Mata Gujri
Encyclopedia
Mata Gujri was the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhism, and the mother of Guru Gobind Singh
, the tenth Guru of Sikhism. She is considered to be one of the prominent figures in history of Sikhism
.
Mata Gujri was born in gujjar
family as the daughter of Bhai Lal Chand Subulikka of Kartarpur
, in Kapurthala
district of the Punjab
.
Mata Gujri and her younger grandsons Sahibzada Fateh Singh
and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh
sought shelter with a servant of Guru Gobind Singh
called Gangu. Gangu betrayed them by telling the Mughals where Mata Gujri and her grandchildren were staying. Mata Gujri was murdered along with her two younger sons, under the command of the Mughal
ruler Aurangzeb
for refusing to convert to Islam
. Mata Gujri was ordered to lay on an ice block and her grandchildren were bricked alive. While the younger Sahibzadey were being bricked alive they were reciting the holy Japji Sahib
.
The Gurdwara Mata Gurjari was built in remembrance of Mata Gujri where she spent her last four days.
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
, the tenth Guru of Sikhism. She is considered to be one of the prominent figures in history of Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
.
Mata Gujri was born in gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
family as the daughter of Bhai Lal Chand Subulikka of Kartarpur
Kartarpur
Kartarpur , was established by Guru Nanak in 1522. When Guru Nanak died, Hindus and Muslims disagreed on how to perform his last rites. A samadh lies in the Gurudwara and a grave lies on the premises as a reminder of this discord...
, in Kapurthala
Kapurthala
Kapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic...
district of the Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
.
Mata Gujri and her younger grandsons Sahibzada Fateh Singh
Sahibzada Fateh Singh
Sahibzada Fateh Singh was the youngest of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. He and his older brother, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh are among the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism. He is also known as Baba Fateh Singh...
and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh
Sahibzada Zorawar Singh
Sahibzada Zorawar Singh was the third of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. He and his younger brother, Sahibzada Fateh Singh are among the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism....
sought shelter with a servant of Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
called Gangu. Gangu betrayed them by telling the Mughals where Mata Gujri and her grandchildren were staying. Mata Gujri was murdered along with her two younger sons, under the command of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
ruler Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
for refusing to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Mata Gujri was ordered to lay on an ice block and her grandchildren were bricked alive. While the younger Sahibzadey were being bricked alive they were reciting the holy Japji Sahib
Japji Sahib
Japji is a universal song of God composed by Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith.Japji Sahib consists of the Mool Mantra as the beginning followed by 38 hymns and a final Salok at the end of this composition. The Japji appears at the very beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book...
.
The Gurdwara Mata Gurjari was built in remembrance of Mata Gujri where she spent her last four days.