ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>HARGOBIND GUR&#362 (1595-1644)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="HARGOBIND,GURj,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279HARGOBIND, GUR&#362 (1595-1644), sixth in spiritual descent from Gur&#363 N&#257nak, was born the only son of Gur&#363 Arjan and M&#257t&#257 Ga&#7749g&#257 on H&#257&#7771 <i>vad&#299</i> 7, 1652 Bk/19 June 1595 at Va&#7693&#257l&#299, now called Va&#7693&#257l&#299 Gur&#363, a village near Amritsar. As a child, he escaped being poisoned by a jealous uncle and being bitten by a cobra thrown in his way. He also survived a virulent attack of smallpox and grew up into a tall and handsome youth. He received his early education and training at the hands of two revered Sikhs of that time -- Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s and B&#257b&#257 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257. The former taught him the religious texts and the latter the manly arts of swordsmanship and archery. He was barely 11 years of age when his father, Gur&#363 Arjan, was martyred in Lahore. Gur&#363 Arjan had on Je&#7789h <i>vad&#299</i> 25, 1663 Bk/25 May 1606 nominated him his successor and, according to the <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>, sent him instruction "to ascend the throne fully armed, and have armed men, as many as you can, to accompany you." For the ceremonies of succession which took place on 26 H&#257&#7771 1663 Bk/24 June 1606, Gur&#363 Hargobind chose himself a warrior's equipment. He sat on a seat he had had erected in front of the Holy Harimandar, with two swords on his person, declaring one to be the symbol of the spiritual and the other that of his temporal investiture. <i>Hukamn&#257m&#257s</i> were issued to <i>sa&#7749gats</i> on H&#257&#7771 <i>vad&#299</i> 2, 1663 Bk/12 June 1606 to come with offerings of arms and horses. Gur&#363 Hargobind maintained a retinue of fifty-two armed Sikhs. Many more came to offer him their services, and several of them were provided with horses and weapons. Manly sports became popular and bards such as 'Abdull&#257 and Natth&#257 were engaged to recite heroic poetry. Gur&#363 Hargobind combined with soldierly demeanour a compassionate disposition and carried out his spiritual office in keeping with the custom of his predecessors. "He," as says the <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh</i>, "arose three hours before daybreak and sat in seclusion, to concentrate on the Divine. Then he dressed himself and repaired to the presence of the Holy Book and began to recite it silently. None entered to interrupt him. None could fathom the depth of his spiritual absorption."</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Reports about the splendid style Gur&#363 Hargobind kept led Emperor Jah&#257&#7749g&#299r to pass orders for his detention in the Fort of Gw&#257l&#299or. According to the <i>Dabist&#257n-i-Maz&#257hib</i>, the charge levelled against him was that he had not paid the fine imposed on his father. For how long he remained in the Fort cannot be stated with certainty. From forty days to twelve years (the <i>Dabist&#257n-i-Maz&#257hib</i>), several different periods of time are mentioned. It seems that Gur&#363 Hargobind remained in the Fort for a few months during 1617-19 whereafter he was required to stay in the royal camp under surveillance for some time. During his detention in Gw&#257l&#299or, Sikhs made trips to the city in batches to see him and, when disallowed to enter the Fort, they proffered obeisance from outside its walls and returned. As time came for Gur&#363 Hargobind to be released from the Fort, he came out on the condition that all other detenues were freed, too. He led fifty-two prisoners out of the Fort. <i>Band&#299chho&#7771</i> (Liberator Benign) is the title by which he is remembered to this day. When at last Gur&#363 Hargobind reached Amritsar, Sikhs illuminated the town. The anniversary of the event is still celebrated at Harimandar, the Golden Temple, with lights and fireworks.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Emperor Jah&#257&#7749g&#299r from now on continued to be conciliatory and, according to Sikh tradition, he delivered to Gur&#363 Hargobind Chand&#363 Sh&#257h, who took part of the responsibility for the execution of Gur&#363 Arjan and for his own incarceration. Chand&#363 Sh&#257h met with a violent end at the hands of the Sikhs. On his lands, also made over to him, Gur&#363 Hargobind founded a new town which came to be known as Sr&#299 Hargobindpur. As the work commenced, Bhagv&#257n D&#257s, a local landlord, objected and attacked the Sikhs with a party of his men. Bhagv&#257n D&#257s was killed in the skirmish. His son, Ratan Chand, and Chand&#363 Sh&#257h's son, Karam Chand, sought help from the Mu<u>gh</u>al <i>faujd&#257r</i> of Jalandhar who sent a body of troops against Gur&#363 Hargobind. They were repulsed in the battle that ensued. Both these actions were fought in the vicinity of Ruhel&#257, the first on 28 Ass&#363 1678 Bk/28 September 1621 and the second on 3 Kattak 1678 Bk/4 October 1621. At Sr&#299 Hargobindpur, the Gur&#363 built along with the <i>dharams&#257l</i> a mosque for the Muslims.