Guru Hargobind was born to Mata Ganga and Guru Arjan Sahib at Guru Di Wadali (near Chheharta, Amritsar) on the 19th of June 1590. (Earlier, it was believed that he was born in 1595 and this date remained much popular for a very long time). Keerat Bhatt (whose verses have been included in Guru Granth Sahib and who, later, embraced martyrdom in the battle of Amritsar on the 15th of April 1634) had recorded this date (of 1590) in his Vahi (record book) as follows:
‘Got Vadhai (gifts) on the birth of Hargobind son of Guru Arjan grandson of Guru Ram Das (on Bikrami) Sammat 1747, month Haar, 21st date, one and a quarter pahir (about three hours and forty five minutes) before the rise of the day (i.e. at about 2 AM), to Mata Ganga, at village Vadali, Pargana Guru-Da-Chakk. A miraculous child was born. He was named Hargobind. (Bhai) Singha was given regards as family priest. Guru’s Karah Parshad was prepared. Guests and the poor and the needy were given gifts.’1
[Non-italic words, in parenthesis, are mine, for clarification- Author].
This entry is a clear evidence that Guru Hargobind was born in 1647 Bk i.e. 1590 C.E.
Another false propaganda about his birth is the story that his birth was a result of the blessing by Baba Buddha. As mentioned earlier (in the previous chapter, ‘Guru Arjan Sahib’) Hargobind was born out of second marriage of Guru Arjan; for which Baba Buddha, on request from Mata Ram Dei (the first wife of Guru Arjan, who had been bed-ridden since her marriage in 1579) had persuaded the Guru. Baba Buddha giving blessing (var in Punjabi) is not only historically incorrect, but, is also conceptually wrong. If we accept the theory of ‘blessing by Baba Buddha’, it would mean he was spiritually more powerful than the Guru or was a ‘tantric‘ with so-called miraculous power. Sikhism unequivocally rejects such blessings and curses (i.e. var and saraap).
Guru Hargobind was installed as the Sixth Guru on the 25th of may 1606. When Jahangir issued orders for the execution of Guru Arjan, he also ordered that his property should be confiscated and his family should be handed over to Murtaza Khan the faujdar (chief of law and order) of Lahore (later Governor of Lahore in 1611) for imprisonment.2 When the Sikhs got the news of this order, they, before it could be executed, escorted Guru Hargobind, his mother and wife (he was married to Damodari in 1604) to a safer place in the house of his brother-in-law (husband of his wife’s elder sister) in village Daroli (now Daroli Bhai), in the present district of Moga, then known as Jungle Des (forest land), then a part of Multan province. Guru Hargobind reached Daroli on the 4th of June 1606 and spent one year and six months in this village (and left for Goindwal in December 1607). An entry in Bhat Vahis Multani Sindhi records it as follows:
Guru Hargobind, mahal (Guru) sixth, son of Guru Arjan, resident of Guru-Da-Chakk, pargana Nijhariala, came to Sain Das’s residence at village Daroli, pargana Dagru, Jungle Des (area), on eighth Sudi of Jeth month of sammat 1663 (corresponding to 4th June 1606 C.E.). He was accompanied by (his) mother Ganga and wife Damodari. After spending one year and six months in this village he went to Goindwal.
[Non-italic words are mine, for clarification- Author].
It seems that Guru Hargobind went to Goindwal alone and his wife Damodari still remained there because she was pregnant at that time and a son Gurditta was born to her on 14th September 1608 (This too is possible that Damodari might have gone again to Daroli to give birth to Gurditta).
1 Bhatt Vahi Multani Sindhi, entry written by Keerat Bhatt, son of Bhikha Bhatt.
2 Tuzak-i-Jahangiri, exact wording has been quoted in the previous chapter.
Revelation of Akal Takht Sahib
After spending some time at Goindwal, Guru Hargobind returned to Guru-Da-Chakk, in 1608 or 1609. By this time, the Mughal rulers had, perhaps, begun ignoring Guru-Da-Chakk and the Sikhs. Soon, regular visits of the Sikh to Guru-Da-Chakk (Amritsar) began again. After discussing it with Baba Buddha, Bhai Gurdas and other prominent Sikhs, Guru Hargobind decided to announce the formation of an army, the declaration of Sikh sovereignty in spiritual and temporal domains (Miri-Piri) and a separate throne. The first of these steps was the revelation of Akal Takht Sahib (the Throne of the Timeless i.e. God). It meant that the Sikhs won’t bow before the throne of any mortal being, and, will consider themselves as the subjects of the Sovereign (God). In order to give it the form of a declaration, a pedestal (tharha) was erected in front of Darbar Sahib at Guru-Da-Chakk, in July 1609.
