Bandi Chhor Divas 6th Sikh Guru

Emperor Jahangir had detained 52 kings in Gwalior Fort for several months. A Sikh Gurdwara, Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Sahib, is located at the place of the Gurus' internment in the Fort. The day falls in autumn and often overlaps with the Hindu Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated throughout Punjab.

Historically, since the time of the third Sikh Guru Amar Das, Sikhs and Hindus of the time used the occasion of Diwali, Vaisakhi and other similar festivals to gather at the seat of the Gurus. In the late 20th century, Sikh religious leaders and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee formally adopted this day in the Nanakshahi calendar in 2003, under the leadership of Professor Kirpal Singh Badungar, the then President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

The Hindu festival of Diwali is celebrated all over India (and the world) by people of Hindu, Jain and Sikh faiths. Its significance is based on ancient events and scriptures of Hinduism, while Bandi Chhor Divas is marked as an event related to the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind.

Bandi Chhor Divas is celebrated with the lighting of houses and Gurdwaras, celebratory processions (nagar kirtan) and langar (community cooking). It is an important Sikh celebration along with Vaisakhi, Hola Mohalla and Gurpurab.

Guru Hargobind Sahib's father, Guru Arjan Dev, was arrested under the orders of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and asked to convert to Islam. His refusal led to his torture and execution in 1606 CE. This event is a defining moment in the history of India and the Sikhs as the martyrdom of Guru Arjan. After the execution, Guru Hargobind succeeded his father as the next Guru of the Sikhs.

Guru Hargobind, on June 24, 1606, at the age of 11, was crowned the sixth Sikh Guru. At his succession ceremony, he donned two swords: one indicating his will to maintain spiritual authority (piri) and the other, his temporal authority (miri). Due to the execution of Guru Arjan by the Mughal emperor Jahangir, Guru Hargobind opposed the oppression of Mughal rule. He advised both Sikhs and Hindus to arm themselves and fight. The death of his father at the hands of Jahangir prompted him to emphasize the military dimension of the Sikh community.

Different versions exist of how the Guru was imprisoned in Gwalior Fort by Jahangir. One version suggests that when Murtaja Khan, Nawab of Lahore, noticed that the Guru had built the Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, "The Throne of the Almighty", in Amritsar, and was also strengthening his army, he informed the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. He also pointed out that the Sikh Guru was preparing to take revenge for his father's torture and martyrdom. When Jahangir heard of this, he immediately sent Wazir Khan and Guncha Beg to Amritsar to arrest Guru Hargobind.

But Wazir Khan, who happened to be an admirer of Guru Hargobind, rather than arrest him, asked the Guru to accompany them to Delhi, telling him that Emperor Jahangir wanted to meet him. The young Guru accepted the invitation and soon reached Delhi, where Jahangir interned him in the Gwalior Fort in 1609. Another version speaks of Guru Hargobind's imprisonment on the pretext that the fine imposed on Guru Arjan had not been paid by the Sikhs and Guru Hargobind.

It is not known how long he spent as a prisoner. The year of his release appears to have been 1611 or 1612, when Guru Hargobind was about 16 years old. The records Persian, such as Dabistan i Mazahib, suggest that he was kept in prison between 1617 and 1619 in Gwalior, after which he and his camp were kept under the surveillance of the Muslim army by Jahangir. According to some accounts, Guru Hargobind upon his release went to Amritsar, where people were celebrating the festival of Diwali. This important event in Sikh history is now called the Bandi Chhor Divas festival.