Guru Gobind Singh (Painting)
Chanchal Manohar Singh
Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666–1708), the Tenth Master of the Sikhs, is reverently known as ‘Sarbans Danee’, i.e. a person who sacrificed his ‘sarbans’ (whole family) for helping the oppressed and protecting a person’s right to profess the religion of his own choice. He was born the only son of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib and Mata Gujri Ji on Poh Sudi 7 (23 Poh), Saturday, 1723 Bikrami i.e. 22 December 1666 at Patna Sahib, Bihar. At this site now stands the sacred shrine Takht Sri Harimandir Sahib, which is one of the Five Takhts, the most honoured seats close to the hearts of Sikhs. Every incident of his life reveals his love for humanity, help for the down-trodden, and his commitment to upholding a person’s freedom to follow a religion of his own choice.
In 1675, when he was barely nine years of age, his tender heart had to bear the pressure of a helpless group of 500 Kashmiri Pandits who approached his father, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, the Ninth Master of the Sikhs, to save them from forcible conversion to Islam by the then emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb had issued very strong orders to his faujdars to spread Islam in all nooks and corners of his territory, even at the cost of severe physical torture to those who resisted it. For this purpose, he had established an independent department under a Director General. A large number of persons who refused to accept Islam were killed every day. Aurangzeb would not eat any meal until janeoos, the sacred thread worn by Brahmins, weighing one and a quarter maund were presented to him, meaning thereby that 2,000–2,500 Brahmins were being converted to Islam before he ate any meal.
When this movement of conversion of Hindus to Islam reached its peak in Kashmir, after knocking at many doors, a group of 500 Brahmins under the leadership of Pandit Kirpa Ram Ji reached Anandpur Sahib, District Ropar, Punjab, to seek help from Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib. These Brahmins narrated to him all of their woeful tales and told him that more than half of the Kashmiri Brahmins had already been forcibly converted to Islam. A Kashmiri writer, P.N.K. Bamzai, in his book History of Kashmir, has given details about this incident of the 500 Pandits asking Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib for help.
After carefully listening to the cruelties meted out to Brahmins in Kashmir, while Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib was sitting in a reflective mood, his young, barely nine-year-old son Gobind Rai Ji asked him the reason for his pensive mood. His father told him about the whole problem, and as reported by Kuir Singh in his book Gurbilas Patshahi 10, told him that “Grave are the burdens the earth bears. She will be redeemed only if a truly worthy person comes forward to lay down his head. Distress will then be expunged and happiness ushered in.” The young son innocently and promptly remarked that none could be worthier than his father to make such a sacrifice.
The Ninth Master felt happy at the brave answer given by his young son because this answer had, in a way, supported the decision that he had already taken in his mind—to sacrifice himself to save the Hindu community from extinction and to provide freedom to everyone to profess the religion of one’s own choice. Thus, at an age of barely nine years, by asking his father to save a community from extinction by sacrificing his life and to uphold human values, Gobind Rai Ji evinced the seeds of sacrifice.
The Ninth Master asked the Kashmiri Brahmins to go back and tell the suba of their area that he should try to convert him, i.e. the Ninth Master, to Islam, and if he was successful, all of them would also accept that religion. Thus, at the inspiration of his son Gobind Rai Ji, the Ninth Master decided to sacrifice his life for upholding a person’s right to profess the religion of one’s own choice.
Under the orders of Aurangzeb, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib was arrested at Sikandra, District Agra, U.P., and subjected to tortures. Finally, he was beheaded in public view in Chandni Chowk, Delhi on 11 November 1675. At the sacred site of his sacrifice now stands Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib. After his martyrdom, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who became the Tenth Guru, decided to take up cudgels against Aurangzeb, who was bent upon killing all those who stood in his way of Islamikaran. Thus, Aurangzeb considered him his chief enemy because he was following in the footsteps of his father to save Hindus from conversion to Islam.
In April 1685, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji went to Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, a city which he had established on the bank of river Yamuna. At this place, he did creative writings in which he preached goodwill and equality. He preached to worship ‘One Supreme God’ and to discard idolatry and superstitions. The caste-ridden Rajput chiefs of the Shivalik hills felt threatened by his increasing power and decided to join hands and help the Muslim ruler in combating his activities.
It was here that on September 18, 1688, under the leadership of Raja Fateh Chand of Garhwal, U.P., the hilly monarchs attacked him at Bhangani, 10 km north-east of Paonta Sahib, but were badly defeated. After this, in view of the repressive policies of the Mughals and the antagonism of the hilly Rajas, he returned to Anandpur Sahib and fortified it. During this period, he had to get involved in many battles, including the battles at Nadaun on March 20, 1691, and at Hussainiwala on February 20, 1696.
In the meantime, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji instituted the ‘Khalsa’, to which he gave a concrete form on the Baisakhi day of 1699 through the initiation of the Panj Piaras (Five Beloved Ones) at Anandpur Sahib, District Ropar, Punjab. In addition to maintaining the five kakaars, the Sikhs were instructed to (i) avoid adultery, (ii) not eat halaal (the meat of an animal killed in the Muslim way), (iii) avoid tobacco, and (iv) not have any relationship with those who consume tobacco or indulge in female foeticide.
The institution of the Khalsa further infuriated the hilly chiefs who, under the leadership of the Raja of Bilaspur, in whose territory Anandpur Sahib fell, became very active in trying to forcibly evict Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji from his hilly citadel. During 1700–1704, they raided Anandpur Sahib many times but yielded no success. Having been frustrated by their failures, they requested Aurangzeb for help, to which he readily agreed.
