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Guru Har Gobind (Punjabi)
(Born in Amritsar, Punjab, India on 19 June, 1595 – 2 March, 1644,
Rupnagar, Punjab, India) was the sixth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism
and became Guru on 25 May1606 following in the footsteps of his
father Guru Arjan Dev. Before he died, he nominated Guru Har Rai,
his grandson as the next Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Har Gobind, was
combined in his personality a saint, sportsman and a soldier. His
father Guru Arjan Dev was a true saint but the boy Har Gobind had
perceived his father's saintliness suffer and erode at the brutal
hands of Mughal tyranny. When yet a little more than a child Guru
Har Gobind was convinced that for sustaining the Panth sword was as
essential as sainthood. He hence advocated that a Sikh Guru would
represent both the Miri and Piri, the Shakti and Bhakti and the Tegh
and Degh. He decided to wear on his
waist two swords instead of one, that is, one to chastise the
oppressor and the other to protect the innocent." He declared
that the Guru's house would henceforth combine the spiritual and the
mundane powers, his rosary would serve also as his sword-belt and an
emblem of regality would crown his turban. He would sit in a regular
court with regalia around. Sikhs were commanded to keep a sword and
maintain a horse. The aureole of Guru Nanak's Sikhism and the
humming melodies of his sangats had with Guru Har Gobind combined
with them the dazzling brilliance and the deafening sound of swords.
The following is a summary of the
main highlights of Guru Hargobind's life:
- Transformed the Sikh fraternity by
introducing martial arts and weapons for the defence of the
masses following his father's martyrdom.
- Militarised the Sikh movement –
Carried 2 swords of Miri and Piri.
- Built the Akal Takht in 1608 –
which now one of five Takhts (“Seat of Power”) of the Sikhs.
- Founded the city of Kiratpur in
District Jalandhar, Punjab.
- He was imprisoned in the fort of
Gwalior for one year and on release insisted that the other 52
fellow prisoners be freed as well. To mark this occasion the
Sikhs celebrate Diwali (bandi chod divas).
- The first Guru to engage in
warfare.
- Fought 4 battles with the Mughal
rulers.
- The strongest and the biggest Guru
physically
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