Mata Gujri

Mata Gujri (Gurmukhi: ਮਾਤਾ ਗੁਜਰੀ; mātā gujarī; 1624–1705), also spelt as Mata Gujari, was the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhism, and the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism. She played a central role in the history of Sikhism and is one of the four consorts bestowed with the title of Guru-Mahal.

Biography

Early life Mata Gujri was born to Lal Chand, a Subhikkhī Khatri and Mata Bishan Devi, who lived at Kartarpur.

She was betrothed to Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1629 when he visited Kartarpur for the marriage celebrations of his brother, Suraj Mal. She married Guru Tegh Bahadur at Kartarpur on 4 February 1633 and joined her husband's family in Amritsar. In 1635 the family moved to Kiratpur and, on the death in 1644 of Guru Tegh Bahadur's father, Guru Hargobind, Mata Gujri moved with her husband and mother-in-law, Mata Nanaki, to Bakala, near Amritsar. Soon after he was installed as Guru in 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur founded a new village, which he called Chakk Nanaki, after his mother. The place, now a city, is now known as Anandpur Sahib. Not long after this, the Guru set out on a long journey, leaving his wife and mother-in-law at Patna. He is said to have then deceitfully betrayed them to two Muslim officers of Morinda and the three were arrested on 8 December.