Around this time Guru Gobind Singh received an invitation from Raja Medni Parkah, chief of the Himalayan hill state of Nahan, to visit his state. The Guru gladly accepted the invitation and he reached Nahan on April 14, 1685. Here he found a fort which he named Paonta. He often sat here on the beautiful banks of Jamuna and thought a ways and means to free his countrymen from sin and suffering and slavery. He was painfully aware of the social, religious and political tyranny that was being practiced everyday against his people. In order to fit himself for the inevitable struggle, the Guru practiced every form of manly exercise such as riding, hunting, archery and sword-play.

[Sayyed Pir Buddhu Shah presenting his sons to Guru Gobind Singh] At Sadhaura, about 25 km from Paonta there lived a Sayyid fakir named Pir Budhu Shah. When he learnt that Guru Gobind Singh was staying so near him, he came over to meet him. The Guru received him warmly. The Sayyid confessed to the Guru that he was a sinner and was therefore, very afraid of his life after death. He begged the Guru to forgive his sins and save him from from God�s displeasure. He pleaded to be guided by the Guru and be shown the right path. The Guru asked him to repent his sins with his whole heart and resolve never to do wrong again. He advised him to always do good things and help others. He assured the Pir that if he led a humble and truthful life he would have no fear about his life after death. Sayyid Budhu Shah was relieved on hearing such soothing words, and promised to live and act as advised by the Guru. Then he returned to Sadhaura, as a peaceful man.

A few days after Sayyid Budhu Shah�s return home five hundred Pathans in military uniform came to him, they had been employed in the army of Aurangzeb But had been dismissed for a minor fault. No one was ready to employ them anymore for the fear of mighty Mughal Army. They begged Pir Budhu Shah to get them employed somewhere. Sayyid Budhu Shah decided to help them. He knew that Guru Gobind Singh had employed a large number of Muslims in his army. He took the Pathans to the Guru and requested him to enlist them in his army. The Guru willingly agreed, and took them in his service. He also gave them handsome salaries which really satisfied them. The names of these Pathans were Haiyat Khan, Kale Khan, Niyabat Khan, Umre Khan and Bhikhan Khan.

The new Panth created by the Guru was received warmly by everyone. But many rulers of the nearby hill states felt that it threatened their authority and existence, and so on April 16, 1689, the hill � chief�s underRaja Bhim Chand of Bilaspur, attacked the Guru�s army which was stationed at the fort of Patna near village of Bhangani. However when the Pathans heard of the attack four of the five Pathan Officers, with the four hundred soldiers under them, decided to desert the guru. They went over to the enemy�s side. Only one Pathan Officer Kale Khan and the soldiers under him remained faithful to the Guru.

When Sayyid Budhu Shah heard of the Pathan�s desertion he felt really guilty since he had asked the Guru to take them in. He decided to make amends for this by helping the guru himself. And so, he joined the Guru along with his two brothers, his four sons and his seven hundred disciples.

Meanwhile, five hundred Udasi Sadhu who had been availing themselves of the rich food served in the Guru�s kitchen were also disappointed at the news of the attack. They were afraid of being sent to fight the enemy by the Guru and so they decided to run away during the night. Their leader Mahant Kirpal was the only Udasi who did not go. Next morning, when the Guru Was informed about the desertion, he smiled and expressed his satisfaction that the root i.e. the leader was still there, which meant that the tree would still grows and bear fruits. He also added gravely that had the leader also fled the Udasis would have been banished and forsaken forever from Sikhism, which would have meant their end.

The Guru stationed his army near the village Bhangipur. A severe battle was fought but the Guru�s army, with brave soldiers like Sayyid Budhu Shah and Mahant Kirpal, drove the enemy away like a whirlwind. They shouted God�s name like thunder, and charged with all their strength. Sayyid Budhu Shah, his brothers, his sons and his disciples all fought with great bravery and devotion. Two of Sayyid�s sons and several disciples fell fighting for the Guru. Mahant Kirpal also fought with bravery. He challenged Haiyat Khan one of the four Pathan Officers who had deserted the Guru and killed him with his wooden club. When the Pathans had run away, the guru applauded the Mahant generously. The Guru�s enemies suffered heavy losses and fled. Guru Gobind Singh�s army finally won the battle of Bhangani, and the forces of hill � chief�s retreated after a crushing defeat.

