Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

November 24 is commemorated as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of the Sikhs, who stood up against forcible conversions by the Mughals, and was executed on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1675.

About Guru Tegh Bahadur

• Tegh Bahadur was born in Amritsar on April 21, 1621 to Mata Nanki and Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, who raised an army against the Mughals and introduced the concept of warrior saints.
• As a boy, Tegh Bahadur was called Tyag Mal because of his ascetic nature. 
• He spent his early childhood in Amritsar under the tutelage of Bhai Gurdas, who taught him Gurmukhi, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Indian religious philosophy, while Baba Budha trained him in swordsmanship, archery, and horse-riding.
• He was only 13 when he distinguished himself in a battle against a Mughal chieftain. 
• His bravery and swordsmanship in the battle earned him the name of Tegh Bahadur.
• He was married to Mata Gujri at Kartarpur in 1632, and subsequently left for Bakala near Amritsar.
• After Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru, the guruship became hereditary.
• Aurangzeb was the ruling Mughal emperor at the time Guru Tegh Bahadur’s guruship.
• His sermons, delivered in a mix of Sadukhri and Braj languages.
• While the guru was on the way back from Dhaka, Raja Ram Singh sought his help to broker a truce with the Ahom king.
• Gurdwara Dhubri Sahib on the banks of the Brahmaputra commemorates this peace accord.
• The guru was also honoured at Guwahati’s Kamakhya temple.

Guru’s martyrdom

• Back in Anandpur Sahib, the Guru was approached by Kirpa Das, a Kashmiri Brahmin who sought his protection with a group from the Valley. 
• He told Guru Tegh Bahadur that local chieftains had told him to convert or face retribution. 
• The guru assured Das and his group of his protection and told them to tell the Mughals that they should first try to convert the guru.
• He was tortured to death and beheaded at Chandni Chowk along with his three companions, Bhai Mati Das, who was torn asunder, Bhai Sati Das, who was burnt to death, and Bhai Dyala ji, who was put in boiling water. 
• Till the very end they were asked to change their minds, but they remained resolute. 
• Gurdwara Sis Ganj was built on the site on which they were executed in 1783.