Construction of Akal Takht

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know what happens when someone tries to silence the truth?"

Guddu: "People get angry?"

Dadi: "Sometimes. But in this story, something much more powerful happened. The Mughals killed the fifth Sikh Guru, thinking they could crush the community. Instead, they created something that would last forever."

Guddu: "Who was the fifth Guru?"

Dadi: "Guru Arjan Dev, who created the holy book and built the Harmandir Sahib. The Mughal emperor tortured and killed him in 1606 because he refused to convert to Islam."

Guddu: "That's terrible!"

Dadi: "His son, Guru Hargobind, was only eleven years old when he became the sixth Guru. But from that day, everything changed."

Guddu: "What did he do?"

Dadi: "When it was time for his coronation, the young Guru asked for something unusual. Instead of one sword - which was traditional - he asked for TWO swords."

Guddu: "Two? Why?"

Dadi: "He called them Miri and Piri. Miri represents worldly power - the ability to protect and govern. Piri represents spiritual power - the connection to God. He said both are needed together."

Guddu: "So spirituality AND strength?"

Dadi: "Exactly! And then he built something that had never existed before - the Akal Takht."

Guddu: "What does that mean?"

Dadi: ""Throne of the Timeless One." It's a platform across from the Harmandir Sahib. But here's the clever part - Guru Hargobind built it 12 feet high!"

Guddu: "Why does the height matter?"

Dadi: "Because the Mughal emperor had a law that no one could sit on a platform higher than three feet - only the emperor could sit that high. The Guru was deliberately saying, "We recognize no earthly ruler above God.""

Guddu: "That was brave!"

Dadi: "And he built it himself, with his own hands, along with Bhai Gurdas and the elderly Baba Buddha. They didn't hire workers. The work was sacred."

Guddu: "Why is it across from the Golden Temple?"

Dadi: "Beautiful design, beta. The Harmandir Sahib is for spiritual matters - prayer, worship, connection to God. The Akal Takht is for temporal matters - justice, decisions, community problems."

Guddu: "Like church and parliament?"

Dadi: "Similar idea. And the Akal Takht is built slightly lower than the Harmandir Sahib, showing that spiritual concerns always come first - but worldly justice is also sacred."

Guddu: "What happened there?"

Dadi: "Guru Hargobind would sit on the Takht wearing royal robes, surrounded by armed soldiers. He would hear complaints, resolve disputes, and dispense justice. He also began training an army."

Guddu: "A Guru with an army?"

Dadi: "After his father's martyrdom, he understood that spirituality without the power to protect it could be crushed. He told Sikhs, "Don't bring me money as offerings. Bring me horses and weapons.""

Guddu: "That's so different from the earlier Gurus!"

Dadi: "The times demanded it, beta. He combined sainthood with soldierhood. The Akal Takht became the symbol of that combination - where spiritual decisions and political decisions could both be made with wisdom."

Guddu: "Is it still important today?"

Dadi: "It's the highest seat of authority for Sikhs worldwide. Decisions made there affect the entire community. It survived attacks, was rebuilt, and still stands - a testament to what Guru Hargobind created from his father's sacrifice."

Guddu: "So from tragedy came something powerful?"

Dadi: "That's often how it works, beta. The Mughals thought they had destroyed the Sikhs by killing one Guru. Instead, they created a community that would never be helpless again. Spiritual AND strong."