Jor Mela Baba Bakala

Baba Bakala were the last words of Guru Harkishan ji and his last words indicated the next would-be Guru. This was an amazing incident; and the Sikhs remember this with pride and affection. After the demise of the Guru Harkishan ji utter confusion prevailed. This was regarding the selection of the next Guru. But God wanted to show them the way and so, Makhan Shah’s ship was caught in a storm. In this circumstance everyone prayed to God and Makahan Shah also vowed to donate 500 Dinars to the Guru after he was rescued from the danger. After his return, Makar Singh went to Bakala and offered 200 Dinars to each one opting to be a Guru. As he expected, no one except true Guru recognized the exact amount and asked why he was giving just 2 Dinars while he had pledged for 500. Instantly everyone understood the true Guru Teg Bahadurji who is said to be the 9th Sikh Guru. Thus Bakala came to be the sacred place for the Sikhs and a place for the holy pilgrimage. Since only a person with an insight may discover the truth, Teg Bahadurji became the next Guru. “The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it." It was a difficult task but since Teg Bahadur succeeded he made his power known to all. A beautiful Gurudwara Sahib stands at the spot where Guru Tegh Bahadur used to meