Punjab Gurudwara Tour

Punjab Gurudwaras

Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar : The Harimandir Sahib (meaning Temple of God) is also commonly known as the Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib (Divine Court). It is situated in the city of Amritsar in Punjab. The Golden Temple is a living symbol of the spiritual and historical traditions of the Sikhs. It is a source of inspiration for all Sikhs and their chief place of pilgrimage. 

Fatehgarh Sahib, Sirhind : An important destination for Sikh pilgrims. This gurudwara has been built on the site where 300 years ago, Guru Gobind Singhji's two young Sahibzadas were entombed alive by the Mughals because they had refused to embrace Islam underduress of the Nawab of Sirhind.

Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib : A birthplace of the Khalsa, it was here on March 30th, 1699 Guru Gobind Singh baptized 5 sikhs with amrit (sweetened water) stirred with his Khanda and called them his Five Beloved Ones and gave them the last name ‘Singh’ which means Lion. Guru Gobind Singh then humbly bowed before the Five Beloved Ones and asked them to initiate Him into the Khalsa Brotherhood. 

Damadama Sahib also known as Guru -Ki- Kashi Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda : Guru Gobind Singhji stayed in Damdama Sahib for nine months and it was here that he worked on the Adi Granth. He made Damdama the centre for propagating the Sikh faith and called it ‘Khalsa De Takht’ or Throne of the Khalsa. It holds great significance for Sikh for it is the place where the guru sought rest and refuge during his battles with the Mughals. 

Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib Patiala City : Marks the site where the 9th Prophet,Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji had rested while proceeding to Delhi to embrace martyrdom to uphold man's right to worship according to his belief. 


Tarn Taran : 24 Kms south of Amritsar. Founded by the 5th Prophet Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji the impressive Gurudwara with gold plated dome has a holy pool. The guru used to run a leper's home here. 

Goindwal Sahib : Within easy reach of Tarn Taran was the centre of Sikh religion during the time of the third Prophet, Guru Amar Das ji. The deep well (bauli) in the Gurudwara has 84 steps. Whoever takes a bath here and recites Japji Sahib (divine composition of the first Prophet of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji ) at each step, and repeats the recitation followed by bath in the Holy Well 84 times, attains moksh, because he lives out 84,000 cycles of birth representing each specie created by God. 

Baba Bakala : 45 Kms from Amritsar. The 9th Prophet Guru Teg Bahadur had revealed himself to Makhan Shah Lubana, a Sikh devotee here. A fair is held here on the occasion of Rakhsha Bandhan. 

Dera Baba Nanak : (35 Kms west of Gurdaspur) Guru Nanak Dev Ji spent last 12 years of his life here. Clothes he wore at Mecca are preserved here. A fair called the Maghi fair is held here every January. 

Other Famous Gurudwaras in Punjab : 

SRI GURU NANAK DEV JI : Gurudwara Kandh Sahib, Batala, Dist. Gurdaspur Gurudwara Hatt Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, Dist. Kapurthala Gurudwara Guru Ka Bagh, Sultanpur Lodhi, Dist. Kapurthala Gurudwara Kothi Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, Dist. Kapurthala Gurudwara Ber Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, Dist. Kapurthala Gurudwara Achal Sahib, Dist. Gurdaspur Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak, Dist. Gurdaspur

SRI GURU ANGAD DEV JI : Gurudwara Khadur Sahib, Dist. Amritsar SRI GURU AMAR DAS JI : Gurudwara Chaubara Sahib, Goindwal, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara San Sahib, Basarke, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Baoli Sahib, Goindwal, Dist. Amritsar 

SRI GURU RAM DAS JI : Gurudwara Guru Ka Mahl, Dist. Amritsar SRI GURU ARJAN DEV JI : Gurudwara Sri Tarn Taran Sahib, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Tham Sahib, Kartarpur, Dist. Jalandhar Gurudwara Bath Sahib, Dist. Gurdaspur Gurudwara Bir Baba Buddha, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Ramsar, Dist. Amritsar 


SRI GURU HARGOBIND JI : Gurudwara Guru Ki Wadali, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Babeksar, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Lohgarh, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Daroli Bhai, Dist. Firozpur Gurudwara Chhevin Padshahi, Dist. Jalandhar Gurudwara Baba Atal, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Patal Puri, Kiratpur, Dist. Ropar 

SRI GURU HAR RAI JI : Gurudwara Patal Puri, Kiratpur, Dist. Ropar 

SRI GURU HARKRISHAN JI : Gurudwara Patal Puri, Kiratpur, Dist. Ropar SRI GURU TEGH BAHADUR JI : Gurudwara Baba Bakala, Dist. Amritsar Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib, Dist. Patiala Gurudwara Bahadurgarh, Dist. Patiala Gurudwara Pathshahi Nouvin, Talwandi Sabo, Dist. Bathinda 

SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI : Gurudwara Vibhore Sahib, Dist. Nangal Gurudwara Ghat Sahib, Dist. Nangal Gurudwara Bhatha Sahib, Dist. Ropar Gurudwara Bhadaur, Dist. Sangrur Gurudwara Parivar Vichhora, Dist. Ropar Gurudwara Garhi Sahib, Chamkaur Sahib, Dist. Ropar Gurudwara Katalgarh Sahib, Chamkaur Sahib, Dist. Ropar Gurudwara Charan Kanwal, Machhiwara, Dist. Ludhiana Gurudwara Ghani Khan Nabi Khan, Machhiwara, Dist. Ludhiana Gurudwara Katana Sahib, Dist. Ludhiana Gurudwara Alamgir, Dist. Ludhiana Gurudwara Phalahi Sahib, Dist. Ludhiana Gurudwara Raikot, Dist. Ludhiana Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib, Sirhind, Dist. Patiala Gurudwara Zafarnama, Dist. Bathinda Gurudwara Gangsar, Jaito, Dist. Faridkot Gurudwara Tibbi Sahib, Muktsar, Dist. Faridkot Gurudwara Thambu Mal & Darbar Sahib, Muktsar, Dist. Faridkot Gurudwara Shahid Ganj, Muktsar, Dist. Faridkot

For more details and prices , visit our website athttp://www.sikhtourism.com/punjab-gurudwara.htm

Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib is Opened for Darshans

The doors of Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib have been opened on June 1, 2009.

Sangat can visit the gurudwara everyday till Oct 5, 2009.

For any details of Hemkund Sahib Yatra from Delhi & Amritsar, visit us at www.sikhtourism.com/hemkund.htm

Delhi Hemkund Sahib Yatra 2009

Hemkund Sahib Yatra is again starting in June 2009 and Sikhtourism has made special Delhi Hemkund Sahib Tour Packages for Pilgrimages.

Sri Hemkund Sahib Tours are available only in the summer, between June and October.

Details of the Tour are :
DELHI - HEMKUND SAHIB - DELHI (6 Nights - 7 Days)
Day 1. Delhi - Rishikesh (Drive 240 km)
Day 2. Rishikesh - Joshimath (Drive 257 km)
Day 3. Joshimath - Govind Ghat - Govind Dham(ghangharia) (Drive 21km, Trek 13km )
Day 4. Govind Dham - Hemkund Sahib - Govind Dham (Ghangharia Trek (12 km)
Day 5. Govind Dham - Govind Ghat - Joshimath (Trek 13 km, Drive 21 km)
Day 6. Joshimath - Rishikesh (Drive 257 km)
Day 7. Rishikesh - Delhi (Drive 240 km)

For more details and Prices, visit at Hemkund Sahib Yara

Vote for Golden Temple in Seven Wonders of India

NDTV has started a survey to select 7 Wonders of India and Golden Temple Amritsar is a part of the same survey.

Please vote for Golden Temple to let it be on the top of list as the best place in India.

Click to vote for Golden Temple Amritsar.

Hola Mahalla at Anandpur Sahib

Hola Mohalla or Hola Mahalla or simply Hola is a Sikh festival that takes place on the first of the lunar month of Chet which usually falls in March. This, by a tradition estabished by Guru Gobind Singh, follows the Hindu festival of Holi by one day; Hola is the masculine form of the feminine sounding Holi. The word "Mohalla" is a Punjabi word that implies an organized procession in the form of an army column. But unlike Holi, when people playfully sprinkle color, dry or mixed in water, on each other, the Guru made Hola Mohalla an occasion for the Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in simulated battles.

Together the words "Hola Mohalla" stands for "mock fight". During this festival, processions are organised in the form of army type columns accompanied by war-drums and standard-bearers and proceeding to a given spot or moving in state from one gurdwara to another. The custom originated in the time of Guru Gobind Singh who held the first such mock fight event at Anandpur in February 1701.

The foothills of the Shivaliks in Ropar district of Punjab's north-eastern region, especially around the historic townships of Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib, have, since 1701 been playing host to Hola Mohalla. Recently, the Indian government accorded it the status of a national festival. The military exercise, which was personally supervised by the guru, was carried out on the bed of the River Charan Ganga with the famous Hindu temple of Mata Naina Devi in the Shivaliks as the backdrop.

This annual festival held at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab and now replicated at other Gurdwaras worldwide was started by the tenth Sikh Guru, as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles on the day following the festival of Holi at Anandpur Sahib. It reminds the people of valour and defence preparedness, concepts dear to the Tenth Guru who was at that time battling the Mughal empire and the hill kings. On this three-day grand festival, mock battles, exhibitions, display of weapons, etc., are held followed by kirtan, music and poetry competitions. The participants perform daring feats, such as Gatka (mock encounters with real weapons), tent pegging, bareback horse-riding, standing erect on two speeding horses and various other feats of bravery.

There are also a number of Darbars where the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is present and kirtan and religious lectures take place. On the last day a long procession, led by Panj Pyaras, starts from Takhat Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five Sikh religious seats, and passes through various important Gurdwaras like Qila Anandgarh, Lohgarh Sahib, Mata Jitoji and terminates at the Takhat (Keshgarh).

