BODAL, village 4 km south of Dasūyā (31º-49'N, 75º-39'E) in Hoshiārpur district of the Punjab, is sacred to Gurū Hargobind (1595-1644) who once visited here during a hunting expedition and rested under a garnā tree (Capparis horrida) for some time. Bhāī Chūhaṛ, a Muslim bard of the village, entertained him by playing on his rebeck. The Gurū advised him to learn to perform kīrtan, i. e. the singing of sacred hymns. The tree about 200 metres southwest of the village under which Gurū Hargobind had sat came to be known as Garnā Sāhib. Gurdwārā Garnā Sāhib was first established during the time of Sardār Jodh Siṅgh (d. 1816), leader of the Rāmgaṛhīā misl, in whose territory Bodal then lay. Later, Bhāī Īshar Siṅgh Rāmgaṛhīā of Taqīpur, a village 6 km northeast of Bodal, constructed the present marble-floored octagonal domed room with the sanctum in the middle and a covered passage around it for circumambulation. The old garnā tree still stands close to it. Further additions to the building have been made during recent times. An imposing three-storeyed gateway came up in 1972; a spacious mosaic-floored dīvān hall was constructed in 1980; arid a new dining hall was added to Gurū kā Laṅgar in 1984. The Gurdwārā is administered by the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee through a local committee. Besides the daily services and celebration of major Sikh anniversaries, a religious fair is held on the occasion of Baisākhī (mid-April) every year.

Gurnek Siṅgh