The founding of Ramdaspur
How the land was acquired
Sources disagree: purchase from Tung villagers, a gift from Akbar to Bibi Bhani, or a mixture of both.
The sources tell three stories. In the first, as quoted by the Encyclopaedia from the Amritsar District Gazetteer, 500 bighas were bought for 700 Akbari rupees from the owners at Tung.
In the second, told in the Mahima Prakash tradition and by Macauliffe, Emperor Akbar offered land to Sri Guru Amar Das Ji on his visit to Goindwal. Guru Ji refused, and the emperor made it over to Bibi Bhani. Macauliffe has the headmen of the villages come with offerings to Guru Ji, who sent them on to her husband, the future Sri Guru Ram Das Ji. The Encyclopaedia's life of Bhai Ballu credits him with proposing this solution.
Gupta's version joins the two. He quotes the Gazetteer as saying that the site was granted by Akbar on payment of 700 Akbari rupees to the owners of Tung, and he adds his own view that this was village common land and that the local headmen were consulted.
How do we know?
The sources conflict on this story, or scholars doubt it.
No document from the time is cited by any of these. The Encyclopaedia's life of Guru Ji gives the Gazetteer as a plain purchase, while Gupta's quotation includes an imperial grant, so the Gazetteer itself needs checking. The purchase and the grant are not necessarily exclusive. The gift story also depends on Akbar's visit to Goindwal, which is not corroborated in the sources read.
- ScholarshipSets the Gazetteer's purchase of 500 bighas beside the story of Akbar's gift via Bibi Bhani, who then gave it to the community.[EoS]
- ScholarshipSays some sources report purchase from Tung during the time of Sri Guru Amar Das Ji and others a gift from Akbar.[EoS]
- Later traditionTells the story of the villages refused by Guru Ji and granted in Bibi Bhani's name.[Macauliffe]
- ScholarshipQuotes the Gazetteer as combining an imperial grant with payment to the Tung owners, and treats the land as common land.[Gupta]
- ScholarshipCredits Bhai Ballu with suggesting the gift to Bibi Bhani, following the Mahima Prakash.[EoS]
