Do you know where the most expensive land in the world has ever been sold till date? In London ? In Paris? In New York? No. The highest price for such a small piece of land in the world has been paid till date at Fatehgarh Sahab, located in Punjab.
The name of the man who bought this most expensive land ever in the world was Dewan Toder Mal, a wealthy Hindu merchant and an ardent follower of the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji. It was in December 1705 when two young sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji-Sahibzada Fateh Singh (less than six years old -born in 1699) and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (just over eight — born in 1696) were slayed by the Mughal authorities for not renouncing their faith after attempts at bricking them alive in the foundation of the wall failed. They laid down their lives but did not bow before the tyranny of the Moghul government.
After the unparalleled martyrdom, a royal order was issued that no last rites could be preformed on the Mughal land. Toder Mal asked Wazir Khan for the mortal remains of the Sahibzadas and the land where they were martyred for their cremation. Wazir Khan showed impudence and raised unreasonable demand for as many pieces of gold coins that could cover this land. When the Diwan Todar emptied all his reserves of gold by laying the pieces on the land, Wazir Khan said that the gold stamps should be kept standing rather than laying, so that maximum pieces could be recovered.
Well Dewan Todar Mal sold all his belongings and bought 78,000 gold pieces to buy four yards of land so that the last rites of Sahibzadas could be performed with utmost respect.According to historians, the land cost that he paid by way of gold pieces was about 2500000000 ($37853000.00) and made record of being the most expensive land covering such a small area. Todar Mal, the wealthy Hindu merchant on December 13,1705 and performed the cremation of the three martyred bodies of the two young sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh and their grand mother, Mata Gujari.
Later when Guru Gobind Singh ji came to know about this, he expressed gratitude to Dewan Todar Mal and asked him for something in return. It is impossible to imagine what Diwan asked Guruji! He told Guru ji that he should give him such a boon that no son should be born at his house and his lineage should end there itself so that none from his (Todar Mal’s)ancestry could boast in times to come that my ancestors had ever bought this land. Gurdwara Jyoti Saroop now stands at the place where these three martyrs were cremated.
Such savagery soon led to the destruction of Sirhind four years later. In 1710, after a pitched battle fought for two days the Sikhs raised a victory cry and razed Sirhind to the ground. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur announced the establishment of Sikh rule in Sirhind city and an end to the tyranny of the Mughal rule, which had spread terror, and was indulging in doing injustice to the people.
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