Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh

Gurudwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh, also known as Gurudwara Ghodhiyan Walla is located in Nabha which is a sub division of Patiala District in Punjab. It was also the capital of the princely states during the British rule in India.

History

In the year 1775, the great grandson of Chaudhary Phool Singh founded Nabha. This place got its name after the color Nabha which means Maroon and this color was considered as the state color. The state administrative officials wore turbans of this color. The newer Nabha has undergone extreme transformation from being a less populated, clean city to a relatively crowded and commercialized city.

Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh has been served by great Sikh saints. Sarup Singh was in charge for few years until 1861. After his death, his sons Narain Singh succeeded to take charge of the Gurudwara in 1861. Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, an Encyclopedist and Lexicographer succeed Narain Singh contributing immensely to the development of Sikh religion and philosophies.

Architecture and Covered Area

Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh is a holy place for the people of Sikh community in the provincial state of Nabha. It is located in one of the busiest place and covers a wide area consisting of open landscape, pool, sitting area for devotees and verandah. The Gurudwara is atleast 150 years surrounded by huge compounds. It is a marble building with a Mughal style domes in the centre supported by large pillars on all sides.

Location and Its Surroundings

Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh is located in Nabha which is at an elevation of 246 m, coordinating at 30.37° North 76.15° East. The older Nabha is a beautiful place with narrow streets, old buildings and bazaars that astonishes the passer bys with its unexpected diversion at unexpected places. Apart from this Sikh shrine, Nabha has many tourist sports in the surrounding states and countries. Some of the must visit places in Nabha are Mahtab Nagar Nabha, Hira Singh Park, Nabha Vedas Mandir, Qila Mubarak, Attharan Bhuji temple, Courthouse of Nabha, Bir Mehas Wildlife Sanctuary and Hira Mahal.

Celebrations

All Sikh festivals are celebrated grandly in Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh. Nabha being one of the historic places celebrates Sikh festivals like Vaisakhi, Lodhi, Guru Nanak Jayanthi etc, thus attracting devotees of Sikh saints from all over the country and worldwide. Many fairs and religious events are organized in the Gurudwara to commemorate the greatness of the Sikh religion and philosophies. Also important events like a childbirth, marriage, big career and personal achievements are also observed by the devotees in this Gurudwara.

Visitors info

Best time to visit

Patiala has extreme climatic conditions. In the month of May it experience peak summers when the temperature rises to a maximum of 43.1o Celsius. January being the coldest experiences a minimum temperature of 2.1o Celsius. The Gurudwara is open on all days and there is no discrimination against the caste, creed, sex and status, thousands of people visit Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh every year.

Traveling To Nabha, Patiala

By Air

Chandigarh airport (70.3km) and Amritsar International airport (65 kms) are the two nearest air port to Nabha. Apart from these two, Nabha is also in a close proximity to Sahnewal domestic airport in Ludhiana (56.5km). Foreign tourists can take a flight to Delhi or Amritsar, and then take a domestic flight to one of these airports to reach Nabha.

By Train

Nabha has its own rail junction servicing trains to all major cities and metros of the country. ASR Dr Express (from Jalandhar city), Amritsar Mumbai Express (from Amritsar), Haridwar Shri Ganganagar Intercity Express, Bhatinda Delhi Express , Amritsar Mumbai Express , U A Toofan Express are some of the regular express trains that can take you to Nabha.

By Road

Nabha is connected via the National and state highways with other districts of the state namely Amritsar (217 kms), Ludhiana (89 kms), Jalandhar (146 Kms), Faridkot (139 kms), Mohali (89 kms), Muktsar (189 kms), Anandpur Sahib, etc. It is also connected with metro cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai within 12 to 16 hours of rail journey.

Services

Visitors and devotees of all faiths and beliefs are treated equally. Freshly made food, clean drinking water is available at all times and the premise is kept clean. Special offerings and prayers are done on special occasions and anniversaries.

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