Vadbhag Singh Sodhi
Vadbhag Singh Sodhi was a direct descendant of Guru Hargobind and a prominent figure of the heretical Dhirmalia sect of Sikhism.
Biography
Early life
Baba Vadbhag Singh was born at Kartarpur, a town near Jalandhar, Punjab of the Doaba region in 1716 A.D. He was the son of Baba Ram Singh and Mata Raj Kaur. He was a descendant of Dhir Mal, the first cousin of Guru Gobind Singh. He succeeded to the hereditary gaddi of Sodhis of Kartarpur.Wadbhag Singh is believed to have approached Jassa Singh Ahluwalia in-order to request a reconsideration on the old injunction against the Dhirmalias by the Khalsa. After some deliberation, it was decided that the Dhirmalias could re-join the Sikh fold.
Sodhi's Revenge
In March 1757, Afghans destroyed Kartarpur and set fire to a historical pillar known as Thambh Sahib. Many civilians were tortured and killed and Kartarpur was looted. Sodhi was the custodian of Kartarpur, but was not present during the incident.He created an alliance with Adina Beg, the last Mughal governor of Punjab, at his request. The alliance was against the Afghan invaders and occupiers, and included Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.
In the Battle of Mahilpur (1757) Sodhi was one of the generals of the Sikh army which was aided by Adina Beg. A hard-fought battle occurred which the Sikhs and Adina Beg won despite Afghan use of light artillery.
After the battle the Sikh forces attacked Jalandhar and defeated resistance that was put up. Sodhi had Jalandhar destroyed and looted in revenge for what happened in Kartarpur. Sodhi dug up the body of Nasir Ali, the faujadar of Jalandhar, and had it dragged. Nasir Ali was involved in the Kartarpur episode. He also burned the corpse. He further defiled the tomb with pork.