Why is bandi chor diwas celebrated on diwali day...that was the day Guru Hargobind Sahib reached Amritsar...bandi chod diwas should be celebrated on the day he walked out of gwalior jail, no??

answered 2019-10-22 10:42:58 -0500

Guruka Singh
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updated 2019-10-22 10:46:24 -0500

Diwali has been celebrated from long before Guru Hargobind Sahib. All religions celebrate the "light in the darkness" in their own way. Perhaps it was anti-Hindu sentiment that made some Sikh leaders want to replace Diwali with Bandi Chor Divas. It's not an uncommon practice. Christians moved the celebration of Jesus' birthday from August to December in order to capitalize on the existing Winter Solstice celebration.

Here is a marvelous account of Guru Hargobind Sahib and his incarceration at Gwalior prison