Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respects to Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, Guru Gobind Singh's sons who laid down their lives while defending their faith as India celebrated Veer Bal Diwas on 26th December 2022. The day is observed as 'Veer Bal Diwas' to mark the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s sons.
In the year, 1704 when Anandpur the residence of the Guru Gobind Shah dynasty came under siege by the armies of Mughals. Guru Gobind Singh’s sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (9) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (7) were killed following the attack. But what led to the attack?
Guru Gobind Singh, who was raising an army, founded the Khalsa in 1699. This elite warrior force was composed of devout Sikhs, and its goal was to protect people from religious persecution. The Khalsa were viewed as a threat by the Mughal Empire.
Guru Gobind Singh's four sons -- Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh -- were all part of the Khalsa. According to history, kings and Mughal governors made a pact with the Sikhs and vowed not to start a war unless Guru Gobind Singh departed Anandpur Sahib. But close to the Sarsa River, Guru Gobind Singh and his supporters came under attack.
Many Sikhs were swept away while crossing the river. Guru Gobind Singh’s family was separated. The Guru himself with his two eldest sons, Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, and 40 other Sikhs moved toward Chamkaur Sahib but soon found themselves surrounded. A small number of Sikhs fought against an army of Mughals. Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh lost their lives in the battle.
The other two sons of Guru Gobind Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, were abducted and eventually bricked alive for refusing to acquiesce to the demands of a Mughal governor.
Everyone began to make pilgrimages to the Bhora Sahib, the chamber where the Sahibzadas were bricked in. A Gurdwara eventually sprung up all around it. To commemorate the hardship and sacrifice of the family that upheld the honour of their religion and refused to submit to an authoritarian Islam, people now gather annually in the final week of December.