Guru Tegh Bahadur

• 1. Birth And Family Lineage

  ›

  Tyag Mal entered the world on the 1st of April 1621 in Amritsar, Punjab. He was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh leader. His family belonged to the Sodhi clan of Khatris. Hargobind had one daughter named Bibi Viro and five sons including Baba Gurditta, Suraj Mal, Ani Rai, Atal Rai, and Tyag Mal himself. The father gave Tyag Mal the name Tegh Bahadur after he showed valor during the Battle of Kartarpur against Mughal forces. This title translates to Brave Sword. Tegh Bahadur grew up within Sikh culture and received training in archery and horsemanship. He studied old classics such as the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. On the 3rd of February 1632, he married a woman named Gujri.

  1913

• 2. Succession Crisis In Bakala

  ›

  In March 1664, Guru Har Krishan contracted smallpox while living in his ancestral village of Bakala. Before dying, he told followers that his successor would be found in Bakala. Many individuals installed themselves there claiming to be the new guru. A wealthy trader named Makhan Shah Labana arrived in search of the true leader. He had previously vowed to give 500 gold coins upon escaping a shipwreck. Labana offered two gold coins to each claimant he met. Every person accepted the money and sent him away. When he reached Tegh Bahadur, the latter blessed him and noted the offering was short of the promised five hundred. Labana made good the difference and shouted from a rooftop that he had found the Guru. In August 1664, a congregation led by Diwan Dargha Mal appointed Tegh Bahadur as the ninth guru. He lived an austere life surrounded by armed bodyguards following the execution of Guru Arjan.

  2814

• 3. Journeys Across The Subcontinent

  ›

  Guru Tegh Bahadur traveled extensively across the Indian subcontinent including Dhaka and Assam. His visits established sites for Sikh temples throughout these regions. During his travels he started community water wells and langars which served as kitchens for the poor. He visited towns such as Mathura, Agra, Allahabad, and Varanasi. His son Guru Gobind Singh was born in Patna in 1666 while the father was away in Dhubri, Assam. A Gurdwara now stands at this location in Assam where peace was brokered between Raja Ram Singh and Ahom ruler Raja Chakradhwaj Singha according to Sikh accounts. After visiting Bengal and Bihar, he met Rani Champa of Bilaspur who offered land. The Guru bought the site for 500 rupees and founded Anandpur Sahib in the foothills of the Himalayas. In 1672, he traveled through the Malwa region to meet masses as persecution reached new heights.

  71015

• 4. Confronting Mughal Authority

  ›

  A congregation of Hindu Pandits from Kashmir requested help against Aurangzeb's oppressive policies. According to Trilochan Singh, a convoy of 500 Kashmiri Pandits led by Pandit Kirpa Ram pleaded with the Guru at Anandpur. They recounted tales of religious oppression under governor Iftikhar Khan. The group sought assistance from Shiva at the Amarnath shrine before approaching the ninth Sikh guru. Tegh Bahadur left his base at Makhowal to confront the persecution but was arrested at Ropar. He was imprisoned in Sirhind four months prior to November 1675. He was transferred to Delhi where officials asked him to perform a miracle or convert to Islam. The Guru declined both options. Three colleagues arrested with him faced torture: Bhai Mati Das was sawn in two, Bhai Dayal Das was thrown into boiling liquid, and Bhai Sati Das was cut into pieces. On the 11th of November, Tegh Bahadur was publicly beheaded in Chandni Chowk near the Red Fort on Aurangzeb's orders.

  4182741

• 5. Conflicting Historical Accounts

  ›

  The primary nucleus of Sikh narratives remains the Bachittar Natak dated between late 1680s and late 1690s. This memoir was written by Guru Gobind Singh, the son of Guru Tegh Bahadur. More Sikh accounts claiming testimony from trustworthy Sikhs emerged around the late eighteenth century and are often conflicting according to historian Satish Chandra. Persian sources maintain that the Guru was a bandit whose plunder precipitated execution. Ghulam Husain Khan wrote Siyar-ul-Mutakhkherin circa 1782 alleging oppression of subjects incurred Aurangzeb's wrath. Bhimsen, a contemporary chronicler writing circa 1708, stated successors maintained extravagant lifestyles and rebelled against the state. Muhammad Qasim's Ibratnama from 1723 claimed religious inclinations and life of splendor led to condemnation. Sohan Lal Suri's Umdat ut Tawarikh from 1805 reiterated arguments about thousands of followers and nomadic armies during 1672 and 1673. Some pre-modern accounts blamed an acrimonious succession dispute involving Ram Rai elder brother of Guru Har Krishan.

  5313543

• 6. Scholarly Analysis And Legacy

  ›

  Satish Chandra expresses doubt regarding miracles since Aurangzeb was not a believer in them. He notes no contemporary sources mentioned persecution of Hindus in Kashmir. Louis E. Fenech argues these accounts coded martyrdom to elicit pride rather than trauma. Barbara Metcalf highlights familial ties to Dara Shikoh alongside proselytization as political justifications for execution. Guru Tegh Bahadur composed 116 hymns in 15 ragas included in the Guru Granth Sahib by his son. These cover spiritual topics including human attachments, sorrow, dignity, service, death, and deliverance. The Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk marks where he was beheaded. Another site called Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib stands where a disciple burned his house to cremate the body. A third location in Punjab marks where the head was cremated after being brought there by Bhai Jaita. Pashaura Singh states this martyrdom made protection of human rights central to Sikh identity. Wilfred Smith noted the event influenced nine-year-old Gobind to organize Sikhs into a distinct community.

  681012