guru

SINGHA, BHAI. During his travels Guru Tegh Bahadur once stopped in Khiva, according to the Sakhi Pothi, with a farmer named Singha. Singha offered water, grass and fodder for the Guru`s animals. As he got up to depart, the Guru spoke, "Why are you leaving ? What is the hurry?" He answered that there was a shagan come for his son`s engagement. The Guru said, `You are now apprenticed to the Guru`s service. You have now to fulfil a dual responsibility. From now on you will be entitled to a double share."

SOTRAN, village one km north of Banga (31"11 N, 76"E) in Nawashahr district of the Punjab, claims a historical shrine called Gurdwara Gurplah Patshahi Chhevin, dedicated to Guru Hargobind who stayed here briefly under a plah tree (Butia fondosa) on his way from Kartarpur to Kiratpur early in 1635. The present building, which replaced an old modest structure, was constructed in 1965 under the supervision of Sant Seva Singh Anandpurvale. Situated in a walled compound entered through a tall gateway, it comprises a square marble floored hall with the sanctum in the middle.

SUJA, BHAI, a Dhavan Khatri, was a pious Sikh of tlie time of Guru Arjan. His name is included among the Guru`s devotees in Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala.

SUNDAR, BHAI, a fisherman and water carrier, received initiation at the hands of Guru Arjan. According to Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala, he was assigned to supplying fuel and water for the Guru ka Langar which duty he performed with supreme dedication. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Man! Singh, Bhai, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala. Amritsar, 1955 2. Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth. Amritsar, 1927-35 3. Gurdas Bhai, Varari.XI.19 T.S. SUNDAR. BHAI, a Chaddha Khatri resident ofAgra, was a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644).

Singh \'Shan\', Harnam, an eminent Punjabi poet, writer and journalist, was born at Dhamial (District Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan) in 1923 in the family of S. Sarban Singh Kochar. He did his post-graduation (English and Punjabi) from Punjab University, Chandigarh and his doctorate from the University of London in 1964 on the Romance of Sassi ”A Critical and Comparative Study. He started his career as an editor in the Punjabi University (1948-58) and rose to the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Punjabi (1959-62) and chairman, Department of Sikh Studies (1972-84) in the same institution.

TARA CHAND, BHAJ, was a masand or a batch leader of the Sikhs in Kabul. He once led a sarigat of those parts to the presence of Guru Hargobind. Travelling through Lahore, Amritsar and Khadur, they reached Kangar, now in Bathinda district of the Punjab, where the Guru then happened to be. Tara Chand was asked by the Guru to relate his experiences of the long journey. While doing so, Bhai Tara Chand especially praised two horses he had seen at Lahore in a royal procession.

THATTHA, village 12 km northwest of Zira (30058`N, 74059`E) in Firozpur district, claims a historical Gurdwara dedicated to Guru Hargobind who encamped here once on his way from Amritsar to Darauli. Called Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi or simply Gurdwara Thattha Sahib, the shrine is situated one kilometre south of the village within a walled compound. The foundation of its present building, a square hall with a domed sanctum in the centre, was laid by Baba Kharak Singh on 16 Har 1992 Bk/July 1935. The large compound has a sarovar as well. The Gurdwara is under the management of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

TRILOCHAN, one of the three Maharashtrian saint poets whose compositions are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the other two being Namdev and Parmanand. Trilochan is said to have been born in AD 1267 of a Vaisya family. There is no unanimity among scholars regarding the place of his birth. Some say that he was born in the village of Bars! in present day Sholapur district of Maharashtra, others that he was born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh but came to Maharashtra where he spent most of his life. Besides being an ardent Vaisnavite, Trilochan (lit. the three eyed, that is one who can see the past, present and future all at once) was a learned scholar well versed in the Puranic lore and Indian philosophical thought.

UDE SINGH (d. 1705), warrior and martyr, was the third of the sons of Bhai Mani Ram, a Parmar Rajput of `Alipur in Multan district (now in Pakistan). Ude Singh along with four of his other brothers received the rites of the Khalsa on the historic Baisakhi day, 30 March 1699. He was among the trusted 25 who constituted Guru Gobind Singh`s escort and took a leading part in battles fought in or around Anandpur after the creation of the Khalsa. Already in 1698 he had proved his skill as a musketeer when he killed a tiger during the chase.

VANDAR, named after the Jatt clan who inhabits it, is a village 22 km southeast of Kot Kapura (30°35`N, 74°49`E) in Moga district of the Punjab. It has a historical gurdwara dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh, who made a brief halt here on his way from Dina to Kot Kapura. The shrine, called Gurdwara Sahib Patshahi X, is situated inside a walled compound entered through a gateway. The old shrine, a small domed room, is still preserved, but the Guru Granth Sahib is seated in a separate flatroofed hall where daily services take place. The Gurdwara, endowed with 15 acres of land. is managed by a local committee under the auspices of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. A largelyattended annual fair is held annually on the occasion of Baisakhi.