BAIRAGIS, or Vairagis, are a sect of Hindu ascetics, eschewing colour or passion and detached from all worldly allurements. Founded by Sri Anand, the 12th spiritual descendant of Ramanand, the sect comprises a class of nomadic penitents, living a secluded life of extreme poverty, wearing minimum of clothing and

BINOD SINGH, a Trehan Khatri in direct descent from Guru Angad, Nanak II, was a devoted disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was among the few Sikhs who accompanied him to the South in 1708. He was chosen to be one of the five companions of Banda Singh (1670-1716)

CHUHAR SINGH, owning allegiance to the Shahid misi, was a close relation of the Bhangi sardar, Rai Singh, the conqueror of Jagadhri and Dialgarh. He received the Jarauli area as his share of the spoils after the sack of Sirhind in January 1764. He retained ten villages for himself

GANGUSHAHIS, a Sikh missionary order which owed its origin to Gangu Shah. Gangu Shah, also known as Ganga Das, was born in a Basi Khatri family of Garh shankar, in Hoshiarpur district of the Punjab, and was a disciple of Guru Amar Das, the third Guru or prophet preceptor of

GULABDASIAS, a sect subscribing to epicurean ethics, were the followers of one Pritam Das, originally an Udasi sddhu. Pritam Das`s principal disciple was Gulab Das after whom the members of the sect came to be known as Gulabdasias. Gulab Das, son of Hamira, was born in 1809 at the

MATTAN, an old town 4 km east of Anantnag (33°44`N, 75°13`E) in Kashmir, is sacred to Guru Nanak, who visited the valley during his journey to the north at the beginning of the sixteenth century. According to the Purdtanjanam Sdkhi, he held a long discourse with a learned Brahman,

MUNAK KALAN, village 3 km north of Urmar (31°41`N, 75°38`E) in .Hoshiarpur district of the Punjab, claims a historical shrine in memory of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644), who visited here once during a hunting expedition. He alighted under a shisham tree (Dalbergia sissoo, tahli in Punjabi), about 250 metres north

NADALA, village 22 km north of Kapurthala (31°22`N, 75°22`E) along the KapurthalaBholath road, is sacred to Guru Hargobind (1595-1644), who, according to local tradition, visited here more than once. Gurdwara Chheviri Patshahi marking the site where he stayed is a sixstoreyed building with the assembly hall at the ground