Bandi Chhor Divas A celebration of pride, sacrifice and honour
B
andi Chhor Divas which translates to the Prisoner Liberation Day is the day when the sixth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind ji, was liberated from the Gwalior Fort which is situated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. He took along 52 prisoners to freedom with him as a sign of love, care and empathy towards his fellow inmates in the prison. This is how this day got its name and origin. The occasion of Bandi Chhor Divas was first observed in autumn of 1619 and is still celebrated in the month October or November in accordance to the dates of the Hindu lunar calendar. It is a day widely celebrated by the Sikh community in order to commemorate the sacrifice, pride, honour and the
rich history and culture of the community. How it all started: The saga behind Guru Hargobind being detained Guru Hargobind’s father, Guru Arjan Dev ji, had been martyred almost 13 years before, and the Mughal authorities were carefully watching the young Guru. When he constructed the Akal Takht, the Throne of the Almighty, in Amritsar and simultaneously strengthened his army, the Nawab of Lahore, Murtaja Khan, was alarmed and informed the Mughal emperor Jahangir about these happenings. The Nawab conveyed his fear that the Guru might be planning to avenge the death of his father. Jahangir soon sent his men Wazir Khan and Guncha Beg to Amritsar to arrest Guru Hargobind. Wazir Khan, however, happened to
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be an admirer of the Guru; instead of arresting him, he persuaded the Guru to accompany them to Delhi to meet the emperor. Even though Jahangir had ordered the execution of his father, the Guru accepted the invitation and journeyed to the emperor’s court. On his arrival, when Jahangir met the young Guru, he was captivated by his charm and purity of spirit. He asked him as to which religion was better as per him, Hindu or Muslim, to which the Guru quoted lines from poet Kabir asserting that there is “One Lord is within both Hindus and Muslims”. The emperor was spellbound by the wisdom of a young boy and prepared a royal reception for him. Soon, he even invited the young Hargobind to accompany him on his royal hunting expeditions. It is believed that during one of these hunts, the emperor and his troupe were on a lookout for a lion which had been terroris-
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