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{{Short description|Punjabi Folk Hero}}
{{Short description|Punjabi folk hero}}
 
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{about||the Pakistani Punjabi film|Dulla Bhatti (1956 film)|the Indian Punjabi film|Dulla Bhatti (2016 film)}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=September 2020}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=September 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{for|the 2016 Indian film|Dulla Bhatti (film)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name           = Dulla Bhatti
| name               = Dulla Bhatti
| other_names    = Abdullah Bhatti
| title              = Rai
| image          = Dulla Bhatti (4067802963).jpg
| other_names        = Son of Punjab<br>[[Robin Hood]] of Punjab
| imagesize      =  
| image              =  
| alt             =
| alt               =  
| caption        = Buried at [[Miani Sahib Graveyard|Miani Sahib Qabristan (Graveyard)]]
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Zamindar]]|[[Social banditry|Social Bandit]]|[[Rebellion|Rebel]]}}
| known for       = Rebelling and fighting against the [[Mughal emperor]] [[Akbar]]'s centralised land revenue scheme (lagaan)
| caption            =
| birth_date     = mid-16th century <br> {{small|possibly 31 August 1569}}  
| known for         = Rebelling and fighting against the [[Mughal emperor]] [[Akbar]]'s centralised land revenue scheme (lagaan)
| birth_place     = [[Pindi Bhattian]], [[Punjab]], [[Mughal Empire]] <br> {{small|(present-day [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]])}}
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|df=yes|1547|07|23}}
| death_date     = 1599
| birth_place       = [[Pindi Bhattian]], [[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]] {{small|(present-day [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]])}}
| death_place     = [[Lahore]], [[Punjab]], [[Mughal Empire]] <br> {{small|(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)}}
| death_date         = {{death date and age|df=yes|1599|03|26|1547|07|23}}
| death_place       = [[Lahore]], [[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]] {{small|(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)}}
}}
}}
{{Punjabi folklore}}


'''Abdullah Bhatti''' (popularly referred to as the '''"Son of Punjab"''' or '''"Robin Hood of Punjab"''', sometimes spelled '''Dullah Bhatti''' and also known as '''Rai Abdullah Bhatti''') is a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[folk hero]] who supposedly came from the [[Punjab region]] of [[medieval India]] and led a revolt against [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] rule during the reign of the [[Mughal emperor]] [[Akbar]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daniyal |first=Shoaib |title=Lohri legends: the tale of Abdullah Khan 'Dullah' Bhatti, the Punjabi who led a revolt against Akbar |url=http://scroll.in/article/801803/lohri-legends-the-tale-of-abdullah-khan-dullah-bhatti-the-punjabi-who-led-a-revolt-against-akbar |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref> He is entirely absent from the recorded history of the time, and the only evidence of his existence comes from [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] folk songs.<ref name="SinghGaur2008">{{cite book|author1=Surinder Singh|author2=I. D. Gaur|title=Popular Literature and Pre-modern Societies in South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVA0JAzQJkYC&pg=PA89|year=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1358-7|pages=89–90}}</ref>
'''Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti'''{{efn|{{langx|pa| رائے عبداللہ خان بھٹی {{small|([[Shahmukhi]])}}, ਰਾਏ ਅਬਦੁੱਲਾ ਖਾਨ ਭੱਟੀ {{small|([[Gurmukhi]])}}|translit=Rāi Abdullāh Khān Bhattī}}}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-11 |title=In Pakistan, a bid to revive Lohri – and remember Dulla Bhatti, a forgotten folk hero |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/pakistan-lohri-revival-efforts-by-remembering-folk-hero-dulla-bhatti-9105155/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> (23 July 1547 – 26 March 1599),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dulla Bhatti: Robinhood of Punjab, centerpiece of all Lohri songs, was hanged by Akbar publicly to set an example - Read full Story |url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/lohri-2023-dulla-bhatti-story-and-significance-january-13-or-14-robinhood-of-punjab-centerpiece-of-all-lohri-songs-was-hanged-by-akbar-publicly-to-set-an-example-read-full-story-2560709.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Zee News |language=en}}</ref> popularly known through his moniker '''Dulla''' or '''Dullah Bhatti''', was a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[folk hero]] who led a revolt against [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] rule during the reign of [[Akbar|Emperor Akbar]]. He is entirely absent from the recorded history of the time, and the only evidence of his existence comes from [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] folk songs.<ref name="SinghGaur2008">{{cite book|author1=Surinder Singh|author2=I. D. Gaur|title=Popular Literature and Pre-modern Societies in South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVA0JAzQJkYC&pg=PA89|year=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1358-7|pages=89–90}}</ref>


