ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MEHR&#256J</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="MEHRJ"> <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">&#65279MEHR&#256J, also spoken as Mahir&#257j or Marh&#257j, is a village 6 km northwest of R&#257mpur&#257 Ph&#363l (30º-16'N, 75º-14'E) in Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 district founded in 1627 by Bh&#257&#299 Mohan (d. 1630), a Ja&#7789&#7789 of the Siddh&#363 clan, with the blessings and help of Gur&#363 Hargobind. According to Sikh tradition, Mohan with his tribe wanted to settle down in this area but the Bhullars, the local dominating tribe, resisted. Mohan sought Gur&#363 Hargobind's blessing and succeeded in founding a village which he called Mehraj after the name of his great grandfather. The Bhullars tried to dislodge him, but were driven away with Gur&#363 Hargobind's help. In the battle Gur&#363 Hargobind had to fight here against an imperial force led by Lall&#257 Beg on 16 December 1634, he took up position around a pool of water about 3 km south of Mehraj. Sikhs, though vastly outnumbered, defeated the attacking force. Lall&#257 Beg and several of his officers and men were killed. Gur&#363 Hargobind had them buried according to Muslim rites while he had the Sikhs fallen in action cremated. A tower subsequently raised indicates the sites where cremation and burial took place.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 CHHO&#7788&#256 GUR&#362SAR TAMB&#362 S&#256HIB, one kilometre southwest of the village marks the site where Gur&#363 Hargobind had his tent (<i>tamb&#363</i>, in Punjabi) set up at the time of his first visit to this place. It is a modest-looking shrine built on a low mound and managed by the village <i>sa&#7749gat</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 GUR&#362SAR MEHR&#256J marks the site of Gur&#363 Hargobind's camp during the battle of Mehr&#257j. According to <i>Gur Bil&#257s Chhev&#299&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299</i>, Gur&#363 Hargobind had himself named this place Gur&#363sar and declared it a place of pilgrimage, appointing a Ravid&#257s&#299 Sikh to look after it. The old building constructed by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh of N&#257bh&#257 (1843-1911) was replaced during the 1980's by the successors of Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh Sev&#257v&#257le. The new building, inside a walled compound, comprises a high-ceilinged assembly hall, with the sanctum in the middle marked off by massive square columns and wide arches. Above the sanctum is a domed pavilion lined with glazed tiles and topped by a gold-plated pinnacle and an umbrella-shaped finial with a <i>kha&#7751&#7693&#257</i> at the apex. Domed kiosks adorn the hall corners. The Gurdw&#257r&#257, endowed with 250 acres of land, is affiliated to the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee. People from the surrounding villages throng for a dip in the holy <i>sarovar</i> on every Monday.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u> Gurdu&#257ri&#257&#7749</i>. Amritsar, n.d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Narotam, T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 T&#299rath Sa&#7749grahi</i>. Kankhal, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"><i>Gurbil&#257s Chhev&#299&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299</i>. Patiala, 1970<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>