Mata Sundri Ji

Mata Sundari ji was wife of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), was the daughter of
Bhai Ram Saran, a Kumarav Khatri of Bijvara, in present-day Hoshiarpur district of
the Punjab. She was married to Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur on 4 April 1684. On
26 January 1687, at Paonta, she gave birth to Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the eldest son of
Guru Gobind Singh. Consequent upon the evacuation of Anandpur on the night of i6
December 1705, Mata Sundari, along with Mata Sahib Devan, was escorted by Bhai
Mani Singh to Delhi.

She rejoined Guru Gobind Singh in 1706 at Talvandi Sabo, where she heard the news
of the martyrdom of her son and the other Sahibzadas as also of the death of her aged
mother-in-law, Mata Gujari. She went back to stay at Delhi while Guru Gobind Singh
left Talvandi Sabo for the South. At Delhi, Mata Sundari adopted a young boy whom
she named Ajit Singh because of his resemblance to her own late son. After the
passing away of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded in October 1708, the Sikhs looked up
to her for guidance. She appointed Bhai Mani Singh to manage the sacred shrines at
Amritsar and also commissioned him to collect the writings of Guru Gobind Singh.
She also issued under her own seal and authority hukamnamas to sangats. The
hukamnamas since discovered and published bear dates between 12 October 1717 and
10 August 1730.

Mata Sundari was disappointed in her adopted son, Ajit Singh. Emperor Bahadur
Shah treated him as the successor of Guru Gobind Singh, called him to his court and
gave him a robe of honour in September 1710. This went to his head and he started
living in style as a courtier. He grew arrogant and haughty even towards Mata
Sundari who disowned him, and migrated to Mathura. Ajit Singh was later convicted
for murder and was put to death on 18 January 1725. Mata Sundari returned to live in
Delhi where she died in 1747. A memorial in her honour stands in the compound of
Gurdwara Bala Sahib, New Delhi.

Taken from: Encyclopedia of Sikhism edited by Harbans Singh ji.
Submitted by: A. Kaur