Takht Sri Damdama Sahib
Description
Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib is also associated with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It is believed that when after
fighting a number of battles, Sri Guru Gobind Singh reached this place at Talwandi Sabo, 28 kilometres from
Bhatinda, he stayed here for over nine months in 1706. Damdama literally means a breathing place, a place
where one rests, and the tenth master used this rest time (rest from battles) for a very significant task to dictate
the bir of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and make it final after including
the compositions of the Ninth Guru. This bir was prepared by Bhai
Mani Singh as dictated by the tenth Guru. Thereafter, a number of
copies of this bir were prepared, one of which is preserved here
and is believed to have been prepared by Baba Deep Singh Shahid
himself. It contains 707 leaves excluding the list of contents spread
over 29 leaves. It was from here that the Guru issued his commands
and letters to far-flung Sikh sangats. The place became in fact a
centre of Sikh learning. This character it has maintained ever since as
the home of what is known’s as Damdami Taksal, or the Damdama
School of Learning. Apart from the main shrine known as the Takht,
there are a number of other Gurdwaras near around associated with
the visit of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji including
Gurdwara marking the place of Samadh Bhai Dall Singh (Chaudhary
Dalla) and Gurdwara Thara Sahib where Bhai Bir Singh and Thir Singh, father and son respectively, had
offered themselves as targets for the Guru to test a Gun presented to him by a Sikh. There is also a Gurdwara
related to Baba Deep Singh known as Burj Baba Deep Singh.