The deeds of Bhatti are recounted in [[folklore]] and took the form of [[social bandit]]ry. According to Ishwar Dayal Gaur, although he was "the trendsetter in peasant insurgency in medieval Punjab", he remains "on the periphery of Punjab's historiography".{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|pp=27, 37, 38|ps=}}<ref name=Dawn/>
The deeds of Bhatti are recounted in [[folklore]] and took the form of [[social bandit|social banditry]]. According to Ishwar Dayal Gaur, although he was "the trendsetter in peasant insurgency in medieval Punjab", he remains "on the periphery of [[Punjab]]'s historiography".{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|pp=27, 37, 38|ps=}}<ref name=Dawn/>


== Early life ==
== Biography ==
Abdullah Bhatti was a Punjabi [[Muslim Rajput]] whose father was a local zamindar.<ref name=JP>{{Cite book|first=Ishwar|last=Dayal|title=Martyr as Bridegroom: A Folk Representation of Bhagat Singh|publisher=Anthem Press|year=2008|pages=37|isbn=9788190583503|quote=a Muslim Rajput, Dulla Bhatti, the son of local zamindar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OQ4CWDeKSxUC&q=dulla+bhatti+rajput&pg=PA37|access-date=2021-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Daniyal |first=Shoaib |title=Lohri legends: the tale of Abdullah Khan 'Dullah' Bhatti, the Punjabi who led a revolt against Akbar |url=http://scroll.in/article/801803/lohri-legends-the-tale-of-abdullah-khan-dullah-bhatti-the-punjabi-who-led-a-revolt-against-akbar |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref> Abdullah Bhatti lived at [[Pindi Bhattian]] in [[Punjab]],{{sfnp|Ahsan|1996|p=120|ps=}} and came from a family of hereditary local rural chiefs of the [[zamindar]] class. Both his father, Farid, and his grandfather, variously called Bijli or Sandal,{{efn|Surinder Singh's analysis of regional folklore names Bhatti's grandfather as Sandal and suggests the possibility, given the influence that he had in the region, that the area of [[Sandal Bar]] is named after him.{{sfnp|Singh|2008|p=106|ps=}}}}<ref name=Dawn/> were executed for opposing the new and centralised land revenue collection scheme imposed by the [[Mughal emperor]] [[Akbar]]. Dulla was born to Ladhi four months after the death of his father.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|pp=34, 37|ps=}}<ref name=Dawn>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1112454 |author=Mushtaq Soofi|title=Punjab Notes: Bar: forgotten glory of Punjab |date=13 June 2014|newspaper=Dawn (newspaper)|access-date=4 September 2020}}</ref>
Abdullah Bhatti was a Punjabi [[Muslim Rajput]] of the [[Bhatti]] tribe.<ref name=JP>{{Cite book|first=Ishwar|last=Dayal|title=Martyr as Bridegroom: A Folk Representation of Bhagat Singh|publisher=Anthem Press|year=2008|pages=37|isbn=9788190583503|quote=a Muslim Rajput, Dulla Bhatti, the son of local zamindar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OQ4CWDeKSxUC&q=dulla+bhatti+rajput&pg=PA37|access-date=2021-01-13}}</ref><ref name="Daniyal">{{Cite web |last=Daniyal |first=Shoaib |title=Lohri legends: the tale of Abdullah Khan 'Dullah' Bhatti, the Punjabi who led a revolt against Akbar |url=http://scroll.in/article/801803/lohri-legends-the-tale-of-abdullah-khan-dullah-bhatti-the-punjabi-who-led-a-revolt-against-akbar |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Singh | first=Surinder | title=Situating Medieval India | publisher=Boydell & Brewer | date=2023-12-12 | isbn=978-1-83765-125-2 | chapter=Revolt of Dulla Bhatti against the Mughal state | page=140| quote= Dulla Bhatti as a brave Rajput warrior, who shook the foundations of the Mughal state}}</ref> Abdullah Bhatti lived at [[Pindi Bhattian]] in [[Punjab]],{{sfnp|Ahsan|1996|p=120|ps=}} and came from a family of hereditary local rural chiefs of the [[zamindar]] class. Both his father, Farid, and his grandfather, variously called Bijli or Sandal,{{efn|Surinder Singh's analysis of regional folklore names Bhatti's grandfather as Sandal and suggests the possibility, given the influence that he had in the region, that the area of [[Sandal Bar]] is named after him.{{sfnp|Singh|2008|p=106|ps=}}}}<ref name=Dawn/> were executed for opposing the new and centralised land revenue collection scheme imposed by the [[Mughal emperor]] [[Akbar]]. Dulla was born to Ladhi four months after the death of his father.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|pp=34, 37|ps=}}<ref name=Dawn>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1112454 |author=Mushtaq Soofi|title=Punjab Notes: Bar: forgotten glory of Punjab |date=13 June 2014|newspaper=Dawn (newspaper)|access-date=4 September 2020}}</ref>


