1. AGAUL

AGAUL, village 10 km from Nabha (30°22'N, 76°9'E) in Patiala district, has a historical shrine called Gurudwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib. In the course of a journey through this area, Guru Tegh Bahadur came and sat here under a pipal tree on the bank of a pond. The old pipal tree is not there now, but the pond, called Ram Talai and believed to possess medicinal properties for curing skin diseases, has since been lined and converted into a small sarovar, holy tank. 

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2. AMRITSAR

AMRITSAR (31°38'N, 74°53'E), principal holy city of the Sikhs, is the headquarters of a district (Amritsar) in the Punjab. The foundation of the town was laid in 1577 by Guru Ram Das (1534-81) when he inauguarted the digging of the holy tank Amritsar (amrit = nectar, sar = pool) on a piece of land which, according to some sources, was purchased from the residents of the neighbouring village of Tung during the time of Guru Amar Das (1479-1574) and, according to other sources, was a gift from the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) to Guru Amar Das's daughter, Bibi Bhani, married to (Guru) Ram Das.

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3. AKAR,

AKAR, a village in the interior of Patiala district, possesses a historical shrine called Gurdwara Nim Sahib. The Gurdwara commemorates the visit of Guru Tegh Bahadur who, during one of his journeys through the Malva territory, put up here near a mm (margosa) tree, which still exists. The leaves of one of the boughs of this tree which leans over the shrine are tasteless while those on the rest of the tree possess their natural bitter taste. The miracle is attributed to Guru Tegh Bahadur, who is said to have pulled off a twig from this branch and used it to cleanse his teeth.

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4. ALAMGIR,

ALAMGIR, a village in Ludhiana district, 13 km to the southwest of the city (30°54'N, 75°52'E), is famed for its Gurdwara Manji Sahib Patshahi 10. Guru Gobind Singh made a halt in the village as he was travelling after the battle of Chamkaur in December 1705. Here the Guru discarded the palanquin which he had used for part of the journey, and took a horse presented by an old disciple, Bhai Naudha. A Manji Sahib was later constructed on the site. At present, the gurdwara compound covers over three acres of land.

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5. ALAMPUR

ALAMPUR, village 11 km southwest of Dasuya (31°49'N, 75°39'E) in Hoshiarpur district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Hargobind (1595-1644), who stayed here for several days during an hunting expedition. The place where he pitched his tents (tambu, in Punjabi) came to be treated as holy. The shrine subsequently established here was called Gurdwara Tambu Sahib Patshahi Chhevin. Situated on a low mound about 250 metres south of the village, it was endowed during Sikh rule with a land grant of 75 acres. Its present building constructed by the local sangat in 1983 is a small rectangular hall with the sanctum at one end. The Gurdwara is affiliated to Nirmal Akhara and is managed by Nirmala priests.

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6. ALO HARAKH,

ALO HARAKH, village in Sangrur district, has a historical shrine called Gurdwara Sahib Alo Harakh Patshahi Naumi. A low domed Manji Sahib, under an old banyan tree marks the site where Guru Tegh Bahadur once sat arriving from the neighbouring village of Gunike. The congregation hall has a vaulting ceiling with a domed sanctum inside. Both the hall and the Manji Sahib were constructed in 1909. The Gurdwara is administered by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee through a local committee.

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7. AMARGARH,

AMARGARH, village 3 km east of Goniana Mandi (SOMS`N, 74°54`E) in Bathinda district of the Punjab, has an old shrine, Gurdwara Vidyasar Patshahi Satvin, dedicated to Guru Har Rai (1630-61) who, according to local tradition, visited the site during his stay at Bhokhari, since renamed Har Raipur. Amargarh was then called Jhablutti. The shrine was looked after by a line of Udasi priests until the early 20th century. The present building of the Gurdwara, constructed in 1912, comprises a divan hall with a verandah on three sides. The Gurdwara is managed by a committee of the local sangat.

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8. AGAMPUR

AGAMPUR - A village, about two km from Anandpur Sahib. There are two Gurdwaras in this village: 1. Holgarh Gurdwara. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh built the Holgarh fort. The hill armies attacked the fort on August 31, 1700. In this battle Bhai Bagh Singh, son of Bhai Rai Singh (brother of Bhai Mani Singh), Bhai Gharbara Singh, son of Bhai Nanu Singh Dilwali etc. embraced martyrdom. 2. Gurdwara Mata Jit Kaur Ji has been built in the memory of Mata Jit Kaur Ji, the wife of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, who was cremated here on December 6, 1700. During Guru period, most of the dead bodies of the residents of Chakk Nanaki and Anandpur Sahib were cremated here.

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9. AJIT GILL

AJIT GILL - A village, about three km from railway station Rumana Albel Singh (district Faridkot), visited by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, in 1706. Gurdwara Gurusar preserves the memory of the visit of Guru Sahib.

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10. BABA BAKALA

BABA BAKALA (31°34`N, 75°16`E), a small town in Amritsar district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Hargobind and Guru Tegh Bahadur. The original name of the place was Bakala. As Guru Har Krishan lay on his deathbed in Delhi, he was asked by the sangat to name his successor. All that the Guru could say at that time was 'Baba Bakale' meaning that (Guru) Tegh Bahadur, who was the brother of his (Guru Har Krishan's) grandfather (baba) and who was living at Bakala, was to be the next Guru. Bakala, thereafter, came to be called Baba Bakala.

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