VAḌĀLĪ GURŪ, village 7 km west of Amritsar (31º-38'N, 74º-53'E), is sacred to Gurū Arjan and Gurū Hargobind. The former, according to Gurbilās Chhevīṅ Pātshāhī, stayed here for about three years during 1594-97, and the latter was born here on 19 June 1595. There are three historical gurdwārās in Vaḍālī Gurū.

        GURDWĀRĀ JANĀM ĀSTHĀN PĀTSHĀHĪ CHHEVĪṄ, also known as Aṭārī Sāhib, marks the house where Gurū Arjan lived and where Gurū Hargobind was born. The present building constructed by Bābā Khaṛak Siṅgh Sevāvāle during the 1960's, comprises a high-ceilinged hall, with a square sanctum at one end and a gallery at mid-height on three sides. A room in the basement called Bhorā Sāhib is believed to be the site of the room wherein Gurū Hargobind was born. Above the sanctum are four other storeys topped by a lotus dome with a tall gold-plated pinnacle.

        GURDWĀRĀ MĀÑJĪ SĀHIB, 200 metres south of Aṭārī Sāhib, marks the spot where Gurū Arjan used to sit supervising the work of Bhāī Sahārī, a Sikh tilling land the produce of which went to the Gurū kā Laṅgar. An irrigation well got dug by Gurū Arjan, though no longer in use, still exists. The present building, a square domed room in the middle of a brick-paved terrace, was constructed in 1980's by the descendant of Bhāī Sahārī, who manage the Gurdwārā.

        GURŪDWĀRĀ DAMDAMĀ SĀHIB, 300 metres south of the village, is dedicated to Gurū Hargobind, who, according to Gurbilās Chhevīṅ Pātshāhī, once visited Vaḍālī at the suggestion of Bhāī Bhānā, and during the chase killed a wild boar at the spot now marked by this shrine.

        Gurdwārā Janam Asthān and Damdamā Sāhib are affiliated to the Shiromaṇī Gurdwārā Parbandhak Committee and are managed by the same local committee as administers Gurdwārā Chheharṭā Sāhib, one kilometre to the northwest of Vaḍālī.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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

Gurnek Siṅgh