The hard life and death of Guru Teg Bahadur, is why there is confusion about his martyrdom date He explained the story » Today Latest Stories
Last year, during the 400th birth anniversary celebrations of the Guru, who was beheaded on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Guru Teg Bahadur sacrificed his life to protect Kashmiri Pandits from the tyranny of the Mughals. Here is a brief account of the life of the Guru, his assassination by Aurangzeb, and how it was connected with the Kashmiri Pandits.
Life of Guru Teg Bahadur
After Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, it was Guru Teg Bahadur who traveled widely among the 10 living Sikh Gurus.
He went to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Assam, and Bangladesh. Guru Teg Bahadur’s journey is documented in the form of Gurudwaras established to commemorate his travels, including one in Ayodhya.
After Guru Nanak Dev, many Sikh families in different parts of India could not see their Gurus close. Guru Teg Bahadur’s travels, thus, revived the Sikh position far beyond Punjab. This became important when Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, founded the Khalsa in 1699.
The Guru was also a great poet, and his songs are part of the Guru Granth Sahib.
The founder of City Anandpur Sahib, who was well suited to protect a large army, the name of Guru Teg Bahadur in the past was Teyag Mal. His father and the sixth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Hargobind Sahib (1595-1644), changed his name to Teg Bahadur. He got his name from his skill in fighting with a sword on the battlefield.
The Guru was not only a warrior but also a great general. He was closely related to many kings of that time. On a trip to North-Eastern India, Tegh Bahadur Sahib helped broker a peace between Raja Bishan Singh and Raja Paranpal, thus averting war.
It was first built by the Mughals on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1665; however, the friendships he established led to his release and he was able to continue his journey east. The execution took place 10 years later in 1675.
Assassination of Guru Teg Bahadur by Aurangzeb
According to the Sikh sources Dasam Granth (1600), Gurbilas (1720), Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvi (1751), and Bansavalinama (1769), Kashmiri Pandits came to Guru Teg Bahadur in Anandpur Sahib seeking refuge from forced conversion to Islam by Aurangzeb’s men. .
The Guru assured the Pandits of his protection. On reaching New Delhi, he was arrested along with disciples Bhai Matti Dass, Bhai Satti Dass (brothers), and Bhai Deyala ji. The three disciples were killed one by one, threatening Guru Teg Bahadur to accept Islam. When he remained steadfast in his refusal to do so, the Guru was killed at Chandni Chowk.
Gurudwara Sis Ganj now stands where he was beheaded, built in 1783, eight years after his execution. There is another Gurudwara at Rakab Ganj, near the Parliament building. This is believed to be where the Guru’s body was cremated by Bhai Lakhi Shah, setting fire to his house.
Confusion on the day of execution
There is confusion about the date of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom.
Dr Hardev Singh, from the Department of Religious Studies, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, said. Indian Express last year that this was due to changes in calendars over the years. “The Islamic Hijri calendar was in effect when Guru ji was beheaded. Later, Sikh historians started relying on the Bikrami Samvat calendar which was used in the Indian subcontinent. Then the British introduced the Gregorian calendar. This led to confusion,” he said. .
A few years ago, some Sikh scholars wanted to introduce the Nanakshahi calendar to fix the dates of the most important historical events in Sikh history, but there was no consensus on that.