After the battle, when Sayyid Budhu Shah went to take leave of the Guru with his surviving sons and disciples the Guru embraced him and told him that he had proved to be a true lover and worshiper of God. He assured the Pir that his sons had not died but became immortal, since they had done their duty faithfully and bravely. He presented his turban, his comb with loose hair in it to Sayyid. He also gave the pir a Hukumnana - an order to his Sikh to treat the Sayyid and his descendants with due respect and kindness. Sayyid Budhu Shah then returned home proud to have served his Guru like a true Soldier - disciple.

The Guru stayed at Bhangani for a few days to give proper cremation to all the dead soldiers and to take care of the wounded. Then he returned to Anandpur. There, to ensure the safety of the city against attacks he constructed five forts, which were named Anandgarh, Lohgarh, Fatehgarh, Kesgarh and Holgarh.

After the massive defeat at Bhangani, Raja Bhim Chand decided to be friendly with Guru. He sent a message to the Guru with his peace proposal. The Guru told them that he had nothing against Raja Bhim Chand and he was willing to forgive and forget. This friendship brought about a period of peace but it was short lived. The reason was that many hill - chiefs had not paid the tribute to the Emperor of Delhi for a number of years. And so in 1690, Moin Khan, the Governor of Jammu, sent Alif Khan, a military commander, to collect the tributes. Alif Khan sent word to Bhim Chand and others to pay up or get ready for the battle. Raja Bhim Chand immediately sought the Guru�s help. The Guru advised him to resist the demands in the years to come. He agreed to fight on their side, and a battle was fought at Nadaum which ended in the success of the allies.

Sometime later, a general named Hussain Khan was sent to collect the tribute and finish Guru. Meanwhile the friendship between Guru Ji and Raja Bhim Chand was also finished as his successor Ajmer Chand considered Guru Ji more of threat than friend. He and many other Hill � chiefs paid the tribute and joined the invaders against the Guru. But before attacking Anandpur the decided to kill Raja Gopal of Guler, who had not yielded. But he fled to the Guru and sought his help. Guru Gobind Singh ji sent his strong Army under the commander Bhai Sangatia Singh and a bloody battle was fought. The enemies were ruthlessly attacked. Hussain his two military officers, Raja Kirpal Chand of Katoch and many other hill � chiefs were killed. The rest of the enemy forces fled in terror. Ajmer Chand saved his life by running away from the battle. The Guru won the battle, but lost Bhai Sangatia Singh and seven of his companions.

The success of Guru Gobind Singh in the battle of Nadaum and Guler caused a great deal of anxiety to the emperor. He immediately sent his son, Prince Muazzim, who was later become famous with name Bahadur Shah Zafar to control the Guru. The prince than too his position at Lahore and sent a strong force to punish the Guru and the rajas. The rajas were severally punished but with the help of Bhai Nand Lal, who was the secretary of the prince and also a devout Sikh, the Guru was left in peace. The prince had heard so much about the guru and his greatness that he soon became an admirer of him. He arranged matters in such a way so that the Mughal Court did not have any complaint with the Guru, and thus did not trouble him.

Guru Gobind singh ji was very pleased with the state of affairs, since he was also in favor of peace for the accomplishment of his spiritual mission. He did not want war or disturbance of any kind, but the hill � chiefs who were very bitter about the leveling of all classes and castes were bent on working against him. They felt he was destroying their religious and social structure and found him a threat to them. They wanted to get rid of him at any cost. They wanted to attack him but were afraid of defeat, and so they constantly planned and plotted to harm the Guru in every possible way. Then one day they had their golden chance. Guru Gobind singh ji had gone out for hunting in the hills.

