Guru Govind Singh Jayanti(20th January 2021) is dedicated to the 10th Sikh Guru Govind Singh’s birthday. He was born on December 22, 1666, at Patna. The annual celebration of the Guru’s birthday is based on the Hindu Lunar calendar. This is an important festival for Sikh Religion. This Special day witnessed large rally & special prayers gathering in Gurudwaras. Special free langar is distributed in Gurudwaras & people volunteered themselves for the services in memory of the tenth Guru.

Early Childhood

Guru Govind Singh was the 10th Sikh Guru of Nanak. He was born at Patna, Bihar, India on December 22, 1666. The annual celebration of the Guru's birthday is based on the Nanakshahi calendar. They initially used to stay in Patna. The place where they stayed is now marked as a shrine called Takht Sri Patna Harimandar Sahib. His family returned to Punjab in 1670, and two years later they moved to Chakk Nanaki in the Himalayan foothills of north India where he had completed his school education. Govind Singh's father Tegh Bahadur founded the city of Chakk Nanaki, also known as Anandpur Sahib, in 1665. In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur – his father was beheaded on the orders of Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam.

Contributions of Guru Govind Singh To The Sikh Community

He became Nanak (Sikh Guru) at nine years of age; when his father Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his life to protect the religious freedom of Hindus. He followed his father’s footsteps and became one of the greatest spiritual leaders and warriors of ancient India. He fought fourteen wars against the Mughal Empire with great objectives like neither out of a wish for revenge nor for greed nor for any destructive goals. His four sons died during his lifetime in Mughal-Sikh wars; two in battle, two executed by the Mughal army. It was his dedication to God, his fearlessness and his desire to protect the people from being oppressed that led Guru Govind Singh Ji to establish the “Khalsa” which followed a strict moral code and spiritual discipline. Apart from spiritual & military leadership; he was a gifted poet & philosopher. He wrote lots of devotional and inspirational songs to motivate Sikhs against injustice. He declared the Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhism’s Holy Scripture to be the permanent Sikh Guru. Before his death in 1708, he declared the Guru Granth Sahib, which is Sikhism's Holy Scripture to be the permanent Sikh Guru. Guru Govind Singh had three wives. At the age of 10, he married Mata Jito. They had three sons: Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh, and Fateh Singh. At the age of 17, he married Mata Sundari. The couple had one son, Ajit Singh. At the age of 33, he married Mata Sahib Devan who played an influential role for Sikhism. Guru Govind Singh named her as the Mother of the Khalsa.

Many people follow his believes and consider him as their guide and teacher. Hence, the birthday of Guru Govind Singh is celebrated with a lot of pomp and show.