The real identity of #BandaSinghBahadur, also known as Banda #Bairagi or Lachhman Das Bairagi before he was baptized into the #Khalsa. His caste and background have been subject to manipulation and reinterpretation by different communities — #Rajputs, #Brahmins, but **the most historically grounded evidence supports his origin as a Jatt Sikh of the Dhillon clan.
Who Was Banda Singh Bahadur?
Birth Name: Lachhman Singh #Dhillon/Lakshman Das
Converted Name: Banda Singh Bahadur, after initiation into Khalsa
Died: 1716, executed in Delhi by Mughals
Caste & Clan Identity: A Historical Analysis
> Example :
“Banda, a Jat of the Dhillon tribe, turned rebel against the imperial forces…”
These Mughal sources consistently associate Banda with the Jats, and never with Rajputs or Brahmins.
2. #Sikh Sources (Contemporary & Later Granths)
Many Sikh sources — Bansavalinama, Mehma Prakash, and Suraj Prakash — either skip over his caste or indirectly mention his Jatt origin. This was partly because the Khalsa ideology attempted to transcend caste — yet did not erase background identity.
Bansavalinama by Kesar Singh Chhibber refers to him as someone from a farming background — common among Jats.
The Twarikh Guru Khalsa notes his ties to agrarian communities of Punjab.
3. Dhillon Clan Association
A significant portion of oral history and Punjabi folklore identifies Banda as a Dhillon Jatt.
Other Claims and Their Issues
Rajput ClaimSome sources pushed a Rajput identity to give him royal warrior legitimacy, especially under colonial or Hindu nationalist retellings. But:
No contemporary or Mughal record mentions this.
Sikhism under Guru Gobind Singh was Jatt-dominated by then.
Banda’s own egalitarian actions (e.g. abolishing #Zamindari and empowering peasants) were against Rajput interests.
Brahmin / Bairagi ClaimSome hagiographic works identify him as a Bairagi ascetic and hence link him to Brahmins:
While it is true Banda was a Vaishnava Bairagi (an ascetic order often containing Brahmins), this was a religious affiliation, not caste.
His initiation into Khalsa transformed his social identity entirely.
Moreover, even ascetics were often from non-Brahmin backgrounds, including Jats.
Dahiya ClaimsDahiya is a Jat clan, found both in Punjab and Haryana, and some local traditions in Haryana claim Banda was a Dahiya Jatt from the region — this is possible, but less supported than the Dhillon identification.
Scholarly References Supporting Jatt Origin1. Ganda Singh (noted Sikh historian) in Life of Banda Singh Bahadur – accepts his agrarian, Jat background.
2. Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs,
Vol. 1 – mentions Banda's non-elite rural background.
3. #Sikandernama and #Ibratnama – Persian chronicles by Mughals directly label Banda’s followers as Jats.
4. British Colonial Ethnography (Ibbetson, Rose) – repeatedly link early Sikh revolutionaries including Banda’s forces to Jats.
Banda Singh Bahadur's Legacy — A Jat Peasant RevolutionaryAbolished Zamindari system and distributed land to tillers — a radical Jat peasant act.
Reversed the power structure, which favored Rajputs and Brahmin landlords.
His movement is often seen as the first agrarian revolution in north India.
Most of his generals — Bhai Fateh Singh, Bhai Baj Singh, Bhai Ram Singh — were Jatts.
Summary TableClaim Evidence Verdict
Dhillon Jatt Mughal records, oral tradition, agrarian background 
Strongest evidence
Strongest evidenceDahiya Jatt Regional oral claims (Haryana) Possible
PossibleRajput No primary source, nationalist invention False
FalseBrahmin/Bairagi Religious order, not caste Misinterpreted
MisinterpretedKhatri 19th century textual re-engineering Historically weak
Historically weakBanda Singh Bahadur’s real identity:
Real Name and Clan Identity
Birth Name: Lachhman Singh Dhillon
Gotra/Clan: Dhillon Jatt
Birthplace: In 1670, Pandori Village Jallandhar Punjab
Father's Name: Ram Dev (also sometimes recorded as Ram Das)
Caste: Jatt (Dhillon clan), a prominent martial peasant caste in Punjab
Ascetic NameAfter experiencing a traumatic hunting incident (he accidentally killed a pregnant deer), he renounced worldly life.
Became a Bairagi ascetic and adopted the name Lakshman Das Bairagi or Madho Das Bairagi (depending on the source).
He wandered across India, lived as a recluse and mystic — eventually settling in Nanded, Maharashtra.
Meeting with Guru Gobind Singh (1708)
Guru Gobind Singh met him at Nanded.
Lakshman Das was transformed after the encounter — he accepted the Guru’s path and was baptized into the Khalsa.
He was renamed Banda Singh Bahadur ("Banda" means servant, "Bahadur" means brave).
Mughal Sources Confirm Jatt Identity
Persian/Mughal chroniclers (like those in Ibratnama, Akhbar-us-Salatin, Zakirat-ul-Khawanin) refer to Banda Singh as:
"A Jat by caste"
"Of Dhillon tribe"
"A peasant rebel leading the Jatts and Sikhs"
Why This Is Important:
Rajput and Brahmin narratives later tried to erase or appropriate his identity — some even falsely claimed he was a Rajput or Brahmin.
In reality, Banda Singh's Jatt Dhillon heritage is well-attested in historical records, oral traditions, and Sikh chronicles.
His uprising was also deeply rooted in agrarian, anti-Mughal, anti-feudal resistance — in which Jats played a central role.
Key Sources:
1. Panth Prakash by Rattan Singh Bhangu
2. Ibratnama (Persian Mughal chronicle)
3. Sikh History by Khushwant Singh (Vol 1)
4. Advanced History of the Punjab by G.S. Chhabra
5. Mughal Records translated in "Later Mughals" by Irvine
