Bandi Chhor Divas

A Guru who would not leave alone

In the early 1600s, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, the sixth Sikh Guru, was held in the fort at Gwalior on the orders of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Imprisoned with him were 52 Hindu kings and princes from the hill states of northern India.

When the emperor finally ordered the Guru’s release, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji refused to go unless the 52 kings were freed with him. The emperor set what he thought was an impossible condition: only those who could hold on to the Guru’s cloak as he walked out could leave.

The Guru had a cloak made with 52 tassels. Each king took hold of one, and all of them walked out of the fort together. From that day the Guru has been remembered as Data Bandi Chhor, the one who set the prisoners free. A gurdwara, Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Sahib, stands at Gwalior Fort today, and a cloak associated with the story is kept at Gurdwara Sri Chola Sahib in Ludhiana district, Punjab.

Lights in Amritsar

Sikh tradition holds that after his release the Guru travelled to Amritsar, where people were already celebrating Diwali, and the city celebrated his return. Ever since, Sikhs have marked the day by lighting lamps. Each year Sri Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple, is lit with thousands of lights and the sky above the sarovar fills with fireworks.

Bhai Mani Singh

The day also carries a harder memory. In the 1730s, Bhai Mani Singh, the granthi of Sri Harmandir Sahib, asked the governor of Lahore for permission for Sikhs to gather in Amritsar for Bandi Chhor Divas. Permission came with a heavy tax, and Bhai Mani Singh learned that an attack on the gathering was being planned. He warned the Sangat to stay away, so no tax could be paid. He was arrested, refused to give up his faith, and was executed in Lahore. Sikhs remember his martyrdom on this day too.

Why it shares a night with Diwali

Bandi Chhor Divas falls on the new-moon night of the month of Kartik, the same night as Diwali. It is one of a small number of Sikh observances still dated by the traditional lunar calendar, so it moves from year to year. In 2026 it falls on Sunday 8 November.

So on one night, Hindu, Sikh and Jain families in London light lamps for different reasons. For Sikhs, the light honours freedom and justice, and especially the freedom of others.

How the day is marked

• At the gurdwara: a continuous reading of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is often completed on the day, followed by kirtan, Ardas and langar for everyone.
• At home: diyas and candles are lit in windows and doorways, sweets are shared, and families visit the gurdwara together.
• Across the city: fireworks in the evening. If your family lights fireworks, please follow the City of London’s fireworks by-law and keep them well away from homes and parked cars.

London’s gurdwaras hold their own programmes for the day. Check with your local gurdwara for timings of the diwan, kirtan and fireworks.

For our neighbours and friends

If you have Sikh friends, co-workers or neighbours, a simple “Happy Bandi Chhor Divas” is always welcome. In Panjabi you can say ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ (Bandi Chhor Divas diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan), “many, many congratulations on Bandi Chhor Divas”.

Everyone is welcome at a gurdwara, whatever their faith. Visitors cover their heads (a scarf is fine, and most gurdwaras have spares), remove their shoes, and do not bring tobacco or alcohol. Langar, the free community meal, is served to everyone, sitting together.

What it means to our club

The Bandi Chhor story is about refusing to accept a good thing for yourself while others are left behind. That is the idea behind much of what the Panjabi Sports and Social Club tries to do: giving blood for people we will never meet, looking after Meadowgate Park for every family who uses it, and making newcomers to London feel at home.

It also echoes the parable Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra used to tell, that when darkness falls an ordinary person can still light one small lamp. On 8 November, light yours.

This page is a short introduction written by the Panjabi Sports and Social Club, London, Ontario, for our community and neighbours. Accounts of the historical events differ in some details and dates; readers who want to go further should ask at their gurdwara or consult published Sikh histories. The date of Bandi Chhor Divas follows the traditional calendar and is confirmed each year by the Sikh institutions in Amritsar.