Which Sikh gurus were killed by the Mughals?

Two Sikh Gurus were executed by the Mughal Empire: Guru Arjan Dev Ji (the fifth Guru, killed in 1606 under Emperor Jahangir) and Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (the ninth Guru, killed in 1675 under Emperor Aurangzeb). Both martyrdoms shaped the course of Sikh history and are still commemorated every year.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1563–1606)

Guru Arjan Dev compiled the Adi Granth, the original scripture that later became the Guru Granth Sahib, and built the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. His growing influence worried Emperor Jahangir, who accused him of blessing a rebel prince, Khusrau, and of spreading a faith that competed with Mughal authority.

Jahangir ordered Guru Arjan to pay a heavy fine and alter the scripture's content. He refused both demands. He was arrested, tortured in Lahore during the peak of summer, and died from his injuries in May 1606. His martyrdom is remembered each year as Shaheedi Diwas and is credited with pushing Sikhism toward a more militarized, self-defending posture under his son, Guru Hargobind.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621–1675)

Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed nearly seventy years later, under a very different emperor: Aurangzeb, known for his strict enforcement of Islamic orthodoxy across the empire. A delegation of Kashmiri Pandits approached the Guru for help after Aurangzeb's officials began forcing conversions to Islam. Guru Tegh Bahadur chose to intervene on their behalf.

He was summoned to Delhi, imprisoned, and given three options: perform a miracle, convert to Islam, or face death. He chose execution over abandoning his principles. He was beheaded publicly in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, in November 1675. This event earned him the title "Hind di Chadar" — the shield of India — for defending the religious freedom of a community outside his own faith.

A related but separate group: the Sahibzade

People researching this topic often come across the sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, and assume they were Gurus too. They weren't — Guru Gobind Singh remained the living Guru until his death in 1708. His four sons (the Sahibzade) were killed by Mughal forces and the governor Wazir Khan in 1704: two died in battle at Chamkaur, and the two younger boys were bricked alive at Sirhind after refusing to convert.

Both Guru martyrdoms are marked annually — Guru Arjan Dev's in late May/early June, and Guru Tegh Bahadur's in November — and remain central to how Sikhs understand sacrifice, conscience, and resistance to religious persecution.