[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I am Lila Weaver and this is my story of a pilgrimage to India. In the last bog we travelled from Delhi to Patiala and due to bad weather conditions were stuck there for a while. We travelled from Patiala with the means of a private taxi, so that we can stop at all the historic Gurudwaras on the way to Sri Anandpur Sahib.
We arrive in Anandpur Sahib, exhausted after a long and rewarding day. This town is beautifully clean and built on the slopes of a hill with the Shivalik Hills as a backdrop. I fell in love with this city instantly, I felt the bliss in my heart and a pure joy when we arrived. Not truly knowing why but sure it will be revealed to me over the next few days.
The hotel Temple View’s owner, Mr. Singh, whose family settled here many generations ago, was eager to tell me some of the history of the city.
Anandpur Sahib, or City of spiritual Bliss as Guru Gobind Singh named it, is one of the holiest and beloved places of the Sikh religion. It is second only to Amritsar, which we visited previously. Now that I knew the meaning of Anandpur Sahib in English it made sense to me why I felt an instant happiness when I entered the town.
Anandpur is framed between the Shivalik hills</u> to the east and the Sutlej River farther away in the west. It is closely linked with the Sikh religion’s traditions and history. The ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur purchased the site from the ruler of Bilaspur in the year 1665 and founded Anandpur Sahib near the ruins of ancient Makhowa. The city was first called Chakk Nanki, named after his mother. In 1675 the Guru was beheaded on orders of the Mughal king Aurangzeb for standing up for the rights of the Kashmiri Pandits to practice their religion and refusing to convert to Islam. The Sikhs crowned his son Gobind Rai as the Guru’s successor.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”402,403,404,436″ img_size=”650×650″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]On March 30, 1689 Guru Sahib laid the foundation of the new town, renaming it Anandpur Sahib. The town became prosperous in the times of Guru Gobind Singh Ji who spent more than twenty five years of his life here. Guru Ji became very powerful and in 1693, Aurangzeb the Moghal ruler banned large gatherings of Sikhs during the festival of Baisakhi, which is held annually to commemorate the founding of Khalsa Panth. Khalsa means Pure or free from impurities.
This Takhat was originally built as a fort called Kesgarh Qila. There were five forts build in and around Anandpur Sahib.
In April 1685 Guru Gobind Singh Sahib along with members of his family and court travelled to Nathan where they were warmly received by Raja Mat Prakash. Raja is a word used for the King of the state. The Raja was interested in strengthening his alliances by befriending the Guru and his Sikhs and this alliance worked well for both parties.
The Raja’s troops aided the Sikhs in building a new fort in record time. Paonta Sahib as the Guru named the fort became his home for the next three years. The Guru would often reflect on his days spent in the mountains and the surrounding areas. Guru felt it was some of the most productive and happy years of his life.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”405,406,407,408,409″ img_size=”650×650″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Anandpur Sahib is one of the five most important religious places of the Sikhs. Here Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth on Baisakhi day in 1699. The Takht Keshgarh Sahib stands at the place where the tenth Master baptized the ‘Panj Pyaras’, the five beloved ones, and administered Amrit to them. Amrit is the Sikh baptism ceremony.
Every morning I walk out into the mist to attend the morning Kirtan. This beautiful Takhat looks mystical, gentle and pure.
The Takhat itself is beautiful inside. And some of Guru Gobind Singh’s weapons are on display. Beautiful golden doors open onto the sacred inner area.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”410,411,412,413,414″ img_size=”650×650″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The sarovar, or the holy pond, is situated about 100 metres from Sri Kesgarh Sahib. During my stay I took refuge here, sitting quietly by the pond and meditated on the wonderful feeling of bliss that surrounded me. The people are very friendly and helpful and always give kind words of warning or recommendations. We had an extremely busy time visiting the other historical Gurudwaras in the surrounding areas so I felt that I could not connect properly with the 10th guru here, I needed more time.
Karman on the other hand has a direct channel to Guru Ji and always receives
messages. He was reminded during one of his sittings in the Takhat that any Sikh saint must remain a warrior and must be willing to sacrifice his own life during the fight for the survival of all religions. He must stay firm in his faith however hard the battle is, Sikhism must never die.
I felt terribly sad when we had to leave and my heart kept telling me to go back. I decided to return in March 2020 during the Hola Mohalla Festival and spend more time in this beautiful city. The Hola Mahalla festival is an event full of pompous dress up with warriors on horseback, sword fighting and displays of Gatka which is the Sikh martial art.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”415,416″ img_size=”650×650″][/vc_column][/vc_row]