Shaheedi Divas | 25 Nov 2022
Why in News?
Every Year, 24th November, is commemorated as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of the Sikhs, who stood up against forcible conversions by the Mughals.
Who was Guru Teg Bahadur?
- Guru Tegh Bahadur was born in Amritsar on 21st April 1621 to Mata Nanki and Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, who raised an army against the Mughals and introduced the concept of warrior saints.
- As a boy, Tegh Bahadur was called Tyag Mal because of his ascetic nature.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur was the 9th Sikh Guru, often venerated as the ‘Protector of Humanity’ (Srisht-di-Chadar) by the Sikhs.
- He is known as a great teacher, Guru Tegh Bahadur was also an excellent warrior, thinker, and poet, who wrote detailed descriptions of the nature of God, mind, body, and physical attachments among other things spiritual.
- He was only 13 when he distinguished himself in a battle against a Mughal chieftain.
- His writings are housed in the sacred text, ‘Guru Granth Sahib,’ in the form of 116 poetic hymns.
- He was also an avid traveler and played a key role in setting up preaching centers throughout the Indian subcontinent.
- During one such mission, he founded the town of Chak-Nanki in Punjab, which later became a part of Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib.
- In the year 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Who were the Ten Gurus of Sikh Religion?
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) |
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Guru Angad (1504-1552) |
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Guru Amar Das (1479-1574) |
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Guru Ram Das (1534-1581) |
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Guru Arjun Dev (1563-1606) |
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Guru Hargobind (1594-1644) |
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Guru HarRai (1630-1661) |
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Guru Har Krishan (1656-1664) |
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Guru Teg Bahadur (1621-1675) |
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Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) |
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UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)
Q. Consider the following Bhakti Saints: (2013)
- Dadu Dayal
- Guru Nanak
- Tyagaraja
Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over?
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 2
Ans: (b)
Exp:
- Lodi dynasty was the last ruling family of the Delhi Sultanate. The last ruler of this dynasty was Ibrahim Lodi, who was defeated by Babur in 1526 at the Battle of Panipat. It marked the end of the Lodi dynasty and the rise of the Mughal Empire in India led by Babur.
- Guru Nanak (1469-1539): Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. Hence, 2 is correct.
- Dadu Dayal (1544-1603): Dadu Dayal was a poetsaint from Gujarat, India. He was a religious reformer who preached against formalism and priestcraft. “Dadu” means brother, and “Dayal” means “the compassionate one”. Hence, 1 is not correct.
- Tyagaraja (1767-1847): Tyagaraja was a renowned composer of Carnatic music. He was a prolific musician and highly influential in the development of the classical music tradition. Hence, 3 is not correct.
- Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.