Bhai Mati Das (d. 24 November1675) (Punjabi: ਭਾਈ ਮਤੀ ਦਾਸ) is one of the great martyrs in Sikhhistory. He along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dyal Das, all disciples of the ninth Sikh Guru,Guru Teg Bahadur, were executed along with Guruji at theKotwali (police-station) near the Sunehri Masjid in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, under the express orders of emperorAurangzeb.

Born to a Brahmin^[1][2] family of the Chhibber clan, Bhai Mati Das belonged to the village of Karyala, a stronghold of the Chhibbers, in the Jhelum District in Punjab (Pakistan), about ten kilometres from Chakwal on the road to the Katas RajTemple Complex. The village stands on the top of the Surla hills. This part of the country is known as Dhani meaning rich. A few kilometres away are the Salt Mines and coal mines ofDandot. The Katas lake is beautiful.

His grandfather, Bhai Praga, had embraced the Sikh faith in the time of Guru Hargobind and had taken part in battles with theMughal forces. His uncle Dargah Mall served Guru Har Rai andGuru Har Krishan as Diwan or manager of the household. Bhai Mati Das and his brother, Bhai Sati Das, assisted Dargah Mall in his work during Guru Tegh Bahadur's time. The former was himself appointed Diwan along with Dargah Mall who was by then considerably advanced in years.

Diwan Mati Das accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur during his travels in the eastern parts in 1665-70. He was one of the companions of the Guru who were detained at Dhamtan in 1665 and then released from Delhi at the intervention of Kanvar Ram Singh, of Amber. In 1675, when the Guru set out from Anandpur for Delhi, Bhai Mati Das bravely faced certain death as he volunteered to accompany Guru Tegh Bahadur to Aurangzeb's Court to confront the Emperor over his threat of forcing the Pandits of Kashmir to convert to Islam or be killed. The Guru and his steadfast companions were arrested under imperial orders, and taken in chains to Delhi. Upon his refusal to forswear his faith, he was tortured to death. He was, on 24 November 1675, sawn in half, from his head - downwards.

Sacrifice of Bhai Mati Das for the Sikh faith, being brutually killed by the Mughals, this image is from a Sikh History museum being run single handedly by one person in a small tin shed on way from Mohali to Sirhind in Punjab, India

Brahman The Power

Parashurama (Sanskrit: परशुराम, Paraśurāma), is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the Second Age, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagniand mother Renuka in Hindu mythology. He is considered one of the seven immortal (Chiranjivi) humans. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. He fought back the advancing seas thus saving the lands of Konkan and Malabar. The coastal area of Kerala State along with the Konkan region, which is the coastal region of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra States, is also sometimes called Parashurama Kshetra (Parashurama's country). Parashurama is said to be a Brahmakshatriya("warrior Brahman"), the first warrior saint. Parashurama is worshiped as a Founder (Mool Purush) of Bhumihar, Chitpavan and Daivadnya Brahmin Communities.You find the remnants of this First family of Ancient Indian wisdom and social reform-Jamdagni,his wife Renuka and son Parshuram in all four farthest corners of Indian land mass.From Kutch Girnar Saurashtra to Lohit kund Northeast,from Malana in HP, Thaan-barkot in Uttara khand to both coasts of South India,Kerala and Konkan boasts of His legacy.Even Kumbhalgarh in Rajasthan and Jana paav in Madhya Pradesh off central India have his temples apart from famous Mahurgarh in Maharashtra.His perrenial hero using force of his symbolic AXE to annihilate all those who were tormentors of the Common people in Indian civilisation for a very long time crossing many time lines.So He is considered as AMAR i.e.undead,alive in memories legends of Indian ethos across four far off corners of this divine ancient land mass-India.

Parashu means axe in Sanskrit, hence the name Parashurama literally means 'Rama with the axe'. He is also known as Parasurama, Bhṛgupati, Bhargava, Bhargava Rāma, and Jāmdagni (Sanskrit:jamdagni as Jamdagni's son). Variations of his name include the following.

• Khmer: Reamsor (Khmer: រាមសូរ; from Rāmasūra) or Reameyso (Khmer: រាមឥសូរ; from Rāmīṡvara)
• Thai: Ramasun (Thai: รามสูร)
• Malay: Pusparama

• Parashurama belonged to Srivatsa Gotra. It appears that the Haihayas may have been enemies and at war with several groups including other Kshatriyas. For example the Haihayas sacked Kashiduring the reigns of King Haryaswa and King Sudeva (whom they killed), King Divodas and his son Pratarddana (who finally expelled them outside of the Vatsa Kingdom). All these kings were born in the Solar Dynasty and the Haihayas were a Lunar Dynasty.

  The hostile Haihaya King Kartavirya Arjuna defeated the Nāga Kshatiryas who were led by Karkotaka Naga. Kartavirya made Mahishmati (present day Maheshwar) the capital of his own kingdom.

  According to numerous Puranas, the military corporations of the Shakas, Yavanas, Kambojas,Pahlavas and Paradas, known as five hordes (pānca-ganah), had militarily supported the Haihaya and Talajunga Kshatriyas in depriving Ikshvaku King Bahu (the 7th king in descent fromHarishchandra) of his Ayodhya kingdom.

  A generation later, Bahu's son, Sagara recaptured Ayodhya after totally destroying the Haihaya and Talajangha Kshatriyas in the battle. King Sagara had punished these foreign hordes by ordering their 'heads shaved' (a common practice used to humiliate and shame the enemy in the ancient world) and turning them into degraded Kshatriyas.^[1]

  There is another interesting legend with regards to Parashurama's beating back the seas. It is said that he fired an arrow from his mythical bow that landed in Goa, at a place called Benaulim(Konkani:Banavali or बाणावाली) creating what is known locally as "Salkache Tollem", literally meaning "lotus Lake".

  Parashurama is of a martial Shraman ascetic. However unlike all other avatars Parashurama still lives on earth, even today according to Hindu belief. Therefore unlike Rama and Krishna Parashurama is not worshipped. But in South India, at the holy place Pajaka near Udupi, there exists one major temple commemorating Parashurama.