minister said that in 2016, when he gave directions to locate the actual capital, Lohgarh, of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, it was found out that four different places were named Lohgarh in North India was known as Lohgarh. However, the actual capital Lohgarh was found to be in Yamunanagar district.

The Chief Minister said that in view of the memory of bravery and courage of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, it has been decided to set up Martial Art School in Lohgarh. Apart from this, a trust has been formed in Lohgarh which will develop a museum for its ancient significance. Haryana Government is developing Lohagarh as a tourist destination, he added.

The webinar was also addressed by Former Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, Dr. Jaspal Singh, Historian, Baba Jatinder Pal Singh Sodhi, Vice President, Haryana Punjabi Sahitya Academy, Sardar Gurvinder Singh and National Convener, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Sikh Sampradaya, Mr. Shiv Shankar Pahwa.