NĀḌĀ SĀHIB, Gurdwārā Pātshāhī Dasvin, situated at the end of a narrow spur of soft sandy rocks of the Śivālik foothills, on the left bank of the river Ghaggar, about 10 km east of Chaṇḍīgaṛh (30º-44'N, 76º-46'E), commemorates the visit of Gurū Gobind Siṅgh, who halted here while travelling from Pāoṇṭā Sāhib to Anandpur after the battle of Bhaṅgāṇī in 1688. One Nāḍū Shāh Lubāṇā of the adjoining village served him and his followers with food and milk. The place remained obscure until one Bhāī Moṭhā Siṅgh, who belonged to a village near by, discovered the sacred spot and raised a platform to perpetuate the memory of the Gurū's visit. Nothing more is known of the devout Moṭhā Siṅgh nor of the date of the establishment of the Mañjī Sāhib, except that the shrine was under the Dharmarth Board of Paṭiālā and East Punjab States Union in 1948 and was taken over by the Shiromanī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee after the merger of the state with the Punjab in 1956. Since then several new buildings have been constructed. The original Mañjī Sāhib has been replaced by a double-storeyed domed structure, with a large rectangular meeting hall adjacent to it. A spacious brick-paved courtyard separates these buildings from the complex comprising the Gurū kā Laṅgar and rooms for pilgrims. The holy flag flies atop a 105 feet high staff on one side of the courtyard, near the site of the old shrine. The full moon day every month is celebrated as a festive occasion attended by a large number of people from the surrounding villages and towns. Religious gatherings and community meals take place. The management is now entrusted to a local committee which also administers Gurdwārā Mañjī Sāhib at Pinjore.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Major Gurmukh Siṅgh (Retd.)