When millions of lights illuminate homes and temples across India during Diwali, Sikhs join the celebration—but with a distinctly different story and purpose. While their Hindu neighbors commemorate Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya, Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas (the Day of Liberation), marking a pivotal moment in their history when the sixth Guru secured freedom not just for himself but for 52 imprisoned kings.
This confluence of festivals—Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas falling on the same day—creates a fascinating example of how different faiths can share celebration while maintaining distinct identities and narratives. For Sikhs, the festival of lights becomes a commemoration of resistance against tyranny, the triumph of justice over oppression, and the principle that true freedom means ensuring liberation for all, not just oneself.
The Historical Event: Guru Hargobind's Liberation
The story of Bandi Chhor Divas centers on Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, the sixth Sikh Guru who guided the community from 1606 to 1644. To understand the significance of this celebration, we need to understand the context of his imprisonment and the extraordinary manner of his release.
The Young Guru and the Empire
Guru Hargobind became Guru at the age of eleven, following the martyrdom of his father, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, who was tortured to death by Mughal authorities in 1606. This brutal execution—the first martyrdom of a Sikh Guru—profoundly shaped Guru Hargobind's approach to leadership.
At his succession ceremony, the young Guru made a revolutionary statement. He wore not one but two swords—Miri and Piri—representing temporal (worldly) and spiritual authority. This was a departure from the purely spiritual focus of previous Gurus, signaling that Sikhs would defend themselves and others against oppression while maintaining their spiritual path.
Guru Hargobind built the Akal Takht (Throne of the Timeless One) facing the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. While the Harmandir Sahib represented spiritual authority, the Akal Takht symbolized temporal power—the right and responsibility to engage with worldly affairs, including military defense when necessary.
In 1612 or 1619 (sources vary on the exact date), Mughal Emperor Jahangir ordered Guru Hargobind's imprisonment in Gwalior Fort. The reasons for this imprisonment are debated by historians, with various accounts offering different explanations.
Some sources suggest it was political—the Guru's growing influence and his maintenance of armed soldiers concerned Mughal authorities. Others point to unpaid fines allegedly imposed on Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Still others suggest it was the machinations of rivals who poisoned the emperor's mind against the Guru.
Regardless of the specific cause, Guru Hargobind was confined in Gwalior Fort, a massive fortress in central India that served as a high-security prison for political prisoners considered threats to Mughal power.
Gwalior Fort didn't house common criminals. It imprisoned 52 Hindu kings and princes—rulers of small kingdoms who had fallen afoul of Mughal authority. These men had been imprisoned for years, some for decades, in comfortable but confining quarters that denied them their freedom and kingdoms.
During his imprisonment, Guru Hargobind befriended these imprisoned royals. He shared meals with them, engaged in spiritual discussions, and maintained his daily prayers and meditation despite confinement. His presence brought hope and spiritual solace to men who had resigned themselves to dying in captivity.
The Extraordinary Release
After several months (accounts vary from a few months to over a year), Emperor Jahangir—possibly influenced by a Sufi saint named Mian Mir who was friendly with the Guru, or perhaps recognizing the Guru's innocence—ordered his release.
The order for Guru Hargobind's freedom arrived during Diwali. However, the Guru's response to this order reveals the extraordinary character that Sikhs celebrate during Bandi Chhor Divas.
Rather than simply accepting his own freedom, Guru Hargobind made a condition: he would leave only if the 52 imprisoned kings were also released. When Mughal officials responded that only those who could hold onto the Guru's cloak as he exited could go free—an attempt to limit the number released—the Guru had a special cloak made with 52 tassels or streamers, allowing all 52 kings to hold on as they walked to freedom together.
This moment—the Guru and 52 kings walking out of Gwalior Fort together—gives Bandi Chhor Divas its name, which translates to "Day of Liberation" or "Prisoner Release Day."
The Significance: More Than Just Freedom
The story of Bandi Chhor Divas resonates deeply with Sikh values and principles, making it far more than a historical commemoration.
Guru Hargobind's refusal to accept freedom for himself alone embodies the Sikh principle that liberation must be collective, not individual. In a society rigidly stratified by caste and class, the Guru's concern for imprisoned kings (who were not Sikhs) demonstrated that human dignity and freedom transcend religious, social, and political boundaries.
This principle remains central to Sikh identity—the responsibility to stand against oppression affects everyone, not just one's own community. The Guru could have walked free, resumed his role, and continued his spiritual mission. Instead, he risked angering the emperor and potentially forfeiting his own freedom to secure justice for others.
