Primary Sources:
These are discussed below:
Bhatt Vehies Guru Kian Sakhian Bansavali Nama and Rahat Namamention 1718 bikrami as the year of birth of Guru Gobind Singh. They have been dealt with at length in the write-up “Correct date of birth of Guru Gobind Singh”.
“Hukamnamas” of Guru Tegh Bahadur bear no dates and are Subject of different interpretations. “Bachiter Natak”
In case we set guru Gobind Singh’s birth in the year A.D. 1666 then at the time of the death of his father he would be the age of nine years. In case we take it to be the year A.D 1661 then he attained fourteen years when Guru Tegh Bahadur attained martyrdom. Now Guru Gobind Singh says:
“Jab Ham Dharm Karam mo aie Dev iok tab pita sidhae”
Now according to Indian tradition a child attains the “Dharam Karam Sanskar” only after he was reached the age of twelve. Here guru Gobind Singh says that’ he had already attained the age. When his father died he could not be nine years; it could surely be twelve or more. So he was then fourteen years old which shows he was born in AD 1661. His father was martyred in AD 1675.
“Gurbilas” by Koer Singh completed in 1751 AD mentions 1723 Bikrami as the year of birth.
The author gives incorrect dates of some important events like
Creation of the Khalsa 1746 Bik (1689 A.D.)
Death of Guru Gobind Singh 1766 Bik (1709 A.D.)
Battles of Bhangani and Nadaun before 1685 A.D.
“Mehma Prakash” by Sarup Dass Bhalla tells that Guru Gobind Singh lived at Patna for twelve years in his childhood.
Secondary Sources
Sukha Singh the author of “Gurbilas” completed in 1854 bikrami 1797 A.D. is more of a poet than a narrator of events in any chronological or historical order The year of death of the guru given by him (1751 Bikrami corresponding to 1693 A.D.) is also incorrect. It makes no mention of Guru Tegh Bahaduer’s first visit to Patna.
“Suraj Prakash” of Bhai Santokh Singh completed in 1843 A.D. is not wholly authentic. It is a hagiological literature The author repeals the legends of earlier writers like Koer Singh and Sukha Singh. Makes no mention of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s first visit o Patna
Giani Gian Singh author of “Panth Prakash” completed in 1870 A.D. relies on Suraj Prakash he tells that Guru Tegh Bahadur stayed at Bakala for twenty years and makes no mention of Guru’s first visit to Patna in Bikrami (1661 A.D.)
In respect of the above mentioned works comments of Dr. Ganda Singh in:
(i) The Sikh Review 1972 -‘Guru Gobind Singh Number’ (P 16-24):
(ii) Punjab past and present” April 1976 (page 209) as reproduced below: it is really very unfortunate that with the exception of a few Gurmukhi works written during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries which may be said to be partially objective in the treatment of their subjects the biographical by Sikh ‘scholars belongs to hagiographical and apical nature The authors of the Guru Prakash and the Panth Prakash type of books were great poet no doubt. In their deep devotion and overflowing reverence and zeal for the exhibition of their poetical skill they have not been able to restrain their imagination and creative faculty in introducing fiction into their compositions the admixture of fiction with history has destroyed the purity and truth of the latter doing great injustice and in calculable hang to the saints and heroes of their studies. This is particularly the case with the Guru period wherein many cases the students and scholars of history find it extremely difficult if not impossible to discriminate between history and fiction.
‘Jassa Singh Binod’ wrote in mentions Poh Sudi Saptmi Samat 1718 Bikrami as the date of Guru Gobind Singh.
Macauliffe the author of “The Sikh Religion” written in 1909 was primarily a translator and scrupulously avoided expressing his own views. To quote his words “It must also be stated that the intention of the author has been in fulfillment of his promise to the Sikhs to write the work from an orthodox Sikh point of view without any criticism or expression of opinion of his own.”
Works in Persian
Works written in Persian are historical works of eighteenth and nineteenth centuries based on information available to or collected by professional historians and carry weight Ahmed Shah Batalvi completed his book ‘Twaridh Hindi’ in 1818 A.D. He mentions that when Guru Tegh Bahadur as put to death his son was fourteen years of age.
