Guru from 1606 to 1644, the longest tenure of the ten: two swords of miri and piri, the Akal Takht raised, and the release from Gwalior kept as Bandi Chhor Divas.
Guru Hargobind (1595 to 1644) was the sixth Sikh Guru, who took the Guruship at eleven immediately after his father Guru Arjan's execution and held it for thirty-eight years, the longest of the ten. He wore two swords representing miri and piri, temporal and spiritual authority, raised the Akal Takht facing the Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar, and fought four battles against Mughal forces. He contributed no composition to the Guru Granth Sahib.
| Born | 1595 at Guru Ki Wadali, near Amritsar, Punjab |
|---|---|
| Died | 1644 at Kiratpur Sahib, Punjab |
| Guruship | 1606 to 1644, the longest tenure of the ten, taken at the age of eleven |
| Preceded by | Guru Arjan, his father, executed at Lahore |
| Succeeded by | Guru Har Rai, his grandson |
| In the Guru Granth Sahib | None. Guru Hargobind contributed no composition to the volume |
| Gurpurab | Bandi Chhor Divas, marking the Gwalior release, falls at Diwali and moves with the lunar calendar |
| Known for | The two swords of miri and piri, raising the Akal Takht, and the release from Gwalior kept as Bandi Chhor Divas |
Guru Hargobind became Guru in 1606, a child, days after his father had been tortured to death at Lahore. Sikh accounts have Guru Arjan sending word that his son should sit fully armed upon the throne, and what followed was the sharpest change of direction in Sikh history. At his succession he asked for two swords rather than the woollen cord of his predecessors, and named them: miri for temporal power, piri for spiritual. The community that had been contemplative would now also be able to defend itself.
The Akal Takht, the Throne of the Timeless, was raised at Amritsar in the early 1600s directly facing the Harmandir Sahib. The pairing is the argument. The shrine holds the Guru's word; the Takht is where the community's decisions are taken and its edicts issued, and it was deliberately built higher than any platform an emperor sat on. From it Guru Hargobind heard petitions, and it remains the highest seat of temporal authority in Sikhi, the first of the five Takhts.
He was imprisoned in the fort at Gwalior by Jahangir, for a period the sources give variously as somewhere between a few months and twelve years. The story of his release is the one every Sikh child learns. Told he could go free, he refused to leave unless the other princes held there were released with him, and the emperor's condition was that only those who could hold his cloak might follow. He had a cloak made with fifty-two tassels, and all of them walked out. The day is kept as Bandi Chhor Divas, the day of the release of prisoners, and it falls at Diwali, which is why the Golden Temple is lit.
He fought four battles against Mughal forces, built the fort of Lohgarh at Amritsar, kept a body of horsemen, and moved his seat to Kiratpur in the Shivalik foothills in later life. He composed no hymns that stand in the Guru Granth Sahib, which is true of him and of the two Gurus who followed, and is a fact readers are often surprised by. His contribution was structural rather than textual.
The two swords worn at his succession in 1606, and the doctrine they carry.
| Sword | What it represents |
|---|---|
| Miri | Temporal authority: the right and duty of the community to govern its own affairs and defend itself |
| Piri | Spiritual authority: the Guru's word and the inner life, which the temporal power exists to protect |
A Takht is a seat of temporal authority, not merely a large gurudwara. Guru Hargobind raised the first.
