Tourist places in and around Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib is a city of gurudwara and forts. There are 33 big and small gurudwara in Anandpur and Keeratpur, all historically connected to the visits and deeds of the Sikh gurus.
Located on a small hill this is where the revelation of Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh and the first initiation of the Panch Pyares took place. The Kesar Sahib fort was built around it in 1699. Between 1700 and 1705 armies attacked Anandpur Sahib several times, but never penetrated the fort. It was only after Guru Gobind Singh deserted it in 1705, that the fort was captured. Today there are no remains of this fort.
During the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the late 1820s, peace reigned in the region and regular granthis (priests) began serving at Kesar Sahib gurdwara. For about a century, Kesar Sahib gurdwara had only one granthi but after the Gurdwara Reform Movement (1920-25), a jathedar (leader) was appointed here.
You will find the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, in the main hall of the gurdwara. In the middle of the hall behind it you will find a small rectangular glass structure which houses 12 relics. These relics are associated with Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh martyrs. Six of these relics were brought from Nanded where Guru Gobind Singh died, and five were brought from England in 1966. They include: Khanda a double-edged sword believed to be the sword with which Guru Gobind Singh prepared amrit on the day of revelation of Khalsa.
It is one of the Panj Takhts of the Sikhs. It is the most important of the shrines as it is here on Baisakhi day 1699, that the Khalsa was created by the Tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh Ji, when he asked five persons to come forward and lay down their lives for hm in front of a huge gathering. He required men who could offer themselves completely without question to the Guru. This he said, was the spirit of a Sikh. These five men were declared the Five Beloveds of panj piaras. The Guru then proclaimed that one such brave men equals ‘Swa Lakh' (One hundred twenty five thousand) ordinarymen.
On the auspicious day of Baisakhi (13th April, 1699), Guru Gobind singh ji, founded the ‘khalsa' or the ‘Army of pure' over here. He baptised the first five sikh volunteers to help him defend the faith and called them the ‘Panj Piare' or the five beloved ones. The magnificent gurudwara is one of the Panj or five Takhts of sikh faith. It also enshrines 12 weapons of Guru gobind singh ji.
Attached to this gurdwara is a huge langar (free community kitchen) hall, which reportedly, can seat 40,000 people. Three buildings house the sarais (inns) or dharamshalas (community lodges) with about 400 rooms where pilgrims can stay free. An information centre within the Kesar Sahib complex can give you details of the shrine. Tel: (01887) 3203
At Chandni Chowk, Delhi the executioner, Jalal- ud- din of samana (some say it was Adam Shah) took his sword and in a split second, severed Guru's head from the body on the saying of the then Mughal Emperor. Here now stands Gurdwara Sis Ganj in his memory. Bhai Jaita dashed out of the crowd and instantaneously took away the holy head of the Guru to Anandpur. On the 16th of November, 1675, it was cremated with full ceremonies. There is a Gurdwara called Sis Ganj at Anandpur where the hallowed head of the Guru was cremated.
The hallowed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was cremated here with full rituals on 16th November 1675. He was executed by the Mughals at Delhi and the head was brought here by Bhai Jaita.
The fort and residence of Guru Gobind Singh with remarkable paved well. The place was used as a fort during the time of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the last of the 10 Sikh Gurus.
It was the fort and residence of Guru Gobind singh ji. The daily light and sound show hel;d in the evening depicts scenes from the lives and the times of the sikh gurus.
Other important sites are Gurudwara damdama sahib, Guru-ka-Mahal, Gurudwara thara sahib, gurudwara Mai Jito ji and Guru Teg Bahadur Museum etc.
Gurudwara Keshgarh Sahib
Kesar Sahib or Kesgarh Sahib is the biggest and most important gurudwara in Anandpur Sahib. This impressive white structure is illuminated at night and is the town's biggest landmark. It is one of the four seats of authority of the Sikh religion and is therefore also called Takht Kesar Sahib.Located on a small hill this is where the revelation of Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh and the first initiation of the Panch Pyares took place. The Kesar Sahib fort was built around it in 1699. Between 1700 and 1705 armies attacked Anandpur Sahib several times, but never penetrated the fort. It was only after Guru Gobind Singh deserted it in 1705, that the fort was captured. Today there are no remains of this fort.
During the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the late 1820s, peace reigned in the region and regular granthis (priests) began serving at Kesar Sahib gurdwara. For about a century, Kesar Sahib gurdwara had only one granthi but after the Gurdwara Reform Movement (1920-25), a jathedar (leader) was appointed here.
You will find the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, in the main hall of the gurdwara. In the middle of the hall behind it you will find a small rectangular glass structure which houses 12 relics. These relics are associated with Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh martyrs. Six of these relics were brought from Nanded where Guru Gobind Singh died, and five were brought from England in 1966. They include: Khanda a double-edged sword believed to be the sword with which Guru Gobind Singh prepared amrit on the day of revelation of Khalsa.
It is one of the Panj Takhts of the Sikhs. It is the most important of the shrines as it is here on Baisakhi day 1699, that the Khalsa was created by the Tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh Ji, when he asked five persons to come forward and lay down their lives for hm in front of a huge gathering. He required men who could offer themselves completely without question to the Guru. This he said, was the spirit of a Sikh. These five men were declared the Five Beloveds of panj piaras. The Guru then proclaimed that one such brave men equals ‘Swa Lakh' (One hundred twenty five thousand) ordinarymen.
On the auspicious day of Baisakhi (13th April, 1699), Guru Gobind singh ji, founded the ‘khalsa' or the ‘Army of pure' over here. He baptised the first five sikh volunteers to help him defend the faith and called them the ‘Panj Piare' or the five beloved ones. The magnificent gurudwara is one of the Panj or five Takhts of sikh faith. It also enshrines 12 weapons of Guru gobind singh ji.
