Baba Deep Singh

Baba Deep Singh (26 January 1682 – 13 November 1757) is revered among Sikhs as one of the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism. He is remembered for his sacrifice and devotion to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. Baba Deep Singh was the first head of Misl Shaheedan Tarna Dal – an order of the Khalsa military established by Nawab Kapur Singh, the then head of Sharomani Panth Akali Buddha Dal. The Damdami Taksal also state that he was the first head of their order.

Quotes

• The figure who pre-eminently draws these themes together in a single episode is that most famous of all Sikh martyrs, Baba Dip Singh Shahid. Dip Singh, a Jat from Lahore district and a trusted follower of Guru Gobind Singh, had fought with Banda and had subsequently become one of the principal leaders of the Khalsa resistance. In 1757, after Afghan invaders had desecrated Harimandir (now commonly known as the Golden Temple), Dip Singh took a solemn vow to enter Amritsar and there endeavour to repossess the ruined temple. Near Tarn Taran his force was confronted by a large Afghan army and Dip Singh met a fate variously described in popular Sikh tradition. According to the dominant version his head was cut off, but clutching it with one hand he continued to fight his way forward for another fifteen kilometres before succumb- ing to his injury within the bounds of Amritsar.’ A distinctly gory picture of the decapitated Dip Singh is perhaps the most popular of the coloured prints available today in the bazaars of the Punjab and Delhi.'.. A significant detail in the Dip Singh tradition concerns the desecration of Harimandir. This was, of course, perpetrated by Muslims and it is believed to have included the dumping of cows’ entrails into the sacred pool. Hostility towards Muslims is another of the themes illustrated by the martyrdom of Dip Singh, a theme which finds clear expression in the early rahit-namas.'” Muslims can never be trusted, their touch will pollute, and Sikhs are required to avoid their company at all times. If necessary the sword must be used against Muslims, for it is they who threaten dharma. .
  • W. H. McLeod - Who is a Sikh_ The Problem of Sikh Identity (1989, Oxford University Press)