BĪṚ BĀBĀ BUḌḌHĀ JĪ, GURDWĀRĀ, in the revenue limits of the village of Ṭhaṭṭā, 20 km south of Amritsar, commemorates Bābā Buḍḍhā (1506-1631), the venerable Sikh of the time of Gurū Nānak who lived long enough to anoint five succeeding Gurūs. He spent many years looking after the bīṛ, lit. a reserved forest used for cattle-grazing, said to have been offered to Gurū Arjan by Chaudharī Laṅgāh of Paṭṭī out of his private lands. According to Gurbilās Chhevīṅ Pātshāhī it was here that Mātā Gaṅgā, the consort of Gurū Arjan, received from him on 21 Assū 1651 Bk/20 September 1594, the blessing for an illustrious son, the future Gurū Hargobind, Nānak VI. Gurdwārā Bīṛ Bābā Buḍḍhā Sāhib Jī, popularly known as simply Bīṛ Sāhib, is situated about 2 km northwest of Ṭhaṭṭā. The present complex was raised by Bābā Khaṛak Siṅgh, a follower of Sant Gurmukh Siṅgh Sevāvāle. The sanctum, where the Gurū Granth Sāhib is seated on a canopied seat of white marble, is a metre-high square platform at the far end of a rectangular hall constructed in 1951. The 70-metre square sarovar is to the north of this hall. A spacious dīvān hall was added in 1975. Gurū kā Laṅgar with a large dining hall and a two-storeyed residential block for pilgrims are in a separate compound. Besides, there is a Khālsā higher secondary school (established 1963) as well as a Khālsā college (established 1969), both named after Bābā Buḍḍhā. The Gurdwārā is managed by a local committee under the auspices of the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee. Besides the daily prayers and the celebration of important anniversaries on the Sikh calendar, largely-attended dīvāns take place on the first of each Bikramī month. The biggest function of the year is a religious fair held on 21st of Assū, corresponding with 6 October.