In front of you rises one of the holiest Sikh sites in Delhi. The golden domes mark the place where, in November 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth of the faith's ten Gurus, was beheaded. Sis means "head".
1An execution on the main avenue
In Aurangzeb's time the kotwali, the city's police station and jail, stood here. The Guru was arrested and brought to Delhi. According to Sikh tradition, he had defended a group of Kashmiri Brahmins who were being pressed to convert to Islam. He refused to renounce his faith and was publicly executed on Chandni Chowk.
What happened next lies at the heart of Sikh memory. A disciple, Bhai Jaita, rescued the head and carried it to Anandpur in the Punjab, where it was received by the Guru's son, the future Guru Gobind Singh. Another follower, Lakhi Shah Vanjara, took the body away under cover of darkness and set fire to his own house to cremate it. Gurdwara Rakab Ganj stands there today.
2From police station to temple
The Sikh general Baghel Singh built a first shrine in 1783. After 1857 the British demolished the old kotwali, and the present building dates from the 20th century.
Freedom of conscience: that's how Sikhs sum up the sacrifice of their ninth Guru.
3What to look for
- The Nishan Sahib, the pole with the Sikh flag.
- The golden domes above the facade.
- The volunteers handing out water or offering you a scarf: service, seva, is part of the faith.
Documented
Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi on Aurangzeb's orders in November 1675; Baghel Singh built the first shrine in 1783.
Oral tradition
The details of how the head and body were rescued come from Sikh tradition, handed down with some variations.
Sources and credits
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), history of Sis Ganj Sahib; The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University Patiala, entry "Sis Ganj, Gurdwara"; Delhi Tourism, gurdwara page.
Photos:
- Facade of Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib with its golden domes: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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