GULAB RAI

GULAB RAI and his brother Shyam Singh, sons of Dip Chand, grandsons of Suraj Mall and great grandsons of Guru Hargobind, resided with Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) at Anandpur. At the time of the evacuation of Anandpur in 1705, the Guru sent them with a letter of introduction to the Raja of Nahan, who gave them a village for their maintenance. When the situation so permitted, they returned to Anandpur, Gulab Rai purchasing the town from the Raja of Bilaspur. Gulab Rai restored the place to its former position as a centre of Sikh faith, but he started pretending to be the Guru.

Sitting at the place where Guru Gobind Singh used to sit with tlic sangal, he accepted obeisance and offerings of the devotees. Gurbakhsh UdasI, whom Guru Gobind Singh had left behind in Anandpur to look after the shrines and who was now staying at the one sacred to Guru Tegh Bahadur, taxed him in vain with heresy and, according to Bhai Santokh Singh, Sri Gur Pratdp Suraj Granth, cursed him with tlie discontinuance of his line. Gulab Rai`s four sons predeceased him and he himself died of grief. His wife managed the gaddi or scat for some time but soon died having bequeathed the gaddi to Surjan Singh (d. 1815), a grandson of Shyam Singh.

References :

1. Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sri Gur Pralnp Suxij Cranfh. Amritsar, 1927-33
2. Gian Singh, Giani, Twarikh Guru Khiilsa [Reprint]. Patiala, 1970
3. Macauliffe, M.A., The Sikh Religion, Oxford, 1909