Daya Singh

Bhai Daya Singh Ji
ਦਇਆ ਸਿੰਘ
Daya Singh, one of the inaugural/original Panj Pyare, depicted in an old Sikh fresco from inside an abandoned Sikh samadhi located in Kot Fateh Khan, Attock, Punjab, Pakistan
Panj Pyare
In office 1699–1708
Personal life
Born	Daya Ram Sobti 1661 Lahore, Punjab (modern-day Pakistan)
Died	1708 (aged 47) Nanded, India
Cause of death	Martyrdom
Parents	Suddha (father) Mai Dayali (mother)
Known for	Member of the original, inaugural Panj Pyare; was the first to answer the call by the Guru for a head
Occupation	Shopkeeper
Religious life
Religion	Sikhism
Institute	Khalsa

Daya Singh (Punjabi: ਦਇਆ ਸਿੰਘ (Gurmukhi); born Daya Ram; 1661–1708) was one of the Panj Pyare, the first five Sikhs to be initiated into the Khalsa order in 17th-century India.[1] Among the inaugural panj piare quintet, he is traditionally the highest-regarded as he was the first to answer the call for a sacrifice from the guru.[2] Daya Singh was an educated Sikh, with literature being attributed to his authorship.[2]

Biography

Early life

He was born as Daya Ram in a Sobti Khatri family in 1661 to Bhai Suddha and Mai Diali.[3][2] His father, Suddha, was from Lahore and was a devout Sikh of Guru Tegh Bahadur.[2] Suddha had visited the ninth guru's court in Anandpur on multiple occasions.[2] In 1677, the family of Suddha, including his son Daya Ram and wife Diali, shifted permanently to Anandpur and sought the blessings of Guru Gobind Singh.[2] While living in Anandpur, Daya Ram who had a background of education in Persian and Punjabi, pursued the study of martial arts, the classics, and gurbani.[2]

Later life

Baptism

Painting of the establishment of the Khalsa order and Panj Piare institution by Guru Gobind Singh and Mata Jito at Anandpur in 1699, circa 19th century. Daya Singh can be seen standing with the four other members of the inaugural Panj Piare quintet.

At the famous diwan gathering at Kesgarh Qila (fortress) in Anandpur on 30 March 1699, Daya Singh was the first of the amassed Sikhs to answer the Sikh guru's call for a head.[2] After him, four other Sikhs answered the call and these five became the inaugural quintet of the panj piare institution of the Khalsa, with the five being seen as equal to the Sikh guru.[2] After this, they initiated Guru Gobind Singh into the Khalsa fold.[2] Daya Ram thus became Daya Singh after his admission into the Khalsa.[2]

Escape from Chamkaur

Daya Singh became a highly-regarded attendant of the Sikh guru and took part in important battles at Anandpur and Chamkaur.[2] Daya Singh was part of a group of three Sikhs who followed after Guru Gobind Singh after leaving from the besieged Chamkaur on the night of 7–8 December 1705.[2] Daya Singh reunited with and accompanied the Guru in the Malwa region in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Chamkaur.[4][2]

Delivery of the Zafarnama letter

Daya Singh, alongside Bhai Dharam Singh, were the two Sikhs entrusted with delivering the Guru's Zafarnama letter to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.[5][6][2] They were dispatched from either Kangar village, Bathinda or Dina village, Moga, for this purpose.[5][6][2] The letter was to be delivered to Aurangzeb whilst he was encamped at Ahmadnagar in the Deccan.[2] However, when the pair reached Ahmadnagar via Aurangabad, they discovered that they would not be able to personally deliver the letter to the Mughal emperor as had been instructed.[2] Thus, Daya Singh requested Dharam Singh to return to Guru Gobind Singh and seek his advice.[2] Before Dharam Singh could return with the guru's guidance, Daya Singh had already successfully delivered the letter to Aurangzeb and he had returned to Aurangabad, staying in Dhami Mahalla.[2] Daya Singh prepared a copy of the original Zafarnama letter, which is still extant.[7]

