Guru Tegh Bahadur Shaheedi Divas: The life and martyrdom of the ninth Sikh Guru

Guru tegh Bahadur Ji Shaheedi Diwas: Who was Guru Tegh Bahadur

Tegh Bahadur was calved successful Amritsar connected April 21, 1621 to Mata Nanki and Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, who raised an service against the Mughals and introduced the conception of warrior saints.

As a boy, Tegh Bahadur was called Tyag Mal due to the fact that of his ascetic nature. He spent his aboriginal puerility successful Amritsar nether the tutelage of Bhai Gurdas, who taught him Gurmukhi, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Indian spiritual philosophy, portion Baba Budha trained him successful swordsmanship, archery, and horse-riding.

He was lone 13 erstwhile helium distinguished himself successful a conflict against a Mughal chieftain. His bravery and swordsmanship successful the conflict earned him the sanction of Tegh Bahadur.

He was joined to Mata Gujri astatine Kartarpur successful 1632, and subsequently near for Bakala adjacent Amritsar.

The ninth Sikh Guru

After Guru Ram Das, the 4th Sikh guru, the guruship became hereditary. When Tegh Bahadur’s elder member Gurditta died young, the guruship went to his 14-year-old son, Guru Har Rai, successful 1644. He remained connected the spot until his decease astatine the property of 31 successful 1661.

Guru Har Rai was succeeded by his five-year-old lad Guru Har Krishan, who passed distant successful Delhi successful 1664 earlier helium could scope the property of eight. It is said that erstwhile asked astir his successor, helium took the sanction of “Baba Bakala”, his expansive uncle.

Guru Tegh Bahadur had built a ‘bhora’ (basement) successful his location astatine Bakala wherever helium spent astir of his clip successful meditation. In the past Indian tradition, ‘bhoras’ were considered perfect for meditation arsenic they were soundproof and had an adjacent temperature. But since Guru Har Krishan hadn’t straight named Guru Tegh Bahadur, galore claimants cropped up.

Dr Hardev Singh from the Department of Religious Studies, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, said that according to lore, Makhan Shah, a affluent trader whose vessel was caught successful a tempest astatine sea, had prayed that if it was saved helium would springiness 500 golden mohurs (coins) to the reigning guru. But erstwhile helium reached Delhi, helium learnt that Har Krishan had passed distant and determination was a enactment of claimants astatine Bakala. It is said that helium decided that whoever was the existent guru would inquire him for the nonstop sum helium had promised successful his prayers.

He had exhausted his options erstwhile helium was told astir Tegh Bahadur meditating successful the ‘bhora’. Tegh Bahadur took 1 look astatine Makhan Shah, and told him that helium had promised 500 coins. He added, “It’s not omniscient to trial your guru.” An ecstatic Makhan Shah is said to person tally to the rooftop and shouted “Guru ladho re! (I person recovered the guru!)”

Soon afterward, Guru Tegh Bahadur moved to Kiratpur Sahib. In 1665, connected the invitation of Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur who was his devotee, helium bought onshore astatine Makhowal colony and renamed it Chak Nanki (now Anandpur Sahib) aft his mother.

The Guru’s times

Aurangzeb was the ruling Mughal emperor astatine the time. “There were conversions, either done a authorities bid oregon done coercion. When radical were charged with immoderate transgression oregon misdemeanour, they would beryllium pardoned if they converted,” Dr Hardev Singh said.

Guru Tegh Bahadur, travelling extensively done Malwa and Majha, archetypal came into struggle with the authorities erstwhile helium started questioning the contented of worshipping astatine the graves of pirs and faqirs. He preached against this practice, and urged his followers to beryllium ‘nirbhau‘ (fearless) and ‘nirvair‘ (without envy).

His sermons, delivered successful a premix of Sadukhri and Braj languages, were wide understood from Sindh to Bengal. The metaphors helium utilized resonated with radical crossed North India.

Run-in with the Mughals

As his connection began to spread, a section chieftain astatine Dhamtan adjacent Jind successful present-day Haryana picked him up connected fabricated charges of collecting gross from villagers, and took him to Delhi. But Raja Ram Singh of Amer, whose household was a long-time follower of the gurus, intervened and kept him successful his location for astir 2 months until helium convinced Aurangzeb that Guru Tegh Bahadur was a beatified antheral with nary governmental ambitions.

Earlier, Raja Jai Singh of Amer had donated onshore for a dharamshala wherever the gurus could remainder portion visiting Delhi. The present-day Bangla Sahib gurdwara is built connected this site.

Travels beyond Punjab

Dr Amarjit Singh, director, Guru Granth Sahib Department, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, said that a small much than a twelvemonth aft mounting up his office successful present-day Anandpur Sahib successful 1665, the Guru spent four-odd years travelling up to Dhaka successful the east, and going up to Puri successful Odisha. He besides visited Mathura, Agra, Benares, Allahabad, and Patna, wherever helium near his woman and her member successful the attraction of the section devotees. Guru Gobind Singh was calved successful Patna successful 1666.

While the guru was connected the mode backmost from Dhaka, Raja Ram Singh sought his assistance to broker a truce with the Ahom king. Gurdwara Dhubri Sahib connected the banks of the Brahmaputra commemorates this bid accord. The Guru was besides honoured astatine Guwahati’s Kamakhya temple.

Guru’s martyrdom

Back successful Anandpur Sahib, the Guru was approached by Kirpa Das, a Kashmiri Brahmin who sought his extortion with a radical from the Valley. Das told Guru Tegh Bahadur that section chieftains had told him to person oregon look retribution. The guru assured Das and his radical of his extortion and told them to archer the Mughals that they should archetypal effort to person the Guru.

Aurangzeb considered this an unfastened situation to his authority. According to the ‘Sri Gur Bilas Patshahi Dasmi’, a biography of Guru Gobind Singh by Kavi Sukha Singh written successful 1797, the Guru himself went to Delhi wherever helium revealed his identity, and was arrested by the Mughals.

In a insubstantial titled ‘Who killed Guru Tegh Bahadur?’, historiographer Sardar Kapur Singh wrote that Aurangzeb ordered the nationalist execution of the Guru connected November 11, 1675 aft the guru declined to clasp Islam.

He was tortured to decease and beheaded astatine Chandni Chowk on with his 3 companions, Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, and Bhai Dyala ji. Gurdwara Sis Ganj was built connected the tract connected which they were executed successful 1783.

There is immoderate disorder regarding the day of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom. Until a decennary oregon truthful ago, it utilized to beryllium observed connected November 11 but ever since immoderate scholars sought to present the Nanakshahi calendar to hole dates of important events successful the Sikh history, it has been observed connected November 24.

Dr Hardev Singh attributed this disorder to the alteration successful calendars implicit the years. “The Islamic Hijri calendar was successful unit erstwhile Guru ji was beheaded. Later, Sikh historians started relying connected the lunisolar Bikrami Samvat calendar traditionally utilized successful the Indian subcontinent. And past the British introduced the Gregorian calendar. This led to immoderate confusion.”

This is an edited mentation of an explainer we published earlier