She was known for rallying the 40 Sikhs (Chali Mukte) who abandoned Guru Gobind Singh at the siege of Anandpur Sahib and bringing them back to fight.

[9] On around 1704[10] the Mughal hill chiefs had surrounded Anandpur Sahib and were demanding it be evacuated stopping provisions for food and the siege lasting a few months.

Mai Bhago was distressed to hear that some of the Sikhs of her neighbourhood, who had gone to Anandpur to fight for Guru Gobind Singh, had deserted him under adverse conditions.

A messenger arrived with an oath signed by Aurangzeb on a copy of the Quran, assuring the Guru that if he came out of the fort, permanent peace would be negotiated on honourable terms.

She led stopped near the dhab, or pool, of Khidrana, the only source of water in the area[18] which was overtaken by the Mughal imperial army pursuing the Guru.

[19] All forty of the Sikhs who came to redeem themselves died as well as Mai Bhago's brothers and husband[20] and attained martyrdom in this pitched battle.

She settled down at Janwada, 11 km from Bidar in Karnataka, setting up her dera where she immersed in meditation and taught Gurmat (The Guru's way) living a long life.

At Nanded, too, a hall within the compound of Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib marking the site of her former residence is known as Bunga Mai Bhago.

Mohan Singh, Jathedar of Hazur Sahib, in 1788 built a Bunga (fortified tower) in the memory of Mai Bhag Kaur.