he Anandpur Sahib was under siege by the Hindu Hill Chiefs and Mughal troops who were hostile toward Sikhs, in1705. Several battles were fought during that time. A peace treaty was offered by the Mughals and the Hindu Chiefs to the Sikhs. In this treaty, they swore on their individual Gods and promised that if Guru Sahib accompanied by his army would leave the fort of Anandpur they would not attack him and his people. Guru Gobind Singh was aware of the fake promises made by the Mughals and the Hill Chiefs, yet on the insistence of his army decide to leave the fort. During the winter of 1705, the Sikhs evacuated Anandpur Sahib as ordered in the treaty (6-7 Poh, Sambat, 1762). However soon thereafter, Aurangzeb’s generals along with the Hindu Hill Chiefs broke the treaty and attacked the Sikhs near present-day Majri, Punjab. During this battle, Mata Gujri Ji along with Guru Sahib’s younger sons Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji were separated from the caravan of Guru Ji at the edge of the River Sarsa. A Gurudwara Sahib is also built up there in their honor “Gurudwara Pariwar Vichhora Sahib”.
Mata Gujri and the Chhote Sahibzadeh went on foot to the town of Chak Dhera. They spent the night there at Kumma Mashki’s hut and ate their last meal offered by Brahmani Lakshmi. Kumma Mashki, a ferry operator and water carrier, was a Muslim by birth, but he supported and allied with the Sikhs.
As per history, it is quite unclear how Mata Ji and Sahbzade met Gangu. A former servant, Gangu, a Kashmiri pandit, saw them and suggested that they come with him to his village. They were grateful for his help and went with him. However, the servant breached their trust and in greed for money, then turned her and the Sahibzadeh over to Jani Khan and Mani Khan, local Mughal authorities in the town of Morinda. They were housed here in kotwali (jail). The Sahibzadeh were subjected to torture while in Mughal custody to persuade them to convert to Islam. When they refused to accept Islam, they were transferred to Sirhind, where the local Mughal emperor Nawab Wazir Khan received them.
As per Bhai Duna Singh Hindoria (Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s contemporary and documentarian), to transport the Sahibzadeh, 35 km from Morinda to Sirhind, the Mughals tied the Sahibzadeh’s hands and feet, stuffed them in sacks, and tied them to the sides of a horse. The hands and feet of Mata Gujri were also tied, and a large, inverted pot containing hot chili peppers was placed over her head and face. All this was done to torture them and convince them to convert their religion to Islam.
In Sirhind, Mata Gujri and the Sahibzadeh were locked in a Thanda Burj (cold tower) designed for the nawab’s (regional ruler’s) summer. In the winter, the North winds blowing down from the Himalayan mountains would have made it very cold for Mata Gujri and the Sahibzadeh because they were imprisoned, perhaps without any winter clothing.