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Dulla Bhatti

Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti a.k.a Dulla Bhatti (Punjabi: دًﻻ بھٹى) was a famous legendary Rajput hero of Punjab, who led a rebellion against the famous Mughal king Akbar.Such was the level of resistance put by Rai Abdullah Khan that Akbar had to shift his capital from Delhi to Lahore for nearly 20 years of time and made the Lahore fort his headquarters and Lahore as his capital.Rai Abdullah Khan's rebellion was the reason that Akbar made the existing basic structure of the Lahore Fort .There is a kind of epic in Punjabi language called Dulle da var, which narrates the battle events of Dulla Bhatti. Still there is a famous region in Punjab, Pakistan, called Dulle Di Bar means the forest of Dulla Bhatti. This legendary Rajput hero is buried at Miani Sahib Qabristan (Graveyard) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. There is a town Dullewala (Bhakkar District) in the name of legendary Dulla Bhatti where he had a stay with his allies.According to a version, heard from Ghulam Mohammad Rulia of Taran Taran settled in Faisalabad district after independence, and compiled by Ahmad Saleem for the National Council of the Arts, and Folklore Research Centre, Islamabad, Dulla was against the Mughals, particularly Akbar, who had hanged Dulla’s father and grandfather.

Early Days

Dulla Bhatti was born, as Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti, in a Muslim Rajput family to mother Ladhi and father Rai Farid Khan Bhatti and grandson of Rai Sandal Khan Bhatti in the area of "Sandal Bar" in "SandalWal" modern day Pindi Bhattian now in Pakistan (Sandal Bar is also related to the legend of Mirza Sahiba). The people of this area were known to provide stiffest opposition to marauders.The Mahmud of Ghaznawi had carried out one special campaign to subdue the burly and bold warrior Bhatti Rajputs of Sandal Bar. His grandfather Rai Sandal Khan was a tribal chief and head of all the rajputs of the area who holds nearly all the tract of that bar stretching from modern day Hafizabad upto Multan border.His family was directly descended from Rawal Jaisal Singh who founded "The Golden City" of Jaisalmer.He belonged to the warrior like rajput clan of Bhattis. Even Babur makes a mention of the resistance offered to him by these chivalrous tribals in his autobiography 'Baburnama.' From a social point of view these valiant tribesmen had a very secular outlook and their lifestyle was a composite blend of Hindu and Islamic rituals and traditions. In due course of time, the Mughals had consolidated their hold over the entire country but dominance of the region lying between the Chenab and Ravi, eluded them. People of this area never paid any taxes rather they openly defied the authorities and indulged in looting the royal caravans and treasures.Head of all such activities was Rai Sandal Khan Bhatti,the Raja and tribal chief of the area. He(Dulla) following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, waged a guerrilla warfare against the Mughal Empire.According to his mother Laddhi, Dulla was a Lion .He refused to accept the legitimacy of Mughal King Akbar and refused to pay any tax. When Akbar came to Lahore, he ordered the execution of the rebels.Legend has it that to instill fear into the hearts of the common man, Akbar got their skins stuffed with wheat hay (toori) and hung the dead-bodies on the main door.
Dulla wasn’t even born yet. For some reason, huirre was never told of the cause of his father’s and grandfather’s death until he was a young man. One theory has it that Dulla was born at the same time as Akbar’s son Salim (who would later become Emperor Jahangir); but Salim was a weakling and on doctors’ suggestions Akbar brought in Ladhi (Dulla’s mother and a strong rajput woman) to his palace in Delhi and made her to breast feed Salim. So both Dulla and Salim were practically brought up by Ladhi. As adolescents, these two had a good friendship. Dulla and his mother went back to their homeland.
The story of Dulla has been poetically treated by many, and has been written in style known as Saddaan (similar to Mirza by Peelu and Bhagwan Singh). The above incident is thus narrated:
Tera sandal dada maareya, ditta bhore vich paa, Mughlaan puthhiyaan khallaan laah ke bhariyaan naal hawaa.
In the Chardah (East) Punjab-now India-during the Lohri bonfires that mark the end of the deep winter and the start of spring (Capricorn Constellation-Makar appears over the horizon) all the Sikh and Hindu families mark Dulla Bhatti's social and humanitarian contribution made to rescue and then reintegrate the abducted children and girls from the Moghul forces. The Lohri Song is sung upon the birth of a baby boy- for the agricultural community this marks continuation of the family land occupation.
The version of Lohri Song that best describes this contribution of Bhatti and the immense respect with which this rebel is held in the eyes of all Punjabis is:
Sunder mundriye hoe!
Tera kaun wicahara hoe!
Dullah bhatti walla hoe!
Dullahe di dhee vyayae hoe!
Ser shakkar payee hoe!
Kudi da laal pachaka hoe!
Kudi da saalu paatta hoe!
Salu kaun samete!
Mamhe choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi! (Cry or howl!)
Paheenve ro te phannve pit! ”
(Rhyming: beautiful one like a ringlet one!)
Who will save you poor one (to a rescued girl)
Dullah Bhatti is here for you (He rescued the girls who were abandoned and rejected after kidnap!)
The Duallah married off his daughter (the rescued girls were adopted by him as his daughters)
He gave a measure (sher about a kilo)of sugar!
The girl is wearing bridal red dress!
But her shawl is torn (poor and soiled-girl has been raped?)!
Who will stitch her shawl(repair her reputation)?!
The maternal uncle made sweet ghee bread (choori)! (maternal uncles were responsible to vouch for chastity of the girl)
The landlords ravished it (meaning the girl kidnapped by rich moghul landlords!)!
He made the landlords eat a lot!
Lots of innocent guys came (poor grooms)
One innocent boy got left behind (the poorest of poor!)
The soldiers arrested him! (Indicated that he was in collusion with Bhatti the rebel)
The soldiers hit him with a brick! (tortured him)
Cry or howl!
Give us lohri (gifts) ..long live you couple!”

