Gurugram: In 1675, Dada Kushal Singh Dahiya made the supreme sacrifice by offering his head in order to protect the honour of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, who was executed on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. His selfless act ensured that the Mughals could not lay their hands on the severed head of the Guru.
Come 14 November, the Nayab Singh Saini-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana will observe the 350 Balidaan Diwas (Martyrdom Day) of Kushal Singh Dahiya in Sonipat district. The significance is not to be missed as he hailed from Sonipat’s Garhi village, presently known as Badhkhalsa village.
“Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will be the chief guest of the event. This is part of the series of events being organised by the Haryana government under a series of programmes being organised to mark the 350th Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, starting from November 1 and culminating with the main event at Kurukshetra on November 25. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be the Chief Guest of the Kurukshetra event,” Virender Singh Badhkhalsa, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the CM, told ThePrint.
The event will be held at Rajiv Gandhi Education City at Rai tehsil in Sonipat district.
Last week, Badkhalsa posted a message on ‘X’ with videos of extending an invite to Delhi ministers for the event. Incidentally, he hails from the martyr’s village.
“Our village got its name Badhkhalsa some 250 years ago. There are various lores behind the names. One says Badhkhalsa stands for Badh (slaughter) of a Khalsa. The other says this stands for Bada Khalsa, while yet another says Badhkhalsa stands for a message of march ahead to Khalsa,” the Haryana CM’s OSD told The Print.
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Tale of sacrifice
Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk on the orders of Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam and for his support to the persecuted Kashmiri Pandits. Today, Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib stands at that site.
While the body was cremated at a place where Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib has come up in Delhi, his severed head was taken to Anandpur Sahib by Bhai Jaita, a disciple, for the last rites.
Bhai Jaita was chased by Mughal soldiers, who were later tricked into believing that they were handed the Sikh guru’s head.
“His (Dada Kushal Singh Dahiya’s) sacrifice is a symbol of social unity, harmony, protection of dharma, and the highest values of humanity,” Badhkhalsa said, adding that the 350th Martyrdom Day will be observed at Rai tehsil, with people expected to arrive from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi as well as Haryana itself.
The commemoration, he said, is not only a historical occasion in itself but also an effort to make it a beacon of inspiration for future generations. Special invitations have been extended to all the Khap-Panchayats (community councils) across the state, he added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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