He had only a small party of Sikhs with him, but ones who were ever ready to lay down their lives for the guru. Two hill chiefs, Balia Chand and Alim Chand, came to know of Guru�s presence in the hills with the small party of Sikhs. Seeing their golden opportunity to kill him, they decided to fall upon him suddenly. They first attacked a group of guru�s companion who had scattered about in search of game. The guru�s men fought bravely, but they were too few to stand for long. They had to retreat. At the time of attack the guru was at some distance from the scene and could not see what was happening. Just then, a Sikh came running to him and informed him of what had happened. The Guru rushed to that place, shouting, �Akal Akal Sat Sri Akal!� When his shout was heard by the retreating Sikhs it filled them with fresh courage and resolve, and they turned back to face the enemy with the same loud cry. They fought like lions and fell upon the hillmen. Alim Chand�s right arm was chopped off during the fight, after which he ran for his life. The other hill-chief, Balia Chand, was thus left alone to face the Guru�s army. He was soon shot dead by the Guru�s men. When the hill troops saw that one of their chiefs had fled from the field and the other was dead, they also took to flight. After the battle, the Guru and his men resumed their hunting excursion.

After the battle, things became worse between the two sides. The hill-chiefs had now become the mortal enemies of Guru Gobind Singh. They were now determined to kill the Guru. So they sent a representation to Delhi with a complete report of the �lawlessness� of the Khalsas, and the danger they posed to the imperial power. Emperor Aurangzeb was at that time engaged in warfare in the Deccan, so the hill-chief�s representation was received by the subedar or viceroy of Delhi. It was then forwarded by him to the emperor for orders.

However, while the hill-chiefs were awaiting the emperor�s orders or their petition they got a chance to waylay and attack the Guru. He had gone to Kashmir on the occasion of solar eclipse where a big religious fair was to be held. He wanted to spread the message of Guru Nanak to the assembled pilgrims, and also to buy horses for his army.

The hill-chiefs who were also present at the fair saw that the Guru had only hundred soldiers with him. They saw this as their chance to capture or kill him by attacking him on his way back to Anandpur. However, though the decision to waylay him had been made, no chief had the courage to actually do it. They were still deciding what to do when they heard two Muslim generals named Sayed Beg and Alif Khan were on their way to Delhi from Lahore. They had five thousand soldiers each in their command. The hill-chiefs immediately decided to hire the two generals to fight the Guru. Raja Ajmer Chand promised each of them one thousand rupees a day, and the two men agreed to fight. However, of the two, Sayyid Beg was a religious man and he became curious about the Guru he was being hired to kill. And whatever he learnt, made him admire and respect his opponent. So he withdrew from the Muslim army against the Guru. The other Muslim hireling, however, attacked the Guru when he was near Chamkaur Sahib. The enemy forces were very strong but the Guru did not loose heart. He and his men fought bravely. The news of the attack soon reached Anandpur and four hundred soldiers immediately set out to join the Guru. The Muslim hirelings though afraid now, were too many. Saiyed Beg was filled with admiration and wonder as he watched the Sikhs fight with heart and soul. He then felt that his withdrawal from the enemy�s side was not enough. So he went upto the Sikhs and offered the services of his army and himself. The Guru agreed, and soon he and his men were seen fighting against Alif Khan and his army. Seeing his position shaken Alif Khan ordered his army to retreat. He was pursued by Saiyed Beg and the Sikhs for quite a distance.

When they returned, Saiyed Beg went to pay his respects to the Guru. He told the Guru that he was a servant of Aurangzeb but now he wanted to serve the Guru and the Khalsa. The Guru willingly took him into his service. Saiyed Beg also gave all his wealth to the Guru to assist him against the enemies. The Guru began to trust Saiyed Beg a lot, and he remained faithful and trustworthy all his life.