Gurbilas Patsahi Chhevin [a book written by3Gurmukh Singh (the caretaker of Akal Takht in 1830s) and Darbara Singh (Granthi of Darbar Sahib)] mentions the date as Haar 1663 Bikrami (corresponding to 15.6.1606). But this is wrong because from the 4th of June 1606 to December 1607, the Guru was present in the Jungle Des area. It seems that the authors of the book had added 17 days to the martyrdom of Guru Arjan (as, in those days, it was a custom that the final prayer of a deceased, was performed on the 17th day after his/her death. (Guru Arjan’s martyrdom took place on the 30th of May and the 15th of June 1606 was the 17th day). 4
What Guru Hargobind Sahib had constructed in 1609 was a small pedestal only; its foundation was laid by Guru Hargobind himself and the rest of the small structure was built by Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas. Guru Hargobind wore two swords representing spiritual (Piri) and temporal (Miri) and declared that the Sikhs should consider themselves as sovereign in both domains, temporal and transcendental (with God as their only Master). Some writers5 mention that wearing two swords was a result of a mistake: the Guru had first worn sword hanging on the right side (whereas normally it is worn on the left side) and then he, instead of changing the side, wore another one on the other side too. This is ridiculous and childish logic. The revelation of Akal Takht was a prelude to the wearing of the swords of Miri-Piri; this act was, in fact, manifestation of what Guru Nanak had taught: ‘a king should be a ruler imparting justice and defending dharma’; Guru Nanak himself was known as Raja-Jogi (king of spiritual and temporal, domains).
Formation of First Sikh Army
After the revelation of Akal Takht Sahib, Guru Hargobind announced the formation of an army; he had realized that the Sikh religion needed a system to defend its mission from alien attacks and threats. According to an author, it was Guru Arjan who had decided to form an army.6 After the threats of attacks by Sulhi Khan, Sulbhi Khan and Birbal, Guru Arjan had been pondering over this idea but due to his engagement with other activites, this could not be tanslated into action; but, when Jahangir summoned him, he told him to form an army.
Guru Hargobind Sahib sent messages to the Sikhs to offer themselves for enrolment in the Sikh army. When this message reached the Sikhs, a large number of them flocked to the Guru to join the army; within a very short period hundreds of the Sikhs were now part of the first
3 It was not by any Sohan Kavi, in 1718, as it is mentioned in the text of this work. The text does not mention the name of Sohan Kavi but the word Sohan appears there in several stanzas, hence it was presumed to be the name of the writer.
4 Not only is this date, but the whole of this book, is a conspiracy against the Sikh history and philosophy. For details and comprehensive study, read the book ‘Sikh Twareekh Vich Akal Takht Sahib Da Role, published in 2005.
5 Santokh Singh in Gur Partap Suraj Granth.
6 Max Arthur Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion.
Sikh army; Guru Sahib divided these soldiers into four Jathas (groups, battalions) and appointed generals like Bidhi Chand, Pirana, Jetha and Langah to train these soldiers.
Some of these generals belonged to the villages around Guru-Da-Chakk (Amritsar), and the others, belonging to Rajput clans (Parmar, Chauhan, Tomar, Yadav and Rathore too), were from Multan, Sialkot, Delhi and Kashmir too.
The first Hukamnama from Akal Takht Sahib
After revelation of the Takht, the Guru issued a hukamnama (royal order) to the Sikhs asking them to bring gifts of good horses and arms instead of other valuables; the Guru himself purchased horses and weapons and distributed these among the soldiers; soon all the Sikh soldiers had become trained horsemen and sword-wielders.
Building a fort and wall around the Sikh City
In 1609, Guru Hargobind began construction of a fort in Guru-Da-Chakk (at the present site of Gurdwara Lohgarh). The fort was ready by 1611 and by the next year the city had a defensive wall too.
