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Bibi Rajni Ji / Bibi Viro Ji / Bibi Shushil Kaur

History > Sikh Women > More personalities

Bibi Rajni Ji
In the era of Guru Ram Das, one cannot leave out Rajni, youngest daughter of Rai Duni Chand, revenue collector (kardar) of Patti. Rajni was a Sikh, a disciple of the Guru. One day she was sitting with her sisters admiring some new clothing they all had received from their father. The girls were ecstatic and exclaiming how good their father was to them. Rajni observed that all gifts are ultimately from God. Their father was merely an instrument of His greatness. Unfortunately for her, he overheard her comment and became very angry.

It was not the First time that she incurred his wrath because of her extreme piety. The infuriated father, believing her to be an ungrateful wretch, married her to a leper with a taunt that he would see how her God would help her lead a normal life. The leper was severely disfigured and a foul smell came from his body. The poor girl had accepted her fate ungrudgingly and worked hard to maintain herself and her crippled husband. She kept repeating the name of God, and was certain that he was testing her with this turn of events. She was forced to beg for a living. Still she bathed and fed her leper husband, never losing faith. One day, she reached the site of a pool on her way to a neighbouring village. Placing the basket containing her husband by the side of the pool, she went to look for food. In the meantime, her crippled husband had seen a black crow dip into the water of the pool and come out white. Amazed at this miracle, the man crawled up to the edge of the pool and managed a dip. He found himself completely cured. When his wife returned, she was amazed to find her husband in good health. He was handsome and whole. At first, she was alarmed and suspected that he might be a different person. He had, however, kept one finger with leprosy marks un-dipped. He showed her the diseased finger as proof of his identity. The couple thanked God, and went to the Guru to seek his blessings.

The pool was the future site of the Golden Temple. The medicinal properties of the water were said to have come from Basil (Tulsi), which grew in abundance on its banks. Guru Amar Das used to pick the herb there to make poultices for an infected toe that plagued Guru Angad. The legendary importance of the site highlights the medicinal properties of the waters of the pool, Rajni's leper husband was cured in.

Bibi Viro
Bibi Viro ji was daughter of Guru Hargobind Ji( 1595-1644). She was the mother of five sons, Sango Shah, Jit Mall, Gulab Chand, Mahri Chand and Galiga Ram. She raised them very well and with deep Sikh values. All the five sons took part in a battle fought on 18 September 1688, between Guru Gobind Singh and Raja Fateh Shah of Srinagar ( Garhval) at Bhangani, 11 km from Paonta, in the present Sirmur district of Himachal Pradesh, Sango Shah and Jit Mall dying in action.

Bibi Shushil Kaur
While many writers have praised the achievements and sacrifices of Banda Singh Bahadur, only a few have mentioned the sacrifice of his wife, Bibi Shushil Kaur.In 1708, Banda Singh Bahadur was instructed by Guru Gobind Singh to carry on the national struggle in the Punjab, guide the Khalsa and to punish the oppressors.

In the beginning of 1715, when Banda Singh and his Sikhs marched towards Kalanaur, near Gurdaspur, he took Sushil Kaur and their son Ajay Singh with him as she insisted on accompanying him. Mughal chiefs of Punjab and Delhi besieged Banda Singh and his Sikhs with a huge force in an enclosure at village Gurdas Nangal, near Gurdaspur. The siege continued for eight months. Banda Singh and his men fought against heavy odds and held their ground with courage. Their provision had run out as they were attacked suddenly. They had to live on grass and leaves. Bibi Shushil Kaur did not lose heart.

Banda Singh along with his family and famished soldiers, who had survived, was taken prisoners in December, 1715. Bibi Shushil Kaur with her child was separated from the other prisoners and taken to the palace where other queens lived. She was told that her lovely child would be killed mercilessly if she did not agree to be converted. She replied without any fear, " Do whatever you like. Neither I nor my innocent son would like to be converted. We, Sikhs, are not afraid of death".

She came to know from a reliable source that the executioner had hacked the child to pieces with a long knife while the child was sitting in the lap of his father. Quivering heart of the child was thrust into the mouth of his father. She also heard the confirmed news that Banda Singh was also cut to pieces. Hearing all these bad news, she thanked God that everyone had been firm in his faith. She was calm and nobleness of her features was visible. When this self-respecting woman realized that her honour was in danger, she decided to end her life.

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