Coincidentally, Akbar's son, Shaikhu (later known as [[Jahangir]]), was born on the same day. Advised by his courtiers that Shaikhu's future bravery and success would be ensured if the child was fed by a woman whose own son was born on same day (which happens to be Dhulla Bhatti), Akbar gave that responsibility to Ladhi despite her connection to a man who had rebelled against the Mughal throne. This decision appears to have its basis in [[realpolitik]]: Akbar perceived that Ladhi was resentful, that Bhatti might become the third generation of rebels and that Akbar's royal favour might offset this.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=35|ps=}}
Akbar's son, Shaikhu (later known as [[Jahangir]]), was born on the same day. Advised by his courtiers that Shaikhu's future bravery and success would be ensured if the child was fed by a woman whose own son was born on same day (which happens to be Dhulla Bhatti), Akbar gave that responsibility to Ladhi despite her connection to a man who had rebelled against the Mughal throne. This decision appears to have its basis in [[realpolitik]]: Akbar perceived that Ladhi was resentful, that Bhatti might become the third generation of rebels and that Akbar's royal favour might offset this.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=35|ps=}}
 
A part of the royal patronage was that Bhatti attended school. Although, at that time, unaware of the fate of his ancestors, he refused to accept the strictures that were intended to mould him into a good citizen and objected to being a part of an establishment that was designed to produce elites. He left to engage instead in childish mischief-making.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=35|ps=}}[[File:Lohri.jpg|thumb|right|[[Lohri|Lohri Bonfire]], it is celebrated in the wider [[Punjab]] region in remembrance of Dulla Bhatti]]
A chance remark led to Ladhi having to explain the fate of Farid and Bijli to her son. Gaur says that this caused his general anti-authoritarian, rebellious nature to "crystallise" with the Akbar regime as its target, although not as a means of revenge specifically for the deaths of his relatives but in the wider sense of the sacrifices made by rural people generally. Bhatti saw this, says Gaur, as a "peasant class war".{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|pp=35-36|ps=}}


A part of the royal patronage was that Bhatti attended school. Although, at that time, unaware of the fate of his ancestors, he refused to accept the strictures that were intended to mould him into a good citizen and objected to being a part of an establishment that was designed to produce elites. He left to engage instead in childish mischief-making.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=35|ps=}}
=== Banditry ===
Bhatti's class war took the form of social banditry, taking from the rich and giving to the poor.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=36|ps=}}{{efn|''Social bandit'' is a concept devised by [[Eric Hobsbawm]], defined as "peasant outlaws whom the lord and state regard as criminals, but who remain within peasant society, and are considered by their people as heroes, as champions."{{sfnp|Hobsbawm|2010|p=13}}}} Folklore gave him a legendary status for preventing girls from being abducted and sold as slaves. He arranged marriages for them and provided their [[dowry|dowries]].{{sfnp|Purewal|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AxzmEYM0g84C&pg=PA83 83]|ps=}}


A chance remark led to Ladhi having to explain the fate of Farid and Bijli to her son. Gaur says that this caused his general anti-authoritarian, rebellious nature to "crystallise" with the Akbar regime as its target, although not as a means of revenge specifically for the deaths of his relatives but in the wider sense of the sacrifices made by rural people generally. Bhatti saw this, says Gaur, as a "peasant class war".{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|pp=35-36|ps=}}
In one incident, [[Jahangir|Prince Salim]] crossed over into Dulla Bhatti’s territory during a hunt. Releasing him, Bhatti argued that his conflict was with the emperor, not his son. On another occasion, it is also said that Akbar got away from his guards and was apprehended by the soldiers of Dulla Bhatti. Akbar posed as the Mughal court jester when brought before Dulla Bhatti, which allowed him to be freed.<ref name="dawn"/>


