Mai Bhago

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 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.