Dr Mandeep Singh Azad and Dr Kawardeep
The week from 20th December to 27th December is a week of sadness, grief, courage, valor, ultimate sacrifice and proud also for whole Sikh community. This week witness’s martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh ji family and of four sons. Shaheedi Week is not a ritual on the calendar.
It is a wound in human history that never fully healed. It is that brief, frozen stretch of time when innocence confronted cruelty, when a family chose extinction over surrender, and when children proved that courage does not wait for adulthood. More than three centuries later, this week still asks us a question we often avoid: What do we stand for—when standing becomes painful? At the heart of Shaheedi Week stands the supreme sacrifice of the family of Guru Gobind Singh Ji—a sacrifice so complete that history struggles to describe it without trembling.
A Winter That Began with Betrayal
December 1704 arrived with biting cold and darker intentions.
After months of siege at Anandpur Sahib, false promises of safe passage were given to the Guru and his followers. Trust was betrayed. Attacks followed. Chaos erupted. In that confusion, the Guru’s family was torn apart. Two of his elder sons went in one direction towards a battlefield.
Two younger sons, barely out of childhood, were separated with their grandmother. During this poignant week, Sikhs worldwide unite in reflection, paying homage to the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the courageous warriors who valiantly resisted the coercive forces of the Mughal Empire. Baba Ajit Singh Ji, Baba Jujhar Singh Ji, Baba Zorawar Singh Ji, and Baba Fateh Singh Ji, luminaries of Sikh history, stand as epitomes of sacrifice and valor.
Day-1(20th December): The day of Separation
The narrative begins on December 20th, 1704, Mughal army lay siege for months to Anandpur Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh’s sanctuary. Food and ammunition exhausted, Guru Gobind Singh and 400 Sikhs left Sri Anandpur Sahib on the bitter cold and rainy night. The Mughals had offered Guru Sahib a safe passage to leave Anandpur Sahib on an oath that had been signed by emperor Aurangzeb. They betrayed their promise and attacked the sikhs as soon as they left their impregnable fortress. Many sikhs were martyred and only the Guru, his two eldest sons, the Panj Piaras and 40 Sikhs were able to cross the river. Guru’s mother and his two youngest sons got separated from the band of Sikhs. December 20 marks the beginning of Shaheedi Week, inviting us to revisit the pages of history and honor the sacrifices made by those who stood undeterred in the face of adversity.
Day 2 (December 21): Baba Ajit Singh Ji – The Fearless Elder Son
Guru Sahib, Panj piaras and 40 Singhs camped in Chamkaur Haveli with its high parameter mud brick wall now became the fort of Guru Sahib. The mud fort was surrounded by 1 million mughal forces. Sikhs fight with unparalleled courage, painting the battlefield crimson with the blood. Seeing the dwindling numbers, eldest son Ajit Singh (18 yrs old) seeks his father’s permission to enter the fray. Guru Ji proudly grants his request and hands him his weapon, knowing very well the outcome. Remaining sikhs pleaded with Guru Ji that he should escape with his sons while they hold the fort. Guru Sahib told them that there is no difference between the Singhs and the Sahibzade. “You are all my sons! Baba Ajit Singh boldly and valiantly came out of fort, accompanied with few other Singhs while Guru Ji watched the battle scene from the top of the fort. They advanced swiftly, repulsed the enemy forces with fury and killed hundreds before each of the brave hearts fell one after the other.
Day 3 (December 22): Baba Jujhar Singh Ji – Resilience Personified
Hearing the news of his brother, younger son Jujhar Singh (14 yrs old) requested his father to allow him to go next. He too like his brother fought with great valor, the enemy were stunned by the heavy force and thrust of this second attack and had little choice but to retreat back. Singh forces demonstrated the concept of one equaling the bravery and courage of “Sava Lakh” (125,000) humans. Soon, he was also martyred in the battleground.On this third day of Shaheedi Week, we turn our attention to Baba Jujhar Singh Ji, a figure whose life epitomizes resilience and unwavering commitment to the Sikh cause. Baba Jujhar Singh Ji, the courageous son of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, played a crucial role in the resistance against the oppressive Mughal forces.