== Banditry ==
His efforts may have influenced Akbar's decision to pacify [[Guru Arjan Dev]], and through Guru Arjan Dev's influence the people of Bari Doab, by exempting the area from the requirement to provide land revenues.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=36|ps=}}
Bhatti's class war took the form of social banditry, taking from the rich and giving to the poor.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=36|ps=}}{{efn|''Social bandit'' is a concept devised by [[Eric Hobsbawm]], defined as "peasant outlaws whom the lord and state regard as criminals, but who remain within peasant society, and are considered by their people as heroes, as champions."{{sfnp|Hobsbawm|2010|p=13}}}} Folklore gave him a legendary status for preventing girls from being abducted and sold as slaves. He arranged marriages for them and provided their [[dowry|dowries]].{{sfnp|Purewal|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AxzmEYM0g84C&pg=PA83#v=onepage&q&f=false 83]|ps=}}
[[File:Punjabi_Qissa_-_Dulla_Bhatti_(Cover).jpg|thumb|An edition of Punjab qissa Dulla Bhatti by Kishan Singh Arif]]
His efforts may have influenced Akbar's decision to pacify Guru Arjan Dev Ji, and through Dev's influence the people of [[Bari Doab]], by exempting the area from the requirement to provide land revenues.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=36|ps=}}


== Death ==
== Death and legacy ==
The end for Bhatti came in 1599 when he was hanged in Lahore. Akbar had hoped to make an example of him at the public execution, expecting that he would quake with fear, but Bhatti was steadfast in his resistance to the end. Shah Hussain, a contemporary [[Sufi]] poet who wrote of him, recorded his last words as being "No honourable son of Punjab will ever sell the soil of Punjab".{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=37|ps=}}{{sfnp|Ayres|2009|p=76|ps=}}
[[File:Dulla Bhatti (4067802963).jpg|thumb|Grave of Dulla Bhatti at [[Miani Sahib Graveyard]]]]
The end for Bhatti came in 1599 when he was hanged in Lahore. Akbar had hoped to make an example of him at the public execution, expecting that he would quake with fear, but Bhatti was steadfast in his resistance to the end. Bhatti's last words were abuses against Akbar.<ref name="dawn">{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1392730|title=Remembering Dulla Bhatti, the landlord who stood up to the mighty Akbar|work=Dawn.com|date=2 March 2018|access-date=18 October 2024}}</ref> Shah Hussain, a contemporary [[Sufi]] poet who wrote of him, recorded his last words as being "No honourable son of Punjab will ever sell the soil of Punjab".{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=37|ps=}}{{sfnp|Ayres|2009|p=76|ps=}}


== Legacy ==
A fragments of the ''[[vaar|vars]]'' (medieval poetry put to music) concerning Dulla Bhatti have survived to the present day. {{sfnp|Singh|1997|p=448|ps=}} and ''[[Dhadi (music)|dhadi]]'' Performances recounting his exploits have become less common.{{sfnp|Nijhawan|2004|p=267|ps=}}
Only fragments of the ''[[vaar|vars]]'' (medieval poetry put to music) concerning Dulla Bhatti have survived to the present day{{sfnp|Singh|1997|p=448|ps=}} and ''[[Dhadi (music)|dhadi]]'' performances recounting his exploits have become less common.{{sfnp|Nijhawan|2004|p=267|ps=}}


The memory of Bhatti as a saviour of Punjabi girls is recalled at the annual [[Lohri]] celebrations in the region to this day, although those celebrations also incorporate many other symbolic strands.{{sfnp|Purewal|2010|p=83|ps=}}  The song "Sundri-Mundri" is sung during the celebrations and is a tribute to him.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=37|ps=}} Among the significant modern literature inspired by the life is ''Takht-e-Lahore'', a 1973 play written by [[Najam Hussein Syed]].{{sfnp|van Erven|1992|p=174|ps=}} A novel based on the life of Dulla Bhatti has been written by [[Baldev Singh Sadaknama]].
The memory of Bhatti as a saviour of Punjabi girls is recalled at the annual [[Lohri]] celebrations in the region to this day, although those celebrations also incorporate many other symbolic strands.{{sfnp|Purewal|2010|p=83|ps=}}  The song "Sundri-Mundri" is sung during the celebrations and is a tribute to him.{{sfnp|Gaur|2008|p=37|ps=}} Among the significant modern literature inspired by the life is ''Takht-e-Lahore'', a 1973 play written by [[Najam Hussein Syed]].{{sfnp|van Erven|1992|p=174|ps=}} A novel based on the life of Dulla Bhatti has been written by [[Baldev Singh Sadaknama]].


