The Five-Day Journey of Bhai Jaita Ji
It was more than seventy years ago, when I was just in my preteens, that I first encountered this story. My father had brought home a New Year calendar and hung it prominently in our small one-room apartment.
This image has remained sketched in my brain since my preteen days
Among the pictures, one image startled me: a Sikh with a turban and beard carrying a severed head. Curious and confused, I asked my father why such a strange and powerful picture was included. I remember his words vividly even today. He told me, “This is Rangreta, Guru Ka Beta”, the devoted Sikh who carried the sacred severed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji from Chandni Chowk Delhi to Anandpur Sahib.”
Cruel Aurangzeb had announced that he would publicly disgrace Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji by hanging the severed head at the Red Fort and dragging the Guru’s body through the streets of Chandni Chowk. But the Sikhs had already devised a master plan to prevent this.
Today, on the 350th anniversary of that supreme martyrdom, the memory returns with full force. It moved me to research deeply the journey of this great Sikh, Bhai Jaita Ji, and the story of those five perilous nights that brought Guru Sahib’s sacred head safely home.
Sahibzada Gobind rai ji giving a warm hug to Bhai Jaita
Carrying Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib’s Sacred Head from Delhi to Anandpur Sahib (1675)
On 11 November 1675, after Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib’s martyrdom in Chandni Chowk, a fierce thunderstorm scattered the crowds. Amid the chaos, the Guru’s severed head lay unguarded. With divine courage, Bhai Jaita Ji, a devoted young Sikh of humble birth, slipped through the darkness, lifted the sacred head, wrapped it in a cloth, and began a journey that would become one of the greatest acts of loyalty in Sikh history.
Meanwhile, the Guru’s body was saved by Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara, who cremated it by burning down his entire village home, hiding the cremation from Mughal eyes and preserving the Guru’s dignity forever. From that moment on, Bhai Jaita Ji avoided main paths and moved into forests, for Mughal forces had been ordered to track down anyone attempting to take the Guru’s head.
Day 1 — Delhi to Baghpat
Travelling through the stormy night, Bhai Jaita covered nearly 40 km and reached Baghpat. At dawn, he met Sufi saint Sheikh Wahuddin, who sheltered him and guided him to Bhai Krishan Pal, where he briefly rested and replaced the blood-soaked cloth around the Guru’s head.
Day 2 — Baghpat to Taravari
Bhai Jaita remained watchful through out the whole route.
By nightfall he reached Taravari. Near a pond, he encountered Bhai Deva Ram, a washerman and a devout Sikh. Bhai Deva Ram brought him home; when the Guru’s head was revealed, he wept and lovingly performed chaur seva all night with clothes he had sewn as an offering for Guru Sahib.
Day 3 — Taravari to Ambala to Kainth Majri
Sangat enroute was grief stricken but remained devoted.
Travelling through forests and thorny terrain, Bhai Jaita arrived near Ambala and then sought refuge in Kainth Majri with Bhai Ramdev. Again, he revealed the Guru’s head in candlelight, and the two Sikhs spent the night in silent grief and devotion.
Day 4 — Kainth Majri to Nabha Sahib to Kiratpur
At Nabha Sahib, Bhai Jaita was discovered by Dargahi Shah, a fakir who revered the Gurus. When shown the Guru’s head, the fakir stayed awake in contemplation all night and walked part of the way at dawn. By afternoon, Bhai Jaita reached Kiratpur Sahib, where he rested at the place now known as Gurdwara Bibangarh Sahib. A message was sent to Anandpur Sahib announcing the sacred arrival.
Day 5 — Kiratpur to Anandpur Sahib
Bhai Jaita placed the sacred head on the Palki brought by Mata Nanaki Ji, Mata Gujri Ji and Sahibzada Gobind Rai ji
Guru Gobind Rai Ji (later Guru Gobind Singh Ji), Mata Nanaki Ji, Mata Gujri Ji, and the sangat arrived with a palki. Bhai Jaita placed the sacred head before them. Seeing the young Sikh exhausted, bruised, and still clutching the treasure of his life, Guru Gobind Rai embraced him and uttered the immortal words:
“Ranghreta, Guru Ka Beta.”
The humble one is the Guru’s own son.
The head was carried to Anandpur Sahib and cremated with full honor at the site where Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Anandpur Sahib stands today.
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Anandpur.
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Anandpur Sahib is the sacred place where the severed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was finally brought by Guru Gobind Singh Ji after its perilous journey from Delhi and was cremated on 17 November 1675.
Sis Ganj Sahib Gurdwara Chandni Chowk Delhi as on 18Nov, 2025. Pic by Simar Chhabra
This shrine is distinct from Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib Chandni Chowk in Delhi, which marks the exact site of the Guru’s martyrdom. These Gurdwaras stand as a powerful reminder of the Guru’s sacrifice for religious freedom and remains a central spiritual landmark of Sikh history.
A Journey of Immortal Courage
For five days and nights, across forests, rivers, and hostile territory, Bhai Jaita Ji carried the Guru’s head with a devotion that transcended fear, caste, and death itself. His father, Bhai Sada Nand Ji, sacrificed his own life to create the diversion that made this rescue possible.
Guru Gobind Rai ji paying his respects to the sacred head.
This journey remains a shining testament to faith, love, obedience, and Sikh valor, a sacred chapter that continues to inspire generations.
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