 Rise of Dulla

As Dulla grew up he became a real fighter and warrior learning the art with his keen eye from here and there as he was the tribal chief and hereditary raja of the rajputs, unknowingly in the foot-steps of his father and grandfather. When he was young enough, his mother told him the about the past and from then on Dulla pledged that his only purpose in life was to defeat Akbar and kill him. In the meantime, Salim had a fall out with Akbar over Salim’s love affair with Anarkali. Salim rebelled and came up North-west and met up with Dulla. Salim instigated Dulla further to achieve his own motive as well. With Salim’s support, Dulla built up a small army which made loots from the imperial treasure and merchants in the area of Sandal Bar. The famous loots among them being stealing horses from a merchant who was supposed to be working for the Akbar, then robbing Akbar’s gifts sent from the Middle East. His loots were distributed among the poor and this made him a popular and a heroic rebel. His compassion for the poor and his help in getting poor girls married is still remembered, especially during the times of celebrating the festival of Lohri (mostly falls on 13 January). Although different versions of the festive song are sung in different regions, it sounds something like:
Sundar munderiye
Tera kaun vichaara
Dulla bhatti waala
Dulle ne dhii vehaayi
Ser shakkar paayi
Kudi da saalu paata
Kudi da jeeve chacha
Kudi de maame aaye
Gin gin paule laaye
Ikk paula khus geya
Te zimiindaar russ geya
Aayiin aayiin chachi
Tera putt chadhu ga haathi
Haathi de kann vich jaun
Ni tere putt hon ge nau
Nau(h)aan di kamaayi
Ni tere dar dar chadh di aayi
Seeing so much support for his nephew, Dulla’s uncle Jalaludin, got envious and complained to Akbar against the mischievous Dulla.Legendary stories are associated with the brave Dulla Bhatti. He used to rob rich to help the poor and needy. It is believed that Dulla had restored the prestige of an innocent girl whose modesty was outraged by a Mughal general. There are various versions of the actual story. Some traditions say that Dulla had adopted this girl as his daughter and arranged her marriage in the Jungles of Sandal Bar.