A number of Indian [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]-language films have been produced films on his life, including &ndash; ''Dulla Bhatti'' (1966) by Baldev R. Jhingan, ''Dulla Bhatti'' (1998) by Pammi Varinder, [[Dulla Bhatti (film)|''Dulla Bhatti'']] (2016) by Minar Malhotra.<ref name="RajadhyakshaWillemen1999">{{cite book|last1=Rajadhyaksha|first1=Ashish|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000raja|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema|last2=Willemen|first2=Paul|publisher=British Film Institute|year=1999|access-date=12 August 2012|url-access=registration}}</ref> A Pakistani film ''Dulla Bhatti'' (1956) has also been made.
A number of Indian [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]-language films have been produced on his life, including &ndash; ''Dulla Bhatti'' (1966) by Baldev R. Jhingan, ''Dulla Bhatti'' (1998) by Pammi Varinder, [[Dulla Bhatti (film)|''Dulla Bhatti'']] (2016) by Minar Malhotra.<ref name="RajadhyakshaWillemen1999">{{cite book|last1=Rajadhyaksha|first1=Ashish|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000raja|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema|last2=Willemen|first2=Paul|publisher=British Film Institute|year=1999|isbn=9780851706696 |access-date=12 August 2012|url-access=registration}}</ref> A Pakistani film ''Dulla Bhatti'' (1956) has also been made.


== See also ==
==See also==
*[[Papadu]]
*[[Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal]]
*[[Nizam Lohar]]
*[[Porus]]
*[[Jagga Jatt]]
*[[Malangi (bandit)|Malangi]]


== References ==
== References ==
Line 55: Line 62:
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
'''Bibliography'''
'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation |title=The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan |first=Aitzaz |last=Ahsan |edition=2nd |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1996 |isbn=9780195776935 |page=120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E3bjAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{citation |title=The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan |first=Aitzaz |last=Ahsan |edition=2nd |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1996 |isbn=9780195776935 |page=120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E3bjAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{citation |title=Speaking Like a State: Language and Nationalism in Pakistan |first=Alyssa |last=Ayres |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780521519311}}
*{{citation |title=Speaking Like a State: Language and Nationalism in Pakistan |first=Alyssa |last=Ayres |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780521519311}}
Line 64: Line 72:
*{{citation |title=Medieval Indian Literature |volume=1 |first=Harbhajan |last=Singh |author-link=Harbhajan Singh (poet) |chapter=Medieval Punjabi Literature |editor-first=K. Ayyappa |editor-last=Paniker |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1997 |isbn=9788126003655 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYLpvaKJIMEC}}
*{{citation |title=Medieval Indian Literature |volume=1 |first=Harbhajan |last=Singh |author-link=Harbhajan Singh (poet) |chapter=Medieval Punjabi Literature |editor-first=K. Ayyappa |editor-last=Paniker |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1997 |isbn=9788126003655 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYLpvaKJIMEC}}
*{{citation |title=Popular Literature and Pre-modern Societies in South Asia |first=Surinder |last=Singh |chapter=Mughal Centralization Local Resistance in North-Western India: An Exploration of the Ballad of Dulla Bhatti |editor1-first=Surinder |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Ishwar Dayal |editor2-last=Gaur |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2008 |isbn=9788131713587 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVA0JAzQJkYC&pg=PA89}}
*{{citation |title=Popular Literature and Pre-modern Societies in South Asia |first=Surinder |last=Singh |chapter=Mughal Centralization Local Resistance in North-Western India: An Exploration of the Ballad of Dulla Bhatti |editor1-first=Surinder |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Ishwar Dayal |editor2-last=Gaur |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2008 |isbn=9788131713587 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVA0JAzQJkYC&pg=PA89}}
{{refend}}
== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Surinder |chapter=Revolt of Dulla Bhatti against the Mughal State: A Study of Oral Tradition and Modern Cultural Forms |title=Situating Medieval India: Polity, Society and Culture |pages=139-162 |publisher=Boydell and Brewer |date=2023 |doi=10.1515/9781805431473-008}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatti, Dulla}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatti, Dulla}}
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
 