The event exemplifies the Miri-Piri concept that Guru Hargobind championed. He maintained his spiritual practices during imprisonment (Piri) while actively engaging with political power structures to secure justice (Miri). He didn't passively accept injustice as worldly illusion to be transcended through meditation alone, nor did he abandon spirituality for purely political action. Instead, he integrated both dimensions.
This integration distinguishes Sikhism from purely world-renouncing spiritual traditions on one hand and purely secular political movements on the other. Bandi Chhor Divas celebrates this balance—spiritual grounding combined with active engagement for justice.
The Guru's imprisonment itself represented Mughal attempts to control or suppress a growing religious movement. His manner of securing release—through negotiation and clever problem-solving rather than violent rebellion—demonstrated that resistance to tyranny can take multiple forms.
At the same time, Guru Hargobind's maintenance of armed soldiers and his two swords established that Sikhs would defend themselves and others when necessary. Bandi Chhor Divas thus commemorates both successful non-violent resistance and the principle of righteous self-defense.
The Cloak: Symbol of Unity
The specially designed cloak with 52 tassels has become a powerful symbol in Sikh tradition. It represents creative problem-solving in the face of obstruction, but more importantly, it symbolizes how one person can be the means of liberation for many.
In Sikh understanding, the Guru serves as a bridge to freedom—both spiritual and temporal. Just as the 52 kings held onto the Guru's cloak to walk free, Sikhs see the Guru's teachings as the means to liberation from ego, suffering, and injustice.
How Bandi Chhor Divas Is Celebrated
While Bandi Chhor Divas coincides with Diwali, Sikh celebrations have distinct characteristics that reflect the different historical and spiritual significance.
Illumination of Gurdwaras
The most visible aspect of Bandi Chhor Divas is the illumination of gurdwaras (Sikh temples) with thousands of lights and candles. The Golden Temple complex in Amritsar becomes especially spectacular, with the entire complex—including the Harmandir Sahib and Akal Takht—outlined in lights that reflect beautifully in the surrounding sarovar (sacred pool).
This illumination serves multiple purposes. It celebrates the Guru's return to Amritsar, it creates an atmosphere of joy and festivity, and it symbolizes the spiritual light that the Guru's actions brought to the world. The reflection of lights in water around the Golden Temple creates an ethereal beauty that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors during the festival.
Other major gurdwaras across India and around the world follow suit, creating spectacular displays. In places with significant Sikh populations—Punjab, Delhi, London, Toronto, Vancouver, New York—gurdwaras become landmarks of light during the festival.
Special Prayers and Kirtan
The spiritual program at gurdwaras intensifies during Bandi Chhor Divas. Special prayer services, extended kirtan (devotional music) sessions, and katha (religious discourse) focusing on Guru Hargobind's life and teachings fill the days leading up to and including the festival.
Many gurdwaras organize Akhand Path—continuous, uninterrupted reading of the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture) that takes approximately 48 hours. The completion of Akhand Path is timed to coincide with Bandi Chhor Divas itself, creating a powerful spiritual atmosphere.
Kirtans during this period often include shabads (hymns) composed by Guru Arjan Dev Ji and other Gurus, reflecting on themes of liberation, justice, divine grace, and resistance to tyranny. The musical programs can extend late into the night, with devotees sitting absorbed in the devotional atmosphere.
Like their Hindu neighbors celebrating Diwali, Sikhs also set off fireworks during Bandi Chhor Divas. The fireworks symbolize the explosive joy of liberation and add to the festive atmosphere. At the Golden Temple and other major gurdwaras, organized firework displays attract massive crowds.
In recent years, there's been growing awareness about the environmental impact and air pollution caused by fireworks. Some gurdwaras have begun organizing eco-friendly celebrations, encouraging devotees to celebrate with lights and candles while minimizing or eliminating fireworks. This reflects Sikh principles of environmental stewardship and concern for community welfare.
In many places with significant Sikh populations, Bandi Chhor Divas includes Nagar Kirtan—a processional celebration where the Guru Granth Sahib is carried through streets on a decorated float, accompanied by singers performing kirtan, Gatka practitioners (Sikh martial arts) demonstrating their skills, and Nihangs (traditional Sikh warriors) in full regalia.
