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CHITTAGONG (22° 21`N, 91° 50`E), a major port town of Bangladesh, situated on the right bank of Karnaphuli River, 20 km from its mouth, has a historic Sikh shrine, called Gurdwara Sikh Temple, dedicated to Guru Nanak, who is believed to have stayed here briefly in 1507-08. Local tradition connects this Gurdwara with the story of the conversion by Guru Nanak of Bhai Jhanda Badhi, Raja Sudhar Sen and his nephew, Indra Sen. The story occurs briefly in the B40 Janamsakhi and at some length in the Bala Janam Sakhi. Gurdwara Sikh Temple is situated in the middle of Chowk Bazar. An old well adjoining it is still in use.
DARGAHA SINGH, BHAI (1713-1823), a Nirmala saint, was born in 1713 the son of Bhai Nigahia Singh of the village of Laungoval, in present day Sangrur district of the Punjab. Nigahia Singh was known to be the elder brother of Bhai Mani Singh, the martyr. For the divali festival of 1725, Nigahia Singh along with his seven sons went to Amritsar where the whole family received the initiatory rites of the Khalsa at the hands of Bhai Mani Singh. Three of the brothers remained in Amritsar, among them Dargaha Singh who showed marked aptitude for scholarly learning as well as for the martial arts. He gained proficiency in both fields, though he was more inclined towards religious pursuits.
DHESI, BHAI, and Bhai Jodh, both Brahmans converted to Sikhism, once came to Guru Arjan and complained, "0 True King ! other Brahmans treat us as out castes, for they tell us that by taking a Khatri as a guru, by discarding Sanskrit, the language of the gods, and singing hymns of gurbani composed in the common dialect, and by the nonobservance of fasts and other rituals and prayers, we are no longer fit to sit and dine with them. They are especially sore because in preference to the traditional places of pilgrimage like the Gariga and Kashi, we come to Amritsar. Pray, tell us how should we answer them." "Caste," said Guru Arjan, "has no meaning.
DAYAL, BABA (1783-1855), founder of the Nirankari sect of the Sikhs, was born at Peshawar on Baisakh sudi 15, 1840 Bk / 17 May 1783. He was the only son of Ram Sahai, a banker, and his wife Ladikki, daughter of Bhai Vasakha Singh of Rohtas. He lost his father while he was still an infant. He learnt Gurmukhi from his mother and Persian and Pushto at a maktab (elementary school kept by a Muslim maulawi). His mother, a devout Sikh, nurtured him in the best traditions of the faith and took him out daily to make obeisance at the local Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh. After the death of his mother in 1802, Dayal migrated to Rawalpindi where he opened a grocer`s shop and also started preaching a message of simple living, commonly addressing congregations at Gurdwara Peshaurian and Gurdwara Bhai Ram Singh.
