Guru Gobind Singh:
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, or the Prakash Parv of the tenth Sikh Guru, is celebrated on January 17 this year.
- Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th and last human Guru of the Sikhs.
- Born as Gobind Rai on December 22, 1666, in Patna, Bihar, Guru Gobind Singh was the son of the ninth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Teg Bahadur.
- He became the spiritual and temporal leader of the Sikhs on November 11, 1675, at the age of nine, following the martyrdom of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, at the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1675.
- He was renowned as a warrior, a poet, and a prophet.
- He is fondly remembered by Sikhs as a defender of the faith and a champion of equality and justice.
- Among his notable contributions to Sikhism are founding the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699.
- He introduced the Five Ks, the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times.
- These are Kesh: uncut hair, Kangha: a wooden comb, Kara: an iron or steel bracelet worn on the wrist, Kirpan: a sword, and Kacchera: short breeches.
- Throughout his life, he engaged in numerous battles against the Mughal Empire and their allies, totalling 21 battles.
- Some of the notable battles include the Battle of Bhangani, the Battle of Nadaun, the Battle of Anandpur, the Battle of Chamkaur, the Battle of Muktsar, and the Battle of Khidrana.
- Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed that he was the last of the personal Gurus.
- He was assassinated in 1708, at the age of 41.
