Dr Mandeep Singh Azad, Dr KawadeepKour
“(When) the lamp is lit, darkness is dispelled…
… Where there is light of knowledge, ignorance is dispelled.”
(Guru Granth Sahib Ang.791)
The story of bandichordivas for the Sikhs is a story of the Sikh struggle for freedom and a message of selflessness. It is the day of unwavering faith in god. Sikhs not only celebrate the release of Guru Hargobind, but also his action to secure the release of 52 other kings and princes who were also locked up in the prison by India’s Mughal ruler of the time, Jehangir. Emperor had ordered and carried out the execution of Guru Arjun, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs and Guru Hargobind’s predecessor. When Jehangir was eventually convinced to release Guru Hargobind, the Guru indicated that he would only leave when the other prisoners were also set free.So this days marks the selflessness among sikhs.Guru Ji wanted to give this message to his followers to always think of humanity as a whole and helping and serving others which is the basic principle of sikhism. Imagine: Today if a prisoner giving conditions to the emperor about his own conditions of release — not for his own benefit, but for that of others. This is a poignant legacy that Sikhs must reflect.Both Bandi chhor divas and Diwali symbolise a light of hope in dark times, a festive of release from the imprisonment of evil and darkness.
The release of Guru Hargobind Ji from Gwalior Fort coincides with festival of Diwali. It marks the release of the sixth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind Singh, from incarceration by the Mughals in the 17th century – and is celebrated as “Bandi Chhor” Diwas across the world. This coincidence has resulted in similarity of celebration and harmony amongst Sikhs and Hindus.The word “Bandi” is translated from Punjabi into English as “Imprisoned” (or “Prisoner”), “Chhor” as “Release,” and “Divas” as “Day,” rendering “Baiandi Chhor Divas” from Punjabi into English as “Prisoners’ Release Day.”Bandi Chhor Divas celebrates the release from prison of the Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, and 52 other princes with him, in October 1619 following their release, Guru Hargobind Ji arrived in Amritsar in the midst of the Diwali festival, and the day was henceforth associated with his liberation.In the Sikh struggle for freedom from the oppressive Mughal regime, the festival of Bandi Chhor Divas did become the second most important day after the Baisakhi festival in April.
The Sixth Guru,Guru Hargobind, was freed from imprisonment in the famous fort of Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir in October, 1619. The reason for the young Guru’s imprisonment was nothing more than religious bigotry. The Guru’s father, Guru Arjan, had been martyred for the same reason. Guru Hargobind’s father, Guru Arjan Dev, had been martyred almost 13 years before, and the Mughal authorities were carefully watching the young Guru. When he constructed the Akal Takht, the Throne of the Almighty, in Amritsar and concurrently strengthened his army, the Nawab of Lahore, Murtaja Khan, grew alarmed and informed the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The Nawab conveyed his fear that the Guru might be planning to avenge the death of his father. Jahangir at once sent Wazir Khan and Guncha Beg to Amritsar to arrest Guru Hargobind. Wazir Khan, however, was an admirer of the Guru; instead of arresting him, he persuaded the Guru to accompany them to Delhi to meet the Emperor. Even though Jahangir had ordered the execution of his father, the Guru accepted the invitation and journeyed to the Emperor’s court. When Emperor Jahangir met the young Guru, he was captivated by his charm and purity of spirit. He queried him as to which religion was better, Hindu or Muslim, to which the Guru quoted lines from Kabir proclaiming that the One Lord is within both Hindus and Muslims. The Emperor was entranced by the Guru’s wisdom and prepared a royal reception for him.The Guru and the Emperor became good friends, but this only provoked the jealousy of others who wanted the Emperor’s favour for themselves. One of these was Chandu Shah, a rich banker, with influence in the court. Chandu Shah had been influential in arranging Guru Arjan’s death and now focused his wrath on his son, Guru Hargobind. While in Agra, the Emperor became very ill. It seemed that nothing could cure him. Chandu Shah cornered the court astrologers and convinced them to tell the Emperor that his illness was due to an inauspicious alignment of the stars which could only be cured if a holy man were to go to Gwalior Fort south of Agra and offer prayers for his recovery. Chandu Shah innocently suggested that there was no one more fit for this precious task than Guru Hargobind. Thus, at the Emperor’s request, the Guru agreed and left for the Fort with several companions.After the Guru had been in Gwalior Fort for several months. Mian Mir, a noted Sufi saint, travelled to the Emperor’s court and asked him to release the Guru. Upon his persuasion, the Emperor ordered Wazir Khan to free the Guru.According to Sikh tradition, the Guru agreed to be freed only if the other Indian chiefs (rajahs) imprisoned with him were freed. Emperor had in mind no more than four or five being freed with the Guru. However, the Guru was not to be outmanoeuvred in this way. He asked for a special coat to be made with 52 coat tails – same number as the rajahs in prison with him! And so the rajahs were freed and the Guru became known popularly as the “Bandi Chhor”. He arrived in Amritsar on the day of Diwali and Harmandir Sahib was lit with hundreds of lamps to celebrate his return; the day came to be known as the “Bandi Chhor Divas” (the day of freedom).
Thenceforth, the Sikh struggle for freedom, which intensified in the 18th Century, came to be centered around this day. In addition to Baisakhi (now in April), when Khalsa, the Sikh nation was formally established by the Tenth Guru Gobind Singh, Diwali became the second day in the years when theKhalsa met and planned their freedom strategy.Another important Sikh event associated with Diwali is the martyrdom in 1734 of the elderly Sikh scholar and strategist Bhai Mani Singh, the Granthi(priest) of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). He had refused to pay a special tax on a religious meeting of the Khalsa on the day of Diwali. This and other Sikh martyrdoms gave further momentum to the Khalsa struggle for freedom and eventually succeeded in establishing the Khalsa rule north of Delhi.
The essence of celebrating the Festival of Lights lies in enlightening ourselves by acquiring the virtues of being kind, humble, meek, tolerant, selfless, sweet spoken. Both Bandi chhor divas and Diwali symbolise a light of hope in dark times, a festive of release from the imprisonment of evil and darkness. Thus, keeping in mind, the importance of these festive times along with safety measures to prevent covid 19 spread is very important.We have to be very careful while visiting markets and religious places so we can keep our family and friends safe and healthy. So this Bandi Chhor divas lets pledge to fight the evil darkness with lights and happiness surrounding us.
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