Common Facts
- Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Sikh Guru.
- He was the father of Guru Gobind Singh.
- He got executed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb as he was against the forceful conversion of Hindus.
Un-Known Facts
- Guru Tegh Bahadur was one of the 6 children of 6th Guru, Guru Hargobind.
- His name was Tyag Mal,and he came to be known by the name Tegh Bahadur (Mighty Of The Sword), given to him by Guru Hargobind after he had shown his valour in a battle against the Mughals.
- Guru Hargobind didn’t make “Tegh Bahadur” as the next guru after him but made his grandson “Har Rai” as the 7th Guru.
- After Guru Har rai, the guruship passed to his son “Har Kishan”
- Guru Har kishan nominated his uncle “Tegh Bahadur” as the 9th Guru.
- Just like Prophet Jesus who use to take the illness of Sufferers on him,Guru Har Kishan too use too take illness of the common people on him. Delhi was attacked by the epidemics like Smallpox and Guru used to heal them.
- A large amount of people got healed by Guru Har Kishan but at the end he got in contact with the disease and said “NO” to any medical treatment.
- Before dying he told his Sikhs that the guy at Bakala ("Baba Bakale")will be the next guru.
- Taking advantage of these words many fake persons moved to Bakala and started posing as some spiritual guru.
Makhan Shah & his ship being rescued by Guru
10 A wealthy trader, Makhan Shah labana, had once prayed for his life and had promised to gift 500 gold coins to the Sikh Guru if he survived.
He arrived in search of the ninth Guru. He went from one claimant to the next making his obeisance and offering two gold coins to each Guru, believing that the right guru would know that his silent promise was to gift 500 coins for his safety. Every "guru" he met accepted the 2 gold coins and bid him farewell.
Then he discovered that Tegh Bahadur also lived at Bakala. Labana gifted Tegh Bahadur the usual offering of two gold coins. Tegh Bahadur gave him his blessings and remarked that his offering was considerably short of the promised five hundred. Makhan Shah Labana forthwith made good the difference and ran upstairs. He began shouting from the rooftop, "Guru ladho re, Guru ladho re" meaning "I have found the Guru, I have found the Guru"
Soon after the public announcement by Makhan Shah, the Guru with a party of Sikhs travelled to Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. However he was not allowed to enter as the Golden Temple was in control of Prithivi Chand’s Followers- a son of 5th Guru.
11 Guru Tegh Bahadur toured various parts of Mughal Empire spreading the message of Guru Nanak.
12 The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb ordered Hindu temples to be destroyed and that idol worship was to be stopped.
13 P.N.K. Bamzi’s book, A History of Kashmir describes those days:
Iftikhar Khan… …was using force to convert the Pandits in Kashmir to Islam. Some pious men among the Pandits then met and decided to go to Amarnath and invoke the mercy of Lord Siva (at their sacred cave) for deliverance from the tyrannies of the bigot. At the Amarnath cave, one of the pandits saw in a dream Lord Siva, who told him to go to Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Sikh Guru, in the Punjab and ask for his help to save the Hindu religion. He spoke to his companions about the revelation. About 500 proceeded to Anandpur where Guru Tegh Bahadur was living.
14 Hearing the plea of Kashmiri Pandits, Guru Tegh bahadur decided to protect them on terms of Humanity.
15 He asked Kashmiri Pandits to tell Aurangzeb that Tegh Bahadur is their guru and if Aurangzeb can convert me to Islam ,you all shall follow me.
16 Guru tegh Bahadur then moved towards Delhi with other Sikhs.
17 It seems orders for his arrest had been issued by emperor Aurangzeb as soon as he received reports of his declared intention, because he was arrested four days later. An entry in Bhatt Vahi Multani Sindhi reads:
Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Guru,… …was taken into custody by Nur Muhammad Khan Miraza of Ropar Police post, on Savan 12,1732 /12th July 1675, at Malikpur Ranghran, Pargana Ghanaula, and sent to Sirhind.
Along with him were arrested Diwan Mati Das and Sati Das, sons of Hira Nand Chhibbar, and Dyal Das, son of Mai Das. They were kept in custody at Bassi Pathana for four months. The pitiless captors imposed much atrocity on the Guru. He was then cast into an iron cage and taken to Delhi, where he arrived on 4th Nov. 1675.
18 Guru Tegh Bahudar (along with Bhai Mati Das Ji, Bhai Sati Das Ji, Bhai Dyala Ji, Bhai Gurditta Ji, Bhai Udo Ji, and Bhai Jaita Ji) started his journey from Anandpur Sahib, stopping at Saifabad (Patiala), Cheeka, Jind, Rohtak, Janipur, Guru reached at Agra.
Guru Tegh Bahudar first stopped at where Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib is situated, on the left of Gurdwara Sri Guru Ka Taal Sahib, within the same complex.
Gurudwara Guru ka Tal -Agra, india—-Place where Guru gave voluntary arrest
19 A poor man named Hasan Ali was grazing goats his there. At the time Aurangzeb offered a reward of Rs 500 for information leading to the arrest of Guru Tegh Bahadur. As Guru Tegh Bahadur was going to submit himself voluntarily he allowed Hasan Ali to benefit from the reward money as he has prayed to Guru to give his arrest through him.
20 Guru Tegh Bahudar was arrested and kept at the Bhora Sahib for 9 days before being taken to Delhi under strict security. Aurangzeb was a viscous religious persecutor who wanted India to become an islamic state.
21 William Irvine states that Guru Tegh Bahadur was tortured for many weeks while being asked to abandon his faith and convert to Islam; he stood by his convictions and refused; he was then executed.
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, and Bhai Sati Das was burned alive, while Guru Tegh Bahadur was held inside a cage to watch his colleagues suffer.
The Guru himself was beheaded in public.
22 Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandi Chowk marks the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded by Mughal Emperor & Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib marks the place where the body of the Guru was cremated by one of his follower.
23 To hide from the Mughals, Lakhi Shah Banjara and his son Bhai Naghaiya burnt their house by keeping the body of Guru in it.
24 The Guru severed head was brought from Delhi to Anandpur Sahib in Punjab by Bhai Jaita (later Bhai Jiwan Singh) and was cremated by his son, Guru Gobind Singh.
Till now World didn’t witness the sacrifice made by the leader for a religion to whom he didn’t belong or follow.
Tegh Bahadur was the Sikh Guru , though he stood for the rights of Hindus. He said though i don’t wear Janeou, nor i am into Idol worshiping but i won’t let anyone forcefully convert anyone.
World has witness a different kind of cremation where Body is getting cremated at one place (Delhi) and the head at other place.(Punjab)
Guru Tegh Bahadur is therefore rightfully called as “Hind Di Chaddar”( Bedsheet of India)
By Bedsheet I mean, as we use the sheet to protect/cover our body , just like Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrifice is like a cover/shield/sheet.
Thank you Gurdit Kaur (गुरदित कौर)
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