Mata Gujri (
Gurmukhi
Gurmukhī ( , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). Commonly regarded as a Sikh script, Gurmukhi is used in Punjab, India as the official scrip ...
: ਮਾਤਾ ਗੁਜਰੀ; ''mātā gujarī''; 1624–1705), also spelt as Mata Gujari, was the wife of
Guru Tegh Bahadur
Guru Tegh Bahadur ( Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦਰ (Gurmukhi); ; 1 April 1621 – 11 November 1675) was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in ...
, the ninth Guru of Sikhism, and the mother of
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...
, the tenth Guru of Sikhism. She played a central role in the history of
Sikhism
Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
and is one of the four consorts bestowed with the title of ''Guru-Mahal''.
Biography
Early life
Mata Gujri was born to Lal Chand, a Subhikkhī
Khatri
Khatri () is a caste system in India, caste originating from the Malwa (Punjab), Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are war ...
and Mata Bishan Devi, who lived at
Kartarpur.
She was betrothed to Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1629 when he visited Kartarpur for the marriage celebrations of his brother, Suraj Mal. She married Guru Tegh Bahadur at Kartarpur on 4 February 1633 and joined her husband's family in
Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
. In 1635 the family moved to
Kiratpur and, on the death in 1644 of Guru Tegh Bahadur's father,
Guru Hargobind
Guru Hargobind (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿਗੋਬਿੰਦ, pronunciation: l 19 June 1595 – 28 February 1644) was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of eleven, after the execution of his ...
, Mata Gujri moved with her husband and mother-in-law,
Mata Nanaki, to
Bakala, near Amritsar.
Soon after he was installed as Guru in 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur founded a new village, which he called Chakk Nanaki, after his mother. The place, now a city, is now known as
Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur (), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Si ...
. Not long after this, the Guru set out on a long journey, leaving his wife and mother-in-law at
Patna
Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...
.

On 22 December 1666 Mata Gujri gave birth to Gobind Rai, who later became Guru Gobind Singh.
[ Guru Tegh Bahadur returned to Patna in 1670 and instructed the family to leave for Lakhnaur. Mata Gujri reached Lakhnaur on 13 September 1670 and was accompanied by the aged Mata Nanaki and her son, Guru Gobind Singh. At Lakhnaur, she stayed with her brother, Mehar Chand. After Lakhnaur, the family proceeded to Chakk Nanaki (now known as Anandpur Sahib) where Guru Tegh Bahadur rejoined them in March 1671. After the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the responsibility for managing the affairs of Chakk Nanaki fell to her at first as Guru Gobind Rai was still young. Her younger brother, Kirpal Chand, assisted her in this affair.
]
Later life
During the evacuation of Anandpur during the Mughal siege of Anandpur in December 1704 or 1705, she was accompanied by Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh (younger two sons of Guru Gobind Singh) when they became separated from the main group of evacuees whilst crossing the Sarsa rivulet, as a battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
took place between the Sikh evacuees and pursuing Mughal troops. A Brahmin servant, named Gangu, led Mata Gujri and her two younger grandchildren to his village named Saheri, located in present-day Ropar district. He is said to have then deceitfully betrayed them to two Muslim officers of Morinda and the three were arrested on 8 December. After this, they were confined to the ''Thanda Burj'' (cold tower) located at the fort of Sirhind. On the same day as the execution of the younger Sahibzades, Mata Gujri died in the cold tower. Seth Todar Mal, whom was a benevolent and wealthy local of Sirhind
Sirhind is a Twin cities, twin city of Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, India, Punjab, India. It is hosts the municipal council of Fatehgarh Sahib district.
Demographics
In the 2011 census of India, 2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of ...
, cremated the three the next day.
It is said that Todar Mal of Sirhind paid heavy price of gold coins standing on their edge to recover the bodies of Mata Gujri and the Sahibzades.
Legacy
Her father's ancestral village was Lakhnaur Sahib, south of Ambala
Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...
in Haryana, where the road from Ambala to popular pilgrimage site of Gurudawara Lakhnaur Sahib was named after her by the Government of Haryana
Government of Haryana, also known as the State Government of Haryana, or locally as the Haryana Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Haryana and its 22 districts. It consists of an executive, ceremonially led ...
in 2017.[Praveen Arora]
"Varsity to be named after Guru Gobind Singh, says Khattar"
, The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers:
United States Daily California
*''Oakland Tribune''
* ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo)
* ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''
*''San Gabriel Valley Tribune''
Indiana
*''Kokomo Tribune' ...
, 12 February 2017.
See also
* Moti Ram Mehra
Baba Moti Ram Mehra (Floruit, fl. late 17th – early 18th century) was a devoted disciple of Guru Gobind Singh who, disregarding the risk to his own life, managed to enter the ''Thanda Burj'' and serve milk to Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Zorawar Sin ...
* Saka Sirhind
* Diwan Todar Mal
* Shaheedi Jor Mela
References
Citation
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gujri, Mata
Sikh martyrs
Family members of the Sikh gurus
People from Jalandhar district
1624 births
1705 deaths
17th-century Indian people