SUNDARI, MATA (d. 1747), the second wife of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), was the daughter of Bhai Ram Saran, a Kumarav Khatri of Bijvara. in present day Hoshiarpur district of the Punjab. She was married to Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur on 4 April 1684. On 26 January 1687, at Paonta, she gave birth to Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh.
Consequent upon the evacuation of Anandpur on the night of 56 December 1705, Mata Sundari, along with Mata Sahib Devan, was escorted by Bhai Mani Singh to Delhi. She rejoined Guru Gobind Singh in 1706 at Talvandi Sabo, where she heard the news of the martyrdom of her son and the other Sahibzadas as also of the death of her aged mother-in-law, Mata Gujari.She went back to stay at Delhi while Guru Gobind Singh left Talvandi Sabo for the South. At Delhi, Mata Sundari adopted a young boy whom she named Ajit Singh because of his resemblance to her own late son.
After the passing away of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded in October 1708, the Sikhs looked up to her for guidance. She appointed Bhai Mani Singh to manage the sacred shrines at Amritsar and also commissioned him to collect the writings of Guru Gobind Singh. She also issued under her own seal and authority hukamnamas to sangats. The hukamnamas since discovered and published bear dates between 12 October 1717 and 10 August 1730.
Mata Sundari was disappointed in her adopted son, Ajit Singh. Emperor Bahadur Shah treated him as the successor of Guru Gobind Singh, called him to his court and gave him a robe of honour in September 1710. This went to his head and he started living in style as a courtier. He grew arrogant and haughty even towards Mata Sundari who disowned him, and migrated to Mathura.
Ajit Singh was later convicted for murder and was put to death on 18 January 1725. Mata Sundari returned to live in Delhi where she died in 1747. A memorial in her honour stands in the compound of Gurdwara Bala Sahib, New Delhi.
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5. Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The Sikh Religion : Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors. Oxford, 1909
Mata Sundari emerges in Sikh history as a beacon of steadfast leadership during one of the faith’s most turbulent eras. As the second wife of Guru Gobind Singh, her early life was interwoven with personal sacrifice and deep spiritual commitment. After enduring immense personal loss—the martyrdom of her own son, Sahibzada Ajit Singh, and witnessing the trials faced by her family—she transcended her own grief to serve as a guiding force for the Sikh community. Her experiences not only molded her resilience but also prepared her to embrace the mantle of leadership when the community was in desperate need of a unifying figure.
Following the demise of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded in 1708, the Sikhs faced an uncertain future without their supreme spiritual guide. Mata Sundari stepped into this void with remarkable poise. Recognizing the need to preserve the Guru’s teachings and maintain a sense of order amid chaos, she took decisive actions. She entrusted Bhai Mani Singh with the responsibility of managing the sacred shrines at Amritsar and commissioned him to compile and safeguard the writings of Guru Gobind Singh. In addition to these administrative acts, she issued her own hukamnamas—edicts that provided spiritual and moral guidance to the community during a period when centralized leadership was sorely needed. These directives, bearing dates from 1717 to 1730, became a crucial means by which the Sikh ethos was transmitted to successive generations.
Mata Sundari’s leadership was not merely administrative but also deeply personal and spiritual. Her decision to adopt a young boy, naming him Ajit Singh due to his resemblance to her lost son, reflects the human dimensions and challenges faced by communities in transition. However, when that adopted son later succumbed to the lure of courtly life and displayed traits antithetical to the values of humility and service—traits integral to Sikh identity—she made the difficult decision to disown him. This act, while painful, underscored her unwavering commitment to the principles of integrity and devotion essential to the Sikh way of life.
Even after returning to Delhi later in life, Mata Sundari’s legacy as a custodian of faith endures. Apart from her direct contributions during the post-Guru transition, her actions laid the foundational framework for preserving the Guru’s teachings for future generations. Her ability to consolidate authority through spiritual edicts and safeguard the holy traditions helped the Sikh community navigate the uncertain post-Guru era. Today, a memorial in her honor stands at Gurdwara Bala Sahib in New Delhi—a testament to a life defined by courage, devotion, and the unyielding quest for spiritual integrity.
