Guru Hargobind
Guru Hargobind
20th c.
Gouache, powdered gold ink, ink
30.1 x 21.8 cm
Gift of the Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.), inv. 2022.64
Graphic Arts
The Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) holds a bird of prey, an allusion to his own military prowess, and his attendant carries a fly-whisk, a symbol of the guru’s regality. Sixth of ten gurus, Hargobind was eleven when he rose to power following the execution of his father, Guru Arjan, by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. This tragedy may be one reason why he assembled his own army and militarized the Sikh community. He also built the Akal Takht (Throne of the Timeless One) in Amritsar, today’s centre of Sikh earthly authority.
