Mata Gujri
Mata Gujri (c. 1624 – December 1705) was a key figure in early Sikh history as the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, and the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and final human Guru of Sikhism.[1][2] Born in 1624 to Bhai Lal Chand Subhikkhi, a Khatri merchant, and Bishan Kaur in Kartarpur, present-day Punjab, she was betrothed young to Tegh Bahadur and bore their only child, Gobind Rai (later Guru Gobind Singh), in Patna on 22 December 1666 during the Guru's travels.[2][3] After Tegh Bahadur's execution by Mughal authorities in Delhi in 1675 for refusing conversion to Islam, Mata Gujri relocated to Anandpur Sahib, where she nurtured her son's emerging leadership and instilled Sikh ethical and martial values in her grandsons from his marriages.[1][4] In December 1704, amid the Mughal siege of Anandpur, she fled with her young grandsons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (aged nine) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (aged six), but they were captured in Sirhind; the boys were immured alive for rejecting Islam, and Mata Gujri perished the following day from grief, establishing her as the first recorded female martyr in Sikh tradition and exemplifying resilience against religious coercion.[1][4][5]Early Life
Birth and Family Origins
Mata Gujri was born in 1624 to Bhai Lal Chand Subhikkhi, a member of the Subhikkhi Khatri clan, and Bishan Kaur, in the village of Kartarpur near Jalandhar in Punjab, then part of the Mughal Empire.[6][3][2] Her parents are described in Sikh historical accounts as a pious couple devoted to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, reflecting the growing influence of Sikhism in rural Punjab communities during the early 17th century.[6][7] The family belonged to the Khatri caste, traditionally involved in trade and local affairs, indicative of a modest socio-economic status amid the agrarian village life of the region, where Mughal governance imposed taxes and occasional religious pressures on non-Muslim populations.[2][3] Kartarpur, associated with early Sikh settlements, provided a context of emerging Sikh devotional practices, though empirical records emphasize routine familial and communal existence over hagiographic embellishments.[6] Some lesser-cited traditions suggest alternative birthplaces, such as the village of Chhab near Jhelum (now in Pakistan) or even Amritsar, but predominant accounts from Sikh chronicles favor Kartarpur as the origin point, aligning with the geographical proximity to her future marital connections in eastern Punjab.[4][6] These variations likely stem from oral histories and regional affiliations rather than corroborated primary evidence.[3]Upbringing and Early Influences
Mata Gujri was born in 1624 to Bhai Lal Chand Subhikkhi, a member of the Khatri trading caste, and Bishan Kaur in Kartarpur, located in the Jalandhar district of Punjab.[8][3] Her parents are described in Sikh historical accounts as a pious couple, reflecting the devotional ethos prevalent among Khatri families in the region during the early 17th century.[3] Kartarpur itself held historical significance as the site established by Guru Nanak in the 16th century, serving as an early hub for Sikh gatherings and teachings, which likely provided indirect exposure to emerging Sikh practices through community interactions.[9] Her formative years unfolded amid the guruship of Guru Hargobind (1581–1644), who fortified Sikh institutions by introducing armed self-defense and the dual authority of miri (temporal power) and piri (spiritual authority), responding to escalating Mughal pressures on non-Muslim communities in Punjab.[10] As a Khatri daughter, she would have been shaped by the caste's traditional roles in commerce and local governance, intertwined with Sikh influences that emphasized ethical living, communal service, and resilience against taxation and administrative impositions under emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan.[11] Women in such Punjabi Khatri households typically acquired skills in domestic management, resource allocation amid agrarian uncertainties, and participation in devotional assemblies (sangat), fostering qualities of endurance essential for navigating the socio-political volatility of Mughal-dominated Punjab.[12] These elements contributed to her personal development, though direct records of her childhood activities remain limited in historical sources.Marriage and Family
Union with Guru Tegh Bahadur
