Guru Tegh Bahadur

Topic: Regional Resistance: Rajputs, Ahoms, Sikhs · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 2 "Reshaping India's Political Map"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"

Meaning

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Sikh Guru (1621–1675). In 1675 he was publicly beheaded in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, on Aurangzeb's orders because he refused to convert to Islam after standing up for persecuted Kashmiri Pandits.

• He matters because he died for the religious freedom of another community, not his own. This earned him the title 'Hind di Chadar' [2].
• His martyrdom pushed the Sikhs towards becoming a military order. His son Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699.

Explanation

Background: from a faith to armed defence

• Guru Nanak founded the Sikh path in 15th-century Punjab. His teachings were equality, compassion and Ik Onkar ("there is One God").
• Guru Arjan first compiled the Sikh holy book. He was tortured to death under Emperor Jahangir. He was the first Guru to be martyred.
• Guru Hargobind responded with martial training (training in fighting). He raised the first Sikh army.
• So the Sikh community changed in steps:
• first a devotional faith,
• then a community that could defend itself,
• and finally a full military order, the Khalsa.

1675: the Kashmiri Pandits and the martyrdom

• In 1675 a group of Kashmiri Pandits came to Guru Tegh Bahadur and asked for protection. They were being pressured to give up their faith.
• The Guru decided to stand with them, knowing he could be killed for it.
• Exam point: he was not a Sikh who was being forced to convert. He died defending the religious freedom of another community.
• He was arrested and ordered by Aurangzeb to convert to Islam.
• He refused, even under torture.

• He refused again after two of his disciples were tortured to death in front of him.

• He was publicly beheaded in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, on Aurangzeb's orders.

• He is remembered as 'Hind di Chadar', the shield (or protective sheet) of India [2].

His place in the scripture

• According to NCERT (Class 12), his son Guru Gobind Singh added Guru Tegh Bahadur's compositions (hymns) to the holy book. This expanded scripture is called the Guru Granth Sahib.
• So the Guru Granth Sahib was first compiled by Guru Arjan and later completed with the ninth Guru's hymns by Guru Gobind Singh.

Results: the Khalsa and after

• Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru, created the Khalsa on Baisakhi Day, 30 March 1699, at Anandpur [3][4].
• Khalsa means 'the Pure', an order of saint-soldiers [4].
• The first five who joined were the Panj Pyare ("the five beloved ones") [3].

• New members were admitted through the Amrit Sanskar ceremony and kept the five Ks: kesh, kara, kangha, kirpan, kachchera [3].

• The Khalsa fought the Mughals many times, and many people died in these battles.

• In the 18th century the Mughal Empire weakened. Sikh misls (confederacies, each led by a misldar) rose in Punjab [5]. Ranjit Singh later united them into the Sikh Empire [5].

Time, place and evidence

• Period: late 17th century, during the reign of Aurangzeb (Mughal Empire).
• Region: Punjab and North India. The Pandits came from Kashmir.
• Key site: Chandni Chowk, Delhi, where he was beheaded. Gurudwara Sis Gunj Sahib now marks the spot.
• Key people: Guru Tegh Bahadur (ninth Guru), Aurangzeb, the Kashmiri Pandits, and his son Guru Gobind Singh (tenth Guru).
• Living memory:
• The Sikh Regiment has saluted Gurudwara Sis Gunj Sahib before the President during the Republic Day parade every year since 1979.
• 2025 marked his 350th Shaheedi Diwas (martyrdom day). The Government of India held a year-long national commemoration [2].
• The Prime Minister released a commemorative coin and postage stamp at the main event in Kurukshetra, Haryana [2].
• Other events were held at Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra), Nagpur and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded [2].

• Indian Railways ran an awareness programme on his teachings for young people [2].

• How we know: Sikh tradition and the scripture, which preserves his hymns; NCERT Class 8 and Class 12 textbooks; and official records such as the PIB release of the PM's Kurukshetra address [2].

Don't confuse with

• Guru Arjan: the fifth Guru, tortured to death under Jahangir, and the first to compile the holy book. Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Guru, executed under Aurangzeb in 1675.
• Guru Gobind Singh: Tegh Bahadur's son and the tenth and last Guru. He founded the Khalsa (1699) and added his father's hymns to the Guru Granth Sahib. Tegh Bahadur did not found the Khalsa.
• Guru Hargobind: raised the first Sikh army after Guru Arjan's death. Tegh Bahadur is known for martyrdom, not for raising an army.
• "Died for his own faith": this is a trap. Tegh Bahadur died defending the Kashmiri Pandits' right to their faith. That is why he is called 'Hind di Chadar' [2].

Prelims Hooks

• Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Sikh Guru. He was beheaded in 1675 in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, on Aurangzeb's orders.
• His title is 'Hind di Chadar' (shield of India), because he died protecting the Kashmiri Pandits [2].
• Gurudwara Sis Gunj Sahib (Delhi) marks the site. The Sikh Regiment has saluted it at the Republic Day parade every year since 1979.
• Guru Gobind Singh added his father's compositions to the scripture, which then came to be called the Guru Granth Sahib (NCERT Class 12).
• Chronological order: Guru Arjan (killed under Jahangir) → Guru Hargobind (first Sikh army) → Guru Tegh Bahadur (1675) → Khalsa at Anandpur (30 March 1699) [3][4].
• His 350th Shaheedi Diwas (2025) was marked by a commemorative coin and postage stamp released at Kurukshetra [2].

Mains Points

• Martyrdom for another community's freedom. Guru Tegh Bahadur gave his life so that the Kashmiri Pandits could keep their faith. This is an early Indian example of the idea that freedom of conscience is worth defending even for people of a different faith. It links to today's Article 25 (freedom of religion) and to the Republic Day salute held every year since 1979.
• Persecution led to militarisation.
• Guru Arjan was killed under Jahangir, and Guru Hargobind raised an army.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded under Aurangzeb, and Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa (1699).

• Mughal religious policy did not crush the Sikh movement. It turned a devotional community into an organised military order.

• A thread in regional resistance and Mughal decline. The events of 1675 started a chain: the Khalsa, then the misls, then Ranjit Singh's centralised empire [5]. Like the Rajputs, Ahoms and Marathas, the Sikhs show how regional powers filled the gap the Mughals left. Ranjit Singh's state also gave posts to Hindus and Muslims [5].

Related concepts

• Guru Har Rai and Guru Har Krishan
• Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib
• Guru Gobind Singh
• Khalsa
• Panj Pyare and Five Ks
• Dasam Granth
• Veer Baal Diwas
• Banda Singh Bahadur
• Sikh misls
• Rakhi system

Read more

• Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Khalsa and the Sikh Empire