Rites of spring

In the late 1600s Sikhs and Hindus were suffering under the tyranny of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who had embarked on a path to Islamize India and imposed religious taxes. The Hindus approached the ninth Sikh guru, Tegh Bahadur, for assistance. He entrusted his son, Gobind Rai, with the task. The ninth guru was then imprisoned by the Mughals and killed for not converting to Islam.

Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Also See: The meaning of colour