By Jagmohan Singh Barhok

On The day Of His Martyrdom
Guru Arjan Dev was Born April 15, 1563, at Goindwal Sahib in Punjab. He was the first Sikh Guru who refused to bow before the Mughal rulers to brace Islam and attained Martyrdom. He was brutally tortured & made to sit on the Burning Pan before his death.

In 1588 A.D, Guru Arjan Dev laid the foundation of Harmandir Sahib also known as Golden Temple today. Guru Arjan Dev invited Mian Mir, a Muslim Saint from Lahore to lay the cornerstone of the foundation of the Harmandir Sahib , the current Golden Temple. The doors on the four sides of of the building were indicative of its acceptance for all the four castes and religions.

A saintly & thorough humble gentleman, & youngest son of Guru Ramdas and Bibi Bhani, he compiled the Hymns of earlier Gurus as the basics of the sacred Guru Granth Sahib including his own 2218 hymns. Built Golden Temple & enhanced the status of Amritsar as a City of excellence .Guru Arjan’s execution in 1606 by Emperor Jahangir was a watershed moment for the Sikh community as it ushered his son Guru Hargobind Singh to militarized the Sikhs to rise against the might of the Moghuls.

As Guru Sahib was made to die on a Burning pan in the Month of June, sweetened water and other cold drinks are served to the countrymen especially outside the Gurudwaras & strategic places in the country including other countries where a sizeable Sikh Community lives.