BIRBABABUDDHAJI, GURDWARA,

BIRBABABUDDHAJI, GURDWARA, in the revenue limits of the village of Thatta, 20 km south of Amritsar, commemorates Baba Buddha (1506-1631), the venerable Sikh of the time of Guru Nanak who lived long enough to anoint five succeeding Gurus. He spent many years looking after the bir, lit. a reserved forest used for cattlegrazing, said to have been offered to Guru Arjan by Chaudhari Langah of Patti out of his private lands. According to Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi it was here that Mata Ganga, the consort of Guru Arjan, received from him on 21 Assu 1651 Bk/20 September 1594, the blessing for an illustrious son, the future Guru Hargobind, Nanak VI.

Gurdwara Bir Baba Buddha Sahib Ji, popularly known as simply Bir Sahib, is situated about 2 km northwest of Thatta.The present complex was raised by Baba Kharak Singh, a follower of Sant Gurmukh Singh Sevavale. The sanctum, where the Guru Granth Sahib is seated on a canopied seat of white marble, is a metrehigh square platform at the far end of a rectangular hall constructed in 1951. The 70metre square sarovar is to the north of this hall. A spacious divan hall was added in 1975.

Guru ka Langar with a large dining hall and a twostoreyed residential block for pilgrims are in a separate compound. Besides, there is a Khalsa higher secondary school (established 1963) as well as a Khalsa college (established 1969), both named after Baba Buddha.The Gurdwara is managed by a local committee under the auspices of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Besides the daily prayers and the celebration of important anniversaries on the Sikh calendar, largelyattended divans take place on the first of each Bikrami month. The biggest function of the year is a religious fair held on 21st of Assu, corresponding with 6 October.

References :

1. Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi. Patiala, 1970
2. Satibir Singh, Partakh Hari. Jalandhar, 1977