BIR SINGH, BABA (1768-1844), soldier become religious preacher and saint, was born in July 1768 at the village of Gaggobua, in Amritsar district of the Punjab, the son of Seva Singh and Dharam Kaur. After the death of his father in one of the campaigns against the Afghan rulers of Multan, Bir Singh joined the Sikh army. He participated in Maharaja Ranjit Singh *s campaigns for the capture of Kashmir and Peshawar. After several years of active service, he secured his dismissal from the army as he came under the influence of Baba Bhag Singh, a Sikh saint belonging to Kuri, in Rawalpindi district.
DHAKAULI, a village in Patiala district, 14 km east of Chandigarh (30° 44`N, 76° 46`E), is famous for Gurdwara Baoli Sahib, dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh. According to local tradition, the Guru, on his way back from Paonta to Anandpur in November 1688 decided to encamp on this site. He was told by the villagers that the nearest source of water was the stream Sukhna which was 2 km away.
Explore the detailed versified biography of Guru Nanak by Sukhbasi Ram Bedi. Discover the rich history of Guru Nanak and his descendants.
Explore the life of Sodhi Kaul, lineage of Baba Hariji, as he led the Mina sect and interacted with Guru Gobind Singh. Discover his enduring legacy.
NIRANKARIS, a sect of the Sikhs born of a reform movement which arose in northwest Punjab in the middle of the nineteenth century aiming to restore the purity of Sikh belief and custom. Its founder, Baba Dayal (1783-1855), was a contemporary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. A man of humble origin, he cavilled at the shortcomings of the mighty and assailed the rites and observances which had perverted the Sikh way of life. His main target was the worship of images against which he preached vigorously.
Explore the historical monument commemorating the valor of Baba Deep Singh at the Gurudwara near Chatiwind Gate, Amritsar.
BABA BAKALA (31°34`N, 75°16`E), a small town in Amritsar district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Hargobind and Guru Tegh Bahadur. The original name of the place was Bakala. As Guru Har Krishan lay on his deathbed in Delhi, he was asked by the sangat to name his successor. All that the Guru could say at that time was \'Baba Bakale\' meaning that (Guru) Tegh Bahadur, who was the brother of his (Guru Har Krishan\'s) grandfather (baba) and who was living at Bakala, was to be the next Guru. Bakala, thereafter, came to be called Baba Bakala.
BUDDHA. BABA (1506-1631), a most venerated primal figure of early Sikhism, was born on 6 October 1506 at the village of Katthu Narigal, 18 km northeast of Amritsar (31° 36\'N, 74° 50\'E). Bura, as he was originally named, was the only son of Bhai Suggha, a Jatt of Randhava clan, and Man Gauran, born into a Sandhu family. As a small boy, he was one day grazing cattle outside the village when Guru Nanak happened to pass by. According to Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala, Bura went up to him and, making obeisance with a bowl of milk as his offering, prayed to him in this manner: "0 sustainer of the poor! I am fortunate to have had a sight of you today.
DHUAN, Punjabi for smoke, is a term which is particularly used for seats of certain monkish orders where a fire is perennially kept alive. In the Sikh context it is employed for the four branches of Udasi Sikhs established by Baba Gurditta (1613-38), on whom the headship of the sect was conferred by Baba Sri Ghand, traditionally considered founder of the sect. The dhuans are generally known after their respective heads who were initially assigned to different regions in north India for preaching the tenets of Sikhism as laid down by Guru Nanak.
Explore the historic 1934 Guru Nanak Sarbsampradai Conference aimed at uniting Sikh sects under Guru Nanak's teachings. Discover its key resolutions.
