Baba Lakhishah Banjara and Ethical Courage in Seventeenth-Century India — Subaltern Agency, Religious Freedom, and the Making of Sikh Historical Memory

Historiography of early modern India often prioritises emperors, saints, and institutions as central to religious conflict and tolerance. This focus overlooks how ordinary individuals’ moral choices have shaped major events. This article centres on Baba Lakhishah Banjara, a 17th-century brave Naik from the Banjara merchant dynasty, and directly argues that his courageous actions in ensuring Guru Tegh Bahadur’s dignified cremation after the Guru’s 1675 execution under Mughal policy exemplify subaltern moral agency. These actions not only demonstrated civil courage but also profoundly influenced Sikh identity, intercommunal relations, and India’s religious heritage. In total, this article advances historical discussions on resistance, religious freedom, and subaltern moral agency.