Bandi Chorh Diwas is not Diwali Bandi Chorh Diwas is a day on which Guru Hargobind Sahib was released with 52 Kings from Gwalior Prison. The word Bandi means imprisoned, Chhor means release and Divas means day and together Bandi Chhor Divas means Prisoner Release Day. It is celebrate with great joy as it was a time when right prevailed over wrong. The Mughals had held many hundreds of prisoners who were effectively political prisoners and were otherwise innocent leaders of their communities. They had been held without trial or any other legal process; jailed by brute force; held against their wishes. The Guru had found a way to get 52 of these innocent leaders released from the prison without a battle. However, it had been a long process as the Guru spent many years in custody. However, in the end the unjust government of the day had to give in to the Gurus just demands. An unlikely victory in a period of history when those in power were completely corrupt and injustice was the order of the day. However, the Guru had found a positive way out of an otherwise very dark situation. The lives of 52 local kings had been saved without a single shot and without a battle! Bandi Chorh Diwas and Diwali are separate festivals and the events actually fall on different days; however, commonly in the popular calendars, they are celebrated on the same day. For this reason, many people often think of these events as if they are the same. In real terms, the day of release of the sixth Guru with the 52 rajahs (kings) was actually a few days before Diwali in 1619. These two celebrations represent two quite different events in history. On Bandi Chorh Diwas, the long imprisoned Guru Hargobind was released from Gwalior, taking with him 52 long imprisoned Rajas, whose release was a result of the Gurus wit. Diwali (a Hindu festival) was being celebrated on the day when the Guru reached Amritsar. On the arrival of the Guru in Amritsar, the people lit up the whole city with thousands of candles, lights and lamps like they had never done before; there was much celebration and joy. Bandi Chorh Diwas falls on the night of Amavas in the month of Assu; this actual Bandi Chorh Diwas is celebrated each year at Gurdwara Data Bandi Chor Sahib, Gwalior with much gaiety and joy, a few days before Diwali.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 04:22:05 +0000
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