Guru Hargobind

Guru Hargobind

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Guru Hargobind Profile

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Guru Hargobind Biography

Guru Hargobind was the sixth of the Sikh gurus and became Guru on 25 May 1606 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Arjan Dev. He was succeeded by Guru Har Rai, his grandson. He was the deadly enemy of the Mughal Empire, though later he shook hands with empire. He lived in an era when Mughal emperors were deliberately trying to convert Sikhs to Islam as they dreamt of converting India to a Muslim country. Guru Hargobind had no regard for idol worship. He died peacefully at Kiratpur Rupnagar, Punjab, on 19 March 1644. He was also known by the name, Saccha Padshah, meaning True Emperor.

 

Guru Hargobind was born in Amritsar on July 5, 1595. He was only 11 when he followed his father as his predecessor. Before ascension, he named his grandson Guru Har Rai as his successor. Guru was a brilliant martial artist and an avid hunter, according to Sikh tradition. He encouraged people to maintain physical fitness. He built the Akal Takht, the Throne of the Almighty and excelled in matters of state. Guru Har Gobind built a fortress at Amritsar called Lohgarh "Fortress of steel". He had his own flag and war-drum which was beaten twice a day. He also possessed 700 horses, and his Risaldari (army) had 300 horsemen and 60 gunners.

 

Sikhism was developed as an organization during the reign of Akbar. Akbar had never interfered with the development of Sikhism and helped them as well. But when the power went to the hands of Jahangir, Guru Arjan was tortured and later, Guru Hargobind was imprisoned. Due to protests from his followers, Jahangir had to order release of Guru Hargobind and save the throne. To protect the Sikh community he asked his followers to maintain physical fitness and learn martial arts.  During the reign of Shah Jahan, relations became bitter again. When Mughal emperor destroyed the Sikh baoli at Lahore, it resulted in battle between two groups resulting in the death of thousands of both ends.

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Updated: January 08, 2014

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