Lives of the Gurus · 9th Guru

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621–1675): From Tyag Mal to Hind di Chadar — Bakala, Anandpur, Eastern Travels, Bani and Martyrdom

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji gave his life in Delhi in 1675 to defend the right of others to follow their own faith — a sacrifice that earned him the title Hind di Chadar, the shield of India. Before that, he spent twenty years in meditation, founded the town that became Anandpur Sahib and travelled as far as Assam. His hymns on detachment and fearlessness are among the most loved in the Guru Granth Sahib. This guide covers his life in detail.

By PunjabExams Editorial Team · Updated 29 October 2026 · 8 min read · How we prepare guides

Life at a glance

Tyag Mal becomes Tegh Bahadur

The youngest son of Guru Hargobind Ji was named Tyag Mal ("master of renunciation"). He was trained in scripture, music, riding and arms. At about fourteen, he fought with great courage in the Battle of Kartarpur (1635), and his father renamed him Tegh Bahadur — "brave of the sword". His marriage to Gujri, daughter of Lal Chand of Kartarpur, took place in 1633.

Twenty years at Bakala

After Guru Hargobind Ji's death, Tegh Bahadur moved with his mother and wife to his mother's village, Bakala, near the Beas. For about twenty years he lived quietly, spending long hours in meditation in an underground room (bhora), while running a normal household.

"Guru ladho re" — the Guru is found

When Guru Har Krishan Ji's last words, "Baba Bakale", became known, around twenty-two claimants — chiefly Dhir Mal, grandson of Guru Hargobind Ji — set themselves up at Bakala, each calling himself Guru.

A wealthy Lubana trader, Makhan Shah, had vowed during a storm at sea to offer 500 gold coins to the Guru if his ship was saved. Reaching Bakala, he placed two coins before each claimant; none objected. Finally he found Tegh Bahadur, who reminded him that he had promised five hundred. Makhan Shah ran to a rooftop and shouted, "Guru ladho re, Guru ladho re" — "I have found the Guru!" In 1664, Tegh Bahadur was accepted as the ninth Guru.

Dhir Mal's supporter Shihan later fired a shot at the Guru, which only grazed him; the Guru forgave the attackers.

Closed doors at Amritsar

When the Guru visited the Harmandir Sahib, its custodians, followers of a rival line, shut the doors. He waited at a spot now marked by Gurdwara Thara Sahib and then left without protest. The women of the nearby village of Walla welcomed him with warmth, and he blessed them.

Founding Chakk Nanaki (1665)

In 1665, the Guru bought land near Makhowal from the Raja of Kahlur (Bilaspur) in the Shivalik foothills and founded a new town named Chakk Nanaki, after his mother, Mata Nanaki. This town grew into Anandpur Sahib, which later became the birthplace of the Khalsa.

Travels in the east (1665–1670)

Soon afterwards the Guru set out on a long journey:

He returned to Punjab around 1670–71 and called his family from Patna to Chakk Nanaki.

The appeal of the Kashmiri Pandits

Under Aurangzeb, pressure for conversion grew. In 1675, a group of Kashmiri Pandits led by Pandit Kirpa Ram of Mattan came to Anandpur and asked for help against forced conversion by the governor of Kashmir.

As the Guru reflected, his nine-year-old son Gobind Rai said that no one was more worthy than his father to make a sacrifice. The Guru told the Pandits to inform the authorities: if Guru Tegh Bahadur could be converted, they would all follow.

Arrest and martyrdom

The Guru was arrested on his way to Delhi (tradition says near Ropar), held at Sirhind, and taken to Delhi. He was asked to embrace Islam, to perform a miracle, or to accept death. He refused the first two.

Before the Guru's own execution, his three companions were put to death before his eyes:

In November 1675, the Guru was beheaded at Chandni Chowk.

Bhai Jaita and Lakhi Shah

• Bhai Jaita, a Rangreta Sikh, secretly carried the Guru's head to Anandpur Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh Ji embraced him as "Rangrete Guru ke bete" ("the Rangretas are the Guru's own sons"). He later took amrit as Bhai Jiwan Singh.
• Lakhi Shah Vanjara, a trader, carried the Guru's body in his cart to his house at Raisina and set the house on fire to cremate it.

