ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SACHCH&#256 SAUD&#256 GURDW&#256R&#256</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="SACHCH,SAUD,GURDWR"> <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">&#65279SACHCH&#256 SAUD&#256, GURDW&#256R&#256, at Ch&#363ha&#7771k&#257&#7751&#257 in Shei<u>kh</u>&#363pur&#257 district of Pakistan, celebrates a popularly told event from the life of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. According to <i>Bh&#257&#299 B&#257l&#257 Janam S&#257kh&#299</i>, Gur&#363 N&#257nak's father, B&#257b&#257 K&#257l&#363, to settle his son in a permanent vocation once gave him a sum of twenty rupees and asked him to go to the nearest market to purchase merchandise which could be sold at a profit, and thus strike a good (<i>khar&#257</i> or <i>sachch&#257</i>, in Punjabi) bargain (<i>saud&#257</i>, in Punjabi). As says the <i>Janam S&#257kh&#299</i>, Bh&#257&#299 B&#257l&#257 was sent from the village to accompany him. As the two of them were passing through a forest, they fell in with a large party of bare-skinned ascetics in different postures of penance. Gur&#363 N&#257nak tarried to converse with them and asked their chief, "Why, Sir, don't you wear any clothes? Don't you have any or are they displeasing to you?" "We are Nirb&#257n&#299s. It only benefits us to abstain from clothes... we eat, young lad, only when the Lord sends," was, as reports the <i>Janam S&#257kh&#299</i>, the answer he received. N&#257nak discovered that the <i>s&#257dh&#363s</i> had been without food for several days. Overruling Bh&#257&#299 B&#257l&#257's counsel, he spent all the money his father had given him feeding the hungry men, and returned to Talva&#7751&#7693&#299. When his father admonished him for squandering his hardearned cash, N&#257nak only said that that was the best bargain he could have made. Many years later, devotees built at the village of Ch&#363ha&#7771k&#257&#7751&#257 close to where Gur&#363 N&#257nak had fed the ascetics a simple shrine which in due course became a popular pilgrim site attracting visitors from far and near. Land endowment of over 100 acres was made to it during Sikh rule. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 formerly administered by Ud&#257s&#299 priests was occupied by Jathed&#257r Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar on behalf of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee on 30 December 1920. At the time of its evacuation in the wake of the partition of the country in 1947, it had a huge fortress-like, three-storeyed building with domed towers. The shrine is now under the management of the Waqf Board of Pakistan. Its building was renovated during 1993-94, and it was opened to visit by organized Sikh <i>jath&#257s</i> with the approval of Pakistan government.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><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"> 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"> &#7788h&#257kar Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gurdu&#257re Darshan</i>. Amritsar, 1923<BR> <li class="C1"> Narain Si&#7749gh, <i>Ak&#257l&#299 Morche te Jhabbar</i>. Delhi, 1967<BR> <li class="C1"> Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh <i>Janam S&#257kh&#299 Parampar&#257.</i> Patiala, 1969<BR> <li class="C1"> Gurmukh Singh, <i>Historical Sikh Shrines</i>. Amritsar, 1995<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>