Alphabetical Index

GURBAKHSH SINGH (d. 1776) of Wazirabad, son of Ram Singh, was a follower of Charhat Singh Sukkarchakkia. He participated in the assault on Amritsar resulting in the capture of the Bharigi tower situated between the Rambagh and Chativind gates. After the conquest of northern parts of Gujranwala district by Charhat Singh, Wazirabad was claimed by Gurbakhsh Singh. Gurbakhsh Singh married his daughter, Desari, to Charhat Singh, his leader, and gained further influence by this matrimonial alliance. He died in 1776, his son Jodh Singh succeeding to jagirs worth over a lakh of rupees.

GURBAKHSH SINGH, one of the Chhibbar Brahman family of Kariala in Jehlum district, now in Pakistan, which had been managing the household affairs of the Gurus since the time of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644), was the son of Dharam Chand, treasurer to Guru Gobind Singh. Subsequent to the evacuation of Anandpur in 1705, Gurbakhsh Singh remained in the service of Mata Sundari and Mata Sahib Dcvari at Delhi. After the jagir or estate of Guru Chakk, i.e. Amritsar, was restored to Mata Sundari by Emperor Bahadur Shah in 1711, she sent him to Amritsar along with Kirpal Singh Subhikkhi as daroghah or manager. According to his son, Kesar Singh Chhibbar, the author of Dansavalmama, Gurbakhsh Singh`s duties included the supervision of gaukhana (cattleshed), karkhana (work centre), khazana (treasury) and the running of Guru ka Langar or community kitchen.

GURBAKHSH SINGH (also referred to as Bakhshash Singh) and Bakhshish Singh, Ralal Sikhs of Bharoval village in Amritsar district, were among the sangat or batch of Sikhs which led by Duni Chand came from the Majha in pursuance of Guru Gobind Singh`s call to attend the historic assembly convened at Anandpur on 30 March 1699. They received, on that occasion of the creation of the Khalsa, pdhul or initiatory vows. Both Gurbakhsh Singh and Bakhshish Singh remained at Anandpur to serve the Guru and took part in the battles of Lohgarh and Nirrnohgarh.

GURBAKHSH SINGH KALSIA (d. 1785), a leading figure in the Karor Singhia misi of the Sikhs, was a Sandhu Jatt, belonging to the village of Kalsia in Lahore district. He received Sikh initiatory rites at the hands of the revered Bhai Mani Singh at Amritsar in the time of Nawab Zakariya Khan of Lahore. As a mark of mutual friendliness, he exchanged turbans with Karora Singh, the Karor Singhia misi chief, and participated in several expeditions of the Dal Khalsa At the time of the conquest of Sirhind in January 1764, he seized the parganah of Chhachhrauli, now in Jagadhari tahsll of Haryana, comprising 114 villages, and founded an independent principality called Kalsia after the name of his native village.

GURBAKHSH SINGH KANHAIYA (1759-1785), son ofJai Singh, head of the Kanhaiya family, was born in 1759. He was first married to the daughter of Raja Harnir Singh of Nabha and then to Sada Kaur, daughter of Dasaundha Singh Gill. Sada Kaur, who became Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s mother in law, acquired great fame during her soninlaw`s early days.

GURBAKHSH SINGH, BHAI (d. 1764), founder of the Bhai family of Kaithal, was great grandson of Bhai Bhagatu of revered memory. His grandfather, Bhai Bhagatu`s elder son, Gaura, was a brave warrior who became the chief of Virijhu, near Bathinda. His father, Dial Das, on the other hand was known as a saint of wide sanctity. Gurbakhsh Singh himself was an enterprising warrior. He developed friendship with Baba Ala Singh, founder of the princely house of Patiala, and together they made many conquests.

GURBAKHSH SINGH, SANT (1871-1939), better known as Sant Gurbakhsh Singh of Patiala, scholar and preacher, was born in 1871 at Chunlan in Patiala district. His father, Bhal Sham Singh, and his family shifted to Harisron, near Navashahar in Jalandhar district, as the repression was let loose by government on the Namdharis. He served as granthi in the village gurudwara. Gurbakhsh Singh received his early education in a derd at Fatehabad, near Khadur Sahib.

