Featuring original paintings by artist Kanwar Singh artofpunjab.com
Mata Sahib Kaur ji (1681-1747) holds a unique place in the cosmology of the Khalsa founded by Guru Gobind Singh ji.
As Mother of the Khalsa, she serves today as exemplar and place holder for what empowered daughters of the Tenth Master can be in a future we can only imagine.
In joining the Tenth Guru as his holy consort, Sahib Kaur was lifted to the giddy heights of human possibility, joining the fold of Bibi Nanaki, Bibi Bhani, Mata Ganga and Mata Gujri.
By contributing sweetening to the Amrit lovingly prepared by the Guru on Vaisakhi Day, she manifested her unique and unerring inspiration.
By suffering the privations and dangers of Anandpur Sahib when it was cut off and surrounded by a host of fanatical armies, Mata Sahib Kaur proved her mettle in the time of need.
By providing decades of continuity and organization for the far-flung Khalsa family from her precarious base in the Mughal capital, she helped ensure our survival through times of unprecedented oppression.
Even as she still lived, hard set traditionalist voices tried to erase Mata Sahib Kaur’s integral part in the creation of the Khalsa Panth. They said she had had no part in the ceremony that marked the birth of the Khalsa. They said that it was just a conclave of men.
Vaisakhi 1699 Birth of the Khalsa – painting by artist Kawar Singh
Up to one hundred years ago, women who wanted to take the vows and join the ranks of Khalsa were subjected to a women’s ceremony. No double-edged sword. A single-edged sword was considered sufficient for these women who could not vote or hold political office, who within living memory had been bought and sold in the slave market of Ludhiana. Second class was good enough for daughters of the Khalsa. So they thought.
It has taken a century and more of hard work and sacrifice to begin to recover the dignified memory of the Mother of the Khalsa. This was not everyone’s project, but some people contributed whole heartedly.
The image of Mata Sahib Kaur ji stands as a monument to a time when Sikh women were accorded great respect and remarkable agency. When the future of the Khalsa rested in the hands of two noble women, Mata Sahib Kaur and Mata Sundari, and they delivered despite every hardship and every opposition.
Pritam Bhagautee calls to mind the original female impulse to divinity, to goodness, to life itself. The creation of the Khalsa followed as naturally as day follows night. The Khalsa, women and men alike, is called to live in love, to embody holiness, to defend and to preserve life at a time when life itself is under threat on this precious planet.
A Khalsa with different rules for brahmins and shudras, men and women, does not serve the mission for which it was made. The spirit of Guru Gobind Singh and Mata Sahib Kaur breathes in a different kind of Khalsa.
Guru Gobind Singh ji - Master and Disciple. Detail from painting by artist Kanwar Singh
Artist Kanwar Singh offers his collection of Sikh historical paintings as fine art prints. His paintings commemorate the lives of the Gurus and iconic Sikh greats. Visit his online gallery at artofpunjab.com to see his renowned artwork and select high quality prints for your own home or to be given as a unique gift.
