Baba Moti Ram Mehra (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

late 17th – early 18th century) was a devoted disciple of

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...

who, disregarding the risk to his own life, managed to enter the ''Thanda Burj'' and serve milk to

Mata Gujri Mata Gujri (Gurmukhi: ਮਾਤਾ ਗੁਜਰੀ; ''mātā gujarī''; 1624–1705), also spelt as Mata Gujari, was the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhism, and the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism. She ...

Baba Zorawar Singh Zorawar Singh (, pronunciation: ; 17 November 1696 – 26 December 1704), alternatively spelt as Jorawar Singh, was a son of Guru Gobind Singh who was executed in the court of Wazir Khan, the Mughal Governor of Sirhind. Background In 1699, th ...

and

Baba Fateh Singh Fateh Singh (, pronunciation: ; 25 February 1699 – 26 December 1704 or 26 December 1705), commonly referred to with honorifics as Baba Fateh Singh or Sahibzada Baba Fateh Singh, was the fourth and youngest son of Guru Gobind Singh. Biograp ...

, the sons of Guru Gobind Singh for three nights, where they were kept under arrest by the Mughal Governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan.

Biography

Baba Moti Ram was born into a Hindu family. His parents were Bholi and Hariya Ram. His uncle was

Bhai Himmat Singh Bhai Himmat Singh (1661–1705), born Himmat Rai, was one of the inaugural group of Panj Pyare, or the first group of the ''Five Beloved'' in Sikhism. Biography Early life He was born in 1661 in Jagannath Puri in modern-day Odisha, India in ...

, a member of 1st

Panj Pyare Panj Pyare (, ', the five beloved ones) refers to a gathered ad hoc quintet of five baptised (''Amritdhari'') Khalsa Sikhs who act as institutionalized leaders for the wider Sikh community. Function The Panj Pyare are convened for pressing ma ...

. He used to serve Sikhs on their way to Anandpur Sahib and back to their homes. They used to rest at Baba Moti Ram's mud house where his mother and wife used to prepare food for these pilgrims. On 27 December 1704, the Sahibzadas were martyred, and Mata Gujri also died. He arranged sandal wood for their cremation. Someone told the Nawab that his servant had served those prisoners with milk and water. Nawab Wazir Khan ordered the arrest of Baba Moti Ram Mehra, his mother, wife, and son. He did not conceal his act and boldly told the Nawab that it was his pious duty to serve the imprisoned children and their grandmother. Hence Baba Moti Ram Mehra, along with his family, was sentenced to death by being squeezed in a Kohlu (oil press). His sacrifice was first sermonized by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.

Memorial Gurdwara and Gate

* The Gurudwara in the memory of Baba Moti Ram is situated at a short distance from Gurudwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib at Bassi Road, Opp. Roza Sharif, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib. It was constructed by the Amar Shaheed Baba Moti Ram Mehra Charitable Trust. * Baba Moti Ram Mehra Memorial Gate was constructed by Punjab Government in remembrance of his great sacrifices. * Baba Moti Ram Mehra Park is a park located in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab. It is about 0.49 kilometers away from the Fatehgarh Sahib railway station.

References

{{reflist 18th-century Indian people Sikh martyrs

Biography

Memorial Gurdwara and Gate

See also

References