The Cloak of Many Tassels

Guru Hargobind was once held in a great fort as a prisoner, along with fifty-two other princes. When at last he was told he could go free, he made one condition.

“I will leave,” he said, “only if these fifty-two are freed with me.” The clever ruler agreed that any who could hold the Guru's cloak as he walked out could go too.

So the Guru had a special cloak made with fifty-two long tassels — and each prince held a tassel and walked out to freedom. People light lamps for ‘Bandi Chhor Divas,’ the Day of Freeing Prisoners.