Saka Sirhind: the shaheedi of the Chhote Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji

Saka Sirhind remembers the martyrdom in December 1704 of the two youngest sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Baba Zorawar Singh Ji, aged nine, and Baba Fateh Singh Ji, aged six, and of their grandmother, Mata Gujri Ji. It is among the most sorrowful days in the Sikh year.

Betrayed

When the Guru's family was scattered at the flooded Sirsa river, Mata Gujri Ji and the two youngest Sahibzade were separated from the rest. Their former cook, Gangu, offered them shelter in his village, Saheri, and then betrayed them to the authorities for a reward. They were taken to Sirhind and held in the Thanda Burj, an open tower, through bitter winter nights. Tradition remembers that Bhai Moti Ram Mehra, a servant in the governor's kitchens, risked his life to bring them milk.

The court of Wazir Khan

The Sahibzade were brought before Wazir Khan, the governor of Sirhind, and offered wealth and safety if they would give up their faith. They refused, entering the court with a loud Fateh. Sher Mohammad Khan, the Nawab of Malerkotla, protested that children should not be punished for their father, a protest Sikhs still honour as the haa da naara. The governor ordered them to be bricked alive into a wall; when the wall collapsed, they were put to death. On hearing the news, Mata Gujri Ji passed away in the tower.

How the day is remembered

Diwan Todar Mal, a wealthy merchant, bought the land for their cremation by covering it with gold coins. Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib marks the place, and Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup the cremation. The Shaheedi Jorh Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib draws vast sangats, and many families keep the week simply, in remembrance.