Jaitley releases silver coin commemorating Sikh Leader Banda Singh Bahadur

Arun Jaitley releases commemorative silver coin to mark 300th martyrdom day of Banda Singh Bahadur Jaitley, who is also the Information and Broadcasting Minister, said Banda Singh Bahadur was a great leader who continues to inspire the people. He said, Bahadur fought the Mughals and established the first sovereign Sikh state.


Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev, also known as Banda Bahudar,Lachman Das and Madho Das (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716, Delhi) was a Sikh military commander.

At age 15 he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name ‘’Madho Das’’. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī, where in September 1708 he was visited by, and became a disciple of, Guru Gobind Singh, who gave him the new name of Banda Singh Bahadur. Armed with the blessing and authority of Guru Gobind Singh, he assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire. His first major action was the sack of the Mughal provincial capital, Samana, in November 1709. After establishing his authority in Punjab, Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the zamindari system, and granted property rights to the tillers of the land. He was captured by the Mughals and tortured to death in 1716.