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4 Sons of Guru Gobind Singh

Posted by & filed under 10-Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh History.
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The Flourishing City of Anandpur Sahib

In the late seventeenth century, the city of Anandpur Sahib prospered and grew under the inspired leadership of the Tenth Guru, Siri Guru Gobind Singh ji Maharaj. Artists, poets, merchants, and devoted Sikhs swelled the population of Anandpur into a flourishing community. When the Guru established the Khalsa at Baisakhi 1699, the human spirit emerged in its most beautiful form and more than eighty thousand flocked to the brotherhood of the Khalsa. In Anandpur, no longer was man bound by the shackles of caste or prejudice but lived free in dignity and strength. This was an unparalleled time of exaltation of the human spirit.

The Sahibzadas: Sons of Guru Gobind Singh

Guru’s four young sons, the Sahibzadas, lived with their parents in the city of Anandpur: Baba Ajit Singh, Baba Jujhar Singh, Baba Zorawar Singh, and Baba Fateh Singh. They learned the skills of a soldier, a saint, a scholar, and a statesman at the feet of their glorious father. Every evening, they would gather their friends and practice the arts of swords and archery. As their skill grew, so did the love and pride of their father, Guru Gobind Singh. The two eldest boys took Amrit and joined the brotherhood of the Khalsa.

The Growing Threat of the Moghuls

The Moghul rulers looked with disapproval on what was happening in Anandpur. The Sikhs were growing in strength and numbers. Emperor Aurangzeb feared that the Guru and his Khalsa would threaten his tyrannical rule in Northern India. He commanded his generals to put an end to the Khalsa and raze the city of Anandpur.

The First Attack on Anandpur Sahib (1695)

The first attack on Anandpur Sahib was in the winter of 1695. The Guru called his 17-year-old son, Ajit Singh, and told him to hold the part of the city known as Keshgarh. He dispatched his other generals to defend the other forts around the city, and Bhai Daya Singh guarded the northern ramparts of the Anandpur Fort. The brave Sikhs defended the city and drove the Moghuls away in a sound defeat. However, this only hardened the Emperor’s resolve, and other wars followed between 1700 and 1704, with the last one ending in a prolonged and brutal siege.

The Siege of Anandpur Sahib (1700-1704)

The Muslims and the Hindu hill rajas completely surrounded the city and cut it off from outside supplies. The strategy of the Moghuls was to tighten the noose of siege on the city until the will of the Sikhs was broken. With the food supplies exhausted, the Sikhs suffered greatly. They ate bark and leaves in desperation. Despite their suffering, the Sikhs continued to resist, even sneaking into enemy camps at night to obtain supplies.

Aurangzeb’s False Promise and the Escape from Anandpur Sahib (1704)

Aurangzeb sent a message to the Guru, promising safe passage if he and his army left the city. Though Guru Gobind Singh knew it was a trap, he reluctantly agreed to leave the fort after repeated requests from his family and advisors. On a stormy night, December 20, 1704, Guru Gobind Singh, his family, and followers left the fort of Anandpur Sahib, only to be ambushed by the Moghul army while crossing the Sirsa River.

The Battle of Chamkaur (1704)

Separated from his family, Guru Gobind Singh and his two elder sons, Baba Ajit Singh and Baba Jujhar Singh, along with forty Sikhs, took shelter in a small mud fort in Chamkaur. With the Moghul army surrounding them, the Sikhs devised a new pattern of fighting. In the ensuing battle, Baba Ajit Singh (17) and Baba Jujhar Singh (14) courageously fought and gave their lives.

The Guru’s Escape and the Martyrdom of the Younger Sahibzadas

Guru Gobind Singh was convinced by his Sikhs to leave the fort. The Guru managed to escape, but his younger sons, Baba Zorawar Singh (9) and Baba Fateh Singh (7), were betrayed by a family servant and captured by the Moghul forces. The young Sahibzadas were imprisoned and later bricked alive for refusing to convert to Islam.

