Sikhi Art

“The battledrum beats in the sky of the mind; aim is taken, and the wound is inflicted.
The spiritual warriors enter the field of battle; now is the time to fight! ||1||” – Bhagat Kabeer (AGGS, 1105)

The Battle of Chamkaur was fought between the Khalsa army (little over 40 soldiers) and Mughal and Rajput armies (soldiers estimated in thousands). After being tricked in to leaving the fort of Anandpur, Guru Gobind Singh ji found shelter in a haveli, a large fortified house. Despite having assured Guru Gobind Singh ji the saftey of him and his Khalsa, the Mughal and Rajput army were looking for the Guru’s head. They ended up reaching Chamkaur, and laid siege. Khalsa archers immeditely took their places, and showered arrows upon the opposing forces through the windows of the fortress. Teams of 5 Khalsa were constantly sent outside to defend the fortress. As the day grew old, the Khalsa forces were running out of soldiers. At this point, Guru Gobind Singh’s eldest son, Baba Ajit Singh, at the age of 18, volunteered to join his fellow Khalsa in battle. Guru Gobind Singh ji knew this would be his son’s last battle, instead of letting his emotions stop him from letting his son dive into a death hole, he felt proud of having such a brave son!

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Details of the painting
Background Storyline: Sahibzada or Prince Ajit Singh charges into battle with his spear in one hand and shield in the other. He runs his spear through the hearts of many Mughals. Before its, now blunted, end is proven to be useless, he hurls it towards the approaching cavalry, and pulls out one of his curved shamshirs.
The charge has left his horse with many wounds, it has been blinded by the enemy archers. It topples over, throwing the Prince towards the ground in front of him. On the ground, the Prince is greeted with deadly strikes. Keeping his balance, he moves quickly – dodging, and blocking most of them with his hardened, rhinohide shield. Just then the injured Prince notices a Mughal cannon being readied for the seige. He discards his shield – who knows what it hit, who cares… He pulls out his other sword; it was dying of thirst. With blood raging through his mortal body, the immortal Ajit Singh then charges the infantry that guard the cannon! Some high ranking Bhumi militiamen and Cavalrymen see his strategy and rush to defend it!

This is one of Bhagat’s more detailed paintings, and also the first painting in the Battle of Chamkaur series. There is a lot to look at, much to learn, and many things to discover. Once you receive the print (and make sure you get the biggest one you can), lookout for:
-Mughal cavalry archers
-Chamkaur Di Garhi, the fortress with Khalsa forces (It’s there alright)
-Two Singhs who charged the forces along with Prince Ajit Singh
-Mahouts (elephant riders) see how many you can find
and there’s much more…

Click on the individual thumbnails to enlarge.

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