Guru Teg Bahadur

Guru Teg Bahadur

Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621-1675) was the ninth of ten gurus and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675.

He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru.

In March 1664, Guru Har Krishan contracted smallpox. When his followers asked who would lead them after him, he said, "Baba Bakala", meaning his successor was to be found in Bakala.

A wealthy trader named Makhan Shah Labana discovered the Guru on his visit to Bakala. In August 1664, a Sikh congregation led by Diwan Dargha Mal, son of a well-known devotee of Har Krishan, arrived in Bakala and appointed Tegh Bahadur as the ninth guru of Sikhs.

Guru Tegh Bahadur traveled extensively in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, including Dhaka and Assam, to preach the teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru. He visited the towns of Mathura, Agra, Allahabad and Varanasi. His son, Guru Gobind Singh, who would be the tenth Sikh guru, was born in Patna in 1666, while he was on his visit to Assam.

Later years

Considered a principled and fearless warrior, he was a learned spiritual scholar and a poet whose 115 hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Aurangzeb ordered the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur on 11 November. The Guru was publicly beheaded in Chandni Chowk, Delhi.

Historical Gurdwaras

Gurdwara Rakab Ganj (cremation)