ZORĀWAR SIṄGH PĀLIT (d. 1708), generally known as Gurū Gobind Siṅgh's adopted son was born to Bhāī Natthū, a carpenter of Bassī Paṭhāṇāṅ, near Sirhind. His mother, Māī Bhikkhī, served in the Gurū's household at Anandpur, where the boy spent his early childhood, too. He was about the same age as the Gurū's third son, Zorāwar Siṅgh, and both of them were playmates. Once he defeated his Sāhibzādā in a friendly wrestling bout in the presence of Gurū Gobind Siṅgh. The Gurū lovingly remarked, "He, too, is my Zorāwar (literally, strong or mighty) son", and he treated him as such. The appellation persisted so that his real name is totally lost to history.
At the time of the evacuation of Anandpur on the night of 5-6 December 1705, he was among those who were able to cross the flooded Sarsā. He was however stranded on the left bank of the rivulet and severely wounded in a skirmish near Malikpur Rañghṛāṅ. He took shelter in Koṭlā Nihaṅg Khān from where he was conveyed by a relation to the village of Ḍaḍheṛī, near Gobindgaṛh. Here an old lady, Māī Pūpāṅ, cleaned and dressed his wounds. On recovery he rejoined Gurū Gobind Siṅgh at Damdamā Sāhib, Talvaṇḍī Sābo, but returned to the north before the Gurū left on his travels to the Deccan. Having stayed briefly at places such as Ḍhaṭṭīāṅ, Ḍaḍheṛī, Ugāṇī and Bassī, he settled down at Khizrābād, now in Ropaṛ district. But he travelled southwards again and joined Gurū Gobind Siṅgh's camp at I’tmādpur, near Āgrā. He died along with 19 other Sikhs in an unexpected skirmish with local soldiers near Chittorgaṛh Fort on 3 April 1708. Shrines commemorating him exist at Koṭlā Nihaṅg Khān, Ḍaḍheṛī, Ugāṇī and Khizarābād.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Shamsher Siṅgh Ashok