How the body of Guru Teg Bahadur ji was cremated

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Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib as I recall of old times in 1950s

After Partition, our family settled in Panipat, where my father began working as a Rashan (grocery) Inspector. Those were the years when we, my parents, four sisters and I grew up, went to schools/colleges, and spent our childhood. Because all three of my Masis lived in Delhi, we frequently travelled from Panipat to visit our maternal family.

The old Bus stop was just attatched to Old Delhi Railway Station

In those days, the Delhi interstate bus stop was right next to what is now the Old Delhi Railway Station before it moved to Kashmere Gate in 1976. We almost always travelled by bus, rarely by train. But the important part was what happened after we arrived. Every visit to Delhi had a familiar, almost sacred routine: as soon as we alighted from the bus, we would walk through the large park near the Delhi Public Library, cross over, and make our way straight to Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib (Delhi).

I also fondly remember travelling on the electric tram that once ran through Chandni Chowk, passing right alongside Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. It was always packed with people, and the narrow street often overflowed with crowds. At times the tram driver had to keep ringing the hand bell, and occasionally even push the crowd aside to make way. Those sights, sounds, and moments remain etched in my mind, timeless memories of an era long gone.

My connection with Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib stretches back to those early teenage years. In earlier days, Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib was the most visited by devotees of Delhi and New Delhi. My Dad would often go to Chandni Chowk a famous bazar since Mughal days to shop, while we spent time in the gurdwara. 

Roamer Swiss wrist Watch of my Dad

My dad also had a special affection for the small shops on the ground floor of Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. In 1954, he purchased a Roamer Swiss wristwatch for Rs 100 (a handsome amount for those days) from one of those watch sellers. Remarkably, that watch shown above is still working today, a quiet reminder of his choices, his simplicity, and those cherished visits. I, today, took two photos of it, just two minutes apart, and even after all these decades, its hands still move with the same steady rhythm. It feels as if time itself has been carrying forward the warmth of those memories.

Orignal tree trunk under which Guru Ji took the last bath.

The trunk of the original tree under which Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s head was severed, along with the historic well from which he bathed during his imprisonment, are both preserved within Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Chandni Chowk, Delhi.

We always partook in the langar, which in those days was not as large or elaborate as today, served mostly on the upper floor, while the Jodā Ghar was down below, almost like a basement.

It was there, in that sacred space, that my father first introduced me to the powerful and moving stories of the Sikh Gurus, especially the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. I vividly remember how we would matha-teko near the old banyan tree preserved below the main Palki Sahib, where the execution took place and how reverently my father explained its significance to me.

Those walks, those lessons, and those early Darshan’s at gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib shaped my lifelong emotional connection to the story of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji’s supreme sacrifice. 

An image where when Guru Teg Bahadur ji’s body was secretly recovered and cremated wth a Master Plan, while his sacred sweared head was smartly recovered and carried to his home in Anandpur Sahib

At the moment of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s execution, a fierce dust storm struck Delhi, turning the sky black and throwing Chandni Chowk into chaos. In that confusion, Bhai Jaita Ji swiftly wrapped the Guru’s sacred head in a cloth and escaped from the city.

The place where Guru Ji was matured is Sis Ganj Sahib Gurdwara Sahib, Chandni Chowk, Delhi.

Nearby, Bhai Uda, disguised as a Muslim, waited for a chance to rescue the Guru’s body. When the storm calmed, the Mughals deceptively announced that any devotee could take the body, hoping to catch and punish whoever came forward. But no one dared.

Bhai Jaita hurriedly but safely and respectfully picking the sacred head from the site.

That evening, Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara, returning with nearly a hundred empty carts, was approached by Bhai Uda. Together they drove their carts to the execution site. The strong smell of lime from the carts forced the guards to step aside, allowing them to quietly lift the unattended body and place it on a cart.

Bhai Lkhi Shah Vanjara and Bhai Uda quietly lift the unattended body for placing on one of the hundred carts.

They carried it to Raisina village, hurriedly prepared a pyre inside Lakhi Shah’s home, and then set the entire house on fire so the cremation would remain hidden. The flames spread through the village, and when Mughal soldiers arrived, they suspected nothing. After they left, Lakhi ensured the pyre burned completely.

Present Day Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib on the spot in Raisina village where Guru ji’s body was cremated.

Thus, through courage and devotion, Bhai Lakhi Shah and Bhai Uda safeguarded the Guru’s body from desecration, while Bhai Jaita Ji continued toward Anandpur Sahib with the Guru’s sacred head.