THE BOOK IS A FICTIONAL RETELL OF THE SATNAMI REVOLT AGAINST AURANGZEB, AND UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF REBELLION IN TIMES OF OPPRESSION

- Rajat Ghai

IN THE history of revolts and rebellions, 1672 holds a special significance. In that year, the Satnamis—a sect comprising peasants, artisans, and untouchables—rebelled against the mighty Mughal Empire. It all began with a small quarrel. A Satnami youth, cultivating his field, got into a fight with a party of Mughal nobles, which resulted in his slaying by a Mughal Pyada or a foot soldier. In retaliation, the foot soldier was killed by the Satnami community. This happened in what is today’s Mahendragarh district in Haryana. Following the two murders, the local Mughal official sent a troop of soldiers to arrest those who had killed the foot soldier. But the community drove them away. Emboldened, the Satnamis attacked Narnaul, the main township in the area and destroyed the Mughal garrison. They even set up their own administration.

Their next move shocked many. The Satnamis marched towards Shahjahanabad (old Delhi), armed with the latest European-designed muskets that their leader had taught them to make. As Delhi quaked with fear, the emperor Aurangzeb himself took to the field. The Satnamis took on the over 10,000-strong Mughal army on March 25, 1672. Though the Satnamis fought bravely, they lost the battle and 2,000 Satnamis were killed. The killing of the youth may have been the immediate trigger, the reasons for the revolt were to do with the growth of the Satnami sect. The entrenched caste structure of the era forced marginalized groups to join the fold and they protested against the high taxation policies. Their rise was seen as a threat by t

This story is from the October 1, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.

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