Who was the ninth Sikh Guru?
A) Guru Gobind Singh Ji
B) Guru Har Krishan Ji
C) Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
D) Guru Hargobind Ji

Hint: The Ninth Sikh Guru was born as ‘Tyaga Mal’ in the early hours of April 1, 1621. He was also the second Sikh guru to be assassinated at the hands of a Mughal Emperor. He was executed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb on November 24, 1675.

Complete answer:
The “Sikh Gurus” are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established this religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469, which marks the birth of the founder of Sikhism, “Guru Nanak”. Nine other gurus succeeded him until, in 1708, the Guruship was finally passed on to the holy Sikh scripture, “Guru Granth Sahib”, by the tenth guru. Guru Granth Sahib is now considered the living Guru by the followers of the Sikh faith.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Guru Gobind Singh Ji: Born ‘Gobind Rai', he was the son of ‘Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji'. When his father was executed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, he was formally made the leader of the Sikhs at the age of nine, thus becoming the tenth and last human Sikh Guru. His most notable contribution to Sikhism is the establishment of ‘Khalsa', the Sikh warrior community, in the year 1699. This option is incorrect as Guru Gobind Singh Ji was the “Tenth Sikh Guru”.

Option B) Guru Har Krishan Ji: Also known as ‘Bal Guru’, he was born on July 7, 1656. On October 7, 1661, at the age of just 5 years, he became the youngest Guru in Sikhism, succeeding his father Guru Har Rai. He died in 1664 before reaching his eighth birthday, due to smallpox. He had the shortest reign as Guru, lasting only 2 years, 5 months and 24 days. This option is incorrect as Guru Har Krishan was the “Eighth Sikh Guru”.

Option C) Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji: He was the youngest son of ‘Guru Hargobind Ji', who had one daughter and five sons. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was born as ‘Tyaga Mal’ in the early hours of April 1, 1621. The name ‘Tegh Bahadur’ was given to him by his father after he had shown his bravery in a battle against the Mughals. He had grown in Sikh culture and got trained in archery and horsemanship. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji is the Ninth Sikh Guru and the second Sikh Martyr. He was the second Sikh guru to be assassinated at the hands of a Mughal Emperor. Thus, it is the correct option.

Option D) Guru Hargobind Ji: He was born on June 19, 1595, and was the only son of Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru. He had become Guru at the young age of eleven after his father was executed by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. He introduced the process of militarization to Sikhism, likely as a reaction to his father’s killing and to safeguard the Sikh community. He symbolized it by wearing two swords which represented the dual concept of “miri and piri” (temporal power and spiritual authority). This option is incorrect as Guru Hargobind Ji was the “Sixth Sikh Guru”.

Thus, the correct answer is Option C. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was the Ninth Sikh Guru.

Note: Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji sacrificed his life for the sake of people who did not even belong to the Sikh community. Therefore every year on November 24, Sikhs celebrate ‘Shaheedi Divas’. The day is celebrated in the memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and is observed as his Martyrdom Day.