Jatha

Sikhs in the past and present use armed squads called Jatha's. Jatha's are significant in the Sikh tradition, and have been around for just over 300 years at the beginning of the Khalsa.

Sikhs are considered lions by the name 'Singh'(Sher in Punjabi), in history Sikhs were commonly referred to as Akalis(meaning reckless and immortals)being well known for their martial skills, freedom in speaking their minds and their daredevil courage. During the Mughal rule, it was illegal to be Sikh and therefore against the law at the time, Sikhs were considered outlaws, as they lived in the Jungles of Punjab and their daily activities consisted of weapons training, deep medication, lion hunting and Combat Arts of the Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa. The Khalsa was the Sikh army, there were many Sikhs from allover and the Khalsa army was subdivided into Jatha's. These Jatha's were from their own villages and they built many forts and places of worship such as, Harmandir Sahib, Hazur Sahib and many others around Punjab. Sikhs were and are a minority and became necessary to join one or the other jatha to fight against the oppressors.

Despite the small number of Sikhs, they became victorious in hundreds of battles and narrated by many Sikh, Muslim, Hindu and Persian native accounts including historians, with the odds of the Sikhs and Muslims in battle with a ratio of 1:5, but when the Sikh army would march into battle, they would preparer a huge war drum with a loud and thundering beat and would rise the Nishans(Sikh flag) high and the opposing forces would know the Khalsa were coming. While the Singhs spirit was boosting, the opposing forces would get more worried. The Sikhs abolished the Muslim forces and Mughal Empire in the whole province in one stroke and where the first to destroy the Mughal Empire, starting with Sirhind, and set upon the Sikh Empire.

Sikh take over of Mughal Rule

During the 1700's, the rise to power and a Sikh Empire began when the tenth master or guru of Sikhism, Gobind Singh, sent his brave Sikh general, Banda Singh, along with some hundred Singhs to punish those who had committed atrocities against Pir Buddhu Shah and avenge the murder of his young sons. Banda Singh with a large group of Sikhs advanced towards the main Muslim Mughal city of Sirhind and followed the instructions of the Guru and punished all the culprits, taking over the city. Soon after the Invasion of Sirhind, the news of the death of Guru Gobind Singh Ji reached Banda Singh and the Khalsa army. After this the Singhs took over many Muslim and Mughal lands, establishing a Sikh Empire.

Other existing Muslim Emperors proclaimed a jihad or a holy war against the Banda and the Khalsa. However many Muslim army’s and their Emperors fled in dismay and despair after Wazir Khan's head was stuck up on a spear and lifted high up by a Sikh who took his seat at Sirhind, Muslim troops on beholding the head took alarm. Many Muslims embraced Sikhism and became Khalsa. However the concept of jihad was proclaimed and took over 60,000 Muslim troops to capture 400 Sikh warriors and Banda Singh, where he was tortured. Soon after the death of Banda Singh, the Sikh Empire was crowned a new King or Maharajah, called Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The new king and Sikh Misls rose to power in a series of sweeping military and diplomatic victories. Increasing the number of Sikhs and spreading the Empire further. His vast empire comprised almost 200,000 square miles of what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India.

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Portrait of young Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The Empire of the Sikhs and King was widely feared by many natives including Muslims, Hindus, Persians and many Asian countries. Even many Pathans who had previously lived their during the Islamic rule, attempted many times to attack the Empire with over 20,000 troops, in which case Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent his most bravest Sikh warrior, named Akali Phula Singh Nihang(at the age of 65) and a few hundred Singhs to deal with the Invading Pathans and bring them under control. Eventually in a battle, a Pathan, who was hiding behind a boulder, shot Akali Phula Singh from close range during a battle with a number if Pathan soldiers. Akali Phula Singh was found bullet ridden.

Fall of the Empire; The Sikhs remained control of the Empire and Muslims accepted their loss and were not harmed living within the Empire, the Sikhs were and are only 2% of the population, yet they controlled and contributed to over 85%. They faced many odds and over come them, however another challenge was to come. In the East, the British Empire took over thousands of square miles of land, including India, and many Asian countries soon reaching the Sikh Empire, where the British would also meet their biggest challenge during their Conquest.

