Aurangzeb and Guru TegBhadur: Clash of Religions
Islam entered India in the 10th century with the invasions of Mohamud of Ghazni. In 1525, the Muslim ruler Babur who had been expelled from his homeland came searching for a kingdom to rule in India. A year later in 1526, he founded his kingdom after he had defeated Ibrahim Lodhi the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Babur established a dynasty called the Mogul dynasty which ruled India with absolute power till about 1725 and in varying degrees of power till 1857. It remains the longest ruling dynasty in India.
In 1469, a child was born to a high caste Hindu called Nanak Dev. He was a rebel who questioned the ancient Hindu scriptures and in due course, his followers established a faith that was both militant as well as temporal. The concept became "Miri-Piri" and was epitomized by the words " Sant Sipahi" or "soldier Saint".
Guru Nanak was respected by both Muslims and Hindus and Muslims refer to him as Nanak Pir. Before the commencement of the battle of Panipat, it is reported that Babur sought the blessings of the Guru. From about the time of 4th Guru Hargobind, the sword had to be taken up as at that time the Sikhs had allied more with Hindu thought and philosophy. Intermittent battles continued till Aurangzeb came to power. The stage was now set for an epic face-off.
At that time, the 9th Guru of the Sikhs Teg Bahadur made his abode in the Punjab and both Hindus and Sikhs flocked to him as Aurangzeb had unleashed a reign of terror in the Punjab. Hindus were forced at the point of the sword to convert to Islam and Hindu girls were abducted at will to pleasure the Muslim harems.There was almost total anarchy in the Punjab and many historians have commented on this aspect of Mogul rule.Sikhs and Hindus approached the Sikh guru for succour.
Aurangzeb had heard of Guru Teg Bahadur and he surmised in case he could get the Guru to convert to Islam the battle against the Hindus and Sikhs would be won and his followers would willingly accept to be Muslims. He sent his emissaries to the Guru and invited him to Delhi.
The Guru accepted the invitation and reached Delhi in 1675. He was 54 years old at that time. It is reported that Aurangzeb tried to convert the Guru to Islam, but the guru steadfastly refused to convert. He was warned that he would be executed in case he did not convert. All Punjab waited for the Gurus reaction. When the Guru repeatedly refused to convert, Aurangzeb gave the order that the Guru be beheaded. This was conveyed to the Guru who was then kept in a dungeon in the red Fort.
On the morning of 24, November 1675 the Guru was taken from his cell to a place opposite the Red Fort to a small Kotwali and in front of his followers mercilessly beheaded. This place now has a hallowed gurudwara named after the Guru and is called Gurudwara Sisganj. At that time, Aurangzeb decreed that the body should not be handed over to the Sikhs/ Hindus and also it should not be cremated but buried.
The body was left under a tree, which is still standing ; a mute witness to a horrific crime.The noted English historian William Irving states that the Guru was repeatedly tortured every day on orders of Aurangzeb but he refused to convert to Islam. After the execution, the Guru's body was loaded on an elephant which was paraded through the streets of Delhi to overawe the Hindus. At night, the body was brought back to the Kotwali. As the body lay, two fearless Sikhs in the middle of the night carried away the head and body of the Guru. The body was taken to the place where the gurudwara Rakabganj now stands and was cremated as per Sikh /Hindu rites. One of the Sikhs took the head to Anandpur Sahib about 300 Km away and the head was cremated there in the presence of his son the 10th guru Gobind Singh.
When the emperor came to know of the disappearance of the body he was furious and many of the guards at the kotwali were executed.Guru Teg Bahadur by his martyrdom showed the Muslims that Hindus and Sikhs were men of mettle and courage. A nascent flame was lit as the 10th Guru Gobind Singh marshalled the Sikh army for battle with the Muslims. This is the brightest chapter of Hindu-Sikh resistance to Muslim rule in the 17th century when the Hindus were being tread upon.
Aurangzeb died in 1707 and after him the Moguls were defeated in the Punjab and Banda Bahadur routed the Muslim army at the battle of Srihand in 1712 and laid the foundation of the Sikh Empire. the bravery of Guru Teg Bahadur is remembered to this day and Sikhs and Hindus alike revere the Guru as the saviour of Hinduism. The RSS lays particular stress on Guru Teg Bahadur and his martyrdom.
The place where the Guru was beheaded was under Muslim control and the Muslims refused to hand it over to the Sikhs. However during the days of the Raj, the Sikhs filed a case for its possession. The case was heard in the privy council and the British government decreed that Sisganj would be handed over to the Sikhs. A beautiful gurudwara adorns this place which is located in the heart of the famous Chandani chowk, opposite the Red Fort.
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