Amrik Singh / Jalandhar

In Sikh history, December is called the 'month of sacrifices' as it was in this month that the family of the tenth Guru Gobind Singh was martyred.

The tenth Sikh Guru was fighting a war against the Mughals when his family – wife and four sons - attained martyrdom. Countless Muslim families supported Guru Gobind Singh in the war even at the risk of being targeted.

Their stories have been recorded with the utmost respect in the pages of Sikh history.

Some of the relics and symbols related to Guru Gobind Singh continue to be preserved by Muslim families with utmost devotion and purity.

One of these is 'Gangasagar'.

Gangasagar is a priceless vessel made of an alloy of copper-brass and some other metals, that Guru Gobid Singh used for drinking milk and water etc. He always kept it with him.

Rai Aziz Ullah Khan holding Gangasagar

It’s said that he carried Gangasagar to the war and also in the final battle of his life with the Mughals.

His sons Sahibzade Baba Jujhar Singh and Baba Ajit Singh were martyred in the fort of Chamkaur.

Just before this, Guru Gobind Singh had left the fort of Anandpur Sahib and parted ways with his family on the banks of river Sarsa.Guru Gobind Singh reached Machhiwada fighting his way against the Mughal army where he met two Muslim brothers Navi Khan and Gani Khan. They offered him shelter.

The brothers served him with devotion and with utmost dignity.

The Khan brothers were horse traders. Before taking their leave, Guru Gobind Singh accorded them the status of Pir in recognition of their services.

Navi Khan and Ghani Khan were well aware of the Mughals’ power, yet they carried Guru Gobind Singh on their shoulders and took him safely out of Machhiwada with proper protocol. Some other Muslim notables also accompanied them.

A portrait of Rai Kallan

At that time, the area was surrounded by the Mughal forces and their spies were keeping track of Guru Gobind Singh’s movements.

Guruji came face to face with the Mughal army at many places outside Machhiwada. At that time the saying "patta-patta sher ka Dushman ho gaya hai (Each leaf of the jungle has turned into the enemy of the Lion)" become commonplace. It was about the spies let loose by Mughal rulers against Guru Gobind Singh."

When Gobind Singh reached the village of Heran in the Muslim princely state of Raikot, he met a shepherd in the fields. His name was Nooran Mahi. Nooran Mahi had heard about the martyrdom of Gobind Singh’s sons and yet he had no idea of the man he was meeting.

Guru Gobind Singh was tired and he asked him for milk to drink. As a host, Mahi filled his Gangasagar with milk. Mahi sensed that he was meeting an extraordinary person and had no clue about his identity.

He went to Raikot and informed his boss Rai Kallan about his encounter. After listening to Nooran Mahi's words, Rai Kallan could make out that he had met Gobind Singh.

A painting of Guru Gobind Singh

Throwing caution to the winds, he ran to the place where Mahi had met Gobind Singh and took him to his mansion. Again he served the Guru with utmost affection and devotion.

Gobind Singh told Rai Kallan that he got separated from his family at Sarsa river and he wanted to know about the whereabouts of his wife and sons.

He requested Rai Kallan to depute a reliable person to Sirhind to find out about them.

Rai sent Nooran Mahi for the secret mission. On return, he broke the sad news to Guruji that his wife and sons have been killed. Nooran Mahi’s name is mentioned in the pages of Sikh history. After Guru Gobind Singh decided to continue his journey and the war against the Mughal Empire.

Guru Gobind Singh Rai was so pleased with Kallan's service and spirit that he gifted his favorite jug 'Gangasagar' to him.

He also gifted him some other items that he used. Among the gifts was a Peedi (a low-lying table) that has been used by generations in Rai Kallan's family to place the Holy Quran for recitation.

A poster of Guru Gobind Singh

Raikot and its adjacent Talwandi Rai were Muslim-majority states and had Muslim administrators.

To commemorate the visit of Guru Gobind Singh to Raikot, the Muslims and Sikhs of Raikot and Talwandi built the historic Gurudwara 'Rahaliana Sahib'.

Every day thousands of Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims pay obeisance there. This place stands as testimony to unity and harmony among Indians.

Also, Guru Gobind Singhji's favorite jug, or Surahi 'Gangasagar' is still being handled with full devotion and protection by a Muslim family. At present, the head of the family is Rai Aziz Ullah Khan, who was born n Pakistan and is now settled in Surry, Canada.

Rai Aziz Khan represents the ninth generation of the Rai Kallan family. He was 27 years old when he was told about Gangasagar and other relics of Guru Gobind Singh.

Gangasagar

Rai Aziz Ullah Khan inherited this jug along with other things.

When he left Pakistan, he carried all these valuables with him with the full procedure. He had kept these things in the locker of a bank.

In 1999, on the occasion of Baisakhi, an international-level function was organized at Anandpur Sahib to commemorate 300 years of the martyrdom of the family of Guru Gobind Singh, Rai Aziz brought 'Gangasagar' and other relics for the darshan of the devotees.

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He was provided a chartered flight by the then Government of India. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also visited Anandpur Sahib to have a darshan of the relics of Gobind Singh.