GURU HARGOBIND SAHIB THE FOUNDER OF SIKH MILETARY. (HOW HE PREPARED HIS SIKHS FOR PHYSICAL FITNESS AND COMBAT)

• Guru Sahib was a brilliant Sikh martial artist (shastarvidya) and an avid hunter.Guru Hargobind Sahib encouraged people to maintain physical fitness and keep their bodies ready for physical combat.

• The reasons for Guru Hargobind Sahib to arm his followers were many. Both externally and internally, the situation was changing. The Guru had to adjust his policy to the demands of the new environment. Sikhism had developed mostly during the tolerant days of Akbar. Akbar had never interfered with the development of Sikhism. He had even praised the Gurus in various ways. But the execution of Guru Arjan Dev ji at the hands of Jahangir and imprisonment of Guru Hargobind definitely showed that sterner days were ahead. The policy of mere peaceful organisation no longer sufficed. Both Guru Arjan and Guru Hargobind had foreseen that protecting the Sikh community without the aid of arms was no longer possible.The death of his father at the hands of Jahangir prompted him to emphasize the military dimension of the Sikh community. He symbolically wore two swords, which represented miri and piri (temporal power and spiritual authority). He built a fort to defend Ramdaspur and created a formal court, Akal Takht Sahib.

• First battle of Sikhs was the Battle of Rohilla. This battle was a campaign by the Mughal Empire against the growing influence of the Sikhs in 1621.Because of historic persecution from the Mughal Empire, Guru Hargobind Sahib had militarized the Sikhs which resulted in increased political and military power. 4,000 troops were sent by the Mughal Empire to assist Abdul Khan, the governor of Punjab, against Guru Hargobind Sahib.The battle involved very heavy fighting,on the Sikh side, General Jattu was killed and on the Mughal side Governor Abdul Khan was killed alongside Generals Nabi Bakhsh and Karim Bakhsh. The Mughal army fled the field of battle and the Sikh victory increased their influence in the region.