Labana

Labana or Lubana or Lobana, Vanjara and Sikligar are tribes which inhabit Punjab and other parts of India. Most of them in Punjab are Sikhs.

Historical Background

Sikligar was the name given by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh to those descendants of Bhai Ram Singh (a Lohar from Marwar) who would manufacture weapons for battles and then polish them (Sikli means to polish). Historical accounts state there were infact two Ram Singhs, one described above and another one, Ram Singh Parmar, a grandson of Bhai Mani Singh, who fought alongside Guru Gobind Singh at Chamkaur Sahib. He was an expert in wielding weapons, and was arrested along with Banda Bahadur and martyred in Delhi.

Sikligar history is traceable only after 1595 AD. Three Marwari tribes are intimately related to Sikhism and suffered martyrdom since Guru Har Gobind's time. These are Rathores, Pawars / Parmaras and Chauhans. Earlier, Maula Baksh used to manufacture the Guru's weapons, but later the Guru sent for Marwari weapon makers. Bhai Kehar Singh Rajput's services were availed of. With him came many others in the trade. When peace prevailed after Guru Har Gobind's times, these craftsmen returned to Marwar but were disowned by their brethren. Thus they became Vanjaras or roaming artisans (Note that the Hindustani word for Gypsies is also Vanjara). During Guru Gobind Singh's time as weapons were required again, the Vanjaras came into the Sikh mainstream. Vanjaras of the Punjab consider themselves followers of Guru Nanak Dev and their leader, Lakhi Shah Vanjara (Labana).

For all practical purposes Lobanas, Vanjaras and Sikligars fall in the same clan. Some of them have nomadic roots and have been related to the Lambada or Labada tribe of Andhra among others, and there are some who beleive that they are of the same stock as the Gypsies or Roma people in Europe. Though some had trading background too, currently most Labana's in Punjab are involved in agriculture, though they are not seen to be the same as the Jatts who are also primarily agricultural.

Labanas, Vanjaras and Sikligars in Sikh history

There are some well known Lobana Sikhs. These include :

Makhan Shah Lobana, who identified Guru Teg Bahadur out of twenty-two imposters at the village of Baba Bakala.
Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara, who took the headless body of Guru Teg Bahadur under the cover of darkness, from Chandni Chowk in 1675 AD and cremated it, putting his house on fire (Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi is the site).
Bhai Uday Singh and Bhai Bachittar Singh, both brothers were Vanjaras. The latter attacked a tipsy Mughal elephant at Guru Gobind Singh's command.
Vanajaras and Sikligars helped Banda Bahadur with both men and material in his campaigns of the Punjab especially Sirhind.

Labanas, Vanjaras and Sikligars today

During Guru Gobind Singh's time, Sikligars used to manufacture swords, rifles and pistols but due to legal restrictions now they are reduced to making only steel pans and kettles. Bibi Jagir Kaur, ex-President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee belongs to the Labana community. Her father-in-law, Baba Harnam Singh, a Minister in the Punjab Cabinet converted a number of tribals of West Punjab to Sikhism. After the partition, his headquarters shifted to Begowal, in Kapurthala.

Other parts of India

Besides Punjab, these tribes are also found in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharastra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and Gujarat. In these areas, they may not necessarily follow Sikhism.

References

Lobanas,Vanjaras and Sikligars
Article on Lubanas by Jaswant Singh which appeared in 'Sikhstudies.org'
Gurmat Parkash, October 2002 (pages 11-43) Monthly Journal of Dharam Parchar Committee, SGPC, Amritsar.
Guru Shabad Ratankar Mahan Kosh
Sikligar Kabila - Sher Singh Sher
Sikligar Parsang - Buddha Dal
Guru De Sher - Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer

External links

http://www.nishkam.org/
http://www.nishkamcanada.org/