New Delhi: Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of Sikhs, was born on December 22, 1666 in Patna, Bihar, according to the Julian calendar. As this calendar is obsolete in the present day, his 356th birth anniversary will be celebrated on December 29 this year.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti is an auspicious day among the Sikh community and is celebrated every year to pay tributes to the Sikh guru. The 10th Guru is an inspiration to millions of people all over the world for his thoughts against oppression and social discrimination. At the age of nine years, Guru Gobind Singh was declared the 10th leader of Sikhs after his father Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh was beheaded by Aurangzeb.
The son of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh was actually named Gobind Rai. As a child, he took lessons in Persian, Sanskrit and learned military skills in order to become a warrior.
Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth on Baisakhi, a spring festival celebrated among the Sikhs. He abolished the Guru tradition prior to his death in 1708 and declared the Guru Granth Sahib, which is a holy scripture for Sikhs, as the permanent Sikh Guru.
Guru Gobind Singh died on October 7, 1708 after he was stabbed by the men of Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind.