The Zafarnama: Guru Gobind Singh’s Letter to Aurangzeb

After hearing of his sons’ martyrdom, Guru Gobind Singh wrote the Zafarnama, a letter to Aurangzeb, condemning his cruelty and deceit. In the letter, the Guru asserted the righteousness of the Khalsa and the futility of Aurangzeb’s tyranny.

The Khalsa Endures

Despite the tremendous loss, the spirit of the Khalsa remained unbroken. Guru Gobind Singh’s leadership, courage, and vision continued to inspire the Sikh community. The bravery and sacrifice of the Sahibzadas became a symbol of strength for generations to come.

Waheguru ji ka khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh

—

I’ve added subtitles throughout to make the story flow better. Let me know if you’d like any changes!

This post was originally published in 2014.

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56 thoughts on “4 Sons of Guru Gobind Singh”

  1. HYJULIX says:

    ty for that information that is the most great information about sikhisam I am from Korea I don’t know that much about Indian culture but I always search online and figure out about this information one more time ty fot this information .

  2. Suresh PANDYA says:

    Awesome and spell bounding tell of extraordinary bravery , valour and love for religion . In history there would probably few parallel acts of heroism and love for one’s faith and religion . It also exposes henious and inhuman rule of Aurangzeb in his time . What atrocites in name of religion & all in the name of religion !!

  3. Naresh Kargathra says:

    Thank you Modiji for selecting Baal Diwas on 26 December in tribute to the four brave sons of Guru Govind Singh. This will be an inspiration to every son and daughter of Bharat. Jai Hind.

  4. Mangi Agarwal says:

    It is so good to read and learn about Guru Govind Singh and his four young brave sons. I feel so proud of their sacrifice. I will remain indebted.

  5. Ajit jaitely says:

    Koti koti naman, Dasham pita Guru Gobind Singh ji.
    The whole family sacrificed their present so that we may live our future.

  6. Mruthunjaya Reddy says:

    Ek omkaar
    Sat nam shri wahe guru!
    I am glad that I read this article (at least now) about Guru Gobind Singh and his great sons and feel proud of their bravery.
    At the same time, I am also shocked how several generations were made to read about Mughals ruling India, but not much about bravery of several Indian rulers.

  7. Sanjay Mishra says:

    गुरु गोविंद सिंह जी के चार पुत्र जिन्होंने बाल अवस्था में अपना बलिदान दिया, १४ नवंबर उनको समर्पित

  9. Vikas says:

    Ek omkaar
    Sat nam shri wahe guru!
    Wahe guru da khalsa, wahe guru di fateh

    I am from Maharashtra, and since childhood I have had very very healthy reverence to all ten gurus beginning with Guru Nanak Dev ji.
    The Sikh religion is very similar to Hindu adwait philosophy. Hindus and Sikhs are brothers in religion, culture, language and traditions. Elder sons of many Hindu families were offered to the gurus services to be a Sikh. The valour of the Sikhs is unparalleled and their sacrifice is inspiring. Hindus are indebted to them and can never forget this bond of blood and love.

  11. RAMA S KRISHNAN says:

    Dec 26 tomorrow, Many Pranams to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s valorous children who sacrificed their lives for protecting Dharma and to prevent Islamization of Bharat. Hindus are every obligated to the sacrifices of Sikhs.

  12. JAZZ says:

    But I was much surprised to read that even Hindu Hill Rajas conspired with Mughals and besieged Anandpur Sahib.
    Also the betrayal of Guru’s Hindu servant Gangu who deceived Mata Gujriji and her 2 grandsons when he brought them home with sweet loyal words just to hand them over to Mughals in exchange of few gold coins.

  14. R p singh says:

    How ignorant we are about the sikh history. These things should be taught in school so that we can take pride in the real heroes of this country..

  15. H.K. Chaudhary says:

    Sikh history is the glorious chapter in the recent history of the country. Their bravery and sacrifice against a much greater army of mughals is legendary and will continue to inspire Indians. Guru’s prophecy has become true. Mughals were uprooted from this country.

  17. Lalit says:

    Guru Gobind Singh were great and so do his family. Read this first time on internet. This is really unfortunate that such great act of bravery are not part of academic studies. To appease some community and votes, our kids are left to search history of such genuine heroes on internet.

  19. DHARMENDRA PAL SINGH says:

    EXTREME BRAVERY. SECOND TO NONE.
    SHAT SHAT NAMAN TO BRAVE GURU AND HIS BRAVE SONS.
    WHY HAS THIS ALL BEEN HIDDEN IN THE HISTORY BOOKS OF SCHOOLS?

  22. G R Thapliyal says:

    Great heroes ,brave sons and family who
    has given the supreme sacrifice for the security of people and defence of their motherland. Jai Guru Govind Singh ji

  25. Harsha says:

    Very inspiring and courageous, interesting and very good story each and every kid should read this and every kid should know about Guru Gobind Singhji’s sons.

  26. Raghbir Singh says:

    Sikhs can defeat the world if they unite. Their infighting leads them no where. The opportunistic in the Akali betraying the Sikhs of Guru Gobind Singh Ji

  27. Anupam Kishore Prasad says:

    The providence of Lord God the Great cannot be judjed by human acumen. The same fate was met by the sons of Bahadur Shah Jafar in the hands of Britishers.And rightly forecast by the Great Guru Govind Singh Sahib that Mughal would be routed out like weeds. Wahe Guru ki Khalsa and Wahe Guru ki Ftah!…..

    • Jasbeer Kaur Sandhu says:

      I was so offended by a remark! A reminder of the youngest sons sacrifice! Gave me courage! felt a sense of shame to be proven to be a wimp, a Sikh women over 40 years and not stand my ground!

  29. Umrao SinghRawat says:

    We bow down the brave Sahabjadas who had sacrified their innocent lives for the sake of motherhood and religion and against the cruel monster who was our enemy. We are proud of them. we have no words for the kindness of Guru Govind Singh.

  32. Balvinder Singh says:

    Wahey Guru da khalsa wahey guru ki fateh…We must not do any work which goes against the principles propounded by our Great Guru Gobind Singh ji

  33. Ravindra Deshpande says:

    My son Pushkar & I read the beautiful article. Pushkar was reminded of Shivaji Maharaj going out of siege of Panhalgarh fort, in the same way as Guru Gobind Singhji went out of the siege. We must teach our history, sacrifices by the great spiritual, political leaders to our next generations. Let’s all learn lessons from our history as these will guide our present and future.

  36. Jaspal Singh Panesar says:

    Very emotional and motivational history of our Guru. Can I have reply on my querry that who cremated elder sons (Baba Ajit Singh and Baba Jujhar Singh) of Guru Gobind Singh Ji after they laid down their lives for the sake of nation and sikhism in the battle of chamkaur.

  37. BHASI BAHULEYAN says:

    Chivalrous four sons along with Guru were betrayed. The history has to be known to the general public of other religions.

  38. vishal kairwal choudry singh says:

    10 lakh mugal faj aur hum 40 sikh unpe jeeth paiye and 12000 pattaan aur hum 21 sikh unko b maar bagayaya tho sounch vichaar karo hamare guru wone jo hum ko sikayaa….. jo kahe soh nihaal sah sri akal wahe guru ji kalsa wahe guru ji fatet aur hum sikh kisi se kumm nahi

  40. Rajwant Sandhu says:

    Beautiful and inspiring story. Worthy sons of a worthy father. They are immortal and will live forever in our hearts and minds.

  41. Khurafati Nitin says:

    Wahe Guru Ji Da Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Di Fateh !
    Chidiyaan naal je baaz ladaawaan, taa Guru Gobind Singh naam dharaawaan ! Jo Bole Sau Nihaal, Sat Sri Akal ! Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his son’s sacrifices can never be forgotten.

  43. S. Gupta says:

    Nice information I appreciate your article. Guru Govind Ji god for us. Hope this article help me in future.
    Guru Govind Ji’s History are very inspirational. every Indian should know about Guru Govind Ji.
    Thanks

  44. Neeraj Bali says:

    Greatest sacrifice in the history till now and will continue till eternity. Our past, present and future generations will always be indebted to them.

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