The land of five waters gave the world its first cities, its saints and its songs. Broken by every empire that crossed it, it is still ours to remember, and to make whole again.

Read the manifesto →
PUNJAB WIKIਪੰਜਾਬپنجابPeople
EN
Englishਪੰਜਾਬੀپنجابی

Land & Ages

The LandRivers, doabs, Harappa and the first cities, seasons, numbersAgesEight ages of the Punjab, from the Soan to todayTimelineEvery dated event on one lineAtlasEvery place on one map, age by agePlacesCities, ancient sites, temples, mosques and gurdwaras, battlefieldsLanguage & scriptsPunjabi, its dialects, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi

People & Faiths

PeopleSaints and teachers, poets and singers, rulers, rebels, the people of both PunjabsPeople of the landJats, Rajputs, Arains, Khatris, Dalit communities and more, across every faithFaithsHindu traditions, Islam and the Sufis, Sikhi, and the Punjab's other faiths

Kingdoms & Struggles

Kingdoms & WarsWho ruled the Punjab, the Kingdom of Lahore, and the battles fought over itWho ruled the PunjabEvery ruling power, 518 BCE to todayWars & BattlesFrom the Hydaspes to BasantarStruggles & Partitions1849, 1919, 1947, 1966, 1984, 2020

Culture & Museum

CulturePoets, qisse, songs, music, dance, festivals, foodMuseumSculpture, coins, manuscripts, painting, arms, buildings, and where to see themChronicles & ProphecyThe poetry of the old chroniclesAboutWhat this atlas is, its sources, and every word explainedHelp maintain this siteCorrections, pictures, sources and new entries
Punjab WikiPeopleRulers, chiefs and generals
Bahadur Shah I
Unknown · Wikimedia
Ruler

Bahadur Shah I

ਬਹਾਦਰ ਸ਼ਾਹبہادر شاہ پہلا

Aurangzeb's son, whom Guru Gobind Singh helped in the succession war of 1707 and travelled with to the Deccan. He later led the campaign against Banda Singh.

Muazzam, who became Bahadur Shah, was born in 1643, the son of Aurangzeb. When his father died in 1707, he fought his brothers for the throne, and Guru Gobind Singh is said to have helped him with a contingent of Sikhs at the battle of Jajau near Agra.

The new emperor received the Guru with honour, and the Guru travelled with him towards the Deccan, discussing the return of Anandpur and justice against Wazir Khan. At Nanded the Guru stayed behind, and was assassinated there in 1708.

When Banda Singh rose in the Punjab, Bahadur Shah marched north himself, ordered all Hindus to shave their beards to tell them apart from Sikhs, and besieged Lohgarh in 1710. He died at Lahore in 1712 with Banda Singh still at large.

Places linked to Bahadur Shah I, numbered in order

Battles

1710LohgarhSiege of LohgarhBanda Singh BahadurvsEmperor Bahadur Shah IFort lost; Banda Singh escapes into the hills

Connected

Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh1666 – 1708

Tenth Guru, warrior and poet. Created the Khalsa in 1699, fought a long war with the Mughals and hill rajas, lost his four sons and mother, and named the Guru Granth Sahib as the final Guru.

Banda Singh Bahadur
Banda Singh Bahadur1670 – 1716

Ascetic turned general. Sent north by Guru Gobind Singh in 1708, he took Sirhind, set up the first Sikh state, gave land to those who tilled it and was executed in Delhi in 1716.

In the world's museums

9 objects
Bow and Arrow of Bahadur Shah Zafar 2, Sword and Dagger of Aurangzeb and battle Axe of…Bow and Arrow of Bahadur Shah Zafar 2, Sword and Dagger of Aurangzeb and battle Axe of…National Museum, New Delhi · photo Nomu420 (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA ↗Emperor Bahadur ShahEmperor Bahadur Shahca. 1840 · Punjab Plain© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗Bahadur Shah IBahadur Shah Ica. 1710 · Mughal Empire© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗Portrait of elderly Bahadur Shah IPortrait of elderly Bahadur Shah IWikimedia Commons ↗Emperor Bahadur Shah I, enthroned outdoors.Emperor Bahadur Shah I, enthroned outdoors.Wikimedia Commons ↗Bahadur Shah I with is four SonsBahadur Shah I with is four SonsWikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA ↗Portrait of Bahadur Shah I (rPortrait of Bahadur Shah I (rWikimedia Commons · SpeakingArch · CC BY-SA ↗Emperor Shah Alam Bahadur (Bahadur Shah I, rEmperor Shah Alam Bahadur (Bahadur Shah I, rLACMA, Los Angeles · photo Paul F. Walter (M.74.123.5) (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Bahadur ShahBahadur ShahWellcome Collection ↗

See its connections →

Spot a mistake, a wrong picture or something missing? Help maintain this page →