| Takht | Where | Why it is a Takht |
|---|---|---|
| Akal Takht | Amritsar, facing the Harmandir Sahib | Raised by Guru Hargobind in the early 1600s; the highest seat of Sikh temporal authority |
| Takht Sri Patna Sahib | Patna, Bihar | The birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh in 1666 |
| Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib | Anandpur Sahib, Punjab | Where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699 |
| Takht Sri Damdama Sahib | Talwandi Sabo, Punjab | Where the final recension of the Guru Granth Sahib was prepared |
| Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib | Nanded, Maharashtra | Where Guru Gobind Singh died in 1708 and conferred the Guruship on the Guru Granth Sahib |
The length of the Gwalior imprisonment is not settled. Sources give it as anything from a few months to twelve years, and the year of release is variously placed in the late 1610s, which is why this page gives it as approximate. The number of princes released with him is given as fifty-two with unusual consistency, but that figure too comes from tradition rather than from record. The Akal Takht's founding is dated 1606 by some sources and 1609 by others. What is not in dispute is the substance: the imprisonment happened, the release was conditional on the other prisoners going free, and Bandi Chhor Divas has been kept ever since.
Sevahey sells nothing connected to Guru Hargobind and publishes no image of him. Kiratpur Sahib, where he died, and Guru Ki Wadali, where he was born, are not among the gurudwaras on Sevahey. Sevahey has no standing before the Akal Takht, takes no position on matters it rules on, and cannot present a petition or represent anyone there.
The Akal Takht that Guru Hargobind raised stands inside the Golden Temple complex, facing the shrine, and an ardas at the Golden Temple is offered within sight of it. A verified Sevak requests it in your name and gotra before the Guru Granth Sahib, receives the hukamnama read afterward, and sends you same-day proof. Families abroad most often ask at Bandi Chhor Divas, when the complex is lit and they would have travelled.
Guru Hargobind (1595 to 1644) was the sixth Sikh Guru, who succeeded at the age of eleven immediately after his father Guru Arjan's execution and held the Guruship for thirty-eight years, the longest of the ten. He wore two swords representing miri and piri, raised the Akal Takht at Amritsar, and fought four battles against Mughal forces.
Miri is temporal authority, the right and duty of the community to govern its own affairs and defend itself. Piri is spiritual authority, the Guru's word and the inner life. Guru Hargobind took two swords at his succession in 1606 to carry both, marking the change from a purely contemplative community to one that would also bear arms.
Bandi Chhor Divas, the day of the release of prisoners, marks Guru Hargobind's release from the fort at Gwalior. Told he could go free, he refused unless the princes imprisoned with him were freed too, and the emperor's condition was that only those holding his cloak could follow. He had a cloak made with fifty-two tassels. The day falls at Diwali, which is why the Golden Temple is lit.
Because his father Guru Arjan had been tortured to death at Lahore days before his succession, and Sikh accounts have Guru Arjan sending word that his son should sit armed upon the throne. Guru Hargobind asked for two swords rather than the woollen cord of his predecessors, and the community that had been contemplative became one able to defend itself.
No. Guru Hargobind contributed no composition to the volume, and the same is true of the two Gurus who followed him, Guru Har Rai and Guru Har Krishan. His contribution was structural rather than textual: the two swords, the Akal Takht, the fort at Lohgarh, and the reorganisation of the community for its own defence.
The Akal Takht, the Throne of the Timeless, was raised by Guru Hargobind at Amritsar facing the Harmandir Sahib. A Takht is a seat of temporal authority rather than merely a large gurudwara: the shrine holds the Guru's word, while the Takht is where the community's decisions are taken and its edicts issued. It is the first and highest of the five Takhts.
The sources do not agree, giving anything from a few months to twelve years, and the year of release is variously placed in the late 1610s. The number of princes released with him is given as fifty-two with unusual consistency, though that too comes from tradition rather than record. The imprisonment and the conditional release themselves are not in dispute.
No. Sevahey has no standing before the Akal Takht, takes no position on matters it rules on, and cannot present a petition or represent anyone there. What a verified Sevak can do is request an ardas in your name at the Golden Temple, within sight of the Takht Guru Hargobind raised, and send you the hukamnama and same-day proof.
Choose the gurudwara, name your sankalp, receive the proof.
* Sevahey publishes no image of a Guru. A full seva is ₹899; sevas start from ₹251. Sevahey is a service platform and does not promise a spiritual, medical, financial, legal, or personal outcome from any prayer or ritual.