DERA SAHIB, GURDWARA,

DERA SAHIB, GURDWARA, commonly pronounced Dehra Sahib is located in the revenue limits of Lohar village, 10 km east of Naushahra Panvan (31° 20`N, 74° 57`E), in Amritsar district of the Punjab. It marks the site of a village called Patthevind where Guru Nanak`s ancestors had lived. Guru Nanak himself often visited the village. An old well within the Gurdwara compound is said to be the one near which he had once stopped. The shrine was first established by Guru Hargobind (1595-1644), who also had the nearby pond converted into a sarovaror holy tank.

The construction of the present complex, including the renovation of the sarovar, was carried out by Sant Gurmukh Singh Sevavale (1849-1947). Situated inside a highwalled enclosure, the Gurdwara comprises a highceilinged divan hall with the domed sanctum at one end and a marbled terrace in front. It is administered by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee through a local committee. Besides the celebration of major Sikh anniversaries, a threeday fair is held to mark the festival ofMaghi, the first of the Bikrami month of Magh (midJanuary) .