HARPALPUR

HARPALPUR, a village in Patiala district about 20 km south of Rajpura, (30°28`N, 76°37`E), has a historical shrine called Gurdwara Sri Mariji Sahib Patshahi IX, dedicated to Guru Tegh Bahadur who, according to local tradition, visited the site on Magh sudi 7, 1731 Bk/23 January 1675. The Guru is said to have stayed under a banyan tree, about 100 metres north of the village. A modestlooking shrine was established here later.

The banyan tree no longer exists, and the old shrine was demolished in 1933, when Sant Sundar Singh Virakt (d. 26 April 1935) commenced the construction of the present building. The building, a rectangular hall on a raised plinth, with a square sanctum, was completed after 1947. The ribbed lotusdome has a gold plated pinnacle, and there are decorative octagonal domed pavilions on top of the pillars at the corners. The Gurdwara , managed by a local committee, runs a class for training young boys in scripturereading and kirtan as well as a government aided primary school.