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Further clashes with the Mu<u>gh</u>al authority broke out with the battle of Amritsar, which according to the <i>Bha&#7789&#7789 Vah&#299 Mult&#257n&#299 Sindh&#299</i>, was fought on Bais&#257kh 17, 1691 Bk/14 April 1634. Its immediate cause was only a minor dispute. Emperor Sh&#257h Jah&#257n, on a visit to Lahore, was out hunting in the neighbourhood of Amritsar. One of his favourite hawks flew and fell into the hands of the Sikhs. The royal messengers came to claim the bird, but the Sikhs refused to part with it. The emperor was annoyed and sent a body of troops under Mu<u>kh</u>lis <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the <i>faujd&#257r</i> of Lahore. The Sikhs fought back and Mu<u>kh</u>lis <u>Kh</u>&#257n was killed in the encounter which took place at the site now occupied by the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soon afterwards Gur&#363 Hargobind left Amritsar, this time taking with him the holy Granth S&#257hib seated in the Harimandar. The first long halt was at &#7692araul&#299, near Mog&#257, in present-day Far&#299dko&#7789 district. From there Gur&#363 Hargobind sent the Granth S&#257hib with the family to Kart&#257rpur. He himself sojourned in the M&#257lv&#257, visiting his Sikhs and confronting, on 16 December 1634, the Mu<u>gh</u>al troops in yet another battle, this time at Lahir&#257, near Mehr&#257j, now in Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 district. Another armed clash took place at Kart&#257rpur on 29-30 Bais&#257kh 1692 Bk/26-27 April 1635, when Gur&#363 Hargobind's own erstwhile Pa&#7789h&#257n follower, Paind&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257n, led out a Mu<u>gh</u>al force against him.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 Hargobind finally retired to K&#299ratpur where he spent the remaining nine years of his life in peace. The town was of the Gur&#363's own creation and had existed since B&#257b&#257 Sr&#299 Chand had, according to the evidence of the Bha&#7789&#7789 Vah&#299s, broken ground at his request, on Bais&#257kh <i>sud&#299</i> P&#363ranm&#257sh&#299 1683 Bk/1 May 1626. The site had been gifted by R&#257j&#257 Kaly&#257n Chand of Kahl&#363r, one of the chieftains who had won their reprieve at Gw&#257l&#299or through Gur&#363 Hargobind's intercession. K&#299ratpur now became the centre of the Sikh faith. Sikhs came here from all parts to see the Gur&#363. Gur&#363 Hargobind gave most of his time to religious devotions. Contact was maintained with <i>sa&#7749gats</i> in far-flung places, and old warriors like Bidh&#299 Chand were sent out as preachers. For Sikhs the roles of saint and soldier had become mutually complementary. About the Gur&#363 himself, Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s wrote : "Great hero is Gur&#363 Hargobind. He is the vanquisher of armies, but his heart is full of love and charity." This synthesis of the heroic and the spiritual was Gur&#363 Hargobind's distinctive contribution to the evolution of Sikh society.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 Hargobind had travelled extensively in the Punjab spreading the word of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. He had also visited places such as N&#257nakmat&#257 and Sr&#299nagar in Ga&#7771hv&#257l (where the famous Mar&#257&#7789h&#257 saint Samarth R&#257md&#257s met him) in the east and Kashm&#299r in the north. The journey to Kashm&#299r was made in 1620 in the company of Emperor Jah&#257&#7749g&#299r, and Sr&#299nagar, B&#257r&#257m&#363l&#257, &#362&#7771&#299 and Puñchh were among the places visited. Gurdw&#257r&#257s in these and in many places in the Punjab and outside honour the memory of Gur&#363 Hargobind.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 Hargobind, like all of his predecessors, lived a married life. He had six children -- five sons and a daughter. Gurditt&#257, A&#7751&#299 R&#257i and the daughter B&#299b&#299 V&#299ro were born to (M&#257t&#257) Damodar&#299, S&#363raj Mall and A&#7789al R&#257i to (M&#257t&#257) Marv&#257h&#299 and Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur to ( M&#257t&#257 ) N&#257nak&#299. Two of his sons, B&#257b&#257 Gurditt&#257 and A&#7789al R&#257i, died in his lifetime.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 Hargobind passed away on Chet <i>sud&#299</i> 5, 1701 Bk/3 March 1644 at K&#299ratpur. The cremation took place on the bank of the River Sutlej at the site now marked by Gurdw&#257r&#257 Pat&#257lpur&#299.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"><i>Gurbil&#257s P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 Chhev&#299&#7749</i>. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Bhall&#257, Sar&#363p D&#257s, <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh</i>. Patiala, 1971<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>.Amritsar, 1927-33<BR> <li class="C1"> Satb&#299r Si&#7749gh, <i>Gur Bh&#257r&#299: J&#299van&#299 Gur&#363 Hargobind J&#299</i> Patiala, 1983<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> <li class="C1"> Gupta, Hari Ram, <i>History of the Sikhs</i>, vol.I. Delhi, 1973<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Fauj&#257 Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>