GONDA, CHAUDHARI, one of the headmen of the village of Muloval, now in Sarigrur district of the Punjab, was converted to the Sikh faith by Guru Tegh Bahadur. According to local tradition supported by old chronicles, when Guru Tegh Bahadur visited Muloval, he stopped near the village well to find it covered with bushes. The villagers explained that its water was brackish. The Guru told them to remove the bushes covering it, and declared the water to be sweet. Not only was the old well sweetened, the Guru persuaded the villagers to sink nine more wells.Everyone present was impressed and asked for the Guru`s blessing, but Gonda in his pride declined to receive the Guru`s benediction.