[[Category:History of Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:1547 births]]
[[Category:People from Hafizabad District]]
[[Category:1599 deaths]]
[[Category:1599 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:People executed by the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:People executed by the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:16th-century executions]]
[[Category:People executed by India by hanging]]
[[Category:People executed by India by hanging]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:People from Hafizabad District]]
[[Category:Punjabi Muslims]]
[[Category:Punjabi warriors]]
[[Category:Burials at Miani Sahib Graveyard]]
[[Category:Burials at Miani Sahib Graveyard]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:16th-century executions]]

Revision as of 19:43, 19 November 2025

For the Pakistani Punjabi film, see Dulla Bhatti (1956 film). For the Indian Punjabi film, see Dulla Bhatti (2016 film).

Dulla Bhatti
Born(1547-07-23)23 July 1547
Pindi Bhattian, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died26 March 1599(1599-03-26) (aged 51)
Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Other namesSon of Punjab
Robin Hood of Punjab
Occupation
Known forRebelling and fighting against the Mughal emperor Akbar's centralised land revenue scheme (lagaan)
TitleRai

Template:Punjabi folklore

Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti[lower-alpha 1][1] (23 July 1547 – 26 March 1599),[2] popularly known through his moniker Dulla or Dullah Bhatti, was a Punjabi folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal rule during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He is entirely absent from the recorded history of the time, and the only evidence of his existence comes from Punjabi folk songs.[3]

The deeds of Bhatti are recounted in folklore and took the form of social banditry. According to Ishwar Dayal Gaur, although he was "the trendsetter in peasant insurgency in medieval Punjab", he remains "on the periphery of Punjab's historiography".[4][5]

Biography

Abdullah Bhatti was a Punjabi Muslim Rajput of the Bhatti tribe.[6][7][8] Abdullah Bhatti lived at Pindi Bhattian in Punjab,[9] and came from a family of hereditary local rural chiefs of the zamindar class. Both his father, Farid, and his grandfather, variously called Bijli or Sandal,[lower-alpha 2][5] were executed for opposing the new and centralised land revenue collection scheme imposed by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Dulla was born to Ladhi four months after the death of his father.[11][5]

Akbar's son, Shaikhu (later known as Jahangir), was born on the same day. Advised by his courtiers that Shaikhu's future bravery and success would be ensured if the child was fed by a woman whose own son was born on same day (which happens to be Dhulla Bhatti), Akbar gave that responsibility to Ladhi despite her connection to a man who had rebelled against the Mughal throne. This decision appears to have its basis in realpolitik: Akbar perceived that Ladhi was resentful, that Bhatti might become the third generation of rebels and that Akbar's royal favour might offset this.[12]

A part of the royal patronage was that Bhatti attended school. Although, at that time, unaware of the fate of his ancestors, he refused to accept the strictures that were intended to mould him into a good citizen and objected to being a part of an establishment that was designed to produce elites. He left to engage instead in childish mischief-making.[12]

Lohri Bonfire, it is celebrated in the wider Punjab region in remembrance of Dulla Bhatti

A chance remark led to Ladhi having to explain the fate of Farid and Bijli to her son. Gaur says that this caused his general anti-authoritarian, rebellious nature to "crystallise" with the Akbar regime as its target, although not as a means of revenge specifically for the deaths of his relatives but in the wider sense of the sacrifices made by rural people generally. Bhatti saw this, says Gaur, as a "peasant class war".[13]

Banditry

Bhatti's class war took the form of social banditry, taking from the rich and giving to the poor.[14][lower-alpha 3] Folklore gave him a legendary status for preventing girls from being abducted and sold as slaves. He arranged marriages for them and provided their dowries.[16]

In one incident, Prince Salim crossed over into Dulla Bhatti’s territory during a hunt. Releasing him, Bhatti argued that his conflict was with the emperor, not his son. On another occasion, it is also said that Akbar got away from his guards and was apprehended by the soldiers of Dulla Bhatti. Akbar posed as the Mughal court jester when brought before Dulla Bhatti, which allowed him to be freed.[17]

His efforts may have influenced Akbar's decision to pacify Guru Arjan Dev, and through Guru Arjan Dev's influence the people of Bari Doab, by exempting the area from the requirement to provide land revenues.[14]

