Guru Arjan Dev was the first martyr of the Sikh religion and their fifth guru. In his remembrance, the Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Arjan Dev is observed on Jeth Sudi 4, according to the Hindu calendar and it falls on June 14 this year. 

He was born in 1563 in Goindval of Tarn Taran district. He was executed at the time when Sikhism was growing and the Mughal influence was slowly dying. He was executed on the orders of Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1606. 

He compiled the Adi Granth, now known as the Guru Granth Sahib. 

Typically this day is celebrated by organizing religious events and conducting readings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. 

The construction of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab was completed by Guru Arjan Dev. He was the one responsible for the inner map of the gurdwara. The opening of doors from all four sides means that the Sikhism religion accepts people from all four castes and religions. 

Jatha, the armed body of Sikhs, each year travel to Gurudwara Dehra Sahib in Lahore, Pakistan to mark the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev. 

This year their departure was scheduled for June 6 but the neighbouring country denied the jathas permission on grounds of the second wave of the pandemic.

#Sikhism #Martyr #guru