"The figure who pre-eminently draws these themes together in a single episode is that most famous of all Sikh martyrs, Baba Deep Singh Shahid. Deep Singh, a Jat from Lahore district and a trusted follower of Guru Gobind Singh, had fought with baba Banda singh bahadar and had subsequently become one of the principal leaders of the Khalsa resistance. In 1757, after Afghan invaders had desecrated Harimandir sahib(now commonly known as the Golden Temple), Deep Singh took a solemn vow to enter Amritsar and there endeavour to repossess the ruined temple. Near Tarn Taran his force was confronted by a large Afghan army and Dip Singh met a fate variously described in popular Sikh tradition. According to the dominant version his head was cut off, but clutching it with one hand he continued to fight his way forward for another fifteen kilometres before succumb- ing to his injury within the bounds of Amritsar.’ A distinctly gory picture of the decapitated Dip Singh is perhaps the most popular of the coloured prints available today in the bazaars of the Punjab and Delhi.'.. A significant detail in the Dip Singh tradition concerns the desecration of Harimandir. This was, of course, perpetrated by Muslims and it is believed to have included the dumping of cows’ entrails into the sacred pool. Hostility towards Muslims is another of the themes illustrated by the martyrdom of Dip Singh, a theme which finds clear expression in the early rahit-namas.'” Muslims can never be trusted, their touch will pollute, and Sikhs are required to avoid their company at all times. If necessary the sword must be used against Muslims, for it is they who threaten dharma. ."