About Veer Bal Diwas
Veer Bal Diwas is the Government of India's day of remembrance for Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the young sons of Guru Gobind Singh who were executed at Sirhind in December 1704. It falls on Saturday, 26 December 2026. Sikhs also keep the martyrdom of all four Sahibzade and Mata Gujri by the SGPC calendar in the month of Poh, and many prefer to call it the Shaheedi of the Sahibzade.
For Sikhs, the last two weeks of December are the saddest of the year. In the space of a few days in the month of Poh, Guru Gobind Singh lost all four of his sons and his mother. Sikh families retell the story every winter, and many keep the days quietly, with simple food, Gurbani at home and visits to the gurdwara.
The Government of India added a national day to this season in 2022. On 9 January 2022, the Prakash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that 26 December would be kept every year as Veer Bal Diwas, in memory of the two youngest sons. It was first observed on 26 December 2022, when the Prime Minister attended a national programme at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi.
What happened in Poh 1704
Sikh tradition tells the events as one long week, which begins with the Guru leaving the besieged fort of Anandpur Sahib. Sources differ on the year: most Sikh and government accounts give December 1704, while some historians put the executions at Sirhind in December 1705.
- 6 Poh · Anandpur SahibThe Guru's family leaves the fort at night
Mughal and hill forces attack the column as it moves away
- 7 Poh · Sarsa riverThe family is separated at the river crossing
Mata Gujri and the two youngest boys cross with Gangu, who had served the household
- 8 Poh · ChamkaurThe elder Sahibzade die in battle
Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh are killed fighting a much larger force
- Next days · MorindaGangu hands the three over to officials
Mata Gujri, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh are taken to Sirhind and held in the Thanda Burj, the cold tower
- 13 Poh · SirhindThe younger Sahibzade are executed
They refuse to convert before the governor, Wazir Khan, and are put to death; Mata Gujri is said to have died on hearing the news
- After · Fatehgarh SahibDiwan Todar Mal arranges the cremation
The Jain banker buys the ground by covering it with gold coins, as the account goes
Zorawar Singh is usually remembered as nine years old. Fateh Singh's age is given as five or six in some histories; the government counts him as seven. Popular Sikh tradition holds that the boys were bricked alive in a wall, while some early Sikh accounts say they were beheaded. Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib now stands where they died, and Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup marks the cremation ground.
Why 26 December, and the SGPC's dates
The central government fixed the day on the Gregorian calendar, so it is always 26 December. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) keeps the martyrdoms by the solar month of Poh, which begins in mid-December: the elder Sahibzade and the other martyrs of Chamkaur on 8 Poh, and the younger Sahibzade with Mata Gujri on 13 Poh. In the Gregorian calendar these usually land on 22 or 23 December and 27 or 28 December, so they shift by a day between years.
Most Sikh observance follows the SGPC dates. At Chamkaur Sahib, religious gatherings run over three days ending on 8 Poh. At Fatehgarh Sahib, near Sirhind, the three-day Shaheedi Jor Mela ends on 13 Poh with a nagar kirtan led by the Panj Pyare, which walks the roughly 2 km from Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib to Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup. In 2023 the procession took about five hours to cover that distance.
The objection to the name
The SGPC and the Akal Takht have objected to "Veer Bal Diwas" since it was announced. Their point is that the Sahibzade are addressed in Sikh tradition as "Baba", as elders, and that calling the day a children's day makes their martyrdom smaller than it is. A committee of Sikh scholars, at the Akal Takht's direction, proposed the name Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas, and in December 2025 the Akal Takht Jathedar wrote to Sikh MPs asking them to press for the change. The government had not renamed the day at the time of writing.
A second concern is how schools mark it. In December 2023 the SGPC asked the CBSE and three central ministries to explain why children in several states were made to play the Sahibzade on stage, which it said goes against Sikh principles. Some Sikh leaders, including the head of the Damdami Taksal, welcomed the national day when it was announced, so the community's view is not uniform. Using "the Shaheedi of the Sahibzade" in your own message avoids the argument entirely.
How the week is kept
In 2024 the Akal Takht asked Sikhs to keep the martyrdom fortnight subdued: to recite the Mool Mantar and Gur Mantar for ten minutes at 10 am on both martyrdom days, to serve plain langar without sweets or special dishes, and to keep loud music away from Chamkaur Sahib and Fatehgarh Sahib. The SGPC has also asked families to revive the older custom of holding no celebrations during these days, a custom that faded in recent decades but is still kept in some places.
Schools and government offices mark 26 December with storytelling, recitations, essays and poster competitions, and the central government holds a national programme in Delhi.
