MUNAK

MUNAK (29°49`N, 75°53`E), an old village lying between the River Ghaggar and the PatranJakhal link road, in Sangrur district of the Punjab, has a historical shrine, called Gurdwara Akalgarh Patshahi IX. The name Akalgarh derives from the Akalgarh Fort constructed at Munak by Maharaja Amar Singh of Patiala (1748-82). The village itself was renamed Akalgarh by him. Guru Tegh Bahadur halted here briefly while on his way to Makorar and Dhamtan. A Manji Sahib established here later was served by a line of mahants.

The present building, a square hall, with the square domed sanctum and decorative domes at the hall corners, was constructed in 1953 by a Sikh aristocrat, Harchand Singh Jeji. The possession of the Gurdwara passed to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 1971, but about 15 acres of land, granted originally by the rulers of Patiala, remains with the erstwhile priests.

References :

1. Gian Singh, Giani, Twarikh Gurduarian. Amritsar, n.d.
2. Narotam, Tara Singh, Sri Guru Tirath Sangrahi [Reprint]. Kankhal, 1975