Arrest of Guru Hargobind
In the meanwhile, Jahangir had appointed Murtaza Khan (who was, till that, the chief of law and order Lahore) as the Governor of Lahore state. Murtaza Khan was known for his fanatic approach towards non-Muslims; besides the Muslim clergy and the fanatic Hindus began feeding him with false stories and provoked him against Guru Hargobind. Murtaza Khan had already come to know that the Guru had formed an army and had weapons and trained soldiers, so he did not take any action by himself because it might have led to a battle; hence he sent a report to Jahangir informing him about the military activates of the Guru. When Jahangir read about formation of army, building of a fort and city wall, he immediately sent summons to the Guru asking him to appear in his court at Delhi. Guru Hargobind left Amritsar on the 31st of December 1612 and reached Delhi in the early days of January 1613. He stayed with a Sikh family in the village of Chandraval Khera (now the site of Gurdwara Majnu Tilla) and sent message of his arrival to Jahangir. Jahangir called him to his court and asked the Guru to stop military activities; and when the Guru refused to comply, he sentenced him to 12 years’ imprisonment; he was interned in Gwalior Fort prison. (This prison was used for confinement of the rebel kings, princes i.e. the royal prisoners as well as other high status personalities; when the Guru entered the fort, there were already more than100 royal prisoners in the jail).
When the Sikhs came to know about the Guru’s internment, they began visiting Gwalior but none of them was granted permission to see the Guru; Hari Das Yadav was the jailor of this prison but he was helpless as he had emperor’s strict orders not to allow meetings with the prisoners. The Sikh visitors included Baba Buddha, Bhai Gurdas, Bhai Jetha and other prominent Sikh generals; although the jailor had become an admirer of the Guru, but it is not known whether he ever allowed the Sikhs to see the Guru; however, sources mention that the Sikhs continued visiting Gwalior town, and, after having a round of the fort’s boundary, they would return to the Punjab. The emperor had been receiving this information from his sources.
Release of the Guru from Gwalior
In 1618, Murtaza Khan the governor of Lahore died. In the meanwhile, Wazir Khan of Chiniot (later Governor of Lahore) had become a favourite courtier of Jahangir; almost during the same time Jahangir had a meeting with Mian Mir. Both of them (Wazir Khan and Mian Mir) requested Jahangir to release Guru Hargobind; Jahangir’s beloved wife Nur Jahan too impressed upon him to accept their advice and release the Guru. By this time, Jahangir
too had become free from the influence of the fanatic Muslim clergy (including Sheikh Ahmad Sarhandi); all this made Jahangir issue orders for the release of Guru Sahib.
Orders of release of Guru Sahib were delivered by Wazir Khan himself; when the other royal prisoners came to know of his release of Guru Sahib, they became very sad and some of them began weeping also; daily discourses of the Guru had changed their lives and they had begun living in high spirits. Guru Sahib decided to help them; he told Wazir Khan: ‘I will leave the prison only if other prisoners too are released’; Wazir Khan promised to approach the emperor; and when Wazir Khan met Jahangir and informed him about the Guru’s wish, the emperor was very much impressed; he ordered that those prisoners who had been given short sentences (one to two years) be released and from amongst the rest all those will be released who would cling to the Guru’s cloak. Jahangir, perhaps, wanted to test as to whom the Guru will prefer as there were 49 prisoners who had been given short sentences and 52 were those who were serving long sentences.
When Guru Hargobind came to know about the order of the emperor, he requested the jailor Hari Das Yadav to get him a cloak which has 52 hanging stripes; the cloak was ready by the next morning; the Guru wore the cloak and got all the prisoners released as each was holding one stripe. Those who got released included several kings and princes from hill states of the Punjab (Bilaspur, Handur etc), Rajputana land and other zones; the Guru was released on the 26th of October 1619. When Jahangir got this news he was convinced that the Guru was really a genuine pir for whom everyone is equal. After this, Jahangir ordered the arrest of Sheikh Ahmad Sarhandi, who was interned in this Gwalior Fort prison.