Kataar
the personal dagger of Guru Gobind Singh which was used for hand to hand combat. Saif - a double-edged weapon. It is believed that this weapon belonged to Khalifa Ali (the son-in-law of the Muslim prophet Hazrat Mohammed) and had been used by Ali's sons, Hassan and Hussain. It remained with the successors of Ali who presented it to Aurangzeb in appreciation of his contribution to the spread of Islam. After the accession of Bahadur Shah to the Mughal throne, he gave it as a token of thanks to Guru Gobind Singh. Gun - a Sikh presented this gun from Lahore on the Guru's hukamnama (order) asking Sikhs to bring him gifts of fine horses, books and weapons.Naagni Barchha
The blade of this spear is in the shape of a female serpent. It was Guru Gobind Singh's spear. On September 1, 1700 when Ajmer Chand's army planned to bring a drunk elephant to break open the main gate of the Lohagarh fort, the guru gave Bhai Bachitar Singh the spear to turn the elephant back. He attacked and wounded the animal with this spear causing it to retreat and kill several soldiers of Ajmer Chand's army. Karpa Barchha - a spear that has a hand-shaped blade that was used during the marriage ceremony of the Guru in 1677. According to legend, there was an acute shortage of water at Guru Ka Lahore, the venue for the wedding ceremony. The Guru is believed to have struck the ground with this spear causing three springs to gush forth. Today a pond stands at the site of these three springs. In the war with Ajmer Chand, Bhai Udey Singh killed Raja Kesari Chand (Ajmer Chand's uncle), with this spear, then carried his head on it to present it to the Guru. The hill soldiers shot several arrows to stop him but the spear deflected them. The spear bears the marks of those arrows. The gurdwara also has some assorted artefacts from England: A big spear, a small spear, the Shamshir-i-Tegh (a sword), Dah-i-Ahni (a golden quoit) and a shield made from rhinoceros skin, are all part of the collection.Attached to this gurdwara is a huge langar (free community kitchen) hall, which reportedly, can seat 40,000 people. Three buildings house the sarais (inns) or dharamshalas (community lodges) with about 400 rooms where pilgrims can stay free. An information centre within the Kesar Sahib complex can give you details of the shrine. Tel: (01887) 3203
Gurdwara Guru de Mahal
Guru Tegh Bahahdur laid the foundation stone of Chakk Nanaki here and this is also where Guru Gobind Singh's family lived. The sprawling complex also includes Gurdwara Bohra Sahib, Manji Sahib and Damdama Sahib. Damdama Sahib is also known as Gurdwara Takht Sahib, as Guru Tegh Bahadur performed the functions of Akal Takht Sahib from here. It was also the Diwane-i-Khas, the court of the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh was made the tenth guru here, on July 8, 1675. In March 1698 Guru Gobind Singh summoned all the Masands (treasurers) to Anandpur Sahib, and they were tried here.Gurudwara Guru Tegh Bahadurji (Sis Ganj)
It was at this gurdwara that the head of the martyred Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh was brought back by Bhai Jatia and his associates. His head was cremated here on November 17, 1675. When Guru Gobind Singh fled the town on December 5, 1705 he visited this place and appointed Bhai Gurbaksh Das Udasi caretaker.At Chandni Chowk, Delhi the executioner, Jalal- ud- din of samana (some say it was Adam Shah) took his sword and in a split second, severed Guru's head from the body on the saying of the then Mughal Emperor. Here now stands Gurdwara Sis Ganj in his memory. Bhai Jaita dashed out of the crowd and instantaneously took away the holy head of the Guru to Anandpur. On the 16th of November, 1675, it was cremated with full ceremonies. There is a Gurdwara called Sis Ganj at Anandpur where the hallowed head of the Guru was cremated.
The hallowed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was cremated here with full rituals on 16th November 1675. He was executed by the Mughals at Delhi and the head was brought here by Bhai Jaita.
Gurdwara Shahidi Bagh
This is the only Gurdwara in Anandpur Sahib, which is not under the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). You will find it on the road between Kesar Sahib and Anandgarh fort. The gurdwara has a garden where a few skirmishes occurred in 1705 when the Bilaspur army laid siege to Anandpur Sahib. Several Sikhs lost their lives here and in their honour, it was named Gurdwara Shahidi (martyrdom).Anandgarh Sahib fort and gurudwara
This was the first fort of Anandpur Sahib. Its foundation stone was laid on March 31, 1689. Guru Gobind Singh spent nearly 16 years in this fort, as it was strong and strategically located. The arms and ammunition of the Khalsa army were stored here. It was almost demolished by the army of Ajmer Chand in 1705. Several years later, the Sikhs built a gurdwara at the site of Anandgarh fort. Later S Jassa Singh Ahluwalia built a baoli (step well) here. A few walls of the fort existed on the northern side until 1985, but were removed to make room for a new building. The other fort walls were destroyed to make way for a circular road. Nevertheless, the gurdwara perched on a hill is an impressive sight. During the tri-centenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth in 1999, a sound and light show depicting the history of the Sikhs in general and Anandpur Sahib in particular was held in this gurudwara every evening. This show commences each year during the Holla Mohalla and Baisakhi celebrations in March/April.The fort and residence of Guru Gobind Singh with remarkable paved well. The place was used as a fort during the time of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the last of the 10 Sikh Gurus.
It was the fort and residence of Guru Gobind singh ji. The daily light and sound show hel;d in the evening depicts scenes from the lives and the times of the sikh gurus.
Other important sites are Gurudwara damdama sahib, Guru-ka-Mahal, Gurudwara thara sahib, gurudwara Mai Jito ji and Guru Teg Bahadur Museum etc.