His bani

Guru Gobind Singh Ji added Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's hymns to the scripture at Damdama Sahib. They comprise 59 shabads and 57 shaloks — 116 in all — in 15 ragas. He is the only Guru to use Raag Jaijavanti.

His verses stress:

• detachment — the world is like a dream and the body is temporary;
• fearlessness — "one who frightens none and fears none" is truly wise;
• equanimity in pleasure and pain, praise and blame.

His 57 shaloks are recited near the end of the Guru Granth Sahib before the Mundavani, especially at the conclusion of an akhand path.

Remembrance

• Shaheedi Purab is observed every year in November–December.
• His 400th Prakash Purab was marked in 2021–22, and the 350th anniversary of his martyrdom in 2025.
• He is remembered as Hind di Chadar — the shield of India — and as a symbol of freedom of conscience.

Exam traps

• His original name was Tyag Mal, renamed after Kartarpur 1635.
• Chakk Nanaki was named after his mother, Mata Nanaki.
• 116 hymns (59 shabads + 57 shaloks) in 15 ragas; only Guru to use Jaijavanti.
• Sis Ganj (Delhi) — martyrdom; Rakab Ganj — body cremated; Sis Ganj (Anandpur) — head cremated.

Key points to remember

• Born 1621, Amritsar; renamed after Battle of Kartarpur.
• Bakala meditation; Makhan Shah Lubana — "Guru ladho re"; Guru 1664.
• Founded Chakk Nanaki (1665) → Anandpur Sahib.
• Eastern travels to Patna, Dhaka, Assam; Gobind Rai born 1666.
• Kashmiri Pandits led by Kirpa Ram; martyred 1675, Chandni Chowk.
• Companions Mati Das, Sati Das, Dayala; Bhai Jaita, Lakhi Shah Vanjara.

Practice questions

1. Q1. What was Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's original name?

   • (a) Tyag Mal
   • (b) Jetha
   • (c) Lehna
   • (d) Gobind Rai
   Show answer

   Answer: (a) Tyag Mal — He was named Tyag Mal and renamed Tegh Bahadur after the Battle of Kartarpur.

2. Q2. Who identified Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji at Bakala?

   • (a) Dhir Mal
   • (b) Makhan Shah Lubana
   • (c) Bhai Jaita
   • (d) Lakhi Shah Vanjara
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Makhan Shah Lubana — Makhan Shah Lubana proclaimed 'Guru ladho re'.

3. Q3. Chakk Nanaki was named after:

   • (a) Guru Nanak Dev Ji
   • (b) Bebe Nanaki
   • (c) Mata Nanaki
   • (d) Nanakmata
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Mata Nanaki — It was named after the Guru's mother, Mata Nanaki.

4. Q4. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji is the only Guru to use which raag?

   • (a) Asa
   • (b) Jaijavanti
   • (c) Bhairav
   • (d) Tilang
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Jaijavanti — Raag Jaijavanti appears only in his hymns.

5. Q5. Which companion of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was sawn in two?

   • (a) Bhai Sati Das
   • (b) Bhai Dayala
   • (c) Bhai Mati Das
   • (d) Bhai Jaita
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Bhai Mati Das — Bhai Mati Das was sawn alive in Chandni Chowk.

6. Q6. Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi marks the place where:

   • (a) The Guru was beheaded
   • (b) The Guru's body was cremated
   • (c) The Guru stayed during the smallpox epidemic
   • (d) The Kashmiri Pandits met the Guru
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) The Guru's body was cremated — Lakhi Shah Vanjara cremated the Guru's body by burning his own house.

Frequently asked questions

How many hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji are in the Guru Granth Sahib?

116 — 59 shabads and 57 shaloks — in 15 ragas.

Why is he called Hind di Chadar?

Because he sacrificed his life to protect the right of others, the Kashmiri Pandits, to follow their own faith.

Who carried the Guru's head to Anandpur Sahib?

Bhai Jaita, later Bhai Jiwan Singh.

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