Gurudwara Shri Garhi Sahib

Guru Gobind Singh was prone to many attacks from enemies because of his righteousness and his undeterred faith towards his religion. He spent a considerable time moving to different places just to avoid enemy attacks. During one such attack, to hide from enemies while vacating Anandpur Sahib, the Guru and 40 other Sikhs took shelter in a house that was two storeyed and stood like a huge fort. The Guru and his team came to this place during the 6th December, 1705. However, this was a battle where there was absolutely no level playing ground. The size of the enemy army was too huge, whereas the Guru had just a poultry 40 men with him. He tried his best to manage his small team and to delay the inevitable. The double storeyed structure had a very big compound wall and had only opening. As soon as taking shelter in this structure, the Guru appointed 8 men each to take guard in all the four sides. Two other Sikhs, Maan Singh and Kotha Singh were appointed at the entrance.

The Guru himself occupied the first floor with his sons Sahibzaada Ajit Singh and Sahibzaada Jujhar Singh. As the enemy started attacking in huge numbers, the Sikhs came out in small batches to face the severity and were instantly killed. The Guru's sons too came forward and a strong physical duel continued for quite some time between the Sikhs and the enemies. In the end, the Guru lost both his sons. After a day of fighting, the only people left from the Sikhs' side were the Guru and five other Sikhs. All these five disciples urged the Guru to flee from that place so that he could garner more support from outside. This seemed to be like a good idea for the Guru and therefore, he gave his dress to Sangat Singh who looked like him in some ways. He wanted the enemies to think that Sangat Singh was indeed Guru Gobind Singh. After dressing up Sangat, the Guru fled through the single entrance that was available. The Guru made full use of the factors that it was dark outside and that the enemies were worn out after fighting a long battle. Once the Guru escaped, three other Sikhs, Daya Singh, Dharam Singh and Man Singh somehow managed to escape from the enemy attacks. The only two people who were caught inside the fortress were Sangat Singh and Sant Singh. Both these Sikhs were killed by enemies. Even till their last breaths, these Sikhs didn't want to give in any information about their leader and team mates and died in the process than choosing the easy way out by deposing their leader before their enemies. The Garhi Sahib Gurudwara is built exactly at the site where the Sikhs took custody.

The old building was almost in a dilapidated condition some time back, therefore it was totally destroyed a new Gurudwara was built in this place. The new place now has 4 floors as against the original structure of 2 floors. The architecture, the artwork, designs and patterns chosen are quite exquisite here. In the ground floor, there is a huge congregation hall where people gather to pay respect. This is where the Sanctum Sanctorum is present. The beautiful dome of the structure is in the shape of a lotus and the shining tiles that are placed on it only aggravate the beauty of the dome. In the corners of the Gurudwara, one can find attractive domes that are nicely decorated and contain intricate artwork on them.

How to Reach

By Air - The nearest airport to reach Ropar is Chandigarh. This is around 41km away from the place. The other nearest airport is Delhi, which is around 300km away. From the Chandigarh airport, there are lots of cabs available to reach Ropar.

By Rail - Ropar railway junction, one of the big junctions in Punjab is the nearest train station to this Gurudwara. This railway station has lots of trains that are well connected with the main places in the country.

By Road - One can find lots of options of cars and taxis from all cities of Punjab to Ropar. Ropar is easily accessible through bus as well, as there are many government buses that ply to Ropar on a daily basis. These buses are neat, comfortable, affordable and luxurious in their own ways.

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