Deg o Tegh o Fateh

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Deg o Tegh o Fateh is not the original Sikh national anthem^{[citation needed]}. Most Sikhs correctly believe that Deh Shiva Bar Mohe was the national anthem of the Sikh States, as 'Deg o Tegh o Fateh'... was invented more recently.

The Punjab states have always been intrinsic to India since the Indus river is the lifeblood of the five rivers that translate to 'Punjab'. This anthem was introduced in the 1990s.^[1] Few prefer Deg o Tegh o Fateh over the Deh Shiva version as it seems to have a distance from Hinduism preferred by political Khalistanis whose whole ideology is based on religious segregation; nevertheless it is not the original national anthem of the vast majority of Sikhs who believe the 'Deh Shiva' version to be the anthem introduced by the 10th Guru Gobind Singh. It should be noted the work of Guru Gobind Singh is included in the Dasam Granth.

[edit] Used in Kingdoms

Banda Singh Bahadur introduced an official seal for his Hukamnamas and Furmans or letters and orders. It bore the inscription:

Deg-o-Tegh-o-Fateh Nusrat-i-bedirang,

Kettle (the means to feed the poor), Sword (the power to protect the weak and helpless), Victory and Unhesitating Patronage

Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh.

(are) obtained from Nanak Guru Gobind Singh.^[2]

This inscription was later adopted by the Sikh Misaldar Sardars and rulers on their coins. It was the national anthem of Patiala State. This national anthem had been sung in all the Sikh States until 1948. Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, too, has mentioned it in his magnum opus Mahan Kosh (at page 1165 of the 1999 edition).^[3]^[4]