Lehal Library

71 The Call to Anns Tegh Bahadur was sentenced to death26 and executed on 11 November 1675.27 Before his body could be quartered and exposed to public view, it was stolen under cover of darkness by one of his devotees. The Guru's body was cremated a few miles from the place of execution; the head was brought to Anandpur and cremated by Tegh Bahadur's son Gobind.28 Gum Gobind wrote of his father's martyrdom in Lhe following words: To protect their right to wear their cast~arks and sacred threads, Did he, in the dark age, perform the supreme sacrifice. TIJ help the saintly he went to the utrnoi;t limit. He gave his head but never cried in pain. He suffered martyrdom for the sake of his faith. He lost his head hut revealed not hjs secret. 26 EmpE"ror .'\urangzeb was noc in Delhi at the time. Bm there is J.illle doubt that 1hc policy of perse01tion of the non-Muslims had been renewed at his pE"rsonal command, and the execution of Tegh Bahadur, who was looked upon as the leader of the Hindus, had his tacit approval Two followers of Tegh Baha<lur were also beheaded; the others had escaped. 27 There are different versions of the manner in which Tegh Bahadur died. Ratan Singh Bhangu in his .Pmci11 Pail.th Prakii.i maintains that on the Gum's refusal to accept Islam the Chief Kazi asked him to exhibit some of the miraculous powers he was supposed to possess. Thereupon the Guru wrote something on a piece of paper and tied it with a string round his neck. This, he said, would prevent the executioner from cutting off his head. When the Guru's head was severed. the piece of paper was opened. lt read: ,Sis di.vii pnr sin· rili diya,-'l gave my head but not my secret.' Some English historians (Cunningham, Malcolm, Gordon) have fabricated yet another version of the execution. According to them, the Guru was accused of looking towards the Emperor's harem. When questioned, he is alleged to have said that it was not the women of the harem he had looked ac but towards the east, whence a power was advancing which would destroy the Mughals. The power is understood to have been the British. There is absolutely no basis for this version. 28 The site of the execution in Chandni Chowk of Delhi is marked by a temple called Sis Ganj. Rutab Ganj, which is next door to Parliament House, mark.• the site of the cremation· of the C.Uru's body. The place where the head was cremated in Anandpur is also called Srs Gan] (the place of the head).