GURU ON HIS 430th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY (JUNE 12, 2025) 

Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib (1595-1644) the Sixth Guru (prophet teacher) of the Sikhs

was the only son of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the Fifth Guru of the Sikhs and Mata Ganga

Ji. He was born on Har Vadi 7, 1652 Bikrimi i.e. June 19, 1595 at Vadali (now called

Vadali Guru) about 7 kms west of Amritsar, District Amritsar, Punjab.

His childhood was wrought with miseries because his praternal uncle, Prithi Chand,

who had not been given the Guruship by Sri Gur Ram Das Ji, grand-father of Sri Guru

Hargobind Sahib, wanted to take vengeance on his father i.e. Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

Thus, Prithi Chand made many attempts to kill the child Hargobind Ji during his

infancy. Prithi Chand gave Rs. 200 to a mid-wife named Phatto and sent her to their

house after applying poison on her breasts. This woman tried to forcibly feed the child.

Her intention was that when the child would get fed from her poisonous breasts, he

will instantly die. But this attempt on his life was rebuffed and under fright Phatto

revealed her design.

Then Prithi Chand sent a snake charmer to their house with a poisonous snake with

the aim of killing him. The snake charmer freed the snake out of the pataari (cage

made of bamboo sticks) near the child Hargobind Ji. Just before the snake was ready

to bite him he took hold of the snake and killed him by pressing his head. The puzzled

and frightened snake charmer narrated the design of Prithi Chand.

The third attempt of Prithi Chand to kill him was through his care-taker named Roopa

who mixed poison in curd and tried forcibly to make him eat the curd. Hargobind Ji

gave a loud shriek at which the alarmed parents rushed to the spot. When that curd

was given to a dog, the dog died instantly. The care-taker accepted his sin and

immediately died of a severe pain in his stomach. By the time Hargobind Ji was about

5 years of age, Prithi Chand contacted the uncle of one of his play mates named Nand 

Ram. Nand Ram was directed to give poisoned sweets to him but this attack on his

life was also foiled.

During his childhood, Hargobind Ji was taught the religious texts as well as martial

arts including swordsmanship and archery. Bhai Gurdas Ji taught him the religious

texts and Baba Buddha ji taught him manly arts of swordsmanship and archery He

was barely 11 years of age when on May 30, 1606 his father Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji

was martyred under the orders of Emperor Jahangir. It may be added that Emperor

Jahangir had become uncomfortable at the ever-increasing following of Sri Guru Arjan

Dev Ji and on the pretext that Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji had helped his rebellious son he

ordered his execution. Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji was taken 2 to Lahore where he was

asked to court Islam or death. Firm in his faith of not changing his religion and

upholding the right of a person to follow the religion of his own choice he refused to

get converted to Islam.

Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji was subjected to various types of physical torture. He was made

to sit on a red-hot iron sheet with fire burning under it and hot sand was poured on

him. Still refusing to change his religion he was put in a large deg (pot) of boiling water.

Finally, he was taken to Ravi river. A dip in the river's water was more than the blistered

body could bear. Engrossed in meditation, on May 30, 1606 he left for his heavenly

abode. Five days before his martyrdom i.e. on May 25, 1606 Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji

had nominated Hargobind ji as his successor and also sent instructions to him to

assume Guruship "fully armed, and have armed men, as many as you can, to

accompany you." He also instructed that, 'there were difficult times ahead', 'the evil

powers were all set to snatch the basic rights of men’, ‘he had carried on the work of

liberation of people in a peaceful manner, but now the times have changed', 'to bear

any more tortures at the hands of Mughals will be as fruitless as lying down before a

wild, horny animal expecting him to change his animal nature', 'time is coming that

good and evil powers will take cudgels against each other', 'so get ready, for it, wear

the weapons and motivate the Sikhs to do the same'.

On June 15, 1606 Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib constructed Akal Takht now known as

Sri Akal Takht Sahib (The Revered Throne of the Timeless One) with his own hands

in front of Sri Harimandar Sahib across the marble paved parikarma

(circumambulatory terrace around the sarovar). He laid its foundation on June 15,

1606 and completed its construction with the help of Bhai Buddha Ji and Bai Gurdas

Ji in one day. As constructed by him, it was only a platform of mud and masonry and

on June 24, 1606 his installation as Guru was performed at this place. Complying with

the instructions of his father-Guru, for the ceremony of succession he dressed himself

like a warrior and sat on this seat i.e. Akal Takht that he had erected, wearing two

swords piri and miri declaring one to be the symbol of spirituality and the other that of

his temporal investiture.

