<sod>In the early part of the eighteenth century when [[Sikh]]s suffered fierce persecution and when to be a '''Keshdhari''', that is to bear [[Kesh (Sikhism)|Kesh]] or '''long hair''', was to invite sure death, the udasis looked after their places of worship and protected the households and the kith and kin of those driven to seek safety in hill and jungle. Some even defied the persecutors and courted martyrdom as did the teenaged '''[[Haqiqat Rai]]''', who was beheaded in public for his refusal to disown his Sikh belief and accept Islam.  A leading Sahajdhari Sikh of that time was '''Kaura Mall''', a minister to the Mughal governor of Lahore, Mu'in ul-Mulk (1748–53), who helped the Sikhs in diverse ways in those days of severe trial. He had so endeared himself to them that they called him '''Mittha''' (sweet, in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]) Mall instead of Kaura (which, in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], means "bitter") Mall. Sikh tradition also recalls another Sahajdhari, '''Des Raj''', of this period who was entrusted by the [[Khalsa]] with the task of having reconstructed the Harimandar, demolished by the Afghan invader, Ahmad Shah Durrani, in 1762. '''Dina Nath''' was [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]'s finance minister. '''Bhai Vasti Ram''', a learned man well versed in [[Sikh scriptures]], enjoyed considerable influence at the court.<eod>
<sod>In the early part of the eighteenth century when [[Sikh]]s suffered fierce persecution and when to be a '''Keshdhari''', that is to bear [[Kesh (Sikhism)|Kesh]] or '''long hair''', was to invite sure death, the udasis looked after their places of worship and protected the households and the kith and kin of those driven to seek safety in hill and jungle. Some even defied the persecutors and courted martyrdom as did the teenaged '''[[Haqiqat Rai]]''', who was beheaded in public for his refusal to disown his Sikh belief and accept Islam.  A leading Sahajdhari Sikh of that time was '''Kaura Mall''', a minister to the Mughal governor of Lahore, Mu'in ul-Mulk (1748–53), who helped the Sikhs in diverse ways in those days of severe trial. He had so endeared himself to them that they called him '''Mittha''' (sweet, in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]) Mall instead of Kaura (which, in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], means "bitter") Mall. Sikh tradition also recalls another Sahajdhari, '''Des Raj''', of this period who was entrusted by the [[Khalsa]] with the task of having reconstructed the Harimandar, demolished by the Afghan invader, [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], in 1762. '''Dina Nath''' was [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]'s finance minister. '''Bhai Vasti Ram''', a learned man well versed in [[Sikh scriptures]], enjoyed considerable influence at the court.<eod>