GHANI KHAN and his brother Nabi Khan, Pathan horse dealers of Machhivara in present day Ludhiana district of the Punjab, were admirers of Guru Gobind Singh whom they had visited at Anandpur and to whom they had sold many good animals. When they learnt that, travelling in a lonely state after the battle of Chamkaur (1705), the Guru had come to Machhivara, they at once turned out to meet him and offered their services. They provided him with a blue coloured dress and carried him out of Machhivara in a palanquin disguised as a Muslim divine. They declared him to be Uchch da Pir, the holy man of Uchch, an old seat of Muslim saints in south-west Punjab.
They escorted him thus up to Hehrari, a village near Raikot in Ludhiana district, where a group of Sikhs relieved them. The Guru dismissed Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan with his blessings and a hukamnamd meant to be a letter of commendation which was reverently preserved by their descendants. The family migrated to Pakistan in 1947. Their house in Machhivara is now a gurudwara known as Gurdwara Uchch da Pir.
References :
1. Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi 10. Patiala, 1968
2. Padam, Piara Singh, and Giani Garja Singh, eds. Guru klan Sakhian. Patiala, 1986
3. Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The. Sikh Religion. Oxford, 1909
In the annals of Sikh history, the escape of Guru Gobind Singh during a time of acute peril is immortalized by the daring actions of Ghani Khan and his brother, Nabi Khan. Their pivotal intervention is recounted as one of the most courageous displays of interfaith solidarity. At a time when the Guru faced life‐threatening danger after the hard-fought battles of Chamkaur and its subsequent challenges in 1705, Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan—esteemed Pathan horse dealers from Machhivara in present‐day Ludhiana district of Punjab—risked everything to safeguard him .
The narrative unfolds with the brothers learning that the beloved Guru was vulnerable while trying to travel alone. Recognizing the dire circumstances, they ventured to meet him and extended help by offering a unique disguise. They provided Guru Gobind Singh with a blue-colored dress, a hue traditionally associated with Sufi saints, to mask his identity. With this ingenious ruse, they presented him in a palanquin, cloaked under the persona of “Uchch da Pir”—a revered Muslim holy man. This clever stratagem allowed the Guru to slip past hostile forces, ensuring his safety as he transitioned into the care of trusted Sikh allies .
Their assistance did not go unrecognized. In an inspired gesture of gratitude and acknowledgment, Guru Gobind Singh dismissed both Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan with his blessings, issuing a hukamnama—a letter of commendation meant to formally record their heroic deed. This endorsement, cherished by their descendants, cemented their legacy in Sikh lore. In time, the site associated with their act of valor became enshrined as Gurdwara Uchch Da Pir in Machhivara, serving as a tangible reminder of their sacrifice and the enduring spirit of unity that transcends religious lines .
