The martyrdom
Looking towards the Europeans
Macauliffe reports that Guru Ji, charged with looking towards the emperor's private rooms, said he was looking towards the Europeans who would overthrow the empire.
Macauliffe tells that the emperor believed he had seen Guru Ji, on the top storey of the prison, looking south towards the imperial women's quarters. Summoned and accused of this serious breach of manners, Guru Ji denied it. The gaze, Guru Ji replied, was towards the Europeans who would come over the seas to tear down the emperor's curtains and end his rule.
Macauliffe adds that a Sikh writer claimed these words became a battle-cry during the storming of Delhi in 1857.
How do we know?
Only one account tells this story.
This story appears to be late and is shaped by colonial-era politics. It fits a writer's wish to link Sikhs and British rule. It is included because it is well known, not because it is good evidence.
- Later traditionTells this story and mentions an unnamed Sikh writer who connects it to the assault on Delhi in 1857. (pp. 381-382)[Macauliffe]
