Gurudwara Shri Nabha Sahib Zirakpur

Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru's head was cut off cruelly at Delhi by the Mughal king, Aurangzeb failure to convert into Islam. He also passed notorious orders that whoever touches the head and body of the slain Sikh Guru would also be killed. Therefore, there were no takers for the Guru's body and head. However, due to some supreme powers, a severe storm attacked the entire city and two brave disciples came forward to take the Guru's head and body for cremation. One was Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara who claimed the Guru's body and took it to his hut. To avoid getting caught by the Mughal Emperor' army, he set fire to his hut for cremating the Guru's body.

The other Sikh devotee who claimed the Guru's head was Bhai Jaita Ji. He was one of the prisoners held by Aurangzeb; however he escaped from the prison, took the Guru's body and set foot to Anandpur Sahib. When he neared Zirakpur, he came across a piece of land which was scarcely populated and was barren. There was only a small hut and the occupant of that hut was a Muslim elderly person called Faqir Dargahi Shah. Jaita Ji explained all the incidents to Dargahi Shah who gave Jaita Ji a place in his hut to stay for the night. He also created a place out of mud in his hut to store the Guru's head. He stayed up the entire night to take care of the Guru's head while Jaita Ji slept well. In the morning, when Jaita Ji profusely thanked Dargahi Shah and proceeded to leave for Anandpur Sahib, Dargahi Shah expressed a wish to Jaita Ji. He wanted to meet the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, however could not travel for a long distance to meet due to his age and crippled state. (He was 240 years that time). Dargahi Shah asked Jaita Ji to pass on this message to Guru Gobind Singh.

Jaita Ji agreed for this and when he reached Kiratpur Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh, along with the slain Sikh guru' wife, Mata Gujri Ji and the slain Sikh guru's mother, Mata Nanaki Ji to receive the Guru's head. Upon receiving the same, he blessed Jaita Ji profusely saying "Rangrete Guru Ke Bete". The head was then brought to Anandpur Sahib in a palanquin and cremated by Guru Gobind Singh. After the cremation was done, Jaita Ji shared the experience he had with the Muslim elderly person, Dargahi Shah and also told the Guru that Shah wanted to meet him. The Guru just asked Jaita Ji to remind him of this incident whenever they get a chance to travel to some place near Dargahi Shah's hut.

In 1688, the Guru visited the Nada village where Dargahi Shah was staying and where the Gurudwara is situated. He had won the battle at Bhangani and was on his way back to his place. When they neared the village Dhakauli, Jaita Ji reminded the Guru of Dargahi Shah's request. The Guru dismounted from his horse and walked barefoot for a while to the hut and asked Dargahi Shah what his wish was. Dargahi Shah wanted freedom from life soon as he was already 240 years old. The Guru asked him to involve in deep meditation for 40 days post which he was granted death. The Guru also performed some ceremonies and pujas at the place in the hut, where the Guru's head was kept for a night.

How to Reach

By Air - Chandigarh airport is the nearest airport to Mohali. This airport is well connected with flights to and from all the major cities in the country. The frequency of flights between Delhi and Chandigarh is really high.

By Train - The Mohali railway junction is the closest train station. This is quite a busy station as it connected quite well with all the important cities in the country. There are trains that run daily between Chandigarh and Delhi. The station that is next to Mohali in terms of distance is Chandigarh, which is around 14km from Mohali.

By Road - The infrastructure of the roads is great in Mohali, therefore the city is well connected with buses daily from all the nearby cities. These buses are State government-owned and are maintained very well. The drive to Delhi is about 258km and the bus services are luxurious and comfortable.

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