Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha cont'd

In May 1916, Kahn Singh wrote an article named ‘Ithihas Deh Unlikhey Patreh’ (The Unwritten History) which was published in the Punjabi monthly magazine, ‘Punjabi Bahen’. In it, he claimed that Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh did not die at Nanded in Maharashtra. Instead, as the Namdhari sect believed, the Guru had come to Nabha, and lived there under the alias ‘Ajaypal Singh’.

Raam Singh Namdhari
A one time Nihang of the Budha Dal, who became the founder of the Namdhari sect in the mid 19th century

Kahn Singh vouched this story by stating that he had heard it from his father, ‘Mahant’ (caretaker) Narain Singh, who, in turn had heard it from his grandfather, Baba Saroop Singh. Baba Saroop Singh was once the Mahant of Baba Ajaypal Singh’s ‘Samaad’ (shrine/tomb) and had personally attended to Baba Ajaypal Singh. In a booklet written by Narain Singh in which Saroop Singh narrated his story, he stated he had seen the scars of wounds inflicted by daggers on the back of ‘Ajaypal Singh’. These dagger wounds were supposed to be the result of the attack by the Pathan brothers on Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh in Nanded. This, according to Svaroop Singh, confirmed that ‘Ajaypal Singh’, and Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh was indeed the same individual.

Sach Khand Sri Hazoor Sahib, Nanded, Maharastra
The place where Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh Ji departed for Sach Khand

The editor of ‘Punjabi Bahen’ was Master Bir Singh, and was, according to the Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhias, an adept and accomplished scholar in his own right. He regarded Kahn Singh as the elite amongst Sikh historians. This time, Teja Singh Bhasauria, a one time friend and now enemy of Kahn Singh Nabha, took exception to the stance of Kahn Singh. He eventually made Kahn Singh retract the article, and formally apologize for writing it.

At the time, the Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhias, with the help of the British Raj, were ensuring that all Sikhs would see only Adi Guru Durbar as Guru. This conflicted with Sanatan Sikhs, who had a much wider definition for the term ‘Guru’ (see Articles for more information).

Durga/Chandi
Teja Singh Bhasauria claimed that Nihangs adopted 'Hindu' ideals due to their reading 'Chandi di Vaar'
(a ballad attributed to Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh Ji that speaks of the battles between Durga/Chandi and demons)

Bhai Khan Singh would later prove instrumental in getting Teja Singh Bhasauria excommunicated from Sikhism, thus exacting his revenge.

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