Bakhat Mal wrote “Khalsa Nama” in 1810 14 A.D at the instance of the English Historian Sir John Malcom author of ‘A Sketch of the Sikhs’. He gives fifteen years as age of Guru Gobind Singh at the time of death of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Buteshah (Ghulam Muhayyaud-din) of Ludhiana wrote his “Twaridh e Punjab” in 1848 A.D. the instance of a British Officer. It is comprehensive history of the Punjab from the earliest time of the break of the Sikh Empire. The author on the authority of Shankar Jyotshi put the date of birth as Marge 13 1718S (P 84 “Later Mughals” Irvine).
European writers on history are generally mere objective and precise and those who have written on the Sikhs in the first half of the nineteenth century was seasoned scholars, like Sir John Malcom, the Hon’ble W.G, Osborne, Dr W.L.M. ‘Gregor and Captain Joseph D. Cunningham. ‘The last of them incurred the dis- pleasure of his superiors and lost his political appointment for his frank and honest observations in his History of The Sikhs, written in 1849 A.D, he writes at page 59 “When Tegh Bahadur was put to death, his only son was in his fifteenth year”. Again at page 73″ Gobind is stated to have borne in the month on 1718 (Sambat).
Sir John Malcolm in his book “Sketch of The Sikhs’ published in 1805 writes:
“Guru Gobind is stated by a Sikh author of respectability, Bhai Guru Das
Bhala to have been fourteen years of age when his father was put to death.
- Gregor – ‘History of Sikhs’ – 1846.
P.86 “Tegh Bahadur had a son named Gobind Rae who was now fourteen years of age
Dr. Ernest Trumpp – ‘Adi Granth* – 1870.
“Tegh Bahadur was succeeded by his son Gobind Singh who was fifteen years old when his father died”
W.Irvine – ‘Later Mughals’ – 1909 edited by Jadu Nath Sarkar. P.92 Genealogical Table“Gobind Singh, borne 1661″.
Sir Gokul Chand Narane – “Transformation of Sikhism” – 1912 p.79. In 1675, after the execution of his father, he was a little boy of fifteen”,
The last important writer of the nineteenth century on the history of the Punjab in English is Syed Muhammed Latif of the Punjab judicial Service. His well-known book “History of The Punjab” was published in 1891 and is still one of the books on the subject, He writes ‘After the death of Tegh Bahadur the martyred pontiff, his only son Gobind Singh then but fifteen years of age, succeeded to the apostleship” (page 261)
Conclusion.
After grain is sifted from chaff and available recorded evidence critically examined it is convincingly established that the corrected year of birth of Guru Gobind Singh is 1718 Bikrani (1661 A.D.)
Appendix Correct Year of Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Important works of Sikh history relevant to the year of birth.
Primary Or Original Sources
- Hukamnamas of Guru Tegh Bahadur
- Bhatt Vahi Andpanda Vahi Entries
- Bachiter Natak
- Rahat Nama Chaupa Singh
- S. Gurbilas -Koer Singh 1751 A.D.
- Mehma Prakash Sarup Das Bhalla 1776 A.D.
- Bansavali Nama-Ke 1769 A.D.
- Guru Kian Sakhian By Sarup Singh 1790 A.D
ii Secondary Sources
- Sukha Singh Gurbilas 1797 AD.
- Jassa Singh Binod By Ram Sulh Rai 1803 A.D.
- Bakht Mal Khalsa Nama 1810 AD.
- Malcom Sketch of Sikhs 1812 AD.
- Ahmad Shah Batalvi Twarikh Hindi 1816
- Santokh Singh Suraj Prakash 1843
- M’Gregor History of Sikhs 1846 AD.
- Buteh Shah Twarikh -e -Punjab 1848 A.D.
- Cunningham History of Sikhs 1849 A.D.
- Giani Gian Singh Panth Prakash 1870 A.D.
- Emest Trumpp Adi Granth 1870 A.D.
- Latif history of Punjab 1891 AD.
- W. Irvine Later Mughals 1909 AD.
- Macauliffe -Sikh Religion 1909 AD.
- Gokul Chand Narang Transformation of Sikhism 1912 A.D
Article extracted from this publication >> March 20, 1992