Death and legacy

Grave of Dulla Bhatti at Miani Sahib Graveyard

The end for Bhatti came in 1599 when he was hanged in Lahore. Akbar had hoped to make an example of him at the public execution, expecting that he would quake with fear, but Bhatti was steadfast in his resistance to the end. Bhatti's last words were abuses against Akbar.[17] Shah Hussain, a contemporary Sufi poet who wrote of him, recorded his last words as being "No honourable son of Punjab will ever sell the soil of Punjab".[18][19]

A fragments of the vars (medieval poetry put to music) concerning Dulla Bhatti have survived to the present day. [20] and dhadi Performances recounting his exploits have become less common.[21]

The memory of Bhatti as a saviour of Punjabi girls is recalled at the annual Lohri celebrations in the region to this day, although those celebrations also incorporate many other symbolic strands.[22] The song "Sundri-Mundri" is sung during the celebrations and is a tribute to him.[18] Among the significant modern literature inspired by the life is Takht-e-Lahore, a 1973 play written by Najam Hussein Syed.[23] A novel based on the life of Dulla Bhatti has been written by Baldev Singh Sadaknama.

A number of Indian Punjabi-language films have been produced on his life, including – Dulla Bhatti (1966) by Baldev R. Jhingan, Dulla Bhatti (1998) by Pammi Varinder, Dulla Bhatti (2016) by Minar Malhotra.[24] A Pakistani film Dulla Bhatti (1956) has also been made.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.
  2. ↑ Surinder Singh's analysis of regional folklore names Bhatti's grandfather as Sandal and suggests the possibility, given the influence that he had in the region, that the area of Sandal Bar is named after him.[10]
  3. ↑ Social bandit is a concept devised by Eric Hobsbawm, defined as "peasant outlaws whom the lord and state regard as criminals, but who remain within peasant society, and are considered by their people as heroes, as champions."[15]

Citations

  1. ↑ "In Pakistan, a bid to revive Lohri – and remember Dulla Bhatti, a forgotten folk hero". The Indian Express. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  2. ↑ "Dulla Bhatti: Robinhood of Punjab, centerpiece of all Lohri songs, was hanged by Akbar publicly to set an example - Read full Story". Zee News. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Surinder Singh; I. D. Gaur (2008). Popular Literature and Pre-modern Societies in South Asia. Pearson Education India. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-81-317-1358-7.
  4. ↑ Gaur (2008), pp. 27, 37, 38
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Mushtaq Soofi (13 June 2014). "Punjab Notes: Bar: forgotten glory of Punjab". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  6. ↑ Dayal, Ishwar (2008). Martyr as Bridegroom: A Folk Representation of Bhagat Singh. Anthem Press. p. 37. ISBN 9788190583503. Retrieved 13 January 2021. a Muslim Rajput, Dulla Bhatti, the son of local zamindar
  7. ↑ Daniyal, Shoaib. "Lohri legends: the tale of Abdullah Khan 'Dullah' Bhatti, the Punjabi who led a revolt against Akbar". Scroll.in. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Singh, Surinder (12 December 2023). "Revolt of Dulla Bhatti against the Mughal state". Situating Medieval India. Boydell & Brewer. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-83765-125-2. Dulla Bhatti as a brave Rajput warrior, who shook the foundations of the Mughal state
  9. ↑ Ahsan (1996), p. 120
  10. ↑ Singh (2008), p. 106
  11. ↑ Gaur (2008), pp. 34, 37
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Gaur (2008), p. 35
  13. ↑ Gaur (2008), pp. 35-36
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Gaur (2008), p. 36
  15. ↑ Hobsbawm (2010), p. 13.
  16. ↑ Purewal (2010), p. 83
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Remembering Dulla Bhatti, the landlord who stood up to the mighty Akbar". Dawn.com. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Gaur (2008), p. 37
  19. ↑ Ayres (2009), p. 76
  20. ↑ Singh (1997), p. 448
  21. ↑ Nijhawan (2004), p. 267
  22. ↑ Purewal (2010), p. 83
  23. ↑ van Erven (1992), p. 174
  24. ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. ISBN 9780851706696. Retrieved 12 August 2012.

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Singh, Surinder (2023). "Revolt of Dulla Bhatti against the Mughal State: A Study of Oral Tradition and Modern Cultural Forms". Situating Medieval India: Polity, Society and Culture. Boydell and Brewer. pp. 139–162. doi:10.1515/9781805431473-008.
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