After his release, Guru Hargobind left for Goindwal; having made stopovers at Agra, Delhi, Lashkari Khan, Doraha etc, the Guru reached Goindwal towards the end of 1619. He spent the next month at Goindwal where he had a short meeting with Jahangir on the 27th of January 1620 (when the latter crossed Beas river). Both of them again met at Kalanaur on the 8th of February 1620; and it was in this meeting that Jahangir extended hand of friendship to the Guru. In this meeting Jahangir handed over Chandu (who had tortured Guru Arjan Sahib) to the Sikhs and asked them to punish him for his crimes (later, people paraded Chandu in the streets of Lahore, where Gurditta, the man he had engaged to pour hot sand on Guru Arjan, killed him by hitting with a rod). Later, Jahangir and Guru Sahib both went to Lahore and visited Mian Mir; after spending some days at Mujang (now a part of Lahore), the Guru returned to Goindwal.
On the 28th of March 1620 (the 1st of Visakh 1677), a large number of Sikhs visited Goindwal. It was the first Sikh national gathering after the release of the Guru from Gwalior Fort prison; after this, the Guru went on missionary tour of Kashmir; from where he returned in December 1620.
Guru visited Guru-Da-Chakk (Amritsar) after 8 years
On the 28th of December 1620, Guru Hargobind visited Guru-Da-Chakk (Amritsar); it was his first visit to Guru-Da-Chakk since the 31st of December 1612. As the Guru had visited the town after a gap of 8 years, the residents lit lamps in the whole of the town. This, however, proves that Guru Hargobind did not visit Guru-Da-Chakk on the day of the Hindu Diwali (which falls in October/November every year). The celebration of Diwali, at Darbar Sahib, was started by its Udasi Mahants towards the end of the nineteenth century. Guru Hargobind spent the next year at Guru-Da-Chakk.
Battle of Ruhila (27.9.1621)
Guru Arjan had founded Gobindpur (now Hargobindpur) at the site of the ruins of erstwhile Ruhila village on the right bank of river Beas. After the arrest of Guru Hargobind, this village had been occupied by Chandu and Bhagwan Das Gherar (father of his daughter-
in-law). When Guru Sahib chose to stay at Guru-Da-Chakk, he decided to take possession of Gobindpur. Although Chandu had been killed in the summer of 1620, his son Karam Chand had still not learnt a lesson. When he came to know that the Guru had taken possession of Gobindpur, he collected a large number of men and attacked the Sikhs. A battle was fought on the 27th of September 1621. The Sikhs defeated the invaders and gave them a crushing defeat. After their defeat they approached the police chief of Jalandhar-Doab, offered him money and requested him to help them. He agreed and sent several Mughal soldiers to help them.
This army reached Ruhila in the morning of the 3rd of October 1621; that day, another battle was fought; this was a decisive battle in which Chandu’s son Karam Chand, his father-in-law Bhagwan Das Gherar and (Bhagwan Das’s son) Ratan Chand were killed; after their deaths, their mercenaries fled the field. After this, none dared attack the Sikhs.
Fifteen days after the battle of Gobindpur/Ruhila, a son was born to the Guru (born on the 18th of October 1621).7 To commemorate the bravery of the Sikh soldiers, the Guru named him Tegh Bahadur (great sword-wielder).8
Foundation of Keeratpur Sahib
When the news of victory of the Guru reached the hill rulers, they celebrated it as their own; the ruler of Bilaspur was over enthusiastic; he visited Guru-Da-Chakk and presented several gifts and requested him (Guru) to visit his country; the Guru promised him but could not visit his country for another three years.
On the 28th of March 1624, a big gathering of the Sikhs was held at Guru-Da-Chakk; those who attended included the rulers of Bilaspur, Handur and Nahan (whom Guru Sahib had got released from Gwalior Fort prison in 1619). Kalyan Chand, the ruler of Bilaspur, requested the Guru to establish his headquarters in his country; he made an offer of land too. The Guru was already interested in a strategic defence bastion so he agreed to establish a new village but refused to accept the gift of land. The Guru toured the area around river Satluj and selected some territory of the villages of Kalyanpur, Bhatoli and Jiowal and paid the price of the land. At first Raja Kalyan Chand refused to accept money but when the Guru refused to accept donation of land, he (the king) had to accept the money.
Though the Guru had purchased the land but he could not move to the new place; finally, he asked his eldest son Gurditta to take charge of the land. Gurditta founded the city of Keeratpur on the 1st of May 1624 and began living there.