GURBAKHSH, BHAI, Guru`s masand or sangat leader at Delhi, served Guru Har Krishan (1656-64) with devotion when the latter was in the city in March 1664 at the summons of Emperor Aurarigzib. The Guru had a sudden attack of smallpox and lay critically ill. Bhai Gurbakhsh, seeing the end near, gently begged him to nominate a successor. Guru Har Krishan could barely utter the words: "Baba Bakale," referring to Guru Tcgh Bahadur, who lived at Bakala, as the future Guru. According to Bhai Santokh Singh, Sn Gur Pratdp Suraj Granth, Bhai Gurbakhsh later went to Bakala, made his obeisance to Guru Tegh Bahadur and gave him an account of Guru Har Krishan`s last days in Delhi.

GURBANSAVAU, by Saundha (variously Saundha Singh), is a chronology in verse of the Gurus and of their families. The author, a contemporary and for some time an employee of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was a Sandhu Jattofthe Lahore district. His father was Chaudhari Hem Raj, and his elder brother, Hira Singh, was the founder of the Nakal family. Among his other works are Amrit Mahimd, Gur Ustati, Parsang Pdlshdhi Dasvm and Hdlimndmd, besides several independent poems. The Gurbansdvali which is more a good piece of literature than a document of historical information starts with homage to the Gurus.

GURBILASBABA SAHIB SINGH BEDI, by Bhai Sobha Ram belonging to the Sevapanthi order, is a versified account of the life of Baba Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak. The voluminous work, four manuscript copies of which one each at the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Punjabi University, Patiala; Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala; and Punjab Archives Department, Patiala are known to exist, has since been published (1988) by the Punjabi University. Sahib Singh Bedi is presented in this work as a saint, profound scholar, warrior, statesman, social reformer, and a religious leader.

GURBILAS PATSHAHI 10, a poeticized account of Guru Gobind Singh`s career, was completed in 1751, forty-three years after his death. Until it was published in 1968, there were only four manuscript copies of the work known to exist. Apart from specialists, very few had heard of it. The author of this work is Kuir Singh, a resident of Mohalla Kamboari of a city, which, in his book, remains unspecified, but which could possibly be Lahore. He entered the fold of the Khalsa under the influence of Bhai Mani Singh.

GURBILAS PATSHAHIDASVIN, a poeticized account of the life of Guru Gobind Singh by Bhai Sukkha Singh. The poet, a convert to Sikhism from the barber caste, was born at Anandpur in 1768 and completed the work in 1797 when he was barely twenty-nine. The poetry is more Braj than Punjabi, but the script used is GurmukhT. Recently, the Languages Department, Punjab, has brought out an edition in Devanagari characters also. The oldest printed edition of the work available is the one published in 1912 by Lala Ram Chand Manaktahia from Lahore. 

GURCHARAN SINGH, a Kuka leader (formally designated subd, i.e. governor or deputy, by Baba Ram Singh) who attempted to seek help of the Russians against the British, was born in 1806 at Chakk Pirana in Sialkot district, now in Pakistan, the son of Afar Singh Virk. He joined the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a trooper in 1833 and served the Sikh State up to its annexation in 1849. He was initiated into the Kuka faith about 1870 by the Kuka subd,]o.3. Singh, also of the Sialkot district, and shortly afterwards was himself appointed a subd.

GURCHARAN SINGH Gurcharan Singh (1917 - ) is an eminent Punjabi creative writer in the domains of fiction and poetry. He was born in a Kambaj Rajput family. He passed his M.A. in English (1940) Honours in Punjabi (1950) and M.A. in Punjabi in 1953 and was awarded Ph.D. in 1964. He worked as a wholetime freedom fighter since 1940, and as the editor of the Urdu daily Ranjit and Aftab. In Punjabi he dited Kundan (weekly Lahore), daily Khalsa sewak (ASR), monthly Kheti Bari (Nabha), San/hi duniya (Jullundhur) and Khoj patrika (Punjabi University, Patiala).

GURDAS, BHAI (1551-1636), much honoured in Sikh learning and piety, was a leading figure in early Sikhism who enjoyed the partronage of Guru Arjan under whose supervision he inscribed the first copy of Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, which is still extant. He was born in a Bhalla Khatri family (father: Ishar Das; mother: Jivani) at Goindval in 1608 Bk/AD 1551. Bhai Tshar Das, one of Guru Amar Das\'s cousins had settled in Goindval soon after the town was founded in 1603 Bk/AD 1546. Bhai Gurdas, who was the only child of his parents, lost his mother when he was barely three and his father when he was 12. 

History Gurdaspur was founded by Guriya Ji in the beginning of 17th century On his name, this city...