Guru Tegh Bahadur’s birth anniversary

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Prime Minister  Narendra Modi will address the nation from Red Fort on April 21, to mark the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The programme will be organised by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

• About Guru Tegh Bahadur

–He was the ninth Sikh Guru.

—His term as Guru ran from 1665 to 1675.

—He was born at Guru ke Mahal (now a Gurudwara with the same name), Amritsar in 1621.

—He was the fifth and the youngest son of Guru Hargobind Sahib. His childhood name was Tyag Mal.

—He stood up for the rights of Kashmiri Pandits.

—He was publicly killed in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for himself, refusing Mughal rulers and defying them.

—He was publicly assassinated in Delhi in 1675 on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

• His Contributions

—He opposed the forced conversion of non-Muslims to Islam during the rule of Aurangzeb.

—He contributed several hymns to the Guru Granth Sahib, including salokas, or couplets.

—He is known to have travelled extensively to propagate the teachings of Nanak.

—He had set up community kitchens and wells for the local people wherever he went.

—He founded the city of Chak-Nanki in Punjab, which later became a part of Anandpur Sahib, a famous holy city and a global tourist attraction in the foothills of the Himalayas.

—Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469–1539) in the 15th century in the Punjab district of then-undivided India and Pakistan.