 Final Chapter

In the meantime, Dulla kidnapped two of Akbar’s wives who were going for the Haj pilgrimage. This infuriated Akbar and he ordered immediate capture or killing of Dulla and the safe release of his queens. A huge army was sent for the task, and Dulla would not binge. People of that area wanted to save Dulla and tried to distract the army; so much so that one girl tried to lure the army chief.Some say Dulla’s guerrilla tactics invited the wrath of Akbar who sent his two commanders, Mirza Allaauddin and Ziauddin, to attack Sandalwal (present-day Pindi Bhattian) and bring Dulla Bhatti alive to the court. If not Dulla then the order was to imprison all his relatives, including his mother and other female members.Both the commanders, with 120,000 troops, attack Dulla’s state. Dulla had gone to Chiniot, and in his absence the women were captured by the Mughal commanders, but not without resistance. One of the commanders was killed by a woman Gujri, who sneaked into the camp of the commander and killed him with her dagger.When Dulla heard that his women had been imprisoned by the Mughal forces, he immediately rushed back. The poet says: Mein bhoran Dilli dey kingrey tey bhajarr paa dian takht Lahore (I will humble the fort of Delhi and upset the throne of Lahore).Anyway, Dulla fought bravely and for once the mughal army had to call for reinforcements because the rebels and the public support were too hot to handle. Dulla's son was killed in the war.Dulla said: "Listen comrades; and in a moment the saddles were on, with the goldlaced saddle cloth. On both sides they attacked and came into action. Swords rang in the field and (Dulla’s men) slew right and left. The king’s forces fled, fled the Mughals and Pathans." According to all versions of the war, the Mughal commander was about to be killed by Dulla when he rushed to Laddhi, Dulla’s mother and sought refuge and pardon. And said Laddhi: Listen Dulla, my son, if you slay him you will defile my thirty-two streams of milk. The Mughal commander was spared and ultimately that brought Dulla to Akbar’s prison at Lahore where he was publicly hanged in Nakhas Mandi (today’s Landa Bazaar).

 Dulla Bhatti and Shah Hussain

Maulvi Noor Ahmad Chishti narrates an incident about Shah Hussein Lahori in his Tehqiqat-e-Chishtia. Dulla Bhatti never approved of Mughals and remained active against them. Mughal King Akbar got hold of him and ordered to death. Dulla Bhatti was to be hanged publicly near Nela Gumbad or some place around Landa Bazaar in Lahore. Lahore Kotwal (Police Chief) Ali Malik was supervising the execution where Lahorites had flocked in large number. Shah Hussein had affiliations with Dullah Bhatti and agued with the Police Chief. Ali Malik threatened Shah Hussein saying, “I will get you nailed before evening.”
Shah Hussein responded, “You will be nailed before causing any trouble to me.”
Ali Malik had to report to Akbar and tell him last words of Dulla Bhatti after it was over. “Dulla Bhatti kept calling names and abusing you,” Ali Malik reported to Akbar who was infuriated with Ali Malik on repeating every thing exactly. Akbar ordered Ali Malik to be nailed.
Order of the King was implemented the same evening.
Shah Hussain approved Dulla's revolt against Akbar as,Kahay Hussain Faqeer Sain Da Takht Na Milday Mungay.

 Variation in Literature

Another version of this famous song with reference to Dulla Bhatti, which is sung by people on the festival of Lohri goes thus:

• Sundar Mundri ae..ho
• Tera kaun vichara..ho
• Dulla Bhatti walla..ho
• Dulle ne dhi viahi..ho
• Saer Shakar payi..ho
• Kudi de boje payee..ho
• Shallu kaun samete..ho
• Chacha galee dese..ho
• Chache choori kutee..ho
• Zamindaran lutee..ho
• Zamindara sidaye..ho
• Gin-gin pole layee..ho
• Ik pola reh gaya..ho
• Sipahi pharhh ke le gya..ho
• Aakho mundeo taana..
• Mukai da dana..

