bibi harsharan kaur was the last shaheed (martyr) of the battle of chamkaur sahib. her story is so often forgotten, exemplified by only a small few pieces of artwork illustrating her story in circulation. it is up to us to share her story so that no sikh is left unaware of her courage and love.
after the battle of chamkaur sahib was over and over 40 sikhs attained shaheedi fighting moghul forces, chamkaur di ghari was abandoned as guru gobind singh ji, bhai daya singh, bhai dharam singh, and baba maan singh were able to escape. as they left, they witnessed the battlefield covered with martyred khalsae, but, sadly there were not even enough sheets to alone cover each body out of respect, let alone time to give them the antim sanskar (last rites/funeral) they deserved. guru sahib had to make the difficult choice to leave their bodies uncovered along the battle field, including the bodies of his own two sons, the vadae sahibzaade.
bibi harsharan kaur heard about the battle and could not bear the thought of her siblings’ martyred bodies left on the battlefield, so she made the incredibly brave decision to go herself and to perform the antim sanskar of all the shaheeds who gave their lives in the name of justice and sikhi. under the cover of the night sky, she built a funeral pyre and alone cremated each of her 40+ brothers. she did keertan sohila for them in the dead of night, knowing that if she is caught she will achieve the same fate. hours passed by, and bibi harsharan kaur finished cremating every single shaheed before the light of the funeral pyre caught the attention of the moghul soldiers. they captured her and, for her rebellion, threw her into the same funeral pyre she built. she attained martyrdom with her fellow khalsae and has since been remembered as the final shaheed of the battle of chamkaur sahib. may her bravery inspire us to rebel and fight out of love for our people and for our guru, and may we share this piece of history with our young sikhs as they learn every december of the incredible sacrifices in the month of poh.
bibi harsharan kaur was the last shaheed (martyr) of the battle of chamkaur sahib. her story is so often forgotten, exemplified by only a small few pieces of artwork illustrating her story in circulation. it is up to us to share her story so that no sikh is left unaware of her courage and love.
after the battle of chamkaur sahib was over and over 40 sikhs attained shaheedi fighting moghul forces, chamkaur di ghari was abandoned as guru gobind singh ji, bhai daya singh, bhai dharam singh, and baba maan singh were able to escape. as they left, they witnessed the battlefield covered with martyred khalsae, but, sadly there were not even enough sheets to alone cover each body out of respect, let alone time to give them the antim sanskar (last rites/funeral) they deserved. guru sahib had to make the difficult choice to leave their bodies uncovered along the battle field, including the bodies of his own two sons, the vadae sahibzaade.
bibi harsharan kaur heard about the battle and could not bear the thought of her siblings’ martyred bodies left on the battlefield, so she made the incredibly brave decision to go herself and to perform the antim sanskar of all the shaheeds who gave their lives in the name of justice and sikhi. under the cover of the night sky, she built a funeral pyre and alone cremated each of her 40+ brothers. she did keertan sohila for them in the dead of night, knowing that if she is caught she will achieve the same fate. hours passed by, and bibi harsharan kaur finished cremating every single shaheed before the light of the funeral pyre caught the attention of the moghul soldiers. they captured her and, for her rebellion, threw her into the same funeral pyre she built. she attained martyrdom with her fellow khalsae and has since been remembered as the final shaheed of the battle of chamkaur sahib. may her bravery inspire us to rebel and fight out of love for our people and for our guru, and may we share this piece of history with our young sikhs as they learn every december of the incredible sacrifices in the month of poh.
Image 1 of 2
Image 2 of 2
