DUDDHI

DUDDHI, a village 7 km to the southwest of Ladva (29° 59`N, 77° 3`E) in Kurukshetra district of Haryana, has a historical shrine, Gurdwara Diorhi Sahib, dedicated to Guru Tegh Bahadur. As he was travelling in those parts, the Guru was invited by the inhabitants to visit their village. By this they wished to expiate a misdemeanour they had committed. Guru Tegh Bahadur accepted their invitation and gave them his blessing. The villagers constructed a platform to commemorate his visit.

A Manji Sahib was raised on the site in 1923 by Sikhs from the neighbouring villages, there being no Sikh families in Duddhi itself. The marblefloored Manji Sahib now stands within a spacious hall and has a domed pavilion above it. A lone granthi, custodian, looks after the shrine. Devotees from the neighbourhood gather in large numbers on the first of each Bikrami month when kirtan and community meals take place. A largely attended annual fair is held on 20 Magh (early February). M.G.S.