Bhikhi

BHIKHI, popularly pronounced Bhikkhi (30° 3'N, 75° 33'E), an old town along the SunamBathinda road in Bathinda district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Tegh Bahadur, who halted here for several days during one of his travels through the Malva region. Desu, the local chief, who had been a follower of Sultan Sakhi Sarwar, became a Sikh and served the Guru with devotion. Guru Tegh Bahadur gave him five arrows to be kept as a memento. It is said that after the Guru had left Bhikhi, Desu's wife displeased at her husband's conversion, broke and burnt the arrows. According to local tradition, this brought a curse on Desu's house with the result that his son and grandson suffered assassination at the hands of his enemies and his direct line came to an end.

A memorial to Guru Tegh Bahadur had been raised by his devotees at Bhikhi. Maharaja Karam Singh (17981845) of Patiala built a proper shrine and made land endowment for its maintenance. It is now designated Gurdwara Sahib Patshahi 9 and is located on the northern outskirts of the town near a pond. The present building, in a oneacre walled compound, consists of a square sanctum, under a fourcornered dome, and a rectangular hall, built on a high plinth.

The Gurdwara owns 112 acres of land and is managed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee through a local committee. Besides the daily worship, special congregations occur on the first of each Bikrami month and on major anniversaries and festivals.

References

1. MaJva Desh Ratan df Sakhi Pothi. Amritsar, 1968

2. Tara Singh, Sn Gur Tfrath Sangrahi. Amritsar, n.d.

3. Thakar Sirigh, Giani, Sn Gurduare Darshan. Amritsar, 1923

4. Fauja Singh, Guru Teg Bahadur : Yatra Asthan, Pramparavan te Yad Chinn. Patiala, 1976