Goindvalਗੋਇੰਦਵਾਲ

The first centre of Sikhism

Goindval (ਗੋਇੰਦਵਾਲ, "City of Govind"), also called Goindwal Sahib, is a town in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab’s Majha region, about 23 kilometres from Tarn Taran Sahib on the banks of the Beas river. In the 16th century it became the first centre of Sikhism — its "axis" — when Guru Amar Das Ji, the third Sikh Guru, made it his seat and lived here for 33 years.

According to historian Gurinder Singh Mann, Guru Amar Das founded the town in 1551. Its site lay on an ancient east–west highway crossing the Beas between Delhi and Lahore, and a trader named Goinda, a Marvaha Khatri, planned a settlement at the western end of the ferry crossing. When his efforts were thwarted by calamities he blamed on evil spirits, he sought Guru Angad Dev Ji’s blessing at Khadur — and the Guru sent his devoted disciple Bhai Amar Das, who knew the tract well from carrying river water daily to Khadur for his Master’s ablutions, to lay the village’s foundation. The new habitation was named Goindwal after Goinda.

After his anointment as Guru in 1552 at the age of 73, Guru Amar Das shifted the Sikh headquarters from Khadur to Goindval with his family and followers. From here he started the annual Vaisakhi fair, made the langar an inseparable part of Sikh practice — insisting that anyone who wished to see him must first sit in the pangat ('Pehlay pangat, tay picchhay sangat') — created the Manji system for spreading the faith to distant places, ended the practice of sati, and composed the Anand Sahib bani.

Baoli Sahib: the well of 84 steps

In 1552 the Guru commenced the digging of a baoli — a well with steps descending to the water level — which, when completed, drew pilgrims from far and near. The stepwell spans about 8 metres (25 feet); a divided underground staircase of 84 covered steps descends to the sacred waters, with resting places between flights where Sikhs gather for spiritual discussion. The entrance is a wide pointed archway leading to a domed chamber decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Guru Amar Das.

Sikhs believe that bathing in the Baoli and reciting the Japji Sahib — the divine Word revealed to Guru Nanak — on each of the 84 steps grants mukhti: liberation from the 84 lakh cycles of birth and death and union with God. The stairs were covered with marble in 1906, and the gurdwara’s dome is gold-plated. Today the Baoli remains one of the most visited pilgrimage spots in Punjab, its massive daily langar feeding pilgrims in large numbers.

Goindval and the Gurus

Goindval is where Guru Amar Das Ji met his successor. Bhai Jetha — the future Guru Ram Das Ji — arrived in Goindval to stay near the Guru, earning his bread by selling cooked beans while spending most of his time in seva for the Baoli’s construction and the community kitchen. Recognising his upright character, Guru Amar Das and Mata Mansa Devi married their daughter Bibi Bhani to him on 1 February 1554. Their third son, Arjan Dev, was born in Goindval on 15 April 1563 and would become the fifth Sikh Guru. Bhai Gurdas, the great Sikh poet, was also born here in 1551.

Emperor Akbar visited Goindval in 1569 while travelling from Delhi to Lahore and took lunch in the langar. So impressed was he by the institution that he granted land in the name of Bibi Bhani — land on which Guru Ram Das would found Amritsar.

Later Gurus kept returning. Guru Hargobind bathed in the Baoli with his family on his way from Jhabal; Guru Tegh Bahadur visited in 1664; and Guru Har Rai met the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh here, having once cured him of a serious illness with herbal medicine.

Shrines of Goindval

The town’s main shrines cluster around the Guru’s legacy. Baoli Sahib stands over the 84-step well. Chaubara Sahib was the residence of Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das, where the third Guru held his court. Guriai Asthan marks where Guru Ram Das was crowned the fourth Guru, and Janam Asthan commemorates Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s birthplace. Joti Jot Asthan (Patshahi Tiji) stands where Guru Amar Das breathed his last, while Khuh Guru Ram Das Sahib — a well built by the fourth Guru — is where Bhai Gurdas breathed his last. Thara Sahib is where Guru Amar Das sat supervising the Baoli’s digging. About three kilometres away, Gurdwara Damdama Sahib preserves the memory of the tree under which Guru Amar Das rested while carrying water from the Beas to Khadur — the tree is still preserved.

The main gurdwara beside the Baoli is a fine example of Sikh architecture: white against the chequered courtyard, its large dome tipped with a gold pinnacle, four cupolas echoing the main dome, turrets, elliptical cornices and projected windows. The entrance is decorated with murals depicting significant scenes from Sikh history.

Goindval today

Goindval remains a prime pilgrimage destination, drawing devotees daily to the Baoli and the gurdwara. The town — population 7,772 in the 2010 count — sits on the Beas in Tarn Taran district, about 25 kilometres from Tarn Taran and 50 from Amritsar, and is also one of the district’s focal points for small-scale industry.