Guru Tegh Bahadur
Guru Tegh Bahadur, 1621-75
Born in Amritsar, Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of the ten Gurus who founded Sikhism.
He's honoured and remembered as the man who championed the rights for all religious freedom.
Guru Tegh Bahadur, ninth Guru ©
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He taught liberation from attachment, fear and dependence. Strength should be gained through truth, worship, sacrifice and knowledge.
During the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Islam was imposed on the people. Hindu temples were demolished and turned into mosques, higher taxes were charged to non-Muslims and the Emperor persecuted those who would not conform to Islamic law.
Guru Tegh Bahadur spoke out amid this persecution. He refused to convert to Islam and in 1675, he was beheaded in Delhi. The site of his execution was later turned into an important Gurdwara.
He's also remembered for his poetry, much of which is included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
He married Bibi Gujjari and they had one son: the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
He founded the city of Anandpur which later became a centre of Sikhism.