Baba Bakala Gurudwara Sahib (Click to enlarge the image)

Baba Bakala Gurdwara's replica

Guru Harkrishan before he died in 1644 had said that his successor could be found at Bakala. When Sikhs flocked there they were confronted with 22 members of the Gurus family each claiming that they were the Guru. Meanwhile a wealthy merchant Makhan Shah had his ships carrying valuable cargo caught in a fierce storm at sea. He vowed to offer five hundred gold coins to the Guru if his goods safely reached home. The ships reached port safely and Makhan Shah made his way to Bakala to pay homage to the Guru. When he finally got there he was confronted with all the same quandary as the rest of the Sikhs, who was the real Guru? Being a businessman Makhan Shah decided that he would pay homage to all of the twenty two claimants and placed two gold coins before each of them as tribute. When he had visited all of the claimants, a child pointed out to him that a holy man lived across the street. Makhan Shah decided that he may as well pay him tribute also. When Makhan Shah entered the house he found that Guru Tegh Bahadur was in meditation. He was told that Tegh Bahadur who had lived here in quiet meditation for many years did not like to receive visitors. Makhan Shah waited until he met the Guru and placed two gold coins before him. At this Guru Tegh Bahadur smiled and said to Makhan Shah, “I thought that you had pledged five hundred coins”. Makhan Shah became so elated that he kissed the Gurus feet and started shouting from the rooftop “I’ve found the Guru, found the Guru!”. All the Sikhs rushed to the house of the quiet saint and when they heard the story there was much rejoicing for many days. Thus the pious, humble saint Tegh Bahadur was acclaimed here as being the true Guru of the Sikhs and natural successor of Guru Harkrishan.

Sis Ganj GHurdwara at Delhi (Click to enlarge the image)

Replica of Sissganj Gurdwara

In the mid-eighteenth century Sikhs could not forget the atrocities committed against Guru Tegh Bahadur, Banda Singh Bahadur and countless others who had been put to death in Delhi. Driven by a desire to avenge their martyrs, the Sikhs were determined to humble the Mughals. In january 1774, Sardar Baghel Singh attacked Delhi. It was first of several such onslaughts over the next 12 years. Due to roken promises of the Mughal rulers (like guaranting a shore in revenue) Delhi was attacked repeatedly. After one such attack in 1785 Delhi was subjugated and the Mugals were made to agree to the construction of Gurdwaras in Delhi to commemorate the events with Sikh emotions. One such Gurdwara, Gurdwara Sisganj , in the old walled city's Chandni Chowk, is built where Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in 1675.

RakabGanj Gurudwara (Click to enlarge the image)

Rakabganj Gurdwara's replica

Gurdwara Rakabganj honours the place in New Delhi where Guru Tegh Bahadur was cremated. It lies across the present day India's Parliament House. On the day of the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, a band of banjaras (travelling traders) had arrived in the walled city of Delhi. There leader, Lakhi Shah Lubana, on witnessing the Guru's amazing fortitude in the face of death, decided to cremate the body than leave it on public display which is what the authorities had ordered. On November 11, 1675, he and his men stealthly placed it on one of their carts and took it away at the deadof the night to where they lived outside Delhi. This place was called Rakabganj. Because of the danger of detection by the Mughal authorities Lakhi Shah placed the body in his house, then set the house alight to make it look accidental. Here on the land where Lubana Sikh's dwelling once stood now stands Gurdwara Rakabganj.