It is also said that the Guru’s promise of protection to the persecuted Kashmiri Pandits also led to his being summoned to Delhi by the Emperor. This is said to have distressed the Mughal Emperor.

The Guru attracted huge numbers of devotees and followers.

He founded the city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab in 1665.

He wrote the Saloks, 116 shabads and 15 ragas.

Guru Tegh Bahadur composed many hymns that were added to the Guru Granth Sahib.

In 1672, he visited Kashmir where he saw the persecution of non-Muslims.

In 1668 in Assam, he was able to preach a treaty between the King of Ahom and Raja Ram Singh of Amber who was sent there by Aurangzeb.

He started community water wells and langars (community kitchen for the poor and hungry).

Guru Tegh Bahadur travelled far and wide visiting many places in northern India and also Assam and Dhaka, preaching the word of Guru Nanak.

Accordingly, in August 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur was anointed the ninth Guru of the Sikhs.

This convinced Labana that he was indeed the Sikh Guru and he made it public to the world. When Tegh Bahadur was given the 2 gold coins, he said that it fell short of what was originally prayed and promised by Labana.

He arrived in Bakala and offered 2 gold coins to each person claiming to be the ninth Guru. Labana had once offered 500 gold coins to the Sikh Guru if his life was spared.

As per Sikh tradition, Guru Tegh Bahadur was confirmed as the real Guru through a story involving a wealthy merchant Baba Makhan Shah Labana.

This was followed by many ‘pretenders’ in Bakala each claiming to be the Guru. Before his death, Guru Har Kishan had pronounced that the next Guru would be found in Bakala.

After that, there was confusion as to who would become the ninth Guru.

Har Kishan, however, died of a disease at the age of 7 in 1664. After Har Rai’s death at the age of 31, his son Har Kishan became the seventh Guru at the age of five.

So, Guru Hargobind elected his grandson Guru Har Rai as his successor.

Tegh Bahadur’s father had not chosen him as his successor as he felt that the Sikhs at that time needed a worldly leader and his son had chosen the path of renunciation.

In 1656, they moved to the village of Bakala where Tegh Bahadur would spend a lot of time in contemplation and prayers. But despite being an able fighter alongside his father in different battles, he seemed to choose a path of renunciation and meditation.

As a child, Guru Tegh Bahadur was trained in martial arts, swordsmanship and horse riding.

His parents were Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanaki.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was born on 1 April 1621 in Amritsar and was named Tyaga Mal at birth.

Sri Akhand Path was inaugurated at Gurdwara Guru Ke Mahal, the birthplace of the ninth Sikh guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, to mark the 400 th Prakash Purab (birth centenary) of the Guru.

Path by guru teg bahadur ji