Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib

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  WHAT IT IS: The supreme martyrdom site (Shahidi Asthan) of the Ninth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji ('Hind Di Chadar'), along with his devoted companions Bhai Mati Das Ji, Bhai Sati Das Ji, and Bhai Dayala Ji, who laid down their lives in 1675 CE to protect religious freedom and human dignity.
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  WHY VISIT / CHANT: To receive boundless courage, fearlessness (Nirbhayata), peace of mind, and severance of ego. Listening to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's Salok Mahalla 9 brings immediate detachment from transient worldly grief and establishes the soul in divine equanimity.
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  WHEN TO VISIT: Open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The annual Martyrdom Day (Shaheedi Gurpurab) in November/December and Prakash Purab (birth anniversary) witness immense spiritual fervor.
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  WHERE: Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India, situated directly opposite the historic Red Fort area. Metro Hub: Chandni Chowk (Yellow Line).
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  HOW (VIDHI & RULES):
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  Cover the head respectfully with a cloth/rumāl and remove footwear at the dedicated shoe counter (Jora Ghar).
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  Wash hands and feet in the sacred water channel (Charan Ganga) before entering.
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  Perform reverent Matha Tekna (prostration) before Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in the central Darbar Sahib.
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  Sit in quiet contemplation, absorb the live Gurbani Kirtan, circumambulate (Parikrama) clockwise around the sanctum, take divine Karah Parshad, drink Amrit from the historic well, and partake of the 24/7 Guru ka Langar.

In the late seventeenth century, forced conversions threatened the spiritual fabric of the Indian subcontinent. A delegation of Kashmiri Pandits, led by Pandit Kirpa Ram, sought refuge at the holy court of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji at Anandpur Sahib. Moved by their plight, the Guru declared that a supreme soul must lay down life to awaken the sleeping conscience of humanity. His young son, Gobind Rai, later Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, remarked that none was more pure or worthy than the Guru himself.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji willingly journeyed to Delhi, accompanied by his beloved disciples Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, and Bhai Dayala. The Guru refused every demand to abandon his faith or perform a miracle to save himself. The authorities holding him subjected his companions to horrific tortures before his very eyes. Bhai Mati Das was sawn alive, Bhai Dayala was boiled in a cauldron of water, and Bhai Sati Das was wrapped in cotton and burnt. Remaining completely immersed in the Divine Will, Hukam, the Guru remained unshaken through every torment inflicted on those he loved. On November 11, 1675 CE, Maghar Sudi 5, beneath a banyan tree at the Kotwali in Chandni Chowk, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji sat in deep meditation. He bowed his own head to the executioner's sword, choosing the manner of his death as calmly as he had chosen the cause for which he gave it.

To prevent the Guru’s sacred mortal remains from being dishonored, brave Sikhs executed daring acts of devotion. Bhai Jaita Ji (Baba Jiwan Singh Ji) retrieved the sacred head (Sis) amidst a miraculous dust storm and carried it to Anandpur Sahib for cremation. Lakhi Shah Vanjara and his son placed the Guru's holy body (Dhad) inside their home in Raisina (now Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib) and set their own house on fire to perform the final rites secretly. In 1783 CE, Sardar Baghel Singh of the Karor Singhia Misl (one of the Sikh confederacy's military bands) conquered Delhi and established Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib on the exact site of the Guru's supreme sacrifice.

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  Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621–1675 CE): The Ninth Divine Master of Sikhism, whose supreme sacrifice earned him the immortal title Hind Di Chadar (Protector of the Honour of India).
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  Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Dayala, and Bhai Sati Das Ji: Exemplars of unflinching devotion who embraced martyrdom with divine chants on their lips.
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  Bhai Jaita Ji (Baba Jiwan Singh Ji): The valiant Sikh disciple who reverently carried the Guru's severed head from Chandni Chowk to Sri Anandpur Sahib, honored by Guru Gobind Singh Ji with the eternal blessing "Ranghreta Guru Ka Beta" ("the Ranghreta is the Guru's own son"), elevating his entire community within the Sikh fold.
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  Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara: The great merchant devotee who sacrificed his own home to cremate the headless torso of the Guru.
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  Sardar Baghel Singh Ji (1730–1802 CE): The formidable Sikh general who entered Delhi with his Khalsa army in 1783 CE, located the holy martyrdom sites through royal archives, and built the sacred Gurdwaras of Delhi including Sis Ganj Sahib.

Salok Mahalla 9 (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 1429)

Roman Transliteration:

Balu chhutkio bandhan pare kachhoo na hot upaae ||

Kahu Nānak ab oat Hari gaj jio hohu sahāe ||53||

Balu hoā bandhan chhute sabhu kichhu hot upaae ||

Nānak sabhu kichhu tumrai hāth mahi tum hee hot sahāe ||54||

Sacred Translation & Meaning:

"My strength is drained, I am bound in chains, and no remedy is in sight.

Says Nanak, now the Lord alone is my refuge; come to my rescue, as You saved the drowning elephant. (53)

Strength has returned, my bonds are shattered, and every remedy is at hand.

Nanak: everything is within Your hands, O Lord; You alone are my ultimate savior! (54)"