Dulla Bhatti da kissa

Dulla Bhatti was a famous legendary Rajput hero of Punjab, who led a rebellion against the famous Mughal king Akbar. There is a kind of epic in Punjabi language called Dulle di var, which narrates the battle events of Dulla Bhatti. Still there is a famous region in Punjab, Pakistan, called Dulle Di Bar means the forest of Dulla Bhatti. This legendary Punjabi hero is buried at Miani Sahib Qabristan (Graveyard) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. There is a town Dullewala (Bhakkar District) in the name of legendary Dulla Bhatti where he had a stay with his allies.
Dulla Bhatti was born in a Punjabi family to mother Ladhi and father Farid Khan in the area of Sandal Baar, near Faisalabad now in Pakistan (Sandal Bar is also related to the legend of Mirza Sahiba). He belonged to the warrior like rajput clan of Bhattis.He following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, waged a guerrilla warfare against the Mughal Empire.He refused to accept the legitimacy of Mughal King Akbar and refused to pay any tax.Such was the level of resistance put up by the rebels that Akbar had to shift his Imperial Capital to Lahore for nearly 20 years. When Akbar came to Lahore, he ordered the execution of the rebels.Legend has it that to instill fear into the hearts of the common man, Akbar got their skins stuffed with wheat hay (toori) and hung the dead-bodies on the main door.
Dulla wasn’t even born yet. For some reason, huirre was never told of the cause of his father’s and grandfather’s death until he was a young man. One theory has it that Dulla was born at the same time as Akbar’s son Salim (who would later become Emperor Jahangir); but Salim was a weakling and on doctors’ suggestions Akbar brought in Ladhi (Dulla’s mother and a strong rajput woman) to his palace in Delhi and made her to breast feed Salim. So both Dulla and Salim were practically brought up by Ladhi. As adolescents, these two had a good friendship. Dulla and his mother went back to their homeland.
The story of Dulla has been poetically treated by many, and has been written in style known as Saddaan (similar to Mirza by Peelu and Bhagwan Singh). The above incident is thus narrated:
Tera saandal dada maareya, ditta bhore vich paa, Mughlaan puthhiyaan khallaan laah ke bhariyaan naal hawaa.
In the Chardah (East) Punjab-now India-during the Lohri bonfires that mark the end of the deep winter and the start of spring (Capricorn Constellation-Makar appears over the horizon) all the Sikh and Hindu families mark Dulla Bhatti's social and humanitarian contribution made to rescue and then reintegrate the abducted children and girls from the Moghul forces. The Lohri Song is sung upon the birth of a baby boy- for the agricultural community this marks continuation of the family land occupation.
The version of Lohri Song that best describes this contribution of Bhatti and the immense respect with which this rebel is held in the eyes of all Punjabis is:
Sunder mundriye hoe!
Tera kaun wicahara hoe!
Dullah bhatti walla hoe!
Dullahe di dhee vyayae hoe!
Ser shakkar payee hoe!
Kudi da laal pachaka hoe!
Kudi da saalu paatta hoe!
Salu kaun samete!
Mamhe choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi! (Cry or howl!)
Paheenve ro te phannve pit! ”
(Rhyming: beautiful one like a ringlet one!)
Who will save you poor one (to a rescued girl)
Dullah Bhatti is here for you (He rescued the girls who were abandoned and rejected after kidnap!)
The Duallah married off his daughter (the rescued girls were adopted by him as his daughters)
He gave a measure (sher about a kilo)of sugar!
The girl is wearing bridal red dress!
But her shawl is torn (poor and soiled-girl has been raped?)!
Who will stitch her shawl(repair her reputation)?!
The maternal uncle made sweet ghee bread (choori)! (maternal uncles were responsible to vouch for chastity of the girl)
The landlords ravished it (meaning the girl kidnapped by rich moghul landlords!)!
He made the landlords eat a lot!
Lots of innocent guys came (poor grooms)
One innocent boy got left behind (the poorest of poor!)
The soldiers arrested him! (Indicated that he was in collusion with Bhatti the rebel)
The soldiers hit him with a brick! (tortured him)
Cry or howl!
Give us lohri (gifts) ..long live you couple!”
Contents [hide]
1 Rise of Dulla
2 Final Chapter
3 Variation in Literature
4 See also
5 External links
 

