Chuharval

Chuharval, a village 11 km west of Chamkaur Sahib (30° 53`N, 76° 25`E), has a gurdwara called Jhar Sahib, which is located at the spot where Guru Gobind Singh, after escaping Chamkaur on the night of 7 December 1705, relaxed for awhile before resuming his journey further west. A shrine was later established to mark the site where Guru Gobind Singh rested in a cluster of thorny bushes (a jhar).

A land grant of 75 bighas, which was attached to it by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, has been continued by successive governments. The old building has, however, been replaced by a new complex constructed during the 1950s, under the supervision of Sant Piara Singh. The central three storeyed building is on a raised plinth and has a square hall on the ground floor, with the sanctum in the centre. The roof is decorated with domed pavilions at its corners and at the midpoints of the walls. There are halls on the first and second floors as well.

The domes at different levels have gilded ornamental pinnacles. Further to the west is a small sarovar, a holy tank. A row of rooms to the north houses the Khalsa Girl's College. Another component of the complex is a hall raised on the spot where Sant Piara Singh, who died on 7 August 1965, was cremated. Gurdwara Jhar Sahib is controlled by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee through a managing committee functioning at Machhivara.

References

1. Tara Singh, Sri Gur TirathSangrahi. Amritsar, n.d.

2. Thakar Singh, Giani, 5n Gurduare Darshan. Amritsar, 1928