Saka at Sirhand             During the battle at the Sursa River, Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s mother, Mata Gujri Ji and his two youngest sons, Baba Zoravar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh were separated from the rest of the Sikhs. They walked all day through a thick jungle until they finally met a Brahmin named Gangu.             Gangu had stayed in Anandpur and served the Guru before. He asked Mata Gujri Ji to come to his nearby village of Kheri where they could stay and hide from the army. Mata Gujri Ji accepted the invitation. Gangu saw that Mata Gujri Ji had a bag with some money in it. His mind went corrupt, during the night, while everyone was sleeping, Gangu snuck into the room and stole the money.               In the morning, When Mata Gujri Ji saw that the money was missing, she asked Gangu if he knew what happened to it. Gangu started to get defensive and make a big scene. Mata Gujri Ji tried to calm him down, but he would not listen to anyone.              He went to the village of Morinda and told the officials that the Guru’s mother and two young sons are at my home. The officials came and arrested Mata Gujri Ji and her two grandsons and kept them overnight in the Morinda jail. The following day, on December 24, 1704, they were taken to Sirhand.             In Sirhand, Wazir Khan, the governor ordered that they stay the night in a tower. This was a type of torture because there were no closed walls on the tower, so it was very cold and they were given no blankets or food to eat.             The following morning, on December 25, 1704, the soldiers came to take the two young boys to see the governor. Mata Gujri told them, “You are the grandchildren of Guru Teg Buhadur Ji and the sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Do not say or do anything that will tarnish the name of the Guru.”             The two brothers were taken to Wazir Khan’s court. The guard told them to bow to the governor, but they refused. Instead, they both shouted together, “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!”             Sucha Nand, a Brahmin minister told the boys that they are supposed to bow to the governor. Baba Zoravar Singh responded, “No! We will only bow to our Guru and nobody else!”             Wazir Khan tried to scare the children, he said, “Your father and two elder brothers have been killed, you are left orphans with no one to care for you.”             Baba Zoravar Singh answered, “Nobody can kill our father because our real father is God who never dies. Also, you cannot kill all of our brothers because we have taken amrit and all of the Sikhs are our brothers.”             Everyone was amazed at the amount of courage these two young children were showing. Wazir Khan told the boys that he would give them a day to think about converting to Islam. They were taken back to the tower.             The next day they were brought back to Wazir Khan’s court. However, today the main gates were closed and the boys were told that they must enter through a small little door. It was a trick – the door was really short and the only way to enter it was by bending your head down. When the boys would enter with their head bent down, it would look like they are bowing to Wazir Khan.             The two brothers figured out this trick, instead of bending their heads, they bent their knees and entered the court. Wazir Khan was very impressed with how smart the boys were. He asked the boys if they were willing to convert. They again refused. He tried to bribe them by saying that he would give them a lot of wealth and land. He even said that when they get older, he would marry them to princesses, but they still refused.             Then on the third day, Wazir Khan told them that this was their final chance, do they want to live or die? The boys decided to die.             They were bricked alive up to their shoulders and then they were beheaded. Thus, Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s two youngest sons also became martyrs. In the meantime, Mata Gujri Ji sat down and started to meditate and during her meditation she too passed away.             Today there are a few Gurdwaras built in memory of this event: Gurdwara Fatehgarh Saheb – Where the Sahebzades were beheaded Gurdwara Mata Gujri’s Burj – Where Mata Gujri Ji breathed her last Gurdwara Joti Suroop – Where the Sahebzades and Mata Gujri Ji were cremated                  Back to Main Page   | Gurmat Studies Foundation | Guru Nanak Academy | Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Gatka Akhara | Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!