On the occasion of the Martyr’s Day of Shri Guru Teg Bahadur, observed on November 25. Gurudwara Gau-Ghaat Sahib, located in Aalamganj, Patna, is a sacred place which has been blessed by the visits of two great Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak Devji visited here in Vikram Samvat 1563, and Guru Teg Bahadurji, the ninth Guru, came here in Vikram Samvat 1723. A great devotee, Bhagat Jaitaamal, lived here. He was said to be 350 years old when Guru Nanak Devji visited him.

 

Due to his age, he found it difficult to go daily for a bath in the Ganga, which was far away. Bhagat Jaitaamal prayed for liberation (Mukti). Guru Nanak Devji told him that he would get Mukti when the ninth Guru—Guru Teg Bahadur—would come. Until then, he should continue his worship. Guru Nanak Devji blessed him by saying that the Ganga would come to him every day in the form of a cow and pour water from her mouth, so no one else would be troubled. From that time, the place came to be known as Gau-Ghaat Sahib. Years later, after becoming the ninth Guru, Guru Teg Bahadurji started his journey towards the East. After preaching at Triveni Sangam in Allahabad, he reached Aalamganj and came to Bhagat Jaitaamal’s house.

 

The door was closed because Bhagatji used to avoid disturbance during prayers. When Guruji was asked to enter on his own, he took a very small form, climbed onto his horse, and entered through a small window. Bhagat Jaitaamal saw the same divine light of Guru Nanak in Guru Teg Bahadur and immediately left his body, attaining Mukti. Guru Teg Bahadur performed his final rites and began reconstructing his house. During the construction, Guruji performed a miracle where short wooden sticks became long enough to support the roof. These sticks later came to be known as Thamm Sahib, believed to fulfil the wishes of devotees.

 

Today, visitors at Gurudwara Gau-Ghaat Sahib can still see Mata Gujriji’s Chakki, Bhagat Jaitaamal’s bathing Kund, and the sacred window Taaki Sahib. Devotees believe that their prayers are fulfilled here. On his Martyr’s Day, lakhs of salutes to Guru Teg Bahadurji, who sacrificed his life on December 19, 1675 for protecting faith and humanity. (The author is Convenor, Shri Kalgidhar Satsang Mandal, Jaripatka, Nagpur.)