ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>GURBACHAN SI&#7748GH KH&#256LS&#256 BHI&#7750&#7692R&#256&#7748VALE SANT GI&#256N&#298 (1903-1969)</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="GURBACHAN,SIDGH"> <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">&#65279GURBACHAN SI&#7748GH <u>KH</u>&#256LS&#256 BHI&#7750&#7692R&#256&#7748VALE, SANT GI&#256N&#298 (1903-1969), holy man, preacher and exponent of the Sikh sacred texts, was born on 12 February 1903, the son of R&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh of the village of Akh&#257&#7771&#257, 6 km south of Jagr&#257on, in Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 district of the Punjab. He learnt to read and write Gurmukh&#299 at the village <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> and helped his father in farming. He was married at the age of 18 and had two sons born to him, but his dedication to Sikh lerarning led him to join Gurdw&#257r&#257 Sr&#299 Akha&#7751&#7693 Prak&#257sh, a seminary established by Sant Sundar Si&#7749gh at the village of Bhi&#7751&#7693ar Kal&#257&#7749, 15 km north of Mog&#257. In due time he came to be known as the best among Sant Sundar Si&#7749gh's pupils. Well versed in Sikh lore and proficient in discoursing upon the holy writ, he was chosen by the <i>sa&#7749gat</i>, after the death of Sant Sundar Si&#7749gh on 15 February 1930, to head the seminary at Bhi&#7751&#7693ar Kal&#257&#7749. That is how he came to be known popularly as Bhi&#7751&#7693r&#257&#7749vale Sant, though personally he preferred to be called Bh&#257&#299 (lit. brother), <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 or at the most Gi&#257n&#299 rather than Sant (lit. saint). He continued his predecessor's mode of combining regular teaching with itinerant preaching. Besides constructing or renovating <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> and <i>sarovars</i> at the town of N&#257bh&#257, in Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 district, Man&#257v&#257&#7749 in F&#299rozpur district and Pañjokhr&#257 in Amb&#257l&#257 district, he conducted 1313 <i>akha&#7751&#7693 p&#257&#7789hs</i> or non-stop recitals of Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, delivered serialized discourses on the entire Scripture 26 times over, and administered <i>amrit</i> or Sikh initiation rites to several thousands of persons all over the country. The twenty-seventh series of discourses was in progress when Sant Gurbachan Si&#7749gh breathed his last at the village of Mahit&#257, in Amritsar district, on 28 June 1969. His body was cremated outside Gurdw&#257r&#257 Pat&#257lpur&#299 at K&#299ratpur S&#257hib on the following day. His successor, Bh&#257&#299 Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, constructed in his memory Gurdw&#257r&#257 Gurdarshan Prak&#257sh at Mahit&#257 which became the headquarters of the Bhi&#7751&#7693r&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 Jath&#257. A religious fair is held there to mark the death anniversary of Sant Gurbachan Si&#7749gh on the 28th of June every year.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sant Gurbachan Si&#7749gh <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 wrote two books. <i>Sr&#299 Gurmukh Prak&#257sh Granth</i> in verse is a biography of Sant Sundar Si&#7749gh Bhi&#7751&#7693r&#257&#7749v&#257le along with a detailed <i>rahit mary&#257d&#257</i> or Sikh code of conduct, while <i>Gurb&#257&#7751&#299 P&#257&#7789h Darshan</i> combines biographical sketches of the Gur&#363s and some Sikh heroes with elucidation of some of the hymns from the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh, <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 J&#299van ate Gurmat Rahit Mary&#257d&#257</i>. Mahit&#257, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Vis&#257kh&#257 Si&#7749gh, Sant Sip&#257h&#299, <i>M&#257lv&#257 Itih&#257s</i>, vol. III. Kishanpura Kalan, n.d.<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Harjinder Si&#7749gh Dilgeer<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>