These processions, similar to those during Vaisakhi and Guru Nanak Jayanti, transform streets into expressions of faith and celebration. Participants and spectators receive free food and refreshments from organizers, embodying the Sikh principle of sharing (vand chakna).
The processions serve multiple purposes—they're devotional expressions, community celebrations, and public demonstrations of Sikh identity and values. In diaspora communities, Nagar Kirtan during Bandi Chhor Divas also serves an educational function, introducing non-Sikhs to Sikh traditions and history.
Langar—the community kitchen serving free meals to all visitors regardless of religion, caste, or social status—operates at gurdwaras year-round, but during Bandi Chhor Divas, it reaches extraordinary scale.
The Golden Temple, which typically feeds 50,000-100,000 people daily, sees numbers swell to several hundred thousand during the festival. Every aspect is managed by volunteers—cooking, serving, cleaning, and organizing. The menu remains simple (dal, rice, roti, vegetable curry, and kheer or other sweet), but the scale of operation is remarkable.
This expansion of langar during Bandi Chhor Divas connects directly to the festival's meaning. Just as Guru Hargobind secured liberation for all 52 kings rather than himself alone, langar ensures that celebration and nourishment are available to all, not reserved for a privileged few.
Family Celebrations
Beyond gurdwara programs, Sikh families celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas at home. Houses are cleaned and decorated with lights and candles. Families wear new clothes, exchange gifts, prepare special foods, and visit relatives.
Many families use the occasion to share the story of Guru Hargobind's liberation with children, teaching both historical facts and moral lessons about standing up for justice and helping others. This transmission of tradition from generation to generation ensures that the festival's significance endures.
The Golden Temple: Epicenter of Celebration
While Bandi Chhor Divas is celebrated globally wherever Sikhs live, the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar remains the celebration's spiritual and emotional center.
The festival's significance for Amritsar is profound—this is where Guru Hargobind returned after his release, where the Akal Takht stands as his legacy, and where the largest and most spectacular celebrations occur.
In the days leading up to Bandi Chhor Divas, Amritsar's atmosphere transforms. The city fills with pilgrims from across India and around the world. Hotels and guesthouses book out months in advance. The streets around the Golden Temple buzz with activity as vendors sell everything from religious items to festive foods.
The Golden Temple complex itself becomes a sea of humanity. Managing crowds numbering in hundreds of thousands requires extensive planning and coordination. Volunteer organizations (sewadars) work tirelessly to maintain order, ensure safety, assist elderly and disabled visitors, and keep langar operations running smoothly.
The visual spectacle is unforgettable. The Harmandir Sahib, already beautiful in its daily state, becomes transcendent when outlined in thousands of lights. The marble walkways surrounding the sarovar glow with candles. The reflection in the still water creates a doubled effect, as if earth and heaven mirror each other.
The evening prayer ceremony (Rehras Sahib) and the night ceremony (Kirtan Sohila) draw particularly large crowds during Bandi Chhor Divas. The sound of thousands of voices joining in prayer, the sight of the illuminated temple, the scent of incense and flowers, the taste of karah prasad (sacred sweet), and the touch of cool marble beneath bare feet—all five senses engage in an experience that transcends mere tourism or even conventional religious observance.
For many Sikhs, being at the Golden Temple during Bandi Chhor Divas represents a spiritual peak experience, a once-in-a-lifetime or rare opportunity that creates lasting memories and deepens faith.
Bandi Chhor Divas in the Diaspora
Sikh migration has created significant communities in countries far from Punjab—Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and many others. In these diaspora communities, Bandi Chhor Divas serves additional functions beyond its religious significance.
Maintaining Cultural Identity
For Sikhs living as minorities in non-Sikh-majority countries, festivals like Bandi Chhor Divas become crucial touchstones for cultural identity. They provide opportunities for community gathering, for children to learn about their heritage, and for maintaining connections to tradition despite geographic distance from Punjab.
Gurdwaras in diaspora communities often organize extensive programs during Bandi Chhor Divas—not just prayers and kirtan but also cultural performances, Punjabi language classes, exhibits about Sikh history, and lectures explaining the festival's significance. These programs serve both the Sikh community and the broader society, educating non-Sikhs about Sikh traditions.
Community Building
Festivals bring diaspora communities together physically, strengthening social bonds that might otherwise weaken in the face of busy modern lives and geographic dispersion. Families that might not regularly attend gurdwara make special efforts during major festivals, creating opportunities for reunion and reconnection.
