Name: Vibha Jain
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume-11, Issue-1, January-June 2026 (Special Issue)
Page Number: 37-39
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19180198

ABSTRACT
Gurudwara Dukh Nivaran, popularly known as Guru ka Tal, situated near Agra, occupies a significant place in Sikh historical tradition due to its close association with the ninth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. The site is remembered primarily as the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji voluntarily surrendered himself to the Mughal authorities in 1675 CE, an act that preceded his martyrdom at Delhi. This research paper undertakes a purely historical study of Gurudwara Guru ka Tal, examining its origins as a Mughal-period water structure, its transformation into a sacred Sikh site, and its role in the final phase of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s life. Particular attention is paid to the narrative preserved in Sikh historical literature, especially the Panth Prakash authored by Gyani Gyan Singh, with specific reference to Chapter 39, which records the episode involving a shepherd named Hassan Ali. Through a critical reading of Sikh sources such as Panth Prakash, Suraj Prakash, and modern historical scholarship, this study aims to present a coherent historical account of Guru ka Tal as a site of surrender, ethical resistance, and inter-communal human interaction in seventeenth-century Mughal India.

Keywords: Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Aurangzeb, Guru ka Tal, Hassan Ali, Panth Prakash, Sant Attar Singh Ji