President pays tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday led tributes at Delhi’s Red Fort to mark the 350th Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, as the Delhi Government announced a year-long commemoration and a dedicated “Guru Tegh Bahadur Forest” to honour the Ninth Guru’s legacy. The Red Fort, where Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on Aurangzeb’s orders, became the centre of a massive spiritual gathering, drawing lakhs of devotees over three days.

The President paid obeisance before Guru Granth Sahib and offered floral tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur, whose martyrdom for the defence of religious freedom is seen as a turning point in India’s spiritual and moral history. She joined Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Kapil Mishra and senior Sikh clergy at the ceremony.

Calling the turnout an “emotionally overwhelming” moment, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said such a congregation of this size and at this historic location was taking place for the first time in Delhi. “Lakhs of devotees have come in the last three days. This marks the beginning of a year-long tribute to Guru Sahib,” she said, announcing that the Delhi Government and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) would hold events across the city to spread Guru Tegh Bahadur’s message of harmony and sacrifice.

The Chief Minister also said special books would be introduced for children and young people to familiarise them with Guru Sahib’s life. The Government, she added, would soon launch multiple public welfare schemes in his name. “Red Fort’s ancient walls witnessed Aurangzeb’s tyranny and Guru Sahib’s supreme sacrifice,” she said.

A key highlight of the day was the announcement of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Forest, a plantation zone where saplings will be grown into large trees as a long-term environmental memorial. Officials said the project would be developed on city land identified jointly by the Government and the DSGMC.

Earlier in the day, more than one lakh Sahaj Paths were collectively completed at the Red Fort grounds, an offering seldom witnessed at this scale. The Jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib also participated in the concluding ceremony, underscoring the significance of the occasion for the global Sikh community.

Parallel to the Red Fort congregation, the DSGMC organised a grand nagar kirtan to commemorate the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur and his three devoted disciples, Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Diala. Led by the Panj Pyare, the procession began at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib and moved through Ajmeri Gate, Paharganj, New Delhi Railway Station, Connaught Place and Baba Kharak Singh Marg before concluding at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. Thousands lined the route, offering sewa and reciting hymns as the procession passed.

Sikh religious leaders present at the Red Fort said the gathering marked “a deeply historic and emotional day”. Many said the choice of location, the Red Fort, the site of Guru Sahib’s martyrdom, added symbolic weight to the ceremony. “To gather here after 350 years, in freedom, and remember his sacrifice is a blessing,” one leader said. Devotees began arriving before dawn, many travelling from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh and abroad. Over three days, the grounds reverberated with continuous kirtan and paath, with volunteers distributing langar throughout.

For many attendees, the commemoration represented not just a religious gathering but a reclaiming of historic memory in a space scarred by oppression. “Our Guru gave his life here so that others could practice their faith freely. Coming here today feels like closing a circle,” said Harjit Kaur, a devotee from Amritsar.

With the Government’s announcement of year-long programmes and the creation of a memorial forest, officials said the 350th martyrdom year will extend far beyond ceremonial tributes. The city, they said, would host exhibitions, heritage walks, youth outreach sessions, and interfaith events celebrating Guru Sahib’s teachings of compassion, courage, and freedom of conscience. The three-day congregation concluded Tuesday night.