Gurdwara Parivar Vichhora Sahib

History

1. December 1705

   The crossing of the Sarsa

   Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji came out of Anandpur on the night of 5-6 December 1705 and reached this place with hostile forces in close pursuit. The Sarsa, a small seasonal tributary of the Sutlej, was in flood. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism says Guru Ji split the column, one part to hold off the enemy while the rest tried to cross.

   Guru Ji reached the far bank with the four Sahibzade, the women of the household and about 150 followers. Others and all the baggage were swept away. Many Sikhs in the rearguard were martyred, and those who survived scattered once they knew Guru Ji was safe.[EoS][Web]

2. The family dispersed

   After the crossing the family could not stay together. Guru Ji went towards Chamkaur with the two elder Sahibzade and 40 Sikhs. Guru Ji's wives reached Delhi with a small escort. Mata Gujri and the two younger Sahibzade were taken by a servant, Gangu, to his own village near Morinda, and he betrayed them there. The gurdwara's name recalls this moment.[EoS][Web]

3. 1970s

   The present building

   The present building was finished in the 1970s, and a study of the architecture of these gurdwaras dates the reconstruction to 1975. It stands about 300 metres from the river bank, on a high stone-faced base of pyramid form that measures about 57 by 53 metres. The four storeys rise in steps, and the room where Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is seated lies about 15 metres above the ground, with painted walls and ceiling and a domed pavilion over it.

   Weapons, karas and bones, reportedly found while the foundations were dug, are on display. The building was supervised by Sant Ajit Singh of Niholka, who ran the gurdwara when the Encyclopaedia was written. Wikipedia instead credits Sant Baba Kartar Singh of Bhairomajra with starting the kar seva. The yearly fair falls on 1 Poh, in mid-December.[EoS][Singh][Web]

Images