In May 1705, in collaboration with contingents sent under imperial orders by the governor of Lahore and the faujdar of Sirhind, they invaded Anandpur Sahib and laid siege to the fort. In spite of scarcity of ammunition and food caused by a prolonged battle, Guru Sahib and his Sikhs gave a firm fight to these successive assaults. The attackers, feeling helpless, cunningly gave an offer on solemn oath to Guru Sahib to provide safe exit if he agreed to quit Anandpur Sahib. Guru Sahib accepted the offer.
However, during the night of 5–6 December 1705, as soon as Guru Sahib along with his four sons—Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji (18), Sahibzada Jujhar Singh Ji (14), Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji (9), and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji (7)—his mother Mata Gujri Ji, and the Sikhs started coming out of the town, the hilly chiefs and their Mughal allies started attacking them furiously.
While crossing the rivulet Sirsa, a tributary of river Sutlej, on horseback, the two younger sons of Guru Sahib—Sahibzadas Zorawar Singh Ji and Fateh Singh Ji—along with Mata Gujri Ji got separated from the rest of the family. At the place where they were separated, which is 12 km south of Ropar, now stands Gurdwara Parivar Vichhora Sahib.
Gangu, an old cook of the family, promised to take them safely to his village Kheri (now known as Saheri near Morinda in Ropar District, Punjab). But in the hope of a huge reward from the Mughals, he betrayed them and on the morning of December 7, 1705 handed them over to Jani Khan and Mani Khan Ranghar, the officials of Morinda.
In the meantime, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, along with about forty Sikhs and his two elder sons, Sahibzadas Ajit Singh Ji and Jujhar Singh Ji, reached Chamkaur Sahib, 40 km south-west of Anandpur Sahib. The imperial army and the army of hilly monarchs followed him closely. In Chamkaur Sahib, Guru Sahib established his headquarters in a garhi (a protected place), now known as Chamkaur Di Garhi, where now stands Gurdwara Garhi Sahib.
From this place, Guru Sahib sent the forces under the command of his elder sons to fight with the imperial army and the hilly monarchs. In the furious battle which ensued on 7 December 1705, both elder sons—Sahibzadas Ajit Singh Ji and Jujhar Singh Ji—attained martyrdom. To commemorate their martyrdom, Gurdwara Qatalgarh Sahib has been constructed at this sacred site.
On December 8, 1705, Jani Khan and Mani Khan Ranghar took the two younger Sahibzadas—Zorawar Singh Ji and Fateh Singh Ji—and their grandmother Mata Gujri Ji to Sirhind and handed them over to Wazir Khan, the faujdar of Sirhind, who had just returned from the battle of Chamkaur Sahib full of vengeance.
Wazir Khan ordered that these two young sons of Guru Sahib be sealed alive in a wall if they refused to accept Islam. On December 9, 1705, the Sahibzadas were produced before him. He lured them with promises of wealth and honour if they adopted Islam, but both rejected the offer bravely and remained firm in their faith.
On December 11, 1705, they were to be bricked alive at a place 5 km north of Sirhind, now named Fatehgarh Sahib. However, when the wall reached above the chest height of the younger Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji, it crumbled. On December 12, 1705, they were again given the choice to convert to Islam or embrace death. They firmly chose death and courageously faced the executioner’s sword. On hearing the death of her grandsons, Mata Gujri Ji died of shock.
At the sacred site of their martyrdom, Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib has been established. In the basement of this Gurdwara, the wall constructed on December 11, 1705 still exists, though with certain changes. Thousands of devotees visit this holy place every day.
During 2004, the tercentenary year, over one million pilgrims visited this place during December 24–26, and also visited Chamkaur Sahib during December 21–23 to pay homage to the two elder Sahibzadas.
Thus, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji sacrificed his whole family—his father, his mother, and four sons—for preserving human values, and throughout his life continued his struggle against repression.
After Chamkaur Sahib, going westward towards Dina and Kangar, he stayed at village Lamman-Jatpura in District Ludhiana, where he learnt about the sad demise of his two younger Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri Ji. On hearing this, he uprooted a dab plant and said that now the roots of the Mughals had been uprooted.
On 20 January 1706, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji reached Talwandi Sabo (now Damdama Sahib), where he stayed for about nine months and prepared a fresh recension of Sri Guru Granth Sahib with Bhai Mani Singh Ji as his amanuensis.
Later, he decided to travel towards the south to spread the message of Sikhism. Wazir Khan of Sirhind sent two Pathans—Jamshed Khan and Wasil Beg—to kill him. They overtook him at Nanded in Maharashtra. One of them stabbed Guru Sahib below the heart. Guru Sahib struck him down and killed him, while the second Pathan was killed by his devotees.
Though his wound was stitched, it later reopened when he tried to pull a stiff bow. On 7 October 1708, after bestowing Guruship on Sri Guru Granth Sahib, he left for his heavenly abode.
Before his departure, he instructed Sikhs to (i) avoid halaal, (ii) maintain no relations with those who eat halaal or indulge in female foeticide, and (iii) keep the langars (community kitchens) ever open.
Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji will always be remembered for his sacrifices and his religious writings, including Sri Dasam Granth Sahib, consisting of 1428 pages.
In 2017, his 350th birth anniversary was celebrated worldwide with great pomp and show. In 2025, his 359th birth anniversary was celebrated on December 27 with similar enthusiasm.
Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib!
— Dr. Amrit Kau (Retd. Professor), Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab