Historical Figure
Guru Tegh Bahadur
d. 1675
Ninth Sikh guru from 1665 to 1675
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Biography
Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion 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. 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, which is the main text of Sikhism.
Timeline
The story of Guru Tegh Bahadur, told in moments.
Born Tyag Mal in Amritsar. His father was Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru. As a boy he witnessed the Mughal siege of the Sikh fortress at Kartarpur.
Withdrew from public life after his father's death. Spent twenty years in meditation at Bakala. He lived so quietly that many Sikhs forgot he existed.
Named the ninth Guru after a dispute over succession. He traveled across India for a decade, founding towns and writing hymns that would be included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Executed at Chandni Chowk in Delhi on Aurangzeb's order. He'd refused to convert to Islam and had championed the right of Kashmiri Hindus to practice their faith. He was beheaded in public. His followers carried the body away at night for cremation.
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