Sahib Singh Bedi
Baba Sahib Singh Bedi | |
|---|---|
 Pahari equestrian miniature painting of Sahib Singh Bedi, circa 19th century | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 7 April 1756 Dera Baba Nanak, Punjab |
| Died | 17 July 1834 (aged 78) Una, Himachal Pradesh |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Children | Bishan Singh Bikram Singh Attar Singh |
Sahib Singh Bedi (7 April 1756 – 17 July 1834) was a direct lineal descendant of Guru Nanak in the tenth generation.
Biography
Early life
Sahib Singh Bedi was born to parents Ajit Singh Bedi (died 1773) and Sarupan Devi on 7 April 1756 at Dera Baba Nanak (in present-day Gurdaspur district) in the traditional Punjabi month of Chet sudi. In 1770, his family shifted to Una located at the foothills of the Sivalik Hills region (in present-day Himachal Pradesh), where they held land.
Later life
Sahib Singh Bedi was greatly respected by the Sikh misldars (chiefs) during the era of the Sikh Confederacy and acted as a common uniting cause between the various bickering, rival chiefs against an outside enemy. He was responsible for applying the tilak and saffron paste during the coronation ceremony of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 11 or 12 April 1801 in Lahore. He was also the founder of the locality of Bedian located near Lahore on tracts of land allotted to him by Ranjit Singh. He established a Sikh religious educational school at Bedian, partly choosing this location to combat the rival heretic Mina sect, founded by the disgruntled and rebellious Prithi Chand, which was headquartered at Heir village nearby. He died on 17 July 1834 in Una. He was survived by two sons, Bishan Singh and Bikram Singh.