Today is the 347th death anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.
He undertook the supreme sacrifice for the protection of the most fundamental of human rights – the right of a person to freely practice his or her religion without interference or hindrance. Every year on November 24, Sikhs celebrate Shaheedi Diwas to remember him. He is remembered as the man who championed the rights for religious freedom and gave up his life for that.
In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur was publicly executed on this day in Delhi on the orders of the then Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb as he had opposed the policy of religious persecution being enforced on Hindus at that time.
What led to Guru Teg Bahadur’s martyrdom
Aurangzeb wanted to convert all Indians into Muslims. He wanted everyone to either take up Islam or else be prepared for execution.This made a group of Kashmiri Pandits led by Pandit Kripa Ram to seek help from Guru Tegh Bahadur at Anandpur Sahib.
Amidst all this, Guru Tegh Bahadur stood up against the persecution. The ninth guru of Sikhs readily agreed to help the pandits. He asked them to inform the Mughal ruler that if he is able to convert him then all Indians would follow suit.
After Aurangzeb came to know about this, Guru Tegh Bahadur was summoned, but he refused to convert to Islam.
The associates of the Guru were also tortured for refusing to convert. Bhai Mati Das was sawn into pieces and Bhai Dayal Das was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water. Another associate Bhai Sati Das was burned alive, while Guru Tegh Bahadur was held inside a cage to watch his men suffer.
Subsequently, the Guru was beheaded in public in Chandni Chowk, Delhi by Aurangzeb’s men. The site of his execution was later turned into a Gurdwara.
He undertook the supreme sacrifice for the protection of the most fundamental of human rights – the right of a person to freely practice his or her religion without interference or hindrance. Every year on November 24, Sikhs celebrate Shaheedi Diwas to remember him. He is remembered as the man who championed the rights for religious freedom and gave up his life for that.
In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur was publicly executed on this day in Delhi on the orders of the then Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb as he had opposed the policy of religious persecution being enforced on Hindus at that time.
What led to Guru Teg Bahadur’s martyrdom
Aurangzeb wanted to convert all Indians into Muslims. He wanted everyone to either take up Islam or else be prepared for execution.This made a group of Kashmiri Pandits led by Pandit Kripa Ram to seek help from Guru Tegh Bahadur at Anandpur Sahib.
Amidst all this, Guru Tegh Bahadur stood up against the persecution. The ninth guru of Sikhs readily agreed to help the pandits. He asked them to inform the Mughal ruler that if he is able to convert him then all Indians would follow suit.
After Aurangzeb came to know about this, Guru Tegh Bahadur was summoned, but he refused to convert to Islam.
The associates of the Guru were also tortured for refusing to convert. Bhai Mati Das was sawn into pieces and Bhai Dayal Das was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water. Another associate Bhai Sati Das was burned alive, while Guru Tegh Bahadur was held inside a cage to watch his men suffer.
Subsequently, the Guru was beheaded in public in Chandni Chowk, Delhi by Aurangzeb’s men. The site of his execution was later turned into a Gurdwara.
Facts about the Guru Tegh Bahadur
- He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru.
- He was taught by Bhai Buddha who trained him in archery and horsemanship, and Bhai Gurdas who taught him old classics.
- He carried forward the message and light of sanctity of Guru Nanak and other Sikh Gurus. He was a warrior, a thinker, and a poet.
- Considered a principled and fearless warrior, he was a learned spiritual scholar whose 115 hymns are included in the holy book of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the main text of Sikhism.
- In 1672, Tegh Bahadur traveled through Kashmir and the North-West Frontier, to meet the masses, as the persecution of non-Muslims reached new heights.
- He also traveled extensively in different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Assam, to preach the teachings of Nanak, the first Sikh guru. During his travels, Guru Tegh Bahadur spread the Sikh ideas and message, as well as started community water wells and langars (community kitchen charity for the poor).
- During his lifetime, he married Bibi Gujjari and had a son, the tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh.
- He founded the city of Anandpur which later became a centre of Sikhism.
- Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi are the sites of his execution and cremation.
