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On 16 June of every year since 1606, the Sikhs have commemorated the martyrdom of Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru and the first Sikh Martyr.

The story of the execution of the Sikh Guru, under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir has suffered at the hands of poets, street entertainers and historians alike; the reality of the facts has been lost.

In about a century after Guru Nanak, Sikhism turned from a small minuscule sect into a mass movement. Many thousands of dedicated adherents followed the teachings of the Sikh Gurus; even some prominent Muslims who enjoyed a privileged position in the Mughal state during this period embraced Sikhism. The Gurus ideology was gaining great momentum.

The Mughal rulers found it difficult to tolerate the growth of Sikhism and its ever-increasing popularity. The reaction of the orthodox Muslims is found in the memoirs of Emperor Jahangir, the Tuzuk-i- Jahangiri. The main reasons for the execution of the Guru can be listed under three headings- Religious, Personal and Political. .....More