Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day 2023: Martyrdom, Celebration, Legacy

Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of the Sikhs, gave his life for individuals who were not even members of his society. Guru Tegh Bahadur is known as Hind Ki Chadar, which translates to “India’s Shield.” His martyrdom is commemorated each year on November 24 as Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day, and he is considered as the most altruistic martyr.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day 2023 Overview

While continuing to impose Sharia law and an additional jizya tax on non-Muslims, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb also had it in place across his empire by the end of the 17th century. It is also said that he forced many people to convert to Islam. According to Sikh legend, it is said that many Kashmiri Pandits, some of whom had converted to Islam, fled to hide with Guru Tegh Bahadur. In order to encourage his son to resist the rule of Aurangzeb, who would eventually be recognized as Guru Gobind Singh, the ninth guru went to Delhi and encouraged him to do so.

According to some, Aurangzeb summoned Guru Tegh and asked him to perform a miracle, which Guru Tegh refused to do, prompting the emperor to behead him; others believe the emperor asked the Hindus to give him a volunteer ready to sacrifice himself for their religious practice, and Guru Tegh offered himself up.

On November 24, 1675, Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, had Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth and last guru of the Sikhs, beheaded in front of a huge assembly of people. At the location of his execution, the Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk stands as a shrine to his memory. Historian Haroon Khalid claims that Aurangzeb made it illegal for anybody to touch the severed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur, but two of his followers defied his order and picked up the head on their own. When they arrived at Anandpur, the location where the guru had built the gurdwara, the Guru’s head was carried to the city. His body, however, was brought to Rakab Ganj, Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara Ji’s hamlet, where he immolated it. In this way, the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib became well recognized.

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Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day 2023: Martyrdom: Celebration

Sikh temples on this day often include the singing of Bachittar Natak, a composition that is dedicated to Guru Tegh Bahadur’s son, Guru Gobind Singh, and tells the storey of his life.

Many Sikh temples have been built throughout the globe in memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur, who selflessly sacrificed his life for others. Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara, which was constructed on the site of Guru Nanak’s execution in 1707, currently resides at Chandi Chowk. To make space for the cremation of his body, one of his followers, Teg Bahadur, set fire to his house and constructed another gurudwara, the Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, in Delhi.

In accordance with Sikh custom, the head of the Sikh Guru was brought all the way from Delhi, and cremated on the Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib in Punjab. His son established the Khalsa identity, which was begun by his father when he was just nine years old. The Guru Tegh Bahadur Medical College is one of several institutions established and named in memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur, who sacrificed his life to save his fellow Sikhs.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day Legacy

Guru Tegh Bahadur is credited with many compositions in the sacred scriptures of the Sikhs, such as hymns and couplets, such as the Saloks at the conclusion. He composed about 700 “bani” in Sikhism, and more than 700 of those pieces are part of the “bani” in Sikhism. He has written extensively on a broad variety of subjects, including religion, death, and salvation.

He made multiple trips to India and built numerous Sikh shrines under the supervision of Gobind Singh in Manali. Eventually, he travelled to several of these locations, which later became important Sikh shrines, known to this day.

His previous trips had taken him to the northeastern Indian states of Bihar, Dhaka, Assam, Bengal, and Kashmir. He established the city of Anandpur Sahib in the himalayan foothills, and he titled it after himself. Sikhs and non-Sikhs both battled opposing religious violence by Guru Tegh Bahadur. For over 700 years, he’s taught the principles of religious peace, which continues to inspire the Sikh community today.