Each year on November 24th, we remember the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru known for his opposition to forced conversions by the Mughals. The Sikhs often honor him as the ‘Protector of Humanity’.
A Brief Introduction: Guru Teg Bahadur
Born on April 21, 1621, in Amritsar to Mata Nanki and Guru Hargobind (the sixth Sikh guru), Guru Tegh Bahadur was initially called Tyag Mal due to his austere nature. His father was a formidable adversary to the Mughals and the one who introduced the concept of warrior saints.
Guru Tegh Bahadur was not just an influential teacher but also an accomplished warrior, thinker, and poet. His spiritual compositions encompass detailed descriptions of God, mind, body, and physical attachments, with 116 poetic hymns included in the sacred Sikh text, ‘Guru Granth Sahib.’
Aged just 13, he demonstrated his valiant nature during a battle against a Mughal chieftain. Besides his spiritual and warrior contributions, he was also a great traveler. He founded preaching centers across the Indian subcontinent, including the town of Chak-Nanki in Punjab, now part of Anandpur Sahib.
In 1675, under the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi.
The Ten Gurus of Sikh Religion
The Sikh religion venerates ten gurus in their history, each shaping Sikhism in unique ways.
Starting with Guru Nanak Dev, who was the founder of Sikhism and was known for starting GURU KA LANGAR, to Guru Angad who invented the script Guru-Mukhi, and expanded Guru ka Langar.
Guru Amar Das introduced the ceremony of Anand Karaj Marriage and abolished the practices of Sati and Purdah amongst Sikhs. Then came Guru Ram Das, who founded Amritsar in 1577 and began the construction of the Golden Temple.
Guru Arjun Dev completed the construction of the Golden temple and composed the Adi Granth in 1604, while Guru Hargobind transformed the Sikh community into a military one establishing Akal Takht and fortifying Amritsar City.
Guru HarRai dedicated most of his life to maintaining peace with Aurangzeb and doing missionary work. Following him was Guru Har Krishan, who became guru at the young age of 5.
Then came Guru Teg Bahadur, who founded Anandpur Sahib, and finally, Guru Gobind Singh, who founded the Khalsa warrior community and passed the Guruship of Sikhs to the Guru Granth Sahib.
Trivia: Historical Contexts of the Sikh Gurus
An interesting fact question from the UPSC Civil Services Examination asked about the timing of the preaching of certain Bhakti saints during the fall of the Lodi dynasty and Babur’s rise to power.
Only Guru Nanak was preaching during this period, which marked the end of the Lodi dynasty and the beginning of the Mughal Empire.
The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi, was defeated by Babur in 1526 at the Battle of Panipat. Other spiritual figures like Dadu Dayal, a poet-saint from Gujarat, and Tyagaraja, a famous composer of Carnatic music, were active later in history.
