Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib

In 1675, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb issued a decree: all Kashmiri Hindu Pandits must convert to Islam or face death. A delegation of terrified Pandits traveled to Anandpur Sahib to seek the protection of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The Guru's young son, Gobind Rai (later Guru Gobind Singh), saw the weeping Pandits and asked his father what was wrong. When told of Aurangzeb's decree, the nine-year-old boy said, "Who better to protect the weak than you, father?" Guru Tegh Bahadur knew what this meant — it meant his own death. But he agreed.

He sent a message to Aurangzeb: "If you can convert me, the Pandits will follow. If not, leave them alone." Aurangzeb had the Guru arrested and brought to Delhi. For days, the Guru was tortured — his companions were sawn in half, boiled alive, and burnt before his eyes — all to break his will. He did not flinch.

Finally, on November 11, 1675, in the bustling heart of Chandni Chowk, Guru Tegh Bahadur was publicly beheaded. His severed head ("Sis") fell to the ground at this very spot — hence the name "Sis Ganj" (the place of the head). A disciple, Lakhi Shah Vanjara, smuggled the Guru's body away and burned his own house down as a funeral pyre to give the Guru a proper cremation.

This supreme sacrifice — a man of one religion dying to protect the religious freedom of people of another religion — is without parallel in world history. Guru Tegh Bahadur is revered as "Hind di Chadar" — the Shield of India.

Built in 1783 by Sikh General Bhagel Singh at the site of Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom in 1675. Located in the heart of Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi.

Shaheedi Divas (November) commemorates the Guru's martyrdom with massive processions through Chandni Chowk.

Multi-storied white marble and sandstone Gurudwara in the heart of Old Delhi. Displays relics associated with the ninth Guru.