Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the fifth guru of the Sikhs and he was the first of the two gurus who was martyred in the Sikh faith on June 16, 1606. Guru Arjan Dev Ji was born in 1563 in Goindval, Tarn Taran district. He died after being tortured by the Mughals. Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled the Adi Granth, the religious scripture of the Sikhs encompassing musical ragas and spiritual poetry. Later, it was installed at Harmandir Sahib and came to be known as the Guru Granth Sahib.

In 1606, Guru Arjan Dev was captured by Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The Mughal emperor imprisoned Guru Arjan Dev in Lahore Fort because of his increasing spread of Sikhism and also for his major influence among people. It is also believed that Jahangir ordered Guru Arjan Dev’s execution after he blessed the emperor's rebellious son Khusrau, which outraged the emperor. The guru was made to sit on a burning hot sheet or plate and hot sand was poured on him. He was taken for a bath in the river, after five days of torture. He was never seen again after he entered the river.

Thus, Guru Arjan Dev Ji Martyrdom Day or the Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Arjan Dev Ji is observed every year in the month of May or June. This year it will be observed on June 14. However, before observing the Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, one must know 5 important things about the fifth guru of Sikhs.

  • Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s maternal grandfather Guru Amardas and father Guru Ramdas were respectively the third and fourth Guru of the Sikhs.

  • Hargobind Singh, Guru Arjan Dev's son became the sixth guru of the Sikhs after him.

  • Guru Arjan Dev Ji completed the construction of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

  • In 1588 AD, Arjan Dev also prepared the map of the temple. The doors on all sides of the temple signify the acceptance of all four castes and religions.

  • Guru Arjan Dev was also the author of the well-known Sukhmani Sahib Bani. He also contributed more than 2,000 hymns himself, which was the largest collection of hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib.

According to the Hindu calendar, the Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Arjan Dev Ji or Guru Arjan Dev Ji Martyrdom Day is observed on Jeth Sudi 4, which is falling on June 14 this year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2021 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).