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Veer Baal Diwas
| Veer Baal Diwas | |
|---|---|
 Sculpture at Mehdiana Sahib of the execution of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh by being bricked alive (Saka sirhind) by the Sultan of Sirhind at Fatehgarh Sahib. | |
| Observed by | India |
| Type | National |
| Significance | Death anniversary of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh |
| Date | 26 December |
| Next time | 26 December 2024 |
| Frequency | Annual |
Veer Baal Diwas is observed in India annually on the twenty-sixth day of December, as a tribute to Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh who were sentenced to death by Wazir Khan and bricked alive on the same day in 1705.
Background[edit]
A combination of Mughals and hillmen besieged Anandpur Sahib on the orders of emperor Aurangzeb. The stock of food in the town ran out. The Mughals promised to leave the Sikhs alone if they would hand over the fortress of Anandpur Sahib. To this Guru Gobind Singh agreed and left the town with his family and a small band of retainers. They had not gone very far when the Mughals, breaking their promise, came after them. Guru Gobind Singh entrusted his two younger sons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh as well as his mother, Mata Gujri, to the care of a cook in his household named Gangu. Gangu brought Mata Gujri and the two Sahibzadas to his native village of Sahedi. Bribed by the Mughals, he turned over the three members of Guru Gobind Singh's family to the faujdar of Morinda. They were then brought to Sirhind in the presence of Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind.
The two sons of Guru Gobind Singh, Zorawar (9 years old) and Fateh (7 years old) were offered safe passage if they became Muslims. Both refused, and so Wazir Khan sentenced them to death. They were bricked alive.[1] The place where the two children of Guru Gobind Singh were bricked alive is today known as Fatehgarh Sahib.
History[edit]
| Narendra Modi | 𝕏 |
|---|---|
| @narendramodi |
English: Today, on the auspicious occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, I am honoured to share that starting this year, 26th December shall be marked as ‘Veer Baal Diwas.’ This is a fitting tribute to the courage of the Sahibzades and their quest for justice.
January 9, 2022[2]
In January 2022, on the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the prime minister of India Narendra Modi took his Twitter handle to announce the government's decision to mark December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas in the memory of Guru Gobind Singh's sons.[3][4]
Response[edit]
On January 16, 2021, the leaders of the Sikh community gathered at Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha, located in Park Avenue, Southall, and passed a resolution thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for doing so much for the Sikh community and helping to bridge the misunderstandings.The also thanked the Prime Minister of India for announcing December 26 as "Veer Baal Diwas" and declaring it a public holiday.[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ Singh, Patwant (2001). The Sikhs by Patwant Singh. ISBN 9780385502061.
- ↑ Narendra Modi [@narendramodi] (9 January 2022). "Today, on the auspicious occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, I am honoured to share that starting this year, 26th December shall be marked as 'Veer Baal Diwas.' This is a fitting tribute to the courage of the Sahibzades and their quest for justice" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ Service, Tribune News. "'Veer Baal Diwas' to be observed on December 26 as tribute to Guru Gobind Singh's sons".
- ↑ "Veer Baal Diwas to be observed on December 26 as tribute to Guru Gobind Singh's sons: PM Modi". India Today.
- ↑ "UK Sikhs push back against anti-India forces, pass resolution thanking PM Modi". Hindustan Times. 17 January 2021.
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