Guru Hargobind, however, still continued living at Guru-Da-Chakk. By this time, the number of the visitors to Guru-Da-Chakk had swelled a lot. It created problem for bath of the visitors; in 1628, Guru Sahib ordered construction of another tank Bibeksar. It was followed by several events in the family of the Guru: in July 1628 (Bibi) Kaulan died (she had sought asylum with the Guru in 1621); on the 27th of March 1629, his (Guru’s) mother Mata Ganga died; on the 23rd of April 1629, his son Suraj mall got married. On the 16th of January 1630, Guru’s second grandson and Baba Gurditta’s second child, (Guru) Har Rai was born at Keeratpur.
Deaths in the Guru Family
On the 18th of March 1631, Guru Hargobind Sahib left Guru-Da-Chakk for a missionary tour of the cis-Satluj area and Jungle Des (the present districts of Moga, Firozpur and
7 The Brahmins propagated that the Guru was born on the 1st of April 1621, because they believe that a child born in Katak month of Bikrami calender cannot be a ‘great’ person; according to the Brahmins Katak is inauspicious month.
8 Later, it was propagated that the child was named Tyag Mall and after showing bravery in the battle of Kartarpur on the 26th of April 1635, he was given the new name i.e. Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Bathinda etc). During this period, his headquarters were at Daroli (near Dagru, Moga), the village of his brother-in-law Bhai Sain Das; suddenly a virus of fever created havoc in the area; the Guru’s wife Damodari died of this virus fever on the 13th o July; Guru’s mother-in-law and father-in-law visited Daroli to participate in the cremations and final prayer; they too were affected by this virus and died; Guru’s sister-in-law and brother-in-law Sain Das too died.; the Guru cremated them with his own hands; after some days, the Guru went to Kartarpur (Jalandhar). During all this time he had the Granth with him (since then this ‘Granth’ remained at Kartarpur, hence it came to be known as ‘Kartarpuri Bir’).9
When he had spent some time at Kartarpur, he received information that Baba Buddha was seriously ill. Hearing this, Guru went to village Ramdas, where, on the 17th of November 1631, he (Baba Buddha) died and the Guru himself cremated his body. He returned to Kartarpur and began living there. It was here that, the marriage of his son (Guru) Tegh Bahadur was solemnized with (Mata) Gujri, on the 14th of September 1632.10
Attacks by the Mughal Army (Amritsar 13.4.1634)11
On the 28th of October 1627, Jahangir, the Mughal emperor had died and Shah Jahan had succeeded him; for some years Shah Jahan too continued cordial relations with the Sikhs but with the passage of time Shah Jahan too came under the influence of the fanatic Muslims and began discriminating against the non-Muslims; his policy affected the Lahore government too; they too turned hostile to the non-Muslims. On the other hand, though since 1621, the Guru had had no situation to fight against anyone but the Sikh army had continued its military training. By the end of 1633, the Mughal soldiers had again begun taxing the non-Muslims and even their shrines had been demolished; it included the Gurdwara at (now known as Dabbi Bazaar area) Lahore; the Mughal army captured its building and also took control of the baoli-well. When Guru Hargobind received the news, he was busy in making arrangements of his daughter Bibi Veero’s wedding which was going to be solemnized on the 14th of April 1634. On the other hand, the Lahore army was on its way to Guru-Da-Chakk (Amritsar) to capture the Sikh city too. One day before the marriage the Mughal army attacked the Sikh city; a unit of the Sikhs escorted the Guru family to the village of Jhabal12 and the rest took arms to defend the city. A fierce battle was fought for several hours; though some Sikhs too embraced martyrdom in this battle, but the losses of the Mughal army were very high and it included their chief Murtaza Khan.13
In June 1634, Guru Hargobind visited Uttrakhand zone. He went to Srinagar (Garhwal) as well as Pilibhit and Nanak Matta area. During this tour he met Samrath Ramdas (the mentor of Shivaji Marhatta) at Srinagar. Samrath Ramdas learnt lessons in polity from the Guru (which he, later, taught to his disciple Shivaji Marhatta). One day, Samrath Ramas asked the Guru, ‘I have heard that Guru Nanak was an ascetic udasi but you are wearing a royal dress.’ The Guru replied him, ‘Guru Nanak was not an ascetic, he had worn udasi dress during his missionary journeys only; moreover, he had renounced Maya but not the world’. Samrath Ramdas further asked, ‘You are a religious person, why are you carrying weapons?’ Guru told him, ‘these are not weapons of offence; these symbolize defence of the poor, week and downtrodden as well as for the destruction of the tyrant.’ Samrath Ramdas was impressed with the Guru’s answer and he bowed before the Guru’s greatness.
