Heritage Gwalior - 17th Century - Data Bandi Chhor

Even though many documents depict Jehangir as somewhat secular towards Hindus, he never accommodated certain other minority religions like Sikhism and Jainism. One of the Sikh Gurus, Guru Arjan Dev became a target of Jehangir’s wrath because Arjan Dev blessed one of Jehangir’s rebellion prince Khusro. Jehangir ordered to kill Guru Arjan Dev but after an intervention by some influential Hindus, he replaced the killing order with some hefty  financial fine. Arjan Dev refused to pay the fine, as a result of which Jehangir imprisoned him and subjected him to all sorts of tortures. He finally died in 1606 as a prisoner. Those Hindu well wishers who paid for his fine etc were beheaded by Jehangir in as far as Lahore. Arjan Dev’s son Guru Hargobind Singh became the Sixth Guru of Sikh religion. Jehangir captured him too and imprisoned him in Gwalior Fort as he considered him his enemy. It is believed that one night Jehangir had a dream that he should immediately free the Guru. When the Guru was asked to leave, he refused to leave the prison and asked to free all the Hindu Rajas imprisoned with him. This created a situation for Jehangir as he considered his dream to be a spiritual Order and felt compelled to free Guru Har Gobind Singh Ji. It then got decided that Jehangir would free as many Hindu Rajas as can hold Guru’s Angarkha(a robe) when he is freed. Guru Har Gobind Singh Ji got an Angarkha made with 52 panels. Each of the 52 Hindu Rajas imprisoned with him held one of these panels and thus the Guru managed to get all of them freed. From then on Guru Gobind Singh Ji is also called Data Bandi Chhor. In later years Sikhs got a beautiful Gurudwara constructed of white marble in commemoration of Guru Har Gobind Singh Ji. This beautiful white monument can be seen from almost everywhere in Gwalior, where ever that side of the Fort is visible.