ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>J&#298VAN SI&#7748GH K&#256RSEV&#256V&#256LE B&#256B&#256 (1894-1974)</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="J*VAN,SIDGH,KRSEVVLE,BB,Person,Person"> <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">&#65279J&#298VAN SI&#7748GH K&#256RSEV&#256V&#256LE, B&#256B&#256 (1894-1974), one of the principal disciples of Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh K&#257rsev&#257v&#257le (1849-1947), was born to Fateh Si&#7749gh and Khem Kaur, peasants of modest means residing in the village of R&#257hal Ch&#257hal, in Tarn T&#257ran <i>tahs&#299l</i> of Amritsar district in the Punjab. Born in 1894, J&#299van Si&#7749gh grew up into a sturdy young man, interested in wrestling and other rural sports, but never having the chance of going to school. At the age of eighteen, he married B&#257v&#299, renamed Kart&#257r Kaur, daughter of Naudh Si&#7749gh, of K&#257leke. Up to the age of about 40 years, J&#299van Si&#7749gh tried his hand at various occupations, including farming and <i>to&#7749g&#257</i> driving. He also took out a trip to Malaya to seek his fortune there. The turning point in his life came when he met Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh under whose supervision reconstruction of Gurdw&#257r&#257 &#7692er&#257 S&#257hib at J&#257m&#257 R&#257i, close to his own village, was then in progress through <i>k&#257r-sev&#257</i> or pious voluntary labour. J&#299van Si&#7749gh was so deeply impressed by the saintly demeanour of Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh and the atmosphere of pure dedication and service that prevailed around him that he resolved to spend the rest of his life at his feet. Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh assigned him to the execution of projects such as the construction of <i>ha&#7749sal&#299s</i>, i.e. underground water channels connecting <i>sarovars</i> or sacred tanks at &#7692er&#257 S&#257hib, J&#257m&#257 R&#257i, Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib and <u>Kh</u>a&#7693&#363r S&#257hib. He also had new buildings raised for Gurdw&#257r&#257 Pa&#7789&#7789&#299 S&#257hib and Gurdw&#257r&#257 K&#299&#257r&#257 S&#257hib at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib. He joined the gigantic work of renovation and reconstruction of the shrines launched by Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh at Muktsar. After the death of Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh in November 1947, B&#257b&#257 J&#299van Si&#7749gh made Pehov&#257, in Hary&#257&#7751&#257, his headquarters, and reconstructed historical shrines and <i>sarovars</i> at Pehov&#257, Th&#257nesar, Kaithal, Si&#257&#7751&#257 Sayyid&#257&#7749 and Karh&#257. He also commenced <i>k&#257r-sev&#257</i> for rebuilding the shrine at Ga&#7771h&#299 Naz&#299r, near Sam&#257&#7751&#257 in Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 district, commemorating Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's visit, which was completed by his successors in the late 1970's. Earlier in the 1950's he, along with B&#257b&#257 Dal&#299p Si&#7749gh, had carried out the renovation of Gurdw&#257r&#257 Ga&#7749gsar at Jaito. But by far the most memorable of B&#257b&#257 J&#299van Si&#7749gh's works (and of B&#257b&#257 Dal&#299p Si&#7749gh's) are Gurdw&#257r&#257 Shik&#257r Gh&#257&#7789 at N&#257nde&#7693 and the bridge over the River God&#257var&#299 constructed with the voluntary labour, mostly of Sikhs from distant Punjab, which was hailed as a great engineering feat. B&#257b&#257 J&#299van Si&#7749gh also participated in the <i>k&#257r-sev&#257</i>, i.e. desilting operations at the sacred pools at Tarn T&#257ran in 1971 and at Amritsar in 1973.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;B&#257b&#257 J&#299van Si&#7749gh died at the age of 80 years on 29 October 1974.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Park&#257sh Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>