Relics & memories: Exhibition highlights Guru Tegh Bahadur’s sacrifice

In November 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Chandni Chowk for refusing to give up his beliefs and defending the right of Kashmiri Pandits to practise their faith. His companions were tortured before him, yet he stayed firm. Three-and-a-half centuries later, that act of courage is at the centre of a new exhibition at Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan in New Delhi.

The exhibition, “Guru Tegh Bahadur: Defender of faith,” marks the 350th anniversary of the ninth Guru’s martyrdom. It opened on Friday during an international seminar organised by the National Institute of Punjab Studies and the Department of Punjabi, University of Delhi. Former President Ram Nath Kovind, MP Manish Tewari, author-diplomat Navtej Sarna and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kulwant Singh Sandhwan attended the inaugural session.

Curated by Mohinder Singh, Director General of the National Institute of Punjab Studies, the display brings together rare manuscripts, paintings, photographs and relics preserved by the family of Bhai Rup Chand. These exhibits trace Guru Tegh Bahadur’s life, from childhood to his final days in Delhi.

One of the opening panels features a painting by Phulan Rani showing young Tegh Bahadur in the lap of his mother, Mata Nanaki, with Guru Hargobind and other family members around them. Another artwork depicts him being trained in warfare in Kartarpur, where he first displayed bravery as a child, a moment that earned him the name Tegh Bahadur meaning “wielder of the sword.”

A sketch by Jaspal Singh illustrates the Guru’s marriage procession with Mata Gujri, led by Guru Hargobind and members of the family. Nearby, an artwork by Amolak Singh shows the sinking cargo ship of Bhai Makhan Shah Lubana. According to tradition, the Guru saved the ship in response to the trader’s prayer. When Makhan Shah reached Bakala to fulfil his promise, several claimants posed as Gurus, but Guru Tegh Bahadur reminded him of his actual offering. Makhan Shah then announced from a rooftop, “Guru ladho re,” meaning ‘I have found the true Guru.’

The exhibition also documents the Guru’s travels. Photographs include Thara Sahib in Amritsar where he rested after being denied entry into the Harimandir Sahib by the Mina group, and a wall painting from Fort Mubarak in Patiala showing his journey through the Malwa region. Images of gurdwaras in Guwahati, Dhaka and Nizamabad trace his wider travels across Assam, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. A historic well at Charan Paduka in Nizamabad, known as Dukh Nivaran Khuh, marks the spot where he is believed to have bathed.

Scenes from his family life include Amolak Singh’s painting of child Gobind Rai meeting his father in Patna, alongside Mata Gujri. A historic painting from Dhaka, believed to be by Ahsaan, the royal painter of Mughal governor Shaista Khan, also features in the display. A hukamnama sent by Guru Tegh Bahadur to the Sangat of Patna from a rare manuscript preserved at Takht Sri Patna Sahib is among the notable documents.

The exhibition moves gradually to the period of his arrest and execution. A painting by Jaspal Singh shows Guru Tegh Bahadur with Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dayala, who were martyred with him in Chandni Chowk. A line displayed alongside reads: “I have given my head but not my determination.”

A miniature by Basahathulla from the Nabha royal collection shows different scenes of the martyrdom, including Guru Tegh Bahadur’s severed head placed respectfully on a wooden cot. Another painting by Jaswant Singh depicts Bhai Jaita carrying the severed head from Delhi to Anandpur Sahib, where the young Gobind Singh bowed before it in mourning.

Images from Anandpur Sahib show the sites associated with the return of the Guru’s head, Gurdwara Sis Ganj, Gurdwara Bibangarh Sahib, and the spot where the sis was carried in a palki to Thara Sahib. Photographs of Gurdwara Sis Ganj in Delhi and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj, where Lakhi Shah Vanjara secretly cremated the Guru’s body by burning his own house, connect the narrative to present-day memorials.

The display also includes a painting of Guru Gobind Singh being anointed as the next leader of the community after his father’s martyrdom in Delhi.