Mai
Bhago was was a descendant of Pero Shah, the younger brother of
Bhai Launga a Dhillon Jatt who had converted a Sikh during the
time of Guru Arjan. Born at her ancestral village of Jhabal in
present-day Amritsar district of the Punjab, she was married to
Nidhan Singh Varaich of Patti. A staunch Sikh by birth and
upbringing.
Mughals
and hilly chiefs had surrounded Anandpur and were demanding it
be evacuated. They called that any Sikh who says that
"he/she is not anymore a Sikh of Guru Gobind" will be
left untouched. A group of 40 Sikhs, led by Mahan Singh Brar
told Guru Gobind Singh that they are not his Sikhs anymore. Guru
told them that they have to write it in a document that
"they are not his Sikhs anymore" and sign it. All
forty Sikhs signed this document Bedava and left Guru
Gobind Singh. Mai Bhago was distressed to hear that some of the
Sikhs of her neighborhood who had gone to Anandpur to fight for
Guru Gobind Singh had deserted him under adverse conditions.
Hearing her taunts, these Sikhs were ashamed at their deed. She
rallied the deserters persuading them to meet the Guru and
apologize to him. she set off along with them and some other
Sikhs to seek out the Guru, then traveling across the Malva
region.
Meanwhile,
Guru Gobind Singh had to evacuate the fort of Anandpur, his
children were lost in the confusion. Two youngest one's Zorawar
Singh and Fateh Singh, went along with their grandmother (mother
of Guru Gobind Singh). While elder one's Ajit Singh and Jhujhar
Singh were with their father. Then at battle of Chamkaur Guru's
elder sons attained martyrdom, Guru was saved by five Sikhs and
he evacuated Chamkaur and was traveling in Malva region, being
pursued by Mughal forces of Aurungzeb. Traveling day and night
in the Jungles of Malva region, imperial Mughal forces were in
constant pursuit of Guru. Guru Gobind Singh reached village of
Khidrana, when Mai Bhago and the men, she was leading stopped
near the dhab or pool of Khidrana where an imperial army in
pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh had almost overtaken him. They
challenged the pursuing host and fought furiously forcing it to
retreat. All forty Sikhs attained martyrdom in this pitched
battle, in which Guru himself was supporting them with a shower
of arrows from a nearby high ground, found all the men except
one Mahan Singh, killed when he visited the battlefield. Mai
Bhago and Guru Gobind Singh ji were the sole survivors of this
fiercely fought battle.
Mahan
Singh, who had been seriously wounded, also died as the Guru
took him into his lap. Guru Gobind Singh blessed those forty
dead as the Forty Liberated Ones. He took into his care Mai
Bhago who had also suffered injury in the battle. She there
after stayed on with Guru Gobind Singh as one of his bodyguard,
in male attire. After the death of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded
in 1708, she retired further south. She settled down at Jinvara,
11 km from Bidar in Karnataka where, immersed in meditation, she
lived to attain a ripe old age. Her hut in Jinvara has now been
converted into Gurdwara Tap Asthan Mai Bhago. At Nanded, too, a
hall within the compound of Takht Sachkhand. Sri Hazur Sahib
marking the site of her residence is known as Bunga Mai Bhago.
Bhago