[Khalsa Army] When the news of the victory of the Khalsa army reached Aurangzeb he realized that the Sikhs if Punjab, under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh, were quite a threat to the imperial power. He ordered his troops to attack Anandpur and annihilate the power the Sikhs. And so, in the year 1700, a strong Mughal army of twenty thousand troops attacked Anandpur. The rulers of the hill states who were defeated in the Battle of Bhangani also sided with the Mughals. But the Guru was not at all discouraged. He encouraged his brave soldiers and boosted their morale with courageous words. The Sikhs fought most valiantly for the sake of Dharma. They were not afraid to sacrifice their lives and were determined not to let the enemy step into their holy precinct. Under the command of Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh soldiers launched such a deadly assault on the combined forces of Aurangzeb and the hill-chiefs that they retreated hastily. Guruji killed the Mughal commander, Painde Khan, with his own sword. Another Mughal commander fled with his forces. The brave Sikh soldiers chased them upto Ropar.

One of the generals leading the imperial army was Saiyed Khan who was the brother of Sayyid Budhu Shah�s wife. Saiyed Khan had heard a lot about the Guru from his sister and brother-in-law who were his known devotees. From what he had heard, he greatly admired the Guru. When he saw him on the battlefield, Saiyed Khan felt a strong desire to submit to the Guru and bow before him. But his pride and position as the General of the Army stood on the way. The Guru knew what was passing in Sayied Khan�s mind. He decided to help him out of his struggle. He went and stood right before the general, who shot at the Guru but missed. He had never missed before, so he tried again. The Guru came even closer and Saiyed Khan tried again but missed again. Then the Guru advanced still nearer, but Saiyed Khan couldn�t pull the trigger. He finally gave up and alighting from his horse knelt down before the Guru. Touching his feet he offered himself as a servant to the Guru. The Guru then gave him the gift of true name. Saiyed Khan did not actively assist the Guru. He fought no one anymore. At the Guru�s bidding he went to Kangra and spent his days in meditation and thinking of his Guru.

After Saiyed Khan became the Guru�s disciple his place in the army was taken over by Ramzan Khan, who fought bravely against the Sikhs and destroyed the city. On thinking carefully the Guru realized that the city was not safe anymore, and so he and his men retired into the fort. The Muslims however plundered the fort and destroyed a lot of property. Then s few kilometers away from Anandpur, they encamped. They were in high spirits, having defeated the Guru, and spent their time feasting and drinking.

The Sikhs wanted to avenge their defeat, so they took the Guru�s permission to fall upon the imperial army during the night. The Guru�s eldest son, Sahibzad Ajit singh, led them into the night and took the Mughals unawares. Hundreds of them were killed by the Sikhs while the others fled. The Sikhs took control of the stolen booty, as well as their camp.

The emperor was really upset when he heard of the disaster of his army. He questioned his troops and was told that they were caught unawares. The emperor then made a few enquiries about the Guru from one of his soldiers, who was all praise for him. He told the emperor that he was a true saint, a lover of God and his children, and was equal to one lakh men on the battlefield. The emperor was so displeased on hearing all this that he dismissed the man from service at once. But he could not forget what was said of the Guru, and it distressed him terribly. He decided to use his full strength against the Guru and put an end to his life and activities. But the court advised him to use a little tact and get the Guru to come to his court. He suggested that if they succeeded in winning him over, he could prove to be real powerful ally of them. The emperor agreed to this proposal and deputed the Qazi to convey his message to the Guru, where in he asked the Guru to come and meet him for a frank talk. He also added that if he came he could be treated as holy men are treated by the Kings, but if he refused then it would not be good for him.

When Guru Gobind Singh received the Qazi and this message, he knew it would not be wise to trust him. He had not forgotten how Aurangzeb had treated his own father, brothers their families and other holy men. He knew that he would be failing into a trap if he went to the emperor�s court. He sent a message back saying that the emperor had been violating God�s order by harassing non - Muslims. He also added that he would not meet or talk with him till he gave up his cruel ways and stopped ill- treating God�s Children. The Guru also conferred a robe of honour on the Qazi before he left.