Mata Gujri, born in 1624 to the pious Khatri couple Lal Chand Subulikka and Bishan Kaur in Kartarpur, Jalandhar district, entered an arranged marriage with Tegh Bahadur on 4 February 1633.[7][3] The betrothal had occurred four years prior, around 1629, during Tegh Bahadur's visit to Kartarpur with his family, underscoring the interconnected networks within early Sikh familial and communal structures.[7] At the time, Tegh Bahadur, born in 1621 as the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, was approximately 12 years old, while Mata Gujri was about 9, aligning with customary practices of the era for alliances that strengthened community bonds rather than individual romantic ideals.[3] Following the marriage, Mata Gujri joined Tegh Bahadur's family initially in Amritsar before relocating to Kiratpur in 1635 amid Guru Hargobind's movements.[5] By the mid-1650s, the couple had settled in the village of Bakala, near the Beas River, where Tegh Bahadur increasingly withdrew into meditation and contemplation, emulating ascetic tendencies observed in historical accounts of his pre-guruship phase.[13] This union facilitated a stable domestic foundation in Bakala's rural setting, centered on agrarian sustenance and household management, reflecting pragmatic adaptations to village life amid the broader socio-religious transitions in 17th-century Punjab.[3] Such arrangements exemplified how early Sikh matrimonial ties prioritized familial continuity and communal resilience over transient political engagements.Children and Household Dynamics
Mata Gujri bore one son to Guru Tegh Bahadur, named Gobind Rai, who later became Guru Gobind Singh, born on 22 December 1666 in Patna, Bihar, during the Guru's preaching tours in eastern India.[3][6] This birth occurred amid Guru Tegh Bahadur's udasis, extended missionary journeys that often separated him from family for years, leaving Mata Gujri to oversee domestic affairs.[7] The family household functioned as a focal point for Sikh devotional practices and community gatherings, reflecting the Gurus' tradition of integrating spiritual instruction with daily life. Mata Gujri managed these responsibilities, including the early nurturing and religious education of Gobind Rai, in settings such as Kiratpur and later Bakala, where the family resided before and during the initial phases of the Guru's guruship.[3] Her role emphasized maternal guidance in instilling Sikh principles of faith and resilience, amid the logistical challenges of frequent relocations and the Guru's absences.[6] Child-rearing in 17th-century Punjab faced high mortality risks, with historical estimates indicating 40-50% of children dying before age five due to disease, malnutrition, and limited medical knowledge, though Mata Gujri's sole surviving son navigated these perils successfully.[14] Traditional Sikh accounts, such as those in janamsakhis and hagiographic texts, portray her household as a bastion of piety, but verifiable details prioritize her practical oversight over anecdotal miracles, aligning with causal factors like regional health conditions rather than supernatural attributions.[15]Role During Guru Tegh Bahadur's Guruship
Life in Bakala and Early Travels
Mata Gujri resided in the village of Bakala with her husband Tegh Bahadur and mother-in-law Nanaki from around 1644 until 1664, following the relocation from Kiratpur amid familial and communal transitions after Guru Hargobind's era.[16] During the succession uncertainty after Guru Har Rai's death on October 6, 1661, Tegh Bahadur maintained a low profile in Bakala, focusing on meditation and avoiding overt claims to guruship, while Mata Gujri managed the household duties amid a modest Sikh following that periodically visited.[17] This period of relative seclusion, spanning 1661 to 1664, involved practical challenges such as sustaining the family through agrarian means and occasional pilgrim support, without documented Mughal interference specific to their residence at that time.[3] In 1664, following Tegh Bahadur's recognition as the ninth Guru by Sikh congregations—prompted by the legendary test of Makhan Shah Lobana—the family departed Bakala, with Mata Gujri accompanying initial journeys to sites like Amritsar and Makhoval near Kiratpur to consolidate the nascent guruship.[17] As Tegh Bahadur embarked on extended udasis (preaching tours) eastward in the mid-1660s, including to Bihar, Bengal, and Assam, Mata Gujri remained in Patna with their three sons, handling family logistics and hosting an expanding Sikh sangats drawn by the Guru's teachings.[3] Letters from Tegh Bahadur instructed Patna's Sikh community to safeguard her and the household during his absences, underscoring separations inherent to these tours that lasted into the 1670s and involved navigating regional hostilities without her direct travel involvement beyond the early legs.[3] Her stabilizing presence amid these disruptions is noted in traditional Sikh narratives, though primary contemporary records are sparse and devotional in tone.[17]During this phase, Mata Gujri gave birth to their fourth son, Gobind Rai, on December 22, 1666, in Patna, while Tegh Bahadur continued toward Assam, relying on local Sikhs for her support amid the logistical strains of pregnancy and child-rearing in transient settings.[3] The growing influx of devotees to Patna increased household demands, positioning her as a key figure in maintaining domestic continuity as the Sikh community expanded eastward.[16]