Gurdwara Bhangani Sahibਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਭੰਗਾਣੀ ਸਾਹਿਬ

Gurdwara Bhangani Sahib, in the village of Bhangani in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, marks the field where Guru Gobind Singh Ji fought the Battle of Bhangani in 1688, the first battle of his life, against an alliance of hill rajas, and won it. The shrine stands a few hundred yards behind the riverbank command post now marked by Gurdwara Tir Garhi, on the right bank of the River Yamuna in Paonta tehsil.

What happened at the Battle of Bhangani?

The Battle of Bhangani was fought in a single day in 1688 on the banks of the Yamuna, about six miles (9.7 km) from Paonta Sahib, and it ended in victory for Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The exact day is disputed: some chronicles give 16 April 1688, others place the battle in September, and some histories give the year as 1686. What is not disputed is the outcome. The combined hill force broke and fled the field, the raja Hari Chand was killed, and the Guru took none of the defeated rajas' territory.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji described the battle himself in the Bachittar Natak, his autobiographical composition. He names the warriors on both sides and praises brave opponents as warmly as his own men, which is one reason the battle is still read through his account today.

Why did the hill rajas turn against the Guru?

The quarrel grew at Anandpur Sahib, where the Guru's court drew devotees and rich gifts from far away. Among the gifts were a jewelled canopy and a trained elephant called Prasadi, presented by Ratan Rai of Assam. Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur (Bilaspur) asked to borrow the elephant to impress the guests at his son Ajmer Chand's wedding. The Guru refused, believing the raja meant to keep it, and the refusal became a lasting grievance. His new war drum, the Ranjit Nagara, also troubled the rajas, since such a drum was a mark of sovereignty.

In April 1685 the Guru moved to Paonta, on the Yamuna, at the invitation of Raja Medni Prakash of Sirmaur, and built a fort there. When Bhim Chand's wedding party travelled to Srinagar in Garhwal, the Guru would not let its heavily armed column pass through Paonta. He then sent representatives to the wedding with a valuable cash gift, the customary tambol. Bhim Chand forced Raja Fateh Shah of Garhwal, the bride's father, to refuse the gift, because it came from his enemy. The Guru's returning horsemen were attacked on the road, and, expecting a full attack on Paonta, the Guru marched out to meet it at Bhangani.

Who fought beside the Guru at Bhangani?

The Guru's small force faced an alliance drawn from sixteen hill states, among them Kahlur, Garhwal, Kangra, Guler, Hindur, Siba and Jaswan. On his side stood his Sikhs, a company of Udasis, and one remarkable ally: Pir Budhu Shah, the Muslim saint of Sadhaura.

Pathan soldiers whom the Pir had recommended to the Guru deserted to the rajas before the battle. The Pir answered by coming himself, with his sons and between five and seven hundred followers. Two of his sons were killed in the fighting. So were the Guru's cousins Sango Shah, who fell after killing the Pathan chief Najabat Khan, and Jeet Mal. Mahant Kirpal Das, the Udasi leader, fought with a heavy wooden club, the kutka, and killed the Pathan chief Hayat Khan. The Bachittar Natak records that Hari Chand of Hindur, the finest archer on the hill side, shot Jeet Mal dead and wounded the Guru, before the Guru killed him with an arrow.

The two gurdwaras at Bhangani

Two shrines share the battlefield. Gurdwara Tir Garhi stands right on the riverbank, where the Guru had his command post, the tir garhi, or arrow platform. Gurdwara Bhangani Sahib stands a few hundred yards behind it: a white marble shrine whose Darbar Sahib hall is also finished in marble, set in green fields that give little hint of the fighting of 1688.

A line from the Bachittar Natak is inscribed inside the gurdwara, in which the Guru gives the victory to God's grace rather than to himself. After the battle he returned to Paonta Sahib, rewarded the soldiers who had fought, and consoled Pir Budhu Shah for his sons. Tradition at Paonta holds that the Guru named his newborn eldest son Ajit Singh, the unconquered, after this victory.

When is the Bhangani fair held?

The Bhangani fair is held on 16, 17 and 18 Baisakh, at the end of April, every year, as a congregational gathering to commemorate the battle. Outside the fair days the shrine is quiet. It stays open around the clock, langar is served to visitors, and most travellers combine it with Gurdwara Paonta Sahib, the Guru's home from 1685 to 1689.

How do you reach Bhangani Sahib?

Bhangani is about 11 kilometres from Paonta Sahib in a straight line, but the road is longer: roughly 22 kilometres of winding, motorable road through small villages, on the Himachal bank of the Yamuna. The village address is Bhagani, Himachal Pradesh 173025. Paonta Sahib town is reached by road from Dehradun, Nahan and Yamunanagar. As at every gurdwara, visitors cover their heads and remove their shoes before entering the Darbar Sahib. See also Jugti's guide to Gurdwaras in India.