Both British and Sikh sides lost many troops and heavy number of materials in various battles, such as the Anglo Sikh Wars, for the first time during the British Conquest the British were unable to invade and resulted in both sides having to stop and come to terms. Narrated by Mohanlal Kashmiri, Secretary to Sir Alexander Burnes, Maharaja Ranjit Singh replied to the British, "As long as I'm alive, the British will never conquest here." This led to further Anglo Sikh Wars and further loss on both sides. In 1839, the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Empire fell on the shoulders of his son, Maharaja Duleep Singh(at the age of 11). The Empire had fallen. The British Commission General describes Maharaja Ranjit Singh, "was by all accounts a fierce and revered conquerer."

The first Jatha

The first Jatha was created by the tenth master of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh. After the creation of the Khalsa, Gobind Singh created a distinguished Jatha, the Damdami Taksal in 1706, and appointed it first Jathedar(leader), Baba Deep Singh(at the age of 83). He is said to be 6ft 6" tall, wide build and dressed in the traditional Sikh Nihang wear of orange and blue with shasters(weapons) and traditional Sikh Amour. His Khanda(traditional Sikh double edge sword) is 15kg(about 32 lbs) in weight which is still kept in the holiest Sikh gurdwara today, the Harmandir Sahib.

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Painting of Baba Deep Singh in battle at Harmandir Sahib with his Khanda.

The 20th century Sikh Jathedar of the Damdami Taksal was the greatest Sikh General of the 20th century and the heart of the Sikh youth, Baba Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Bhindranwale took on the third largest army in the world, the Indian army. At the Fortress gurdwara of Harmandir Sahib in 1984, in which the Indian army attacked the Akhal Takhat(the throne of almighty) with 16,000 soldiers along with tanks and helicopters to battle it out with 400 Singhs of the Jatha, Damdami Taksal and other Sikhs, which spilled into a pool of blood and a never ending tension between the Sikh and Hindu faiths. Even to this day tensions still remain high.

Sikh Jatha during British Rule

During the British rule in the Punjab, northern India. Which took the longest and most difficult land to gain during the British Conquest. The Sikhs were still a minority at a 2% population but contributed to over 85% sacrifices and struggle for Independence. During this time, the British imprisoned many Sikhs, Indians and Muslims which led to many villages and towns being raided by the British police. The majority were Muslim and Hindu, even during these difficult times the Sikhs began forming more Jatha's and new armed squads in British India, villages and towns relied mostly on the protection of the Sikh Jatha's to protect and carried out many attacks and assassinations on the British, which succeeded and those Sikhs responsible were brought under arrest and executed. The Sikhs played the most influential role of the Independence Movement, example of these Sikhs go into thousands which include Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh. Most Sikh prison inmates were executed after the assassination of a high ranking British officer, Sir John Simon head on the Simon Commission which was a group of the British Parliament. Then soon after a bomb blast in the British courts.

The Sikh Jatha's such as the Babbar Akali Movement in 1920 gave many serous responses to the British, which led to bloody brawls and fights ending in many British police in India dead. The British rule left India, but before leaving the crucial decision of where the border of the new country of Pakistan will lay. Many historians say the biggest mistake the British made before they left India was splitting the Sikh main land of Punjab in two, giving half to Pakistan and the other half to be run by a Hindu Government. This did lead to non-stop bloodshed between many Sikhs and Muslims. Thousands of Muslims fled the Punjab to go Pakistan and thousands of Sikhs left Pakistan to go to 'New' Punjab, but this journey would result in thousands of lives killed.

Sikh Jatha today in 20th century

The most recent Sikh Jatha today is the Babbar Khalsa, also known as Babbar Khalsa International. There are many new Jatha's but the Babbar Khalsa was and is the most active. The name is traced to the Babbar Akali Movement of 1920, which agitated against British colonial rule.

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Group of Sikhs from the Babbar Khalsa Jatha.

The founders of this Jatha were Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Mehal Singh Babbar and Amarjit Kaur. Soon after the British left India, the crackdown on Sikh militant organizations and Jatha's began by the Indian Government in the 1990's, followed by the criminal and government infiltration of the Khalistan movement and the various militant organisations respectively, greatly weakened the Babbar Khalsa, leading to the death of Sukhdev Singh Babbar and Talwinder Singh Parmar in 1992.

The Babbar Khalsa was deemed a terrorist organization respectively, by the Indian Government after the killings of many Indian police associate's such as Police Inspector Pritam Bajwa was gunned down, DSP Gobind Ram killed by a car bomb blast, killing of Chief Minister Beant Singh and many others. These people were all targeted by the Babbar Khalsa as they were claimed to be traitors and gave bad names about the Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan movement to the press, in which led to reporters who published bad things about the Jatha's were all gunned down.