The Day the Lamps Freed the Kings: The Sikh Diwali of Liberation

In the early seventeenth century, the mighty sandstone walls of Gwalior Fort witnessed a moment that would forever illuminate Sikh history. Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, had been imprisoned by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. But when his release was granted, the Guru refused to leave without the fifty-two Rajput and Hindu kings who had been unjustly held alongside him. To honor his compassion, a special robe was stitched with fifty-two tassels—each representing a captive ruler who would walk to freedom by holding one. As the great gates of the fort opened, Guru Hargobind emerged bathed in the warm light of dawn, leading a procession of liberated kings. This act of selfless leadership transformed Diwali from a festival of lights into a festival of liberation, remembered today as Bandi Chhor Divas, the Day of Freedom.