On the other side, Raja Ajmer Chand and the other hill - chief were deeply distressed to see that the glory and the power of the Guru and his Sikhs were increasing day by day. They began to fear that they would soon lose their kingdoms to the Guru. So they got together and decided to send another petition to the emperor. In it they implored the emperor to send a strong army to crush the Guru once and for all. They assured him of the support of all the hill � chiefs and their troops. Raja Ajmer Chand himself undertook the task of presenting this petition to the emperor. Aurangzeb was in the Deccan at that time. So the hill � chief proceeded there with his petition. By the time he reached there the emperor had received the Guru�s reply to his invitation. Both the things together made him really furious and he ordered all the troops under the nawab of Sarhind and Lahore to attack the Guru. The armies of twenty-two hill-chiefs also joined them along with the Ranghavas and the Gujjars, who were also Muslims.

The Guru was thus posed with a difficult situation, but he did not feel the least disturbed. The brave Sikhs were all set to lay down their lives fighting for him. The battle raged in full fury. The nawabs were shocked to see their soldiers being knocked down one by one, since they had thought it would be an easy victory this time. The fighting grew really fierce the following day and both sides suffered heavy losses, but guru�s enemies lost more soldiers. It began to look almost impossible for the allied forces to defeat the Sikhs in the battle too.

Among the Sikhs, at the Guru�s darbar, was a man named Bhai Kanhaeeya. He was a peace loving, devout Sikh with a very compassionate heart. It was because of this that he had not partaken of the Guru�s Amrit to become a soldier. His main aim of life was to serve weak and needy, and take care of the wounded and sick. At the end of the day�s fight, some Sikhs complained to the Guru that he was helping the enemies. They said that all the enemy soldiers felled and wounded by them were treated and cared for by Bhai Kanhaeeya, as a result of which they got well to fight them again. On hearing this, the Guru sent for Bhai Kanhaeeya. When he appeared before the Guru, Guru ji asked him if he was indeed helping the enemy, as his soldiers said. But Bhai Kanhaeeya humbly replied that his Sikh brothers were highly mistaken, since he was neither serving Sikhs nor Turks. He was only serving the Guru. When the Guru asked him how was that, Bhai Kanhaeeya explained that he was following the teachings of the Guru himself who preached that whenever someone clothed a naked man, or fed a hungry person, or gave water to a thirsty man he was serving the Guru indirectly. Bahi Kanhaeeya confessed that the Guru�s words were so deeply engrossed in his heart and mind that he could only see the Guru�s face in all the wounded soldier�s � Sikhs or Muslims � they lay before him.

The Guru was deeply touched by Bhai Kanhaeeya�s devotion and selfless service. He applauded his good work and explained to the others that other soldiers were enemies as long as they fought and bore arms, but once on the ground, felled wounded, they were just men, son of the Father above. He then gave the devout Sikh a pot of ointment to help him in his service. He blessed the Sikh for his good work and assured him that the God would be very pleased with him. From that day onwards the followers of Bhai Kanhaeeya came to be called Sewa Panthis, and till today they form an orthodox and honorable sect of Sikhs. They live by honest work and accept no money or offerings for their services.

Ropar, Sikhism, Sayyid Budhu Shah, Saiyed Khan, Ramzan Khan, Sahibzad Ajit singh, Mughal, Raja Ajmer Chand, Nawab of Sarhind, Bhai Kanhaeeya, Sewa Panthis, Aurangzeb, Mughal commander, Painde Khan, Guru Gobind Singh, Chamkaur Sahib, Sat Sri Akal, Khalsa, Mughal Court, Bhai Nand Lal, Raja Gopal of Guler, Battle of Nadaum and Guler, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Prince Muazzim, Raja Bhim Chand, Bhangani, Mahant Kirpal, Pir Budhu Shah, Haiyat Khan, Kale Khan, Niyabat Khan, Umre Khan, Bhikhan Khan, Mughal Army, Raja Medni Parkah, Sadhaura, Paonta Sahib Fort, Nahan