Mata Gujri

Mata Gujri
Mata Gujri
ਮਾਤਾ ਗੁਜਰੀ
	Newborn Gobind Rai cradled by Mata Gujari (top-right) during celebrations led by female musicians in Patna
Personal
Born	Gujri Subhiki; 1624; Kartarpur, Punjab, India
Died	1705 (aged 81); Sirhind, Punjab (present-day Fatehgarh Sahib)
Cause of death	Hypothermia
Religion	Sikhism
Spouse	Guru Tegh Bahadur (wedded on 4 February 1633)
Children	Guru Gobind Singh
Parents	Bhai Lal Chand Subhiki of Lakhnoor (father); Bibi Bishan Kaur (mother);

Mata Gujri (Gurmukhi: ਮਾਤਾ ਗੁਜਰੀ; mātā gujarī; 1624–1705), also spelt as Mata Gujari, was the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhism, and the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism.[1] She played a central role in the history of Sikhism and is one of the four consorts bestowed with the title of Guru-Mahal.[2]

Biography

Early life

Mata Gujri was born to Bhāī Lāl Chand, a Subhikkhī Khatri[3] and Bishan Kaur, who lived at Kartarpur.[4]

She was betrothed to Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1629 when he visited Kartarpur for the marriage celebrations of his brother, Suraj Mal. She married Guru Tegh Bahadur at Kartarpur on 4 February 1633 and joined her husband's family in Amritsar. In 1635 the family moved to Kiratpur and, on the death in 1644 of Guru Tegh Bahadur's father, Guru Hargobind, Mata Gujri moved with her husband and mother-in-law, Mata Nanaki, to Bakala, near Amritsar.[5]

Soon after he was installed as Guru in 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur founded a new village, which he called Chakk Nanaki, after his mother. The place, now a city, is now known as Anandpur Sahib. Not long after this, the Guru set out on a long journey, leaving his wife and mother-in-law at Patna.[4]

Painting by Trilok Singh in 1933 depicting Gobind Das with his mother Mata Gujri. This work is based upon a poem written on margins.

On 22 December 1666 Mata Gujri gave birth to Gobind Rai, who later became Guru Gobind Singh.[5] Guru Tegh Bahadur returned to Patna in 1670 and instructed the family to leave for Lakhnaur. Mata Gujri reached Lakhnaur on 13 September 1670 and was accompanied by the aged Mata Nanaki and her son, Guru Gobind Singh. At Lakhnaur, she stayed with her brother, Mehar Chand. After Lakhnaur, the family proceeded to Chakk Nanaki (now known as Anandpur Sahib) where Guru Tegh Bahadur rejoined them in March 1671. After the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the responsibility for managing the affairs of Chakk Nanaki fell to her at first as Guru Gobind Rai was still young. Her younger brother, Kirpal Chand, assisted her in this affair.

Later life

Painting of Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, after the Anandpur battle, reach Sirhind, where the princes, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, were executed by immurement, circa 19th century

During the evacuation of Anandpur during the Mughal siege of Anandpur in December 1704 or 1705, she was accompanied by Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh (younger two sons of Guru Gobind Singh) when they became separated from the main group of evacuees whilst crossing the Sarsa rivulet, as a battle took place between the Sikh evacuees and pursuing Mughal troops. A Brahmin servant, named Gangu, led Mata Gujri and her two younger grandchildren to his village named Saheri, located in present-day Ropar district.[6] He is said to have then deceitfully betrayed them to two Muslim officers of Morinda and the three were arrested on 8 December.[6] After this, they were confined to the Thanda Burj (cold tower) located at the fort of Sirhind. On the same day as the execution of the younger Sahibzades, Mata Gujri died in the cold tower.[6] Seth Todar Mal, whom was a benevolent and wealthy local of Sirhind, cremated the three the next day.[4][6]

It is said that Todar Mal Ji Jain of Sirhind paid heavy price of gold coins standing on their edge to recover the bodies of Mata Gujri and the Sahibzades.[7]

Legacy

Her father's ancestral village was Lakhnaur Sahib, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) south of Ambala in Haryana, where the road from Ambala to popular pilgrimage site of Gurudawara Lakhnaur Sahib was named after her by the BJP Government of Haryana in 2017.[8][4]

References

Citation

"ਗੁਜਰੀ ਮਾਤਾ - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪੀਡੀਆ" [Mata Gujri]. punjabipedia.org (in Punjabi). Retrieved 21 August 2022.
Gill, Mahinder Kaur (1992). The Guru Consorts. Radha Publications. p. 120. ISBN 9788185484112. Mata Bhani, Mata Ganga, Mata Kishan Kaur and Mata Gujri, are the four consorts who were honoured as the Guru Mahals.
Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 619. ISBN 978-81-269-0858-5. ...Gujri, the daughter of Lal Chand, a Subhikhi Khatri of Lakhnaur near Ambala who had migrated and settled at Kartarpur.
The encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 2. Harbans Singh. Patiala: Punjabi University. 1992–1998. pp. 113–114. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Banerjee, A. C. "GUJARĪ, MĀTĀ (1624-1705)". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Vol. 2. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 839. ISBN 9788126908585.
Dahiya 2014, p. 185.
Praveen Arora, "Varsity to be named after Guru Gobind Singh, says Khattar", The Tribune, 12 February 2017.

Sources

Dahiya, Amardeep S. (2014), Founder of the Khalsa: The Life and Times of Guru Gobind Singh, ISBN 978-93-81398-53-1

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[1] "ਗੁਜਰੀ ਮਾਤਾ - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪੀਡੀਆ" [Mata Gujri]. punjabipedia.org (in Punjabi). Retrieved 21 August 2022.

[2] Gill, Mahinder Kaur (1992). The Guru Consorts. Radha Publications. p. 120. ISBN 9788185484112. Mata Bhani, Mata Ganga, Mata Kishan Kaur and Mata Gujri, are the four consorts who were honoured as the Guru Mahals.

[3] Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 619. ISBN 978-81-269-0858-5. ...Gujri, the daughter of Lal Chand, a Subhikhi Khatri of Lakhnaur near Ambala who had migrated and settled at Kartarpur.

[:0-4] The encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 2. Harbans Singh. Patiala: Punjabi University. 1992–1998. pp. 113–114. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[eos-5] Banerjee, A. C. "GUJARĪ, MĀTĀ (1624-1705)". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. Retrieved 30 March 2016.

[:1-6] Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Vol. 2. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 839. ISBN 9788126908585.

[FOOTNOTEDahiya2014185-7] Dahiya 2014, p. 185.

[ls1-8] Praveen Arora, "Varsity to be named after Guru Gobind Singh, says Khattar", The Tribune, 12 February 2017.