BALLU, BHAI, a barber who embraced the Sikh faith at the hands of Guru Angad came into prominence in the time of Guru Amar Das. When Guru Amar Das, after being consecrated Guru by Guru Arigad, retired to Goindval and shut himself in a room to meditate in seclusion,

KHUSRAU, PRINCE (1587-1622), the eldest son of Prince Salim (later Emperor Jahanglr) from Man Bai (later Shah Bcgam), daughter of Raja Bhagvan Das of Amber, was born at Lahore on 6 August 1587. His grandfather, Emperor Akbar, had him brought up in the liberal tradition, entrusting his education to teachers,

BIR GURU, by Rabindranath Tagore, is a life sketch in Bengali of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the last of the Ten Gurus of the Sikh faith, emphasizing especially how he had prepared Sikhs to stand up to oppression and injustice. This is Tagore`s first writing on Guru Gobind Singh published

MIRZA BEG, a Mughal official who, in 1696. accompanied Prince Mu`azzam (later Emperor Bahadur Shah of Delhi), sent by Emperor Aurangzib to settle affairs in the Punjab. The Prince stationed himself in Lahore and sent Mirza Beg towards the Sivalik hills. Mirza Beg brought the hill rajas to submission.

BULA PANDHA, a learned Brahman of Dalla in present day Kapurthala district of the Punjab, called on Guru Amar Das as the latter once visited his village, and received the rites of initiation at his hands. One day Bhai Bula asked the Guru how he might serve the sangat,

MUKHLISGARH FORT on the lower slopes of the Sivalak foothills in Sadhaura parganah of Sirhind sarkar was, established by Mukhlis Khan, a minor chief during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-58). Banda Smgh Bahadur (1670-1716), after the conquest of Sadhaura and Sirhind in 1710

BANDA BAHADUR GURUDWARA, NEW DELHI In every faith and every land, whenever men become corrupt, despotic and tyrannous, God sends a scourge like me to punish them and teach them a lesson". Thus spoke Banda Singh Bahadur a great Sikh hero in reply to a question put to him by

MUNTAKHAB ULLUBAB, lit. selected (records) of the wise and pure, is a history of India written in Persian with an Arabic title by Muhammad Hashim or Hashim `Ali Khan, better known as Khafi Khan. Completed in 1722, the work was edited and printed by Maulawi KahTr ud Din in

CHANDU SHAH, a wealthy banker and revenue official at the Mughal court at Lahore. He earned the annoyance of Sikhs by uttering disparaging words when his family priest proposed Guru Arjan`s son, Hargobind, for his daughter who was of marriageable age. Chandu Shah accepted the suggestion but with reluctance

RAM RAI (1646-1687), the elder son of Guru Har Rai, Nanak VII, was born to Mata Sulakkhani at Kiratpur on 11 March 1646. Brought up under the loving care of his parents amid an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity that reigned over Kiratpur, their resort in the Sivaliks, Ram

DARA SHUKOH, PRINCE (1615-1659), the eldest son of Prince Khurram (later Emperor ShahJahan), was born on 30 March 1615 at Ajmer. Following the failure of his father`s rebellion against his grandfather, Emperor Jaharigir, Dara and his brother, Aurarigzib, were sent to the Emperor as hostages. They arrived at Lahore in

RAM SINGH, RAJA, son of Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber, was a 4 hazdn mansabddrof the Mughal emperor, Aurangzib. During Jai Singh`s absence in the Deccan on campaigns against Shivaji and the Bijapur state in 1664-67 Karivar Ram Singh remained in Delhi in their palace in Raisina and