Rai Bhoe Bhatti (c. 1380 – 1454 or 1461),[1] alternatively spelt as Rai Bhoi Bhatti, was a Muslim Rajput zamindar in medieval India. He was the founder of a rebuilt Nankana Sahib, formerly known as Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi, a village in the province of Punjab (an 'iqtas [province] of the ruling Delhi Sultanate).[2] He was born a Hindu but embraced Islam later on in his life.[note 1][3] He was the son of Rai Raaney Bhatti.

Biography

Ancestors of Bhatti arrived in Punjab in the early 14th century during the reign of Alauddin Khalji (1295-1315). Khalji's Army had attacked Jaisalmer, a state in Rajputana (now Rajasthan in India), to avenge raids by Hindu Rajputs. After a bloody battle, one of the Bhatti Rajput prince along with his clansmen who survived were taken hostage. They were converted to Islam and sent to exile in northern Punjab, near Kotli (about 40 miles from the present-day Lahore). According to the legend, Khalji was so touched by their bravery that he paid a tribute to them by giving them about 1,50,000 acres of Punjab's most fertile land as compensation for their defeat and also as an enticement to keep them from rallying troops and building a new Rajput Bhatti Army.[4][5] According to some sources, his ancestor, Rai Addel Bhatti (1265 – 1350) was the one who made the first conversion from Hinduism to Islam in the family due to the influence of Sufism.[5]

Bhoe Bhatti supervised the rebuilding of the village of Talwandi after it had been destroyed during the numerous invasions of the Punjab (and wider subcontinent) by invaders such as Timur. During his tenureship as the village's chief or zamindar, the village successfully grew in population through developments supervised by Rai Bhoe and also the assured security from foreign invasions.

Bhatti had a son named Rai Bular Bhatti, born in circa 1425 (according to records kept by bards) or 1430, who would succeed him as the local zamindar. Bular Bhatti would later gain recognition for being the employer of Mehta Kalu, the father of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

Notes

  1. ↑ Other sources state he was born a Muslim and it was an earlier ancestor who made the conversion from Hinduism to Islam.

References

  1. ↑ "Mehta Kalu". punjabipedia.org (in Punjabi). Retrieved 2022-08-20. "After Rai Bhoi's death in Bikrami Samvat 1518..." Bikrami Samvat 1518 = 1461 A.D.
  2. ↑ Abrol, Daya Ram; W. H. McLeod (1980). The B40 Janam-Sakhi. Guru Nanak Dev University. p. 3. OCLC 122319657.
  3. ↑ Dhillon, Harish (2015). "Part 1 Guru Nanak - Chapter 1 Birth and Childhood". The Sikh Gurus. Hay House. ISBN 9789384544454.
  4. ↑ Garewal, Naveen S. (26 May 2007). "Guru Nanak's estate flourishes in Pakistan". Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  5. 1 2 Singh, Bhupender (December 2022). Baba Nanak Shah Fakir. Blue Rose Publishers. p. 151. ISBN 9789357046602. Talwandi is said to have been originally built by a Hindu king, Raja Vairat. It was sacked and destroyed by fire and crowbar, like most Hindu towns and cities, during the Muslim invasions. Rai Bhullar restored Talwandi (earlier known as Raipur) and built a fort on the summit of the tumulus (ancient burial mound), in which he lived as the secure and happy ruler of a small village, some limited acres of cultivated land, and a boundless wilderness. The Bhatti clan is known to have founded the cities of Bathinda and Jaisalmer, among others. Rai Jaisal Bhatti (who lived around 1000 AD) founded Jaisalmer. One of the descendants of Rai Jaisal Bhatti came out of Jaisalmer, moved towards Punjab and settled down in Lahore. From within the same clan a gentleman named Rai Addel Bhatti (1265–1350), the grandson of Rai Jaisal Bhatti adopted the Islam faith due to the influence of Sufism, but did not leave his Hindu Rajput traditions and culture and Rai Bhoi Bhatti, one of his descendants, established Talwandi Rai Bhoi Khan Ki (today's Nankana Sahib).
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