DEVI DAS, PANDIT, one of the numerous poets and scholars who kept company with Guru Gobind Singh (See Bavanja Kavi), was born in a Chhibbar Brahman family who had been followers of the Gurus. His father, Hardayal, was the younger brother of Bhai Gavaldas who, according to the Bhatt

GANDA SINGH (d. 1845), of Butala, in Gujranwala district of undivided Punjab, was a soldier in the Sikh army. Early in his career, he was assigned by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to Prince Sher Singh`s troops. Ganda Singh`s father, Dharam Singh, had also served in the army and taken part

GURDIT SINGH was a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Gobind Singh. According to Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi 10, he was in the retinue of the Guru as his treasurer during his journey to the Deccan in 1708.

IOH SIMBLI, commonly called NASIMBLI, is an old village in Patiala district, about 5 km southwest of Ambala city (30"23`N, 76"47`E). It has a historical shrine, Gurdwara Manji Sahib Paishahi X, dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh who, according to local tradition, visited the site during his stay at Lakhnaur

KARAM SINGH, MAHARAJA (1798-1845), who ascended the throne of Patiala on 30 June 1813, was born on 16 October 1798 at Patiala, the son of Raja Sahib Singh and Rani As Kaur. He was married to Rup Kaur, daughter of Bhariga Singh of Thanesar. Maharaja Karam Singh helped the

LANGAR SINGH, BABA, an eighteenth century Nirmala saint, was the son of Bhai Parshada Sihgh and Mai Valtohl, a devout Sikh couple contemporary with Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) and living at Kot Kapura (30"35`N. 74°49`E) now in Faridkot district of the Punjab. The names Prasada (lit. bread or meal),

MANOHAR DAS, a nineteenth century saint of Sangat Sahib Ke sect of the Udasi Sikhs, usually stayed at Kankhal, near Haridvar, where he collaborated with some other sadhus under the leadership of Santokh Das to establish a separate Udasi body called Sri Gur Naya Akhara Udasin, popularly known as

NADAUN, BATTLE OF, fought on 20 March 1691 between an imperial expeditionary force aided by Raja Kirpal Chand of Kangra and Raja Dyal of Bijharval in the Sivalik hills on the one hand and several other neighbouring chieftains who enjoyed the support of Guru Gobind Singh on the other. The

NURSHAH, was, according to the Janam Sakhi tradition, the queen of sorceresses of Kauru or Kamrup, one of the districts of Assam, then known as the land of magic and witchcraft. Guru Nanak along with his companion Mardana visited this region during his first preaching odyssey. The Purdtan Janam

PREM AMBODH POTHI, lit. book of knowledge about loving devotion, attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, but not included in the Dasam Granth, comprises of the life stories in verse of some of the famous bhaktas or devotees. Written in AD 1693, the book has, besides the introductory chapter, sixteen sections,

RIYASTI AKALI DAL, representing Sikhs living in the princely states of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Faridkot and Malerkotla, was set up in 1939 as a political forum parallel to the Riyasti Praja Mandal which had been in existence since 1928 and which had till then represented the people living mainly in

SAID KHAN. a Mughal general, came in February 1703 at the head of a large army to invade Anandpur and force Guru Gobind Singh into submission. Guru Gobind Singh, who, according to Gur Ratan Mal (Sau Sakhi), had only 500 warriors with him at the time, came out of the