Death

After this, Daya Singh and Dharam Singh reunited with Guru Gobind Singh at Kalayat (located 52 km southwest of Bikaner in Rajasthan).[2] Daya Singh was with the Sikh guru when he died in Nanded in the Deccan on 7 October 1708.[2] Shortly after, Daya Singh himself died at Nanded and a memorial called Angitha Bhai Daya Singh ate Dharam Singh jointly commemorates his and Dharam Singh's crematory grounds.[2]

Legacy

Early Sikh literature claims Daya Singh was the reincarnation of Lava.[8] Gurdwara Bhai Daya Singh in Dhami Mahalla in the interior of Aurangabad marks a temporary stay of his in the house of a local Sikh.[2] A Rehitnama (manual on Sikh conduct) is attributed to him.[2] The Darauli branch of the Nirmala sect claims to trace their lineage to Daya Singh via Baba Deep Singh.[2]

In August 2024, it was reported that the birthplace location of Daya Singh was rediscovered inside the old walled-city of Lahore, specifically in Koocha Softi Khatrian (now called Koocha Katri Bawa).[9]

Gallery

• 
  Dasam Granth manuscript from Aurangabad attributed to Bhai Daya Singh
• 
  Ending and beginning of the 8th "Hikayat" of the Dasam Granth, written by Bhai Daya Singh, present within the "Aurangabadi Bir"

References

1. Sangat Singh (2001). The Sikhs in history: a millennium study, with new afterwords. Uncommon Books. p. 71. ISBN 978-81-900650-2-3.
2. Ashok, Shamsher Singh (2002). Singh, Harbans (ed.). Encyclopedia of Sikhism (4th ed.). Punjabi University (Patiala). pp. 540–541. ISBN 8173801002.
3. "Bhai Daya Singh | Discover Sikhism". www.discoversikhism.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
4. Singh, Patwant (2007). The Sikhs. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307429339. Both Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, along with Mohkam Singh and Himmat Singh, two of the original five panjpiyare, were killed in hand-to-hand combat. The Sikhs, by then reduced to the Guru and three others, Daya Singh, Dharam Singh and Man Singh, managed to evade the enemy and head for territory favourable to the regrouping of a resurgent Khalsa.
   But this tragic phase was still to reach its nadir. With the break of dawn-after leaving Chamkaur at the dead of night-the Guru found himself separated from his companions and alone in the heart of the Machhiwara forest. He was without food, shelter or his trusted mount, his mind filled with thoughts of Mughal betrayal and the loss of his men and sons; only his iron will sustained him in that bleak hour. As luck would have it his three companions, following the route they had agreed upon, were eventually reunited with him. The four, with the help of loyal Sikhs and at least three friendly Muslims, made their way through the enemy patrols who were searching for them.
   They finally reached the village of Jatpura where the Guru was warmly received by the Muslim chief of the area, Rai Kalha.
5. Singh, Harbans. The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. I: A-D. Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 484–485.
6. Fenech, Louis E. (2013). The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9780199931439.
7. Sharma, Sarika (23 April 2023). "20 Years of Panjab Digital Library: 6.5 Crore Manuscripts & Counting". The Tribune.
8. Fenech, Louis E. (2021). The Cherished Five in Sikh History. Oxford University Press. pp. 53–54. ISBN 9780197532843.
9. Kamal, Neel (25 August 2024). "Jeevay Sanjha Punjab traces birthplace of Bhai Daya Singh, 2 other historical places in Lahore". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 January 2025.

Bibliography

• Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sn Gur Pratap Sura/` Granth. Amritsar, 1926–37
• Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi 10. Patiala, 1968
• Chhibbar, Kesar Singh, Bansava/inama Dasari Patshahian Ka. Chandigarh, 1972
• Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The Sikh Religion. Oxford, 1909
• Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs, vol. I. Princeton, 1963
• Harbans Singh, Guru Gobind Singh. Chandigarh, 1966