* For the first time year after Banda, very little was heard of the Sikhs. The Khalsa was divided between the “Bandai” who wished to deify Banda and the “Tat Khalsa” who disapproved of the attempt to glorify him.
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* Abdali made his ninth and final attempt to conquer the Punjab in 1769. But he was like a spent bullet and could get no farther than the Jhelum. He returned to Kandhar, a sick and a broken man, and died on Oct. 23, 1772. Abdali was the bitterest antagonists of the Sikhs and paradoxically their greatest benefactor. He created a power vacuum in the Punjab which was filled by the Sikhs. Abdali spilled more Sikh blood than any other, but he also taught them that no people can become a strong and great nation without learning to shed blood.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 9, 1987
