MADDOKE, village l6 km southeast of Mogā (30º-48'N, 75º-10'E), in Mogā district, has a historical shrine, Gurdwārā Gurū Sar, dedicated to Gurū Hargobind who, according to local tradition, visited this place twice, once on his way back from Nānak Matā to ḍaraulī and again after the battle of Mehrāj. It is said that Mādho Dās, an Udāsī recluse and a devotee of the Sikh Gurūs, lived here in a thatched hut and that Gurū Hargobind stayed with him on both occasions. A memorial platform built on the spot was replaced during the nineteenth century by a one-room gurdwārā by Suhel Siṅgh, a retired thānedār, who belonged to the neighbouring village of Chūhaṛ Chakk. He also had a tank dug near by and with the earth excavated built a raised platform around the small room. In 1926, the tank was developed into a regular sarovar with paved rows of steps. The following year, the Sikhs of a Sappers and Miners army unit installed the 32-metre tall flagmast. A spacious dīvān hall supported on 16 cylindrical pillars was added in the 1970's. The Gurū Granth Sāhib is seated on a square platform in the middle on the far side of this hall. Above the sanctum are three storeys of square pavilions capped by a lotus dome.

         The Gurdwārā is affiliated to the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee, but is managed by priests from the Bhiṇḍrāṅvālā school. A 3-day annual fair is held on 16, 17 and 18 Sāvan (July-August) in commemoration of Gurū Hargobind's visit. The first such fair was held in 1926 on the completion of the sarovar. Prior to that the major festival of the year was Māghī, the first of the Bikramī month of Māgh (mid-January).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. Giān Siṅgh, Giānī, Twārīkh Gurduāriāṅ. Amritsar, n.d.
  2. Tārā Siṅgh, Srī Gurū Tīrath Saṅgrahi. Kankhal, 1975
  3. Ṭhākar Siṅgh, Giānī, Granth Srī Gurduāre Darshan. Amritsar, 1923

Major Gurmukh Siṅgh (Retd.)