Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day is observed every year on 24 November. He is the ninth guru in the lineage of Sikh saints. He is also called Hind ki Chadar, or Shield of India. He laid down his life for the rights of a community of people who were not even of his religion. He was beheaded in the year 1675 at the orders of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb. He was martyred in Delhi, at Chandni Chowk.

Aurangzeb aimed to convert the Hindu population in India to Islam at the risk of execution if they rebelled against his diktat. A delegation of Kashmir Pandits sought help from Guru Tegh Bahadur to prevent the conversions.

Guru Tegh Bahadur proclaimed that if the emperor was successful in converting him to Islam, then the others would be ready to convert too. He was then arrested and presented in front of the emperor. Upon refusing to convert to Islam, he was imprisoned for 4 months. Following his refusal to perform a miracle to prove his closeness to God, three of his followers were killed in front of him. Still refusing to be converted, Guru Tegh Bahadur was ordered to be beheaded by the emperor. His beheading was carried out in front of the public in Chandni Chowk, which is a market square near the Red Fort in Delhi. The execution was on 11 November 1675.

Today, a Gurdwara stands at the spot where the Guru was martyred, called the Gurdwara Sis Ganj.