RĀMEĀṆĀ, village 10 km west of Jaito (30º-26'N, 74º-53'E) in Farīdkoṭ district of the Punjab, is sacred to Gurū Gobind Siṅgh, who visited here in December 1705 on his way to Khidrāṇa, now Muktsar. As the Gurū reached the village, he, according to Mālvā Desh Raṭan dī Sākhī Pothī, saw a man plucking ḍele, raw berries of karīr tree (Capparis aphylla) commonly used for making pickles, and took a few of them from him. Tasting one and finding it bitter, he told the man to throw away what he had collected. The man reluctantly threw down a few of the berries. He cast off some more at the Gurū's bidding and some still more as he repeated his words again, pleading each time that he must save a few for his children. "I wanted him to throw away famine and poverty, but he keeps clutching at these," remarked Gurū Gobind Siṅgh as he rode on.

         Gurdwārā Sāhib Pātshāhī X at Rāmeāṇā at the southwestern edge of the village commemorates Gurū Gobind Siṅgh's visit. The Gurū Granth Sāhib is seated on the first floor of a double-storey building. In front of the main building is a small sarovar. The Gurdwārā is endowed with 22 acres of land and is administered by a local committtee under the auspices of the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. Kuir Siṅgh, Gurbilās Pātshāhī l0, ed. Shamsher Siṅgh Ashok. Patiala, 1968
  2. Santokh Siṅgh, Bhāī, Srī Gur Pratāp Sūraj Granth. Amritsar, 1927-35
  3. Narotam, Tārā Siṅgh, Srī Gurū Tīrath Saṅgrahi. Kankhal,1975"
  4. Giān Siṅgh, Giānī, Twārīkh Gurduāriāṅ. Amritsar, n.d.
  5. Ṭhākar Siṅgh, Giānī, Gurduāre Darshan. Amritsar, 1923
  6. Harbans Singh, Guru Gobind Singh. Chandigarh, 1966

Major Gurmukh Siṅgh (Retd.)