SAN GRAND, sankranti in Sanskrit, is the first day of each month of the Indian solar calendar, based on the shifting of the sun from one house (rasi) to another. From quite early in human history, the sun, and its satellites, the planets, came to be regarded as objects endowed

AMAVAS (AMAVASYA), massia in Punjabi, lit. a combination of ama, i.e. together, and vasya, i.e. stationing, signifying coming of the sun and the moon together in one line, is the last day of the dark half of the lunar month when the moon remains entirely hidden from our view. The

BARGARI, village 15 km southeast of Kot Kapura (30° 35*N, 74° 49`E) in Faridkot district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Gobind Singh who visited it in December 1705 on his way from Dina to Kot Kapura. A shrine was established later on the site on the northern

BHUNGARNI, village near the right bank of the Jalandhar branch of the Bist Doab canal, 20 km south of Hoshiarpur (31° 32`N, 75° 55`E), is sacred to Guru Har Rai, who stayed here in the course of his journey between Kiratpur and Kartarpur. A platform and a small shrine,

MAHRON, village 7 km southeast of Moga (30°48\'N, 75°10\'E) in Moga district, has a historical shrine, Gurdwara Guru Sar, in memory of Guru Hargobind who, according to the local tradition, stopped here on 18 Savan 1674 Bk/17July 1617 on his way from Kaonke and Maddoke to Darauli. The Gurdwara

MANAK TABRA, a village about 3 km north of Raipur Rani in Naraingarh subdivision of Ambala district, is sacred to Guru Gobind Singh, who visited it as he was travelling from Paonta to Anandpur in 1688. It was here that the Rani of Raipur came to see him. Gurdwara

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

PURANMASHI, in Sanskrit pumimd, is the day of the full moon, the last day of the moon`s bright phases. The day has sanctity in the Indian tradition and several ceremo nial observances such as ritual bathing, fasting and giving away of charity are associated with it. In the Sikh