DHUBRI

DHUBRI (26° 2`N, 89° 55`E). on the right bank of the River Brahmputra, in Assam, is sacred to the memory of Guru Nanak and of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Assam in Indian legend and history has been the land of black magic. Janam Sakhis record how at the time of Guru Nanak`s visit, his constant companion and follower, Mardana, fell into the clutches of a sorceress who transformed him into a ram, and how the Guru not only rescued him but also reformed the woman practising witchcraft.

Guru Tegh Bahadur visited Dhubri in early March 1670. Raja Ram Singh of Amber, who had been sent by Aurangzib on a punitive expedition to Assam against the Ahom chief, Raja Chakradhvaj, was with him. Guru Tegh Bahadur put up at Dhubri at a spot overlooking the sprawling river and now marked by Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. He brought about peace between the warring armies, and, to celebrate the happy conclusion of a dreaded expedition, he, with the help of Raja Ram Singh`s troops, had a high mound constructed, each soldier contributing five shieldfuls of earth.

The small octagonal room with a circular sloping roof and a narrow circumambulatory passage, constructed on top of this mound in 1966, is called Thara Sahib or Damdama Sahib. The Guru Granth Sahib is installed inside the room. The main shrine, Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, close by, consists of a wellventilated and flyproofed square hall with wooden walls and a sloping roof of corrugated sheets. The local Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Sikh Pratinidhi Board, Eastern Zone, have planned to extend the building.

References :

1. Tara Singh, Sri Gur Tfrath Sangrahi. Amritsar, n.d.
2. Thakar Singh, Giam, Sri Gurduare Darshan. Amritsar, 1923