25 -27 December, 1704 – Guru Ji’s Younger Sons and Mother
Guru Ji’s mother (Mata Gujri) along with his two younger sons (Zoravar Singh, 9 Yrs old and Fateh Singh, 6 yrs old) got separated while crossing the river and met their servant Gangu who invited them home. He later betrayed them and handed them over to Mughals. Nawaz Wazir Khan, imprisoned them in cold tower, Sirhind with no protection from winter northern winds. The next morning, the Sahibzade were presented to Nawab Wazir Khan and were instructed to enter through a small door. Instead of lowering their heads to enter, which would have signalled submission, the Sahibzadeh walked in feet-first and greeted Wazir Khan with “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.To gain favor with Emperor Aurangzeb, Wazir Khan tried to convert the Sahibzade to Islam by promising massive rewards and riches. The emperor gave them the option to convert to Islam or to be killed. Baba Zorawar Singh replied “My father is Guru Gobind Singh, my grandfather is Guru Teg Bahadur and my great-grandfather is Guru Hargobind. Death means nothing to me. Our death will fan the flames that will drive all the tyrants from our hind. Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan, a high-ranking officer and chief of Malerkotla, who was also present in the court, intervened for the innocent children to be spared their lives; to be given some more time to ponder over the suggestion to convert. As a result, the two Sahibzade spent another two days of severe winter in their grandmother’s lap in the Cold Tower. Still adamant as ever, Nawab Wazir Khan ordered their death by bricking them alive. Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan pleaded against the death sentence on the grounds that the boys were too young to be given such a harsh penalty. They could not, in any case, be held responsible for the actions of their father. As Wazir Khan began to waver at the just reproof of his peer, Suchchanand put in a remark “The progeny of a serpent shall grow up as serpents, and should therefore be shown no mercy.” Wazir Khan was encouraged by these words and thereupon reiterated his order for the children to be bricked alive in a wall. By Divine Will, as the masonry around their tender bodies reached chest high, it crumbled. Wazir Khan’s anger at this failure ordered the princes back to the Cold Tower for another night. The next day, 12 December 1705, the Sahibzade were once again offered the choice to convert to Islam or face death by execution. The brave Sahibzade chose the latter and were executed. The aged Mata Gujri, who had all along been kept in the Cold Tower, only a short distance away, breathed her last as the news of the execution reached her ears.
Historical records mention that Mata Gujri Ji, already elderly, gave her own thin shawl to wrap around the children. She herself sat exposed to the cold, whispering verses of faith through shivering lips not to comfort herself, but to steady the hearts of her grandsons. Another painful truth rarely spoken of: For days, the children were kept hungry not as punishment, but as psychological pressure so hunger and cold together might weaken their resolve.
It did not.
The children were brought repeatedly to court over several days. Between each appearance, religious scholars were sent to reason with them, hoping exhaustion would succeed where threats failed. Yet every time, the answer remained unchanged. Their calm disturbed the court more than rebellion ever could. When Mata Gujri Ji was informed of the martyrdom of her grandsons, she did not cry out. She did not curse anyone. She simply closed her eyes. The same heart that had survived cold, hunger, and fear could not survive that news. In the very tower where she had nurtured courage in two children, she breathed her last. Her death was not loud. But it was complete.
Shaheedi Week Is Not for Tears Alone
Shaheedi Week does not demand only remembrance. It demands responsibility. To raise children with values, not fear. To choose truth over convenience. To stand for justice even when standing hurts. Because the Sahibzadas did not give their lives for monuments, speeches, or anniversaries. They gave their lives so that humanity could learn how to stand upright no matter the cost. And until we live by that lesson, Shaheedi Week will remain not just history, but a mirror held up to our conscience.
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