KASHMIRI PANDITS HONOUR GURU TEGH BAHADUR’S SUPREME SACRIFICE

Kashmiri Pandits mark Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom with deep gratitude and remembrance.

- TARUNI GANDHI

More than 400 Kashmiri Pandits families join in the 350th martyrdom commemoration of Guru Tegh Bahadur in Srinagar opened with astrongand emotional presence of the Kashmiri Pandit community, whose ancestors had once travelled across the mountains to seek the Ninth Sikh Guru's protection.

The two-day observance began at Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi on18 November withagrand kirtan samagam, setting the tone for a wider series of events that link Kashmir, Punjab and Sikh history through shared memory and gratitude.

The commemoration carries special significance for Kashmiri Pandits, whose historical connection to Guru Tegh Bahadur is central to the narrative of his martyrdom. In the late seventeenth century, when they faced coercion and forced conversions under the Mughal governor of Kashmir, a delegation led by Pandit Kirpa Ram reached Anandpur Sahib to seek the Guru's intervention. Guru Tegh Bahadut’s decision to stand for their right to practise their faith without fear eventually led to his arrest and execution in Delhi in 1678. That sacrifice remains a defining moment for the community and continues toshape their reverence for the Guru's legacy.