History:
On this memorable Baisakhi day (March,30 of A.D.1699) , Guru
Gobind Singh Sahib called a big meeting at Kesgarh Sahib near
the City of Anandpur Sahib. Between fifty to eighty thousand
Sikhs attended this meeting. When all were expecting to hear
words of comfort and consolation from the lips of their Guru,
they were perturbed to see him with a drawn sword in his hand
and cried ' Is there anyone here who would lay down his life
for Dharam?' There was a big silence, but the Guru went on repeating
his demand. At the third call Daya Ram, a Khatri of Lahore,
rose from his seat and offered himself. The Guru took him into
an adjoining enclosure....(and soon after) came out with the
(blood) dripping....(sword in hand) and flourshing it before
the gathering, asked again, 'Is there any other Sikh here who
will offer himself as a sacrifice(for the cause of dharma)?
At this Daram Das, a Jat of Delhi (Haryana side) came forward
and was taken into the enclosure....(The Guru again came out
with the blood-stained sword, and made his previous demand).
In the same way three other men stood up, one after another,
and offered themselves for the sacrifice. One was Mohkam Chand,
a washerman of Dwarka (Gujarat State); another was Himmat, a
cook of Jagannath (Orissa State); and the third was Sahib Chand,
a barber of Bidar (Karnataka State). The Guru, after dressing
the five in handsome clothes, brought them from the assembly.
These five were then administered 'Khande di Pahul' (the double-edged
Sword Amrit). They were then knighted as Singhs, as the Five
beloved ones, the first members of the Order of the Khalsa.
The Guru then asked them to administer the Pahul to him in the
same manner in which he had given the Pahul to them, and it
was done so.
With the creation of Khalsa, the Khalsa created history and
since the birth of Khalsa, the history of Punjab has been the
history of Sikhs. Baisakhi played a significant role in this
regard. In 1762, Ahmed Shah Abdali, with the sole purpose to
destroy the entire Sikh nation, declared 'Jehad'(holy-war) against
the Sikhs and all the Muslims of the Punjab rallied under this
slogan. The Sikhs were surrounded near the village Kup in Ludhiana
District. Chronicles mention that about twenty thousand Sikhs
were martyred in a single day. This event is known in the history
of the Sikhs as "Ghallughara" (Bloody Carnage). After
this, Ahmed Shah Abdali thought that he had crushed the entire
Sikh nation, but was greatly disillusioned when after a few
months heard that the Sikhs in large number are celebrating
Baisakhi at Amritsar. In due course of time Baisakhi reminds
every Sikh of his cultural and religious heritage. On Baisakhi
day all the Sikhs used to assemble at Amritsar and decide their
problems relating to politics and religion. This convention
still goes on.
Celebrated on:
The auspicious day of Baisakhi is celebrated all over India
though under different names and with different set of rituals.
People of Assam celebrate April 13 as Rongali Bihu, while
those in West Bengal celebrate it as Naba Barsha. Bihar
celebrates Baisakhi as Vaishakha in honour of the Sun God, Surya
while Kerala celebrates it as Vishu and Tamil Nadu as
Puthandu. In Kashmir, a ceremonial bath and general festivity
mark Baisakhi while in Himachal Pradesh devotees flock to the
temple of Jwalamukhi and take a holy dip in the Hot Springs.
Legends:
>> Harvest Festival: -
Baisakhi Festival marks the time for the harvest of Rabi crops
and is therefore celebrated with utmost joy and enthusiasm in
the state of Punjab where agriculture is the predominant occupation
of the people. To celebrate the occasion, people dress themselves
gaily and perform the joyful bhangra and giddha dance on the
tune of the dhol. Farmers in Punjab celebrate Baisakhi Festival
to hilt by feasting and merrymaking before they hit on tiring
but joyful task of harvesting from the next day. As a harvest
festival, Baisakhi is also celebrated by different names and
with different rituals in several regions of India. Regional
celebrations of Baisakhi are marked as Rongali Bihu in Assam,
Naba Barsha in Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala
and Vaishakha in Bihar.
>> Birth of Khalsa :-
The day of Baisakhi marks the birth of Khalsa Panth and therefore
holds tremendous significance for the Sikhs. It was on the Baisakhi
Day meeting organized at Anandpur Sahib, in 1699, that the tenth
Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Sigh laid the foundation of Khalsa
Panth and called on the Sikhs to sacrifice themselves for their
community. Besides, it was on the Baisakhi Day that Guru Gobind
Singh administered amrit (nectar) to his first batch of five
disciples, the Panj Piaras making them Singhs, a martial community.
After the Baisakhi Day in 1699 the tradition of gurus was discontinued,
and the Granth Sahib - the Holy book of the Sikhs was declared
the eternal guide of the Sikhs.
>> Day to Receive Guru’s Blessings
for Sikhs :-
According to a popular legend in Sikhism, it was on the day
of Baisakhi in 1567 that Guru Amar Das had first institutionalized
Baisakhi as one of the special days when all Sikhs would gather
to receive the guru's blessings at Goindwal.
>> Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev :-
Yet another legend related to Baisakhi, says that on the day
of Baisakhi Guru Arjan Dev was martyred by the Muslim rulers.
It is said that in an act of barbaric cruelty Muslim rulers
threw the Guru alive into a cauldron of boiling oil.
>> Foundation of Arya Samaj :-
The day of Baisakhi Festival is also important for the Hindus
as it on this day in 1875 that Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded
the Arya Samaj - a reformed sect of Hindus who are devoted to
the Vedas for spiritual guidance and have discarded idol worship.
>> Attainment of Nirvana by Gautam
Buddha :-
For the Buddhist, the day of Baisakhi Festival is significant,
as according to a popular legend it was on this auspicious day
that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment or Nirvana under the
Mahabodhi tree in the town of Gaya. For this reason, the day
of Baisakhi is celebrated as Buddha Purnima is several parts
of the country.
