BAVAN AKHARI, a poem constructed upon 52 (bavan) letters (akhar) of the alphabet. In this form of poetry each verse begins serially with a letter of the alphabet. The origin of the genre is traced to ancient Sanskrit literature. Since the Devanagari alphabet, employed in Sanskrit, comprises fifty-two (bavan, in Hindi) letters (33 consonants, 16 vowels and 3 compounds), such compositions came to be called bavan akharior bavan aksari. Notwithstanding this nomenclature, no such composition consists exactly of fifty-two stanzas as few stanzas will open with a vowel, and the compounds are generally left out of this scheme of poetry.
BHIKHAN KHAN (d. 1688) was a Pathan who had served in the Mughal army before joining Guru Gobind Singh at Paonta Sahib on the recommendation of Pir Buddhu Shah of Sadhaura. He had one hundred soldiers under his command, but he crossed over to the hill rajas on the eve of the battle of Bharigani (AD 1688). According to Bhai Santokh Singh, Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, Bhikhan Khan told the Pathans in the employ of Guru Gobind Singh that the Guru was mainly dependant on them and that the rest of his army was only a miscellaneous rabble who would run away when they heard the first shot fired. He suggested that they could save their lives by taking the side of the hillmen.
BODAL, village 4 km south of Dasuya (31°49`N. 75°39`E) in Hoshiarpur district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) who once visited here during a hunting expedition and rested under a garna tree (Capparis horrida) for some time. Bhai Chuhar, a Muslim bard of the village, entertained him by playing on his rebeck. The Guru advised him to learn to perform kirtan, i.e. the singing of sacred hymns. The tree about 200 metres southwest of the village under which Guru Hargobind had sat came to be known as Gama Sahib.
BAD TIRATH SAHIB GURUDWARA, VILLAGE HARIPURA Gurdwara Bad Tirath Sahib is associated with the First Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji as well as the Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. A deep pool of water to the north of the village, was an ancient place of pilgrimage known as Bad Tirath. Guru Nanak Dev Ji along with Bala and Mardana , visited this place during his First Udasi while Guru Gobind Singh Ji came here after the battle of Muktsar. When Guru Nanak Dev Ji came here, a demon, or a rakhsasa, had terrorized the people of village Haripura. The villagers narrated their tale of woe to Guru Ji, who blessed them and told them not to worry hence forth.