https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Dulla_BhattiDulla Bhatti - Revision history2026-07-30T16:00:53ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Dulla_Bhatti&diff=551090&oldid=prevChahmadkhanbhatti55 at 11:01, 16 June 20262026-06-16T11:01:34Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Punjabi folk hero}}<br />
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{{about|Dulla Bhatti Sons Noor Khan Bhatti Kamal Khan Bhatti Makay Khan Bhatti Jahan Khan Bhatti|the Pakistani Punjabi film|Dulla Bhatti (1956 film)|the Indian Punjabi film|Dulla Bhatti (2016 film)}}<br />
{{Use Pakistani English|date=September 2020}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Dulla Bhatti<br />
| title = Rai<br />
| other_names = Son of Punjab<br>[[Robin Hood]] of Punjab<br />
| image = <br />
| alt = <br />
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Zamindar]]|[[Social banditry|Social Bandit]]|[[Rebellion|Rebel]]}}<br />
| caption = <br />
| known for = Rebelling and fighting against the [[Mughal emperor]] [[Akbar]]'s centralised land revenue scheme (lagaan)<br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1547|07|23}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Pindi Bhattian]], [[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]] {{small|(present-day [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]])}}<br />
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1599|03|26|1547|07|23}}<br />
| death_place = [[Lahore]], [[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]] {{small|(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)}}<br />
}}<br />
{{Punjabi folklore}}<br />
<br />
'''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><br />
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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/><br />
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Abdullah Khan Dulla Bhatti Sons and grend Fathers All Shajra Nasib<br />
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Sandhal Khan Bhatti Son Farid Khan Bhatti Son Abdullah Khan Dulla Bhatti 4 Sons Noor Khan Bhatti" Kamal Khan Bhatti" Makay Khan Bhatti" Jahan Khan Bhatti"<br />
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Kamal Khan Bhatti Son Muhammad Bhatti Sons Ghulam Haidar Bhatti Son Fazal Din Bhatti Son Gaji Khan Bhatti Son Allah Ditta Bhatti Son Karam Din Bhatti Son Nawab Khan Bhatti Son Muhammad Sadique Bhatti Son Muhammad Saleem Bhatti Sons Muhammad Zeeshan Saleem Bhatti" Muhammad Arslan Saleem Bhatti" Adnan Ahmed Khan Bhatti<br />
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== Biography ==<br />
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><br />
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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=}}<br />
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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]]<br />
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=}}<br />
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=== Banditry ===<br />
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=}}<br />
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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"/><br />
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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=}}<br />
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== Death and legacy ==<br />
[[File:Dulla Bhatti (4067802963).jpg|thumb|Grave of Dulla Bhatti at [[Miani Sahib Graveyard]]]]<br />
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=}}<br />
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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=}}<br />
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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]].<br />
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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.<br />
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==See also==<br />
*[[Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal]]<br />
*[[Nizam Lohar]]<br />
*[[Porus]]<br />
*[[Jagga Jatt]]<br />
*[[Malangi (bandit)|Malangi]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
'''Notes'''<br />
{{notelist}}<br />
'''Citations'''<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
'''Bibliography'''<br />
{{refbegin}}<br />
*{{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}}<br />
*{{citation |title=Speaking Like a State: Language and Nationalism in Pakistan |first=Alyssa |last=Ayres |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780521519311}}<br />
*{{citation |title=Martyr as Bridegroom: A Folk Representation of Bhagat Singh |first=Ishwar Dayal |last=Gaur |publisher=Anthem Press |year=2008 |isbn=9788190583503 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OQ4CWDeKSxUC}}<br />
*{{citation |title=The Playful Revolution: Theatre and Liberation in Asia |first=Eugene |last=van Erven |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1992 |isbn=9780253112880 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzBlJeYSqSoC}}<br />
*{{citation |title=Bandits |first=Eric |last=Hobsbawm |author-link=Eric Hobsbawm |publisher=Hachette UK |year=2010 |orig-year=1969 |isbn=978-0-297-86531-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0rVNXz-WhhwC |access-date=4 February 2014}}<br />
*{{citation |first=Michael |last=Nijhawan |chapter=Transitions in the Public Realm: Dhadi in the Early Twentieth Century |title=Folklore, Public Sphere, and Civil Society |editor1-first=M. D. |editor1-last=Muthukumaraswamy |editor2-first=Molly |editor2-last=Kaushal |publisher=National Folklore Support Centre (India) |year=2004 |isbn=9788190148146}}<br />
*{{citation |title=Son Preference: Sex Selection, Gender and Culture in South Asia |first=Navtej K. |last=Purewal |publisher=Berg |year=2010 |isbn=9781845204686 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S3dMJZlVUfMC}}<br />
*{{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}}<br />
*{{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}}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
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== Further reading ==<br />
* {{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}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatti, Dulla}}<br />
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[[Category:1547 births]]<br />
[[Category:1599 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:People executed by the Mughal Empire]]<br />
[[Category:People executed by India by hanging]]<br />
[[Category:Punjabi people]]<br />
[[Category:People from Hafizabad District]]<br />
[[Category:Punjabi Muslims]]<br />
[[Category:Punjabi warriors]]<br />
[[Category:Burials at Miani Sahib Graveyard]]<br />
[[Category:16th-century Indian people]]<br />
[[Category:16th-century executions]]</div>Chahmadkhanbhatti55