<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>BH&#298KH&#298</TITLE>
<style type="text/css">
.BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;}
.C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;}
.BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;}
.CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;}
</style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="BHĪKHĪ">
<META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD>
<BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false">
<FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma">
<p class="C1">&#65279BH&#298KH&#298, popularly pronounced Bhikh&#299 (30º-3'N, 75º-33'E), an old town along the Sun&#257m-Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 road in Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 district of the Punjab, is sacred to Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur, who halted here for several days during one of his travels through the M&#257lv&#257 region. Des&#363, the local chief, who had been a follower of Sult&#257n Sakh&#299 Sarwar, became a Sikh and served the Gur&#363 with devotion. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur gave him five arrows to be kept as a momento. It is said that after the Gur&#363 had left Bh&#299kh&#299, Des&#363's wife displeased at her husband's conversion, broke and burnt the arrows. According to local tradition, this brought a curse on Des&#363's house with the result that his son and grandson suffered assassination at the hands of his enemies and his direct line came to an end.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A memorial to Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur had been raised by his devotees at Bh&#299kh&#299. Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Karam Si&#7749gh (1798-1845) of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 built a proper shrine and made land endowment for its maintenance. It is now designated Gurdw&#257r&#257 S&#257hib P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 9 and is located on the northern outskirts of the town near a pond. The present building, in a one-acre walled compound, consists of a square sanctum, under a four-cornered dome, and a rectangular hall, built on a high plinth.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Gurdw&#257r&#257 owns 112 acres of land and is managed by the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee through a local committee. Besides the daily worship, special congregations occur on the first of each Bikram&#299 month and on major anniversaries and festivals.</p>
</font>
<p class="BIB">
BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"><i>M&#257lv&#257 Desh Ra&#7789an d&#299 S&#257kh&#299 Poth&#299</i>. Amritsar, 1968<BR>
<li class="C1"> T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Sr&#299 Gur T&#299rath Sa&#7749grahi</i>. Amritsar, n. d.<BR>
<li class="C1"> &#7788h&#257kar Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gurdu&#257re Darshan</i>. Amritsar, 1923<BR>
<li class="C1"> Fauj&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bahadur : Y&#257tr&#257 Asth&#257n, Prampar&#257v&#257&#7749 te Y&#257d Chinn</i>. Patiala, 1996<BR>
</ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR>
</font>
<img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt="">
</HTML></BODY>