Rise of Dulla
As Dulla grew up he became a real fighter and warrior learning the art with his keen eye from here and there, unknowingly in the foot-steps of his father and grandfather. When he was young enough, his mother told him the about the past and from then on Dulla pledged that his only purpose in life was to defeat Akbar and kill him. In the meantime, Salim had a fall out with Akbar over Salim’s love affair with Anarkali. Salim rebelled and came up North-west and met up with Dulla. Salim instigated Dulla further to achieve his own motive as well. With Salim’s support, Dulla built up a small army of dacoits which made loots from the imperial treasure and merchants in the area of Sandal Bar. The famous loots among them being stealing horses from a merchant who was supposed to be working for the Akbar, then robbing Akbar’s gifts sent from the Middle East. His loots were distributed among the poor and this made him a popular and a heroic rebel. His compassion for the poor and his help in getting poor girls married is still remembered, especially during the times of celebrating the festival of Lohri (mostly falls on 13 January). Although different versions of the festive song are sung in different regions, it sounds something like:
Sundar munderiye
Tera kaun vichaara
Dulla bhatti waala
Dulle ne dhii vehaayi
Ser shakkar paayi
Kudi da saalu paata
Kudi da jeeve chacha
Kudi de maame aaye
Gin gin paule laaye
Ikk paula khus geya
Te zimiindaar russ geya
Aayiin aayiin chachi
Tera putt chadhu ga haathi
Haathi de kann vich jaun
Ni tere putt hon ge nau
Nau(h)aan di kamaayi
Ni tere dar dar chadh di aayi
Seeing so much support for his nephew, Dulla’s uncle Jalaludin, got envious and complained to Akbar against the mischievous Dulla.
In the meantime, Dulla kidnapped two of Akbar’s wives who were going for the Haj pilgrimage. This infuriated Akbar and he ordered immediate capture or killing of Dulla and the safe release of his queens. A huge army was sent for the task, and Dulla would not binge. People of that area wanted to save Dulla and tried to distract the army; so much so that one girl tried to lure the army chief.

Honoured after four centuries

Shafqat Tanvir Mirza

THE happiest person on the Punjab government's decision to build a monument in the memory of Dullah Bhatti, a hero of the Mughal time, should be Riaz Raji, an activist. He disclosed that Akbar's bureaucracy had buried the Bhatti rebel in Miani Sahib graveyard in such a way that during the four centuries nobody, except a few relatives of Shah Husain's friend knew the place.

But they feared not to disclose that place which was close to the grave of Akbar's police chief, Malik Ali Kotwal who was responsible for the hanging of the hero at Nakhas (now the Landa Bazaar).

Riaz Raji, a poor but committed worker of the Punjabi Adabi Sangat, lived inside Lahore and used to talk about Dullah with his neighbours.

Historical evidence suggests that Dullah was very much in the folk heritage. Some of the scholars of the early British period, like Noor Ahmad Chishti and Mufti Ghulam Sarwar are clear on this issue and are convinced that Bhatti was hanged publicly in Lahore under the orders of the Emperor. Mufti Ghulam Sarwar has written that because of the rebellious Bhatti tribe, Akbar brought Awans from Khushab and adjoining areas to the Bhatti areas to quell the uprising. The Awans were settled in small fortified areas and one such encampment is Garrhi Awanan of Hafizabad. Another version is that even after the death of Dullah Bhatti the Mughal ruler Jehangir constructed the Haran Minar and Sheikhupura fort to keep vigilance on the Sandal Bar areas which is still dominated by Bhattis.

"Dullah Bhatti is the recurrent theme in Punjabi poetry since the publication of Najm Hosain Syed's Dulley Di Var in the early sixties. Exploring the great tradition of resistance in the history of the Punjab, Najm has written two full length plays 'lk Raat Ravi Di (a night on river Ravi) features Ahmad Khan Kharal, a Punjabi martyr of the war of independence from the British in 1857 and Dullah Bhatti is the hero of 'Takht Lahore', a var written in the form of a play, Dullah Bhatti, a rebel against the Mughal Empror, is a historical figure, who following in the footprints of his father, Farid Bhatti and his grandfather Bijli Bhatti, waged a guerrilla warfare against the Mughal Empire. He was executed, like his father and grandfather by the imperial authorities. So fierce was the spirit of resistance that Akbar had to shift the imperial capital to Lahore for more than twenty years. But the struggle of all the three generations of rebels against the Mughal domination in the Punjab is shrouded in mist. History is silent, but the folk vars are rich of details about their heroic exploits. Bards and minstrels have continued to inspire rural Punjab down to our own time".
Punjabi Themes: May 17, 2004