The preparation for festivals—organizing programs, cooking langar, decorating gurdwaras—involves community members in collaborative work that builds relationships and shared purpose.
Public Expression
In multicultural societies, Bandi Chhor Divas celebrations become opportunities for Sikhs to express their identity publicly and proudly. Nagar Kirtan processions through city streets, media coverage of celebrations, and official recognition (some cities and provinces in Canada officially recognize Bandi Chhor Divas) all contribute to making Sikh presence and traditions visible in the broader society.
This visibility serves multiple purposes—it combats stereotyping and prejudice through education, it asserts the legitimacy of Sikh identity in diverse societies, and it invites dialogue between communities.
The Intersection with Diwali: Unity and Distinction
The fact that Bandi Chhor Divas coincides with Diwali creates both opportunities and challenges for Sikhs, particularly in India where both festivals are celebrated simultaneously.
Shared Celebration
The coincidence means that Sikhs and Hindus celebrate together in a sense, creating a shared festive atmosphere even while commemorating different events. Families that include both Sikhs and Hindus (through marriage or friendship) can celebrate together, each understanding the distinct significance while enjoying common elements like lights, sweets, and family gatherings.
This shared celebration represents Indian pluralism at its best—different communities maintaining distinct identities while participating in common cultural patterns.
Maintaining Distinction
At the same time, Sikhs are careful to maintain the distinct identity of Bandi Chhor Divas. In gurdwara programs, katha clearly explains the historical events and Sikh values being commemorated, ensuring that the festival doesn't become simply "Sikh Diwali" in popular understanding.
The name "Bandi Chhor Divas" itself, rather than using "Diwali," helps maintain this distinction. When Sikhs wish each other well during the festival, they typically say "Bandi Chhor Divas di lakh lakh vadhaiyan" (countless congratulations on Bandi Chhor Divas) rather than "Happy Diwali."
This careful balance—celebrating alongside other communities while maintaining distinct identity and meaning—reflects broader Sikh approaches to religious pluralism. Sikhism respects other faiths and shares celebrations where appropriate, but doesn't blur its distinct identity or principles in the process.
Contemporary Relevance
The story celebrated during Bandi Chhor Divas—a religious leader refusing personal freedom until justice was secured for all imprisoned with him—resonates powerfully in contemporary contexts.
Criminal Justice Reform
In an era of mass incarceration, particularly in countries like the United States, Guru Hargobind's concern for fellow prisoners speaks to contemporary debates about criminal justice. Sikh organizations involved in prison reform and prisoners' rights sometimes invoke Bandi Chhor Divas as inspiration for their work.
The principle that one's own freedom is incomplete when others remain unjustly imprisoned provides a religious framework for engagement with contemporary justice issues.
Refugee and Immigrant Rights
Guru Hargobind securing liberation not just for himself but for others resonates with contemporary concerns about refugees and detained immigrants. Some Sikh organizations working on these issues draw connections between the Guru's actions and contemporary advocacy for the detained and displaced.
Standing Against Tyranny
The broader theme of resistance to unjust authority remains perpetually relevant. Whether in contexts of political oppression, religious persecution, or systemic injustice, Bandi Chhor Divas reminds Sikhs of their tradition's emphasis on standing up for justice even at personal cost.
The Message That Endures
More than four centuries after Guru Hargobind walked out of Gwalior Fort with 52 kings holding his cloak, Bandi Chhor Divas continues to inspire and instruct. The festival celebrates a specific historical event but points toward timeless principles.
It teaches that true liberation is collective, not individual—that freedom means ensuring others are free as well. It demonstrates the integration of spiritual devotion with worldly engagement for justice. It shows that resistance to tyranny can take multiple forms, from non-violent negotiation to armed self-defense when necessary. It reminds us that creativity and cleverness can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
As lights illuminate gurdwaras and homes, as fireworks burst overhead, as thousands gather to hear kirtan and share langar, as families tell children the story of the Guru and the 52 kings, Bandi Chhor Divas keeps these principles alive. The festival transforms historical memory into contemporary inspiration, reminding Sikhs and all who learn about it that the struggle for justice and the celebration of liberation remain as relevant today as they were in 1619.
The lights of Bandi Chhor Divas shine not just in remembrance of the past but as beacons for the present, illuminating paths toward a future where liberation is truly collective, where justice prevails over oppression, and where, like Guru Hargobind, we refuse to be free until all are free.