AMRITSAR:
Birth place of Guru Tegh Bahadur:
The ninth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was born in Amritsar on April 1, 1621. He was the youngest of five sons of Guru Hargobind Singh. He had four brothers Baba Gurditta, Baba Suraj Mal, Baba Ani Rai, Baba Atal Rai and one sister Bibi Veero. Situated in a narrow street near Guru Bazar, the birthplace of the Guru is known as Gurdwara Guru Ke Mahal, as it was also the home of Guru Ramdas, Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Hargobind. The gurdwara has a well from the times of the Gurus.
Gurdwara Kotha Sahib:
Gurdwara Kotha Sahib is situated in Vallaha near Amritsar. The legend has it that after attaining "Gurgaddi", Guru Tegh Bahadur reached Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. After taking dip in the holy sarovar, Guru sat under a Beri tree and later went to Vallaha. He visited Mata Haro's home and stayed there for 17 days. Her house later became the gurdwara.
Gurdwara Baba Bakala:
Situated around 37 kilometres from Amritsar, Gurdwara Baba Bakala holds a significant importance in Sikh history. Before his death, Guru Harkrishan had mumbled "Baba Bakal" giving indication that his successor would be found here. In those days, many imposters tried to grab the "Gurgaddi" by posing as the real Guru. It was Makhan Shah Lubana, a banjara trader from Jhelum, who discovered the real Guru.
Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib:
Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib situated near the new Moti Bagh palace in Patiala is a place where almost entire Patiala will
converge on Thursday, as the ninth Guru of Sikhs Guru Teg Bahadur had stayed for some days here before attaining martyrdom for Kashmiri Pandits. "Guru Sahib stayed here for more than a week while he was going to Delhi from Anandpur Sahib," said manager of gurdwara Karnail Singh. Though majority of the gurdwara building has been reconstructed, there still exists a small building at the back of the gurdwara where the Guru reportedly stayed for some days. "Authorities have reconstructed the main building but they did not demolished this small place as it is considered auspicious," said Balwant Singh, a regular devotee to the gurdwara for the past 30 years.
Yamunanagar villages:
During his various pilgrimages, Guru Tegh Bahadur visited two villages of Yamunanagar - Jhiwerehri and Shudail. The Guru meditated under the sun, and when people requested him to sit under a tree, he assured them that a tree will grow by itself at the place of his meditation. The legend has it that a peepal tree grew at the same place, and still exists. A pond near the gurdwara came into existence during the Guru's visit. A gurdwara was built in Shudail village.
Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib:
The gurdwara built in Delhi is situated at a place where Guru Tegh Bahadur was cremated after his execution in November 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The Guru was beheaded for refusing to accept Islam as his religion.
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib:
After the Guru was beheaded at Chandni Chowk in old Delhi, his head was taken to the Anandpur Sahib by Bhai Jivan Singh, and cremated by his son Gobind Rai. Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is constructed at the same place, and thousand of devotees come here every year.
with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news report.
I was aware of the existence of Sikh settlements in Woolgoolga in North Australia. They were farmers growing avocados and bananas and were prosperous enough to have aircraft of their own to spray pesticides. They were split into two factions and had two gurdwaras. I spent one evening with them and was charmed to note that after the evening prayers, their ladies served chilled beer to their men folk.
.jpg)
