Footsteps of Guru Tegh Bahadur

AMRITSAR:

Birth place of Guru Tegh Bahadur:

The ninth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was born in Amritsar on April 1, 1621. He was the youngest of five sons of Guru Hargobind Singh. He had four brothers Baba Gurditta, Baba Suraj Mal, Baba Ani Rai, Baba Atal Rai and one sister Bibi Veero. Situated in a narrow street near Guru Bazar, the birthplace of the Guru is known as Gurdwara Guru Ke Mahal, as it was also the home of Guru Ramdas, Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Hargobind. The gurdwara has a well from the times of the Gurus.

Gurdwara Kotha Sahib:

Gurdwara Kotha Sahib is situated in Vallaha near Amritsar. The legend has it that after attaining "Gurgaddi", Guru Tegh Bahadur reached Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. After taking dip in the holy sarovar, Guru sat under a Beri tree and later went to Vallaha. He visited Mata Haro's home and stayed there for 17 days. Her house later became the gurdwara.

Gurdwara Baba Bakala:

Situated around 37 kilometres from Amritsar, Gurdwara Baba Bakala holds a significant importance in Sikh history. Before his death, Guru Harkrishan had mumbled "Baba Bakal" giving indication that his successor would be found here. In those days, many imposters tried to grab the "Gurgaddi" by posing as the real Guru. It was Makhan Shah Lubana, a banjara trader from Jhelum, who discovered the real Guru.

Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib:

Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib situated near the new Moti Bagh palace in Patiala is a place where almost entire Patiala will converge on Thursday, as the ninth Guru of Sikhs Guru Teg Bahadur had stayed for some days here before attaining martyrdom for Kashmiri Pandits. "Guru Sahib stayed here for more than a week while he was going to Delhi from Anandpur Sahib," said manager of gurdwara Karnail Singh. Though majority of the gurdwara building has been reconstructed, there still exists a small building at the back of the gurdwara where the Guru reportedly stayed for some days. "Authorities have reconstructed the main building but they did not demolished this small place as it is considered auspicious," said Balwant Singh, a regular devotee to the gurdwara for the past 30 years.

Yamunanagar villages:

During his various pilgrimages, Guru Tegh Bahadur visited two villages of Yamunanagar - Jhiwerehri and Shudail. The Guru meditated under the sun, and when people requested him to sit under a tree, he assured them that a tree will grow by itself at the place of his meditation. The legend has it that a peepal tree grew at the same place, and still exists. A pond near the gurdwara came into existence during the Guru's visit. A gurdwara was built in Shudail village.

Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib:

The gurdwara built in Delhi is situated at a place where Guru Tegh Bahadur was cremated after his execution in November 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The Guru was beheaded for refusing to accept Islam as his religion.

Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib:

After the Guru was beheaded at Chandni Chowk in old Delhi, his head was taken to the Anandpur Sahib by Bhai Jivan Singh, and cremated by his son Gobind Rai. Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is constructed at the same place, and thousand of devotees come here every year.

with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news report.

Guru Teg Bahadur was the first martyr for human rights

JALANDHAR: As the martyrdom day of ninth Sikh master, Guru Teg Bahadur, is being observed on Wednesday, only a few may know that he was the first martyr for human rights, who attained martyrdom for defending the rights of followers of a different faith to practice their faith.

It was around a century before the popular quotation, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it", attributed to French writer, deist and philosopher Voltaire, that the ninth master demonstrated it literally.

Ironically, this statement became more popular in the world than its real demonstration, which preceded it a century ago in the Indian subcontinent.

"Guru Teg Bahadur was undisputedly the first martyr for human rights. His martyrdom was unparalleled in world history as never before somebody had laid down life to defend the right of followers of another faith to practice their faith," said former IAS and Sikh scholar, Gurtej Singh.

with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news.

Sikh pilgrims call for easing of visa restrictions

Every year thousands of Sikhs visit Nankana Sahib, a small town near the Pakistani city of Lahore, birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, founder of the Sikh religion.

with thanks : BBC News : PLEASE VIEW THE VIDEO FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.

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New luxury train to cover Sikh shrines

Beijing, Nov 22 (PTI) Indian Railways will launch a special train next month to cover various Sikh shrines in the country to cash in on the success of luxury trains on the religious routes catering to overseas tourists. The 'Takht Express' would be launched on December 23 from Chandigarh. It would cover six sacred destinations for Sikhs, including Amritsar in nine days, Rakesh Tandon, Managing Director of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said here. Tandon was speaking at a get together organised for Chinese travel agents, media and officials of Buddhist shrines here yesterday to popularise 'Mahaparinirvan Express' being run on the Buddhist circuit in India and Nepal. He said the train covering Sikh shrines was being launched following the high demand for such trains in religious routes. The IRCTC along with the Indian Embassy and India Tourism department, Beijing, organised the event to highlight the popularity of the Mahaparinirvan Express among the Buddhist all over the world as it covered most important places sacred to Buddhism. Starting from Safdarjung railway station in New Delhi the Mahaparinirvan Express covers Budhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Varanasi, Sarnath, Lumbini, Sravasti, Kushinagar and Agra. The event was organised to mainly popularise the train in China which has a large number of Buddhist population. PTI KJV

with thanks : IBNLive : link above.

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The Sis Ganj story

Soon after the joyous celebrations for Guru Nanak, comes the sad event of the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru.

It was at the site of the Sis Ganj Gurdwara in Delhi's Chandni Chowk where the Guru was beheaded in 1675. Guru Tegh Bahadur had taken on the mighty Mughals and made the supreme sacrifice of his life to protect the faith and honour of the persecuted and the downtrodden. He is called Hind Di Chadar or shield of India. This year, his martyrdom day falls on November 24. The guru was born in Amritsar in 1621 and named Tyag Mal. The name Tegh Bahadur (mighty of the sword), was given to him by his father, Guru Hargobind, after he fought with valour against the Mughals.

Aurangzeb seized power in 1658 after executing his liberal-minded brother, Dara Shukoh. Aurangzeb had perceived India as an Islamic theocracy and sought to convert Hindus to Islam. He decided to begin conversions with the Kashmiri Pundits.

with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news.

Officer or Distinction - Harjit Singh Sajjan

London 2012: Sikhs allowed to carry daggers at Olympics

Security will be tight at all Games venues, with Britain prepared to deploy surface-to-air missiles to protect London during the event, Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, said shortly after the Government rejected reports of US security fears.

However, Sikhs will be allowed to take in a sheathed kirpan as long as it is worn beneath their clothing and if they can prove that they are adhering to four other articles of faith.

The concession of allowing Sikhs to carry a blade measuring up to 6in into Olympic venues is likely to cause concern. Such blades are normally banned from schools in Britain and are not allowed to be carried on to planes unless they are blunt and shorter than 2.4in.

with thanks : TELEGRAPH UK : link above for detailed news.

Sikh community donates a month of meals to the Poverello House

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