9 This original Granth got burnt when Ahmad Shah Durrani’s son Taimur attacked and set the city of Kartarpur on fire, in 1757.
10 (This indicates that in Sikhism there is no taboo of waiting period of some months/days after the death of someone in family, for marriage or other ceremonies).
11 Pal Singh Purewal’s Jantri makes it 13.4.1634
12 The next day, the marriage of Veero was solemnized at Jhabal (also spelled as Chabhal).
13 This Murtaza Khan was no the same who had been the Governor of Lahore (he died in 1618).
From here, the Guru went to Nanak Mata (then known as Gorakh Mata). Here, he came to know that the local Jogis had occupied the Sikh dharamsala; the Guru re-took the possession of the Sikh property and punished the usurpers (since then the Gorakh Mata place came to be known as Nanak Mata). After a stay of a few days there, the Guru returned to the Goindwal.
Battle of Mehraj (17.12.1634)
Guru Hargobind spent the chumaasa (four months, i.e. mid July to mid October) at Kartarpur; in November he went to the Jungle Des for missionary activities; the Guru was accompanied by several soldiers too. This area was the territory of Multan state. When the Governor of Multan came to known about the Guru and his army, he sent a large contingent of soldiers under the command of Lalla Begh and Kamar Begh. A fierce battle was fought on the 17th of December 1634 at Mehraj. In this battle the invading suffered very large number of casualties and even lost its generals; several Sikhs too embraced martyrdom. Guru Sahib cremated the Sikh soldiers with his own hands.
Battle of Kartarpur (26-28.4.1635)
After the battle of Mehraj, Guru Hargobind went to Kartarpur. On his way, he visited several villages of the cis-Satluj area and held congregations in these villages; a large number of people joined Guru’s mission.
During his stay at Kartarpur, one of his soldiers, who was the son-in-law of the Guru’s Pathan general Painda Khan, stole some articles of the Guru. Painda Khan, instead of apologizing, tried to defend his son-in-law; at this, the Guru dismissed both of them from his army. After their dismissal they went to the Mughal chief of Jalandhar and instigated him to attack the Guru and plunder his treasures. When Painda Khan mentioned Guru’s treasures, the Mughal leader became greedy and decided to join them for an attack on Kartarpur. This joint army of the Pathans and the Mughals attacked Kartarpur on the 26th of April 1635. This battle continued for three days; several Sikh soldiers embraced martyrdom in this battle after killing hundreds of Mughal and Pathan soldiers. After the death of Painda Khan, his son-in-law and the faujdar of Jalandhar, the rest of the invading army fled. Guru Sahib cremated the Sikh soldiers with his own hands.
Guru Moved to Keeratpur (& Battle at Phagwara 29.4.1635)
Though the Guru had won the three-day battle at Kartarpur, he realized that this won’t end anywhere, and there would be further attacks and clashes; so, he decided to leave the plains and move to Keeratpur, a city founded by him in Bilaspur state. Having discussed it with his courtiers, on the 29th of April 1635, he left Kartarpur for Keeratpur. On his way he rested for some time at Basti Sheikh Darwesh (now Basti Sheikh), then in the outskirts of Jalandhar, and had a discourse with him. After a short stopover, he restarted his journey towards Keeratpur. At Shahjahanabad (now Phagwara), the local army attacked the Sikhs. The Sikhs were tired after three days’ battle, so they did not want to fight; but having been attacked by an aggressive army; they had no choice but to defend themselves. The Mughal soldiers had thought that the Sikhs won’t be able to fight a trained army but soon they realized their mistake and after losing several soldiers they beat a shameful retreat; in this battle too, a few Sikhs embraced martyrdom.
Guru’s Sojourn at Keeratpur
Guru Hargobind reached Keeratpur on the 3rd of May 1635. Now Keeratpur became the major centre of the Sikhs. Besides the Sikhs, most of the rulers of the hill states too began visiting the Guru. They were pleased to see the Guru near them because they knew that the Guru had defeated the invading armies several times; and they expected the Guru to defend them in case of a Mughal attack.
Battle of Nangal Gujjran (1.7.1635)
In the last week of June 1635, the prime minister of Handur State (now known as Nalagarh) appeared in the court of the Guru and requested him to help them in case of an attack by Nawab Nasar Ali Khan, the Muslim chief of Rupar;14 the Guru promised him help. On the 1st of July, 1635, when the chief of Rupar sent his nephew Mohammed Begh to attack Nalagarh, a unit of the Sikhs, under the command of Gurditta (the eldest son of Guru Hargobind) took positions on the bank of the rivulet Sarsa. In this battle, several of soldiers of the invading army were killed and the rest had to make a retreat.
After his defeat, the chief of Rupar came to know that it was the Sikh army which had defeated them otherwise the hill soldiers were no match to his army; this compelled him to extend a hand of friendship to the Guru. He requested Shamas Khan of ‘Kotla Shamas Khan’ (now Kotla Nihang Khan), a village adjascent to Rupar, to mediate. Shamas Khan went to Keeratpur, had a meeting with the Guru and told him about the request of the chief of Rupar; the Guru accepted his offer and promised to visit Rupar and Kotla Shamas Khan.
On the 18th of July 1635, Guru Hargobind visited Rupar and he was given royal welcome. The Guru spent one full day and a night in the fort of Rupar15 and the next day he visited the fort16 of Shamas Khan where he spent two days.
Deaths of Bhai Gurdas, Mian Mir and Others
In August 1635, the Guru went to Majha area (Goindwal, Guru-Da-Chakk and Lahore) on a missionary tour. When he was touring this area he received of the news of the death of Mian Mir (who had died on the 11th of August 1635); he went to Lahore to join his last payers. On the 25th of August 1636, Bhai Gurdas died; he attended his funeral too. In September 1636, he returned to Keeratpur. On the 12th of February, 1637, Kalyan Chand the ruler of Bilaspur died; he made a visit to Bilaspur to join his last rites. On the 15th of March 1638, Gurditta, the eldest son of the Guru died. On the 31st of August 1638, Bhai Bidhi Chand too died. Another courtier of the Guru, Bhai Jaati Mal (son of Singha Purohit) too died in 1643; hence, several beloveds and admirers of the Guru died in a short span of time.
Guru Hargobind breathed his last on the 3rd of March 1644. When his body was cremated, a former Rajput ruler jumped into the pyre and immolated himself (it was a Rajput way of expression of love and devotion); this Rajput ruler had sought asylum at Keeratpur after having killed several Mughals to save the honour of his daughter; at the time of Guru’s funeral, he became so emotional that he could not brave separation from the Guru; when another Rajput tried to jump into the pyre, Guru Har Rai stopped him; he, however, killed himself with his own dagger; he too was cremated along with the Guru. It is worth mentioning that a very large number of former Hindu rulers had sought asylum at Keeratpur Sahib.17
Guru Hargobind had a life-span of fifty-three and a half years; out of this, he spent 37 years as the Sixth Guru. He spent six years in Gwalior Fort prison; got 101 rulers released from prison; formed an army; fought four major and two minor battles; revealed Akal Takht;
14 The name of the city was RUPAR at that time. During the British rule it came to be spelled wrongly as Ropar.
15 Ruins of this fort can still be seen in the form of a hill, near the local government college. Now, here, an improvised fortress has been constructed with the bricks of the debris of the fort. This fort had existed since ancient times, i.e. Indus Valley Civilization days, though it was repaired and renovated several times.
16 This fort does not exist now. It was purchased by a private person, and, now, only a small portion of one wall is visible. It was visited by the five last Gurus several times. It was here that Bhai Bachitar Singh breathed his last. It was the residence of Bibi Mumtaj (one of those to whom this book has been dedicated). For further information about Mumtaj, read the chapter on Guru Gobind Singh.
17 This scene has been presented by Zulfiqar Ardastani in his book Dabistan-i-Mazahib, in much detail.
declared double sovereignty (miri-piri); granted asylum to several Hindu rulers; spread the Sikh mission far and wide, founded a new Sikh centre; established relations with great personalities of the day; got prepared several copies of the Granth; organised the Sikh Panth in a well-knit system. It is hard to believe that all this was done by just one person.
–Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer