guru

BHIKHAN SHAH OR SHAH BHIKH, PIR, a seventeenth century Sufi saint, was born the son of Sayyid Muhammad Yusaf of Siana Sayyidari, a village 5 km from Pehova, now in Kurukshetra district of Haryana. For a time, he lived at Ghuram in present day Patiala district of the Punjab and finally settled at Thaska, again in Kurukshetra district. He was tlie disciple of Abul Mu`ali Shah, a Sufi divine residing at Ambhita, near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, and soon became a pfr or saint of much repute and piety in his own right. According to tradition preserved in Bhai Santokh Singh, Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, Pir Bhikhan Shah, as he learnt through intuition of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) at Patna, made obeisance that day to the east instead of to the west.

BIBIPUR KHURD, locally called Bipur, is a small village in Patiala district, 8 km southeast of Ghuram (30° 7`N, 76° 28`E). It has a historical shrine, Gurdwara Patshahi Nauvin, sacred to Guru Tegh Bahadur, who visited the site during one of his travels through Malva and Bangar regions. The Gurdwara, out in the fields, is a single rectangular room, with a 4metre wide verandah in front, built in 1964. It is managed by a village committee. Special divans take place on the first of every Bikrami month, and an annual festival is held on the occasion of Hola Mohalla, recalling the Festival of Procession at Anandpur Sahib in the month of March.

BODALA. BHAI, a Sikh of Burhanpur included by Bhai Gurdas, Varan, XI. 30, in the roster of yrominent Sikhs of the time of Guru Hargobind. See BHAGVAN DAS, BHAI

BUNGA, 5 km south of Kiratpur Sahib (31 °10`N, 76t)35`E) in Ropar district of the Punjab, claims a historical shrine Gurdwara Bunga Sahib, also called Chubachcha Sahib, dedicated to Guru Har Rai. Guru Har Rai, Nanak VII, complying with his predecessor`s instruction, continued to maintain at Kiratpura body of armed Sikhs, 2,200 strong. Bunga was the place where their horses were kept. At the back of the Gurdwara, there is a row of rooms one of which has within it a square pit symbolizing the original chubachcha or trough where the horse feed was mixed. From this the shrine came to be called Chubachcha Sahib.

BAHER SAHIB GURUDWARA, VILLAGE BAHER Guru Tegh Bahadur came to this village from Nandpur-Kalaur and were on his way to Dadu Majra-Bhagrana. It is believed that while Guru ji was resting he saw an old women along with the dead body of her only son. When he inquired as to what had happened he was told that the child was killed by a Devil. Guruji told the old lady not to worry that her child was only sleeping.

CHABBA, a village 10 km south of Amritsar (31° 38`N, 74° 52`E) along AmritsarTarn Taran road, has a historical shrine called Gurdwara Sangrana Sahib. The Gurdwara itself is so named because, according to local tradition, one of the battles (sangram in Hindi and Punjabi) of Amritsar between Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) and the Mughal troops was fought here. Another tradition connected with the place is that Sulakkhani, a childless woman of the village, asked for and received a boon from Guru Hargobind as a result of which she subsequently became the mother of seven sons.

CHANGA, BHAI, a Bahil Khatri, was a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Arjan. Once he, along with Bhai Phirna and Bhai Jetha of the same clan, waited on Guru Arjan. They had a question: "Some repeat the name of Rama, others of Krsna, some repeat Om, others Soham. We have been taught to meditate on Vahiguru. Tell us.

CHITRA SAIN, a devotee of Guru Hargobind, came to Kartarpur on the Baisakhi day to pay obeisance to the Guru. He had come to present, as he had pledged in fulfilment of a wish, the Guru with a horse, white hawk and the robes. The Guru felt pleased with Chitra Sain, as says Gurbilas Patshahi Chhevin, and blessed him. Of these gifts, the Guru gave the hawk to Baba Gurditta and the robes to Painda Khan, a devotee of the Guru and a commander in his army, asking him to wear this dress while coming to the Guru`s presence.

DAKKHANI RAI (d. 1815), a sixth generation descendant of Baba Prithi Chand, the elder brother of Guru Arjan, who had founded an Udasi dera or preaching centre of the Udasi sect at Gharachon, a village in present day Sarigrur district of the Punjab. The rulers of Patiala granted him two villages, Kapial and Batariana, in freehold. Dakkhani Rai was a noncelibate Udasi sadhu, and his descendants are still living at Gharachon. In Bava Brahmanand, Guru L7dasm Matt Darpan, Baba Bishan Sarup and Baba Sarup Das are mentioned as the most respected and most active heads of this branch of Udasis. Baba Sarup Das lived and preached for some time at Shikarpur in Sindh province, and at Amritsar from 1898 till his death there on 22 Assu 1979 Bk / 7 October 1922.

DARGAHA, BHAI, a Bhandari Khatri, figures in Bhai Gurdas`s roster of prominent Sikhs of Guru Hargobind`s time, Varan, XI.28. According to Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala, Bhai Dargaha once complained to the Guru that some Sikhs when interpreting gurbanife into polemic. Guru Hargobind said that while reasoning with a view to removing doubts and gaining or disseminating true knowledge was beneficial, Sikhs must shun pedantry born of haumai or pride.