The building on this platform was constructed later during his time. Since its

construction on June 24, 1606, Sri Akal Takht Sahib has remained the highest seat of

religious authority of Sikhs and it has been the convention that only this institution has

the authority to try and excommunicate a Sikh for any religious offence. After assuming

Guruship Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib issued Hukamnamas to Sikhs to bring offerings

of arms and horses. He maintained a band of fifty-two armed Sikhs. Several other

Sikhs were also given horses and weapons. He would get up three hours before day

break and concentrate on the divine. After that he would dress up and silently read the

hymns from Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Scripture. Emperor Jahangir frightened

by his splendid style passed orders that he be imprisoned in the Fort of Gwalior in

Madhya Pradesh. After levelling the charge of not having paid the fine levied on his

father, he was imprisoned in the said fort. When he was leaving for Gwalior Baba

Buddha Ji said that, "when you are gone the Sikhs will become very sad. You please

tell us some method by which we can have your darshan (holy glimpse)”. Sri Guru

Hargobind Sahib told Baba Buddha Ji that every evening after the recitation of

Raharasi Sahib, the main evening prayer of the Sikhs, the Sikh Sangat should go

around the holy precincts in the clock-wise direction singing hymns and at the end

should assemble in front of Sri Darbar Sahib and recite ardas (prayer). During ardas

the Sikhs who are firm in their faith will have my darshan. Thus after, Sri Guru

Hargobind Sahib left for Gwalior the tradition of Chaunki Sahib i.e. after recitation of

Raharasi Sahib going around the holy precincts singing hymns and at the end riciting

ardas in front of Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar was started. This tradition of Chaunki Sahib

is still prevalent not only in Sri Darbar Sahib but in all other Gurdwaras also. Jahangir

first met Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib in 1609 in Gwalior Jail.

Wazir Khan played a complex role in the imprisonment of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib.

Initially Wazir Khan asked Guru Sahib to accompany him to Delhi to meet Jahangir

but later played a pivotal role in imprisoning him. In fact Wazir Khan was sent by

Jahangir to arrest Guru Sahib but instead he requested that he be imprisoned in the

Gwalior Jail. Later Wazir Khan supported Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib’s release. In 1609

on his way to Gwalior Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib visited Ambala city. At the place of

his stay, Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib has been established which falls on NH1 Ambala

Ludhiana national highway.

During his detention in Gwalior the Sikhs in the form of jathas visited Gwalior to have

his darshan and on being disallowed to enter the fort they paid obeisance to him

outside the walls of the fort and returned. When the time came for his release he put

the condition that all other prisoners in the jail be released along with him. Thus he

freed fifty-two prisoners and came to be called Bandichhor (Liberator Benign) Guru.

On his arrival from Gwalior in Amritsar, the whole city was illuminated and since then

this day is celebrated in the form of Diwali wherein all Sikhs illuminate their houses.

From this time onwards Jahangir had a reconciliatory attitude towards Sri Guru

Hargobind Sahib. Jahangir also handed over to him Chandu Shah who was partly

responsible for inflicting physical torture and then executing his father Sri Guru Arjan

Dev Ji. To avenge the execution of their Guru, the Sikhs killed Chandu Shah. When Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib was on his way to Gwalior Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib the Sikhs who went in Khurampur Majri complained to Guru Sahib about perennial

scarcity of drinking water. Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib asked the villagers to dig a baol

and instructed some Sikhs who lived here to assist the villages in digging baoli. On his

way back from Gwalior after three years of imprisonment Guru Hargobind Sahib was

pleased to see the work completed and stayed here overnight. But later the baoli got

partially filled up and fell into disuse. After the conquest of Sirhind in 1764, when the

Dal Khalsa distributed territories among various Misls, Ambala was occupied by

Sardar Mehar Singh of Nishanwala Misl. He got the baoli cleared and chances and

established a Guru Sahib was pleased to see the work complete on his return from

Gwalior. The Sikhs established a memorial platform near the baoli. But the baoli again

got partly filled up and fell into disuse. After the conquest a Sirhind in 1764, when the

Dal Kalsa distributed territorial among various misls, Ambala was occupied by Sardar

Mehar Singh of Nishanwala Misl. He got the baoli cleared and cleaned and established

a Gurdwara at the present site Gurdwara Manji Sahib. The premier Gurdwara of

Ambala Maharaja Hira Singh of Nabha (1840-1911) rebuilt it in the beginning of the

20th Century. Further development took place upto 1947. The old baoli is still there

and therefore the Gurdwara is also called Manji Baoli Sahib and pilgrim take a dip in

its water.