Do
- Send your message on 26 December, or on 8 Poh and 13 Poh if you know your friend follows the SGPC calendar
- Name the Sahibzade and Mata Gujri, and say "Shaheedi" or "martyrdom"
- Keep office events on these days plain if you have Sikh colleagues, and do not book a party for them
Avoid
- Do not write "Happy Veer Bal Diwas" or use balloons, confetti or smiley emojis
- Do not ask children to dress up as or act the Sahibzade, which the SGPC has objected to
- Do not turn the day into a comment on any community today; the story is about faith and courage
What to write
Remembering Baba Zorawar Singh Ji, Baba Fateh Singh Ji and Mata Gujri Ji today. They would not give up their faith at Sirhind, at an age when most of us were still learning ours. Thinking of you and your family this week.
Chaar Sahibzade ate Mata Gujri Ji di shaheedi nu koti koti naman. Waheguru sanu vi sach te tikke rehan da bal bakhshe. (Countless salutations to the martyrdom of the four Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji. May Waheguru give us too the strength to stay firm in the truth.)
Today many of our Sikh colleagues remember the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh's youngest sons and his mother at Sirhind. A quiet, humble tribute from me.
I grew up hearing about the Thanda Burj and the two boys who would not bend. On the Shaheedi of the Sahibzade, I bow to their courage. Naman.
If you are at Fatehgarh Sahib for the Jor Mela, please say an ardas for us too. Remembering the Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji with you.
Two brothers, about nine and seven, refused to give up their faith even when they were threatened with death. Today India remembers Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh.
Sahibzada Zorawar Singh ji aur Sahibzada Fateh Singh ji ki shahadat ko shat shat naman. (A hundred salutations to the martyrdom of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh ji.)
- Sahibzade
- "Sons of the master", the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh; Chaar Sahibzade means all four
- Poh
- The tenth month of the Punjabi calendar, from mid-December to mid-January
- Thanda Burj
- The "cold tower" at Sirhind where Mata Gujri and the two boys were held
- Shaheedi Jor Mela
- The three-day gathering at Fatehgarh Sahib that ends on 13 Poh
- Naman
- A bow of respect; "shat shat naman" and "koti koti pranam" multiply it a hundred or ten million times
How to wish someone on Veer Bal Diwas
This is a day of mourning and remembrance, so a message bows, it does not celebrate. Never write "Happy Veer Bal Diwas", and leave out party emojis and words like "vadhaiyan" (congratulations). Name the Sahibzade and Mata Gujri, mention what they are remembered for, refusing to give up their faith, and close with "Naman", "humble tribute" or "Waheguru". With Sikh friends, "Shaheedi of the Sahibzade" is the safer name, since the SGPC and Akal Takht have objected to "Veer Bal Diwas".
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Punjabi + Hindi.
Good to know: The martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons and Mata Gujri. Never "Happy Veer Bal Diwas"; no confetti or party graphics. Many Sikhs prefer the name Sahibzade Shaheedi Purab and the SGPC dates in Poh.
When is Veer Bal Diwas in each year?
Veer Bal Diwas is on 26 Dec every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
Why is Veer Bal Diwas observed on 26 December?
The Government of India chose 26 December because it is the date most often given for the execution of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh at Sirhind in 1704. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the day on 9 January 2022, and it was first observed on 26 December 2022.
Is it right to say "Happy Veer Bal Diwas"?
No. The day remembers the killing of two young boys and their grandmother, so "Happy" is out of place. Write a line of remembrance instead, such as "Remembering the Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji. Naman", and avoid festive emojis.
Why do some Sikhs object to the name Veer Bal Diwas?
The SGPC and the Akal Takht say the Sahibzade are honoured as "Baba" in Sikh tradition, and that calling the day a children's day understates their martyrdom. They have asked the government to rename it Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas, and many Sikhs simply call it the Shaheedi of the Sahibzade.
When do Sikhs mark the martyrdom of the Sahibzade by the SGPC calendar?
The SGPC marks the elder Sahibzade and the martyrs of Chamkaur on 8 Poh, and the younger Sahibzade and Mata Gujri on 13 Poh. These fall around 22 to 23 December and 27 to 28 December, so they differ from the government's fixed date of 26 December.
What is the Shaheedi Jor Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib?
It is a three-day gathering at Fatehgarh Sahib, near Sirhind in Punjab, held where the younger Sahibzade were killed. It ends on 13 Poh with a nagar kirtan from Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib to Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup, the site of their cremation.
Who were the four Sahibzade?
They were the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh: Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, who died fighting at Chamkaur, and Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, who were executed at Sirhind days later. All four died within one week of December 1704, along with their grandmother Mata Gujri.
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