Guru Hargobind is released from Gwalior Fort by Jahangir's order He died in 1644 at Kiratpur Sahib, a town situated on the banks of river Sutlej, and was cremated on the banks of River Sutlej, where now stands Gurdwara Patalpuri Sahib. He nominated his grandson to succeed him as the seventh Guru Har Rai. The Guru came to possess seven hundred horses and his Risaldari (army) grew to three hundred horsemen and sixty musketeers. The arming and training of some of his devoted followers began. The Guru was a martial artist ( shastarvidyā) and he encouraged people to maintain physical fitness and keep their bodies ready for physical combat. Guru Tegh Bahadur, his son from Mata Nanaki, became the ninth Sikh Guru. Two of his eldest sons from the first wife died during his lifetime. Guru Hargobind had three wives: Damodari, Nanaki and Mahadevi. He thus founded the military tradition in the Sikh faith. The number fifty-two was special in his life, and his retinue consisted of fifty-two armed men. He followed his martyred father's advice and always kept himself surrounded by armed Sikhs for protection. He put on two swords: one indicated his spiritual authority ( pīrī) and the other, his temporal authority ( mīrī). Shortly afterwards, Guru Arjan was arrested, tortured and killed by order of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Guru Hargobind's succession ceremony took place on 24 June 1606. On Guru Arjan, five days before his own death, selected his son Hargobind as his successor and instructed his son to start a military tradition to protect the Sikh people and always keep himself surrounded by armed Sikhs for protection.

He studied religious texts with Bhai Gurdas and trained in swordsmanship and archery with Baba Budda (not to be confused with the Gautama Buddha). According to hagiographies written by the orthodox Sikh tradition he survived a poisoning attempt by his uncle Prithi Chand, as well as another attempt on his life, when a cobra was thrown at him.

Guru Hargobind was born in Gurū kī Waḍālī, in a Sodhi Khatri Family in a village 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of Amritsar, the only son of Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru.

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