For people visiting Anandpur Sahib, langars (voluntary community kitchens) are organized by the local people as a part of sewa (community service). Raw materials like wheat flour, rice, vegetables, milk and sugar are provided by the villagers living nearby. Women volunteer to cook and others take part in cleaning utensils and other manual tasks that need to be carried out. Traditional cuisine is served to the pilgrims who eat while sitting in rows on the ground. (Pangat)

The popularity of this festival may be judged from the fact that out of five Sikh public holidays requested by the Khalsa Diwan, Lahore in 1889, the Government approved only two - Holla Mahalla and the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Hola Mahalla is presently the biggest festival at Anandpur.

World's first Sikh University to come up at Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab

Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, is a holy town for Sikhs, where two sons of the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, attained martyrdom in the 18th century, is set to be home to the first Sikh university - the Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will Monday lay the first stone of the foundation monument - the 'Minar-e-Ikonkar' (Tower of God is one) - in this historic Sikh holy town, around 60 km from Chandigarh.

The university, spread over 84 acres given by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), is coming up in an year which also marks the 300th anniversary of the 'Gurgaddi' (installation) of the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, at 'Harmandar Sahib', the holiest of Sikh shrines, in Amritsar. Though founded with traditional values espoused by the Sikh religion, the university will deal with contemporary issues like the authentic interpretation of Sikhism in the modern context and idiom, role of Sikhism in the making of the 21st century society and the third millennium civilization, a state government spokesman said.

It also aims at addressing contemporary problems of Sikh identity vis-a-vis forces and processes of globalisation, facts about the Sikh diaspora and role of Sikhism and global interfaith dialogue, he added.

Sikhism is one of the youngest religions in the world, founded by the first Sikh guru, Nanak Dev, in the 15th century. The Sikhs, considered one of the most progressive communities, traditionally hail from the north Indian state of Punjab.
Besides the routine courses in arts, science and other fields, the university will focus on emerging technologies such as bio-technology, nano-technology, information technology and disciplines like ecology, human rights, feminism, empowerment of the down-trodden and other related spheres.

To give the university a 21st century outlook, it is looking at multi-national companies and other international universities for tie-ups. The spokesman said that arrangements will be made with foreign universities to enable scholars of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University to be sent abroad as part of the course study.

Regional and overseas extension centres of the University will be established in India, North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and other countries wherever Sikhs and Sikhism have reached.

The university authorities are also planning to rope in the Sikh diaspora in the new venture.

The university also gives the students an option to undertake advanced studies in Sikhism - its philosophy, ethics, relation with other religions, history, music, linguistics, holy shrines and historical places associated with the religion, architecture, paintings, way of life, martial arts, diaspora and role of Sikhism in the 21st century.

Film Sat Sri Akal – a story of love and faith

Slated for release in the last week of September, Sat Sri Akal –a story of love and faith, is a cinematic contribution for the Tricentenary Gurta Gaddi celebrations.

Are cinema characters to serve as role models? Is eulogizing a Sikh achiever in the field of music and cinema tantamount to preparing Sikhs for a stint in Bollywood? Well, the times are changing and changing fast. Sometime back, we were yearning for a radio station at Darbar Sahib, now we are looking at setting up a regulatory authority to monitor the plethora of channels blaring religious untruths and falsehood.

Not very long ago, we wanted “good Sikh characters” in Bollywood and Hollywood. If a young Ishmeet Singh or Manpreet Singh chooses to have acting as a career and their visibility happens to be more, much to the chagrin of those who don’t like Sikhs in cinema, it is certainly not their fault. Neither Manmeet Singh nor Manpreet Singh goes around town exhorting young Sikhs to join films. Some of these young people are doing yeoman’s service besides their careers and that needs to be appreciated.

With the fully bearded and turbaned Manpreet Singh as the lead hero, Sat Sri Akal will foster renewed interest in the Sikh face. Whatever happens, Bollywood will have to sit up, listen and take notice. In the years to come, it will become more difficult for them to malign Sikhs as they have doing for all these years.
In this historic year of the Sikh calendar, Sat Sri Akal will be a much talked about movie, because it puts on celluloid the true strains of Sikhism, the ethos of faith in Guru Granth Sahib and the importance of tradition and values in modern day life. The protagonists, the Mata Tripta Ji Charitable Trust, Chandigarh have been working hard to ensure that the movie reflects the spirit of Sikhism. Shot on location at Darbar Sahib and Hazur Sahib, the producers say that the film “literally symbolizes and implies truth, divinity and cheer in true harmony.” Interestingly, it is based on a true story and though it has Sikh characters and a Punjabi background, it has a universal appeal.

The cast and crew is essentially Punjabi and the writer Arvinderjit Singh has spared no effort to encapsulate Punjabi culture, moral values and Sikh tenets. The music of the movie also has the Punjabi touch with a string of percussion instruments and singers like Jagjit Singh. Among the Shabads in the movie, there is Dithe Sabhe Thaav, sung by late Ishmeet Singh, much before he became the Voice of India.

With the marketing support of Frankfinn Entertainment co, the film is likely to go worldwide and with the Diaspora interest in Sikh characters gradually increasing, the film is set to attract much-deserved attention.

Sikh News by Sikh Tourism