The corner stene of a new building was laid on 12 May, 1951. Within the precincts of

the hall the present Gurdwara Sahib was built marking the site of the original Manji

Sahib. The Baoli is at the fastest end of the hall. A girls’ school is being ran in this

Gurdwara Sahib named in the honour of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib. The most

important festival of the year is the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib which

falls in the month of June.

Although Emperor Jahangir seemed to have a reconciliatory attitude, a few clashes

took place between the Sikhs and Mughals during this time. The first two clashes with

the Mughals that he had to face were near Ruhela now known as Sri Hargobindpur in

district Gurdaspur of Punjab on September 28, 1621 and October 4, 1621 where he

later built a Dharamsal as well as a mosque for the Muslims. The third clash with

Mughals was the battle of Amritsar which took place on April 14, 1634 at the site where

now stands Khalsa College, Amritsar. On December 16, 1634 another battle with

Mughals took place at Lahira near Mehraj now in Bathinda district of Punjab.

During 26-27 April, 1635 still another armed clash with Mughals took place at Kartarpur

in district Jallandhar of Punjab in which Teg Mal Ji fought fiercely and Sri Guru

Hargobind Sahib named him Teg Bahadur Ji instead of Teg Mal Ji. In all these clashes

he emerged as a brave person. After these battles Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib retired

to Kiratpur Sahib in Ropar district of Punjab. He spent the last nine years of his life at

this place. This site had been given to him as a gift by Raja Kalyan Chand of Kahlur,

one of the hilly area chieftains who had been freed by him from Gwalior Jail.                       

This period of his life he spent in spreading the message of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

He sent Sikh warriors as preachers to far off places in India. In addition to extensive

tours of Punjab he visited Pehowa in Kurukshetra district of Haryana; Nanakmata, in

Uttarakhand, Srinagar (in Garhval) and Haridwar in Uttrakhand. He also visited

Srinagar, Baramula, Singhpura (in district Baramula), Punchh and Uri, 55 kms

southwest of Baramula on the old route to the valley via Rawalpindi and Murri in

Jammu and Kashmir.

In the sacred memory of his visits, shrines have been constructed at each of these

places. He had six children-five sons Baba Gurditta Ji, Ani Rai Ji, Suraj Mall Ji, Atal

Rai Ji and Tegh Bahadur Ji and one daughter Bibi Viro Ji. Two of his sons Baba

Gurditta Ji and Atal Rai Ji died during his lifetime. Before he left for his heavenly abode

on March 3, 1644 at Kiratpur Sahib he passed on the Guruship to Har Rai Sahib, the

son of Baba Gurditta Ji. Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib’s cremation took place at a nearby

spot on the bank of River Sutlej where now is situated Gurdwara Patalpuri Sahib. Sri

Guru Hargobind Sahib synthesised the heroic and the spiritual powers within him and

acted according to the then existing demands of the Sikh society. Sri Guru Hargobind

Sahib will always be remembered as a brave warrior as well as for his benignancy.

The birth anniversaries of Sikh Gurus are celerated according to the lunar month and

as such every year his birth anniversary is celebrated on a different date. This year i.e

in 2025 Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib’s 430th Birth Anniversary is being celebrated on

June 12th by the Sikh community all over the world.

Pictures

Gurudwara Guru Ki Wadali Sahib, Distt. Amritsar, Punjab Janam Asthan of Sri Guru

Hargobind Sahib

Gurudwara Sri Manji (Baoli) Sahib, Ambala City, Haryana

Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh

DHAN DHAN SRI GURU HARGOBIND SAHIB!

Dr. Amrit Kaur Retd. Professor, Punjabi University, Patiala Punjab, India