India! Her Glorious Spiritual Heritage!!

Satnam Shri Waheguru Ji Human history is full of instances of great men laying down their lives in defence of their faith and their country. But there is probably only one instance in entire history of a great man who gave his head for protecting a faith different from his own! This is the glorious sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of the Sikhs, in defence of Hinduism. The magnificent aspect of Guruji's sacrifice is that he represented a faith (Sikhism) which denounced certain Hindu practices like idol worship, casteism and purdah, but still he offered his life for ensuring that Hindus get to practice their faith! Guruji was born in Amritsar, Punjab on 1 April, 1621 to the 6th Sikh guru Guru Hargobind. His childhood name was Tyag Mal (Master of Renunciation). He was brought up in Sikh culture and trained in archery and horsemanship. He was also taught the old classics such as the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas. Only 13 years old, he asked his fathe...

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh On a visit to Sri Harmandir Sahib (also known as Golden Temple, Amritsar), the holiest place of the Sikhs, one comes across a most unique sight. A shrine on the north-east corner of the Parkrama, adjacent to the holy Sarovar, dedicated to a warrior who holds his severed head on one hand while fighting with the other! This is the unbelievable but true story of Baba Deep Singh, one of the most honored martyrs in Sikh history. Deep Singh was born in 1682 CE in Amritsar district. He went to Anandpur Sahib on the day of Vaisakhi in 1699, where he was baptised into Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh (the 10th Guru of the Sikhs), through the Amrit Sanchar (ceremonial initiation into Khalsa). As a youth, he spent considerable time in close companionship of Guruji, learning weaponry, riding and other martial skills. He also learnt reading and writing Gurmukhi and the interpretation of the Gurus' words, and started helping in making co...