
Matthew Thomas
Senior Specialist
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Senior Specialist
Baba Deep Singh (1682-1757) is a famous Sikh hero, who was initially a close companion of Guru Gobind Singh. He combined religious life and devotion to the scriptures with military duties in the Khalsa army. He fought under Banda Singh Bahadur against the Mughals, but his best-known actions were against the Afghans during their incursions into India under Ahmad Shah Durrani. At the battle of Amritsar in 1757 (which the Sikhs fought in part to avenge the desecration of the Golden Temple), Baba Deep Singh (who had come out of scholarly retirement in his old age) was decapitated in combat, but according to legend fought on. This painting may depict the confrontation before this battle.
The prolific popular contemporary artist Bodhraj is well known for his many paintings and illustrations for various publications, calendars and magazines. Besides depictions of the Sikh Gurus, he has painted religious figures such as Sant Kabir, Swami Ramanand, Bhagat Namdev', 'Bhagat Ravidas, Baba Sheikh Farid and Baba Buddha.