DHALEO

DHALEO, locally called Dhalevari, village 6 km southeast of Bhikhi (30° 3`N, 75° 33`E) in Bathinda district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Tegh Bahadur who arrived here travelling from Bhikhi during his sojourn in the Malva region. It is said that as Guru Tegh Bahadur was riding towards Gandhuari to see an old Sikh, Bhai Mughlu, lying on his deathbed, he noticed ajogT in meditation on the bank of the pond at Dhaleo. The Guru alighted here on his way back from Gandhuari and held a discourse with the jogi, whose name was Tuisi Das.

The Guru recited the following sabda to him: Why dost thou go to a forest in search of Him ? Allpervading yet ever detached, He resideth inside thee. As fragrance is in the flower, and reflection in the mirror, So the Lord liveth everywhere; earch for Him in thy heart, Brother. Knowest the same Light within and without, This is the knowledge imparted by the Guru. Without knowing the Self, says Nanak, The crust of illusion is not erased (GG, 684). Tuisi Das, thus instructed and liberated, dedicated himself to preaching the Guru`s message.

A memorial platform was raised later on the spot where the discourse had taken place. A proper shrine, called Gurdwara Manji Sahib Patshahi IX, was constructed in 1916 near the village pond on the northern outskirts of the village. The present building on a low mound consists of a domed sanctum with a rectangular hall, in front. The older building is now used as lodgings for the granthi, Scripturereader or Gurdwara custodian. Recently, traces of bricklined steps leading down to the water level have been found in a corner of the pond, signifying the existence of an old sarovar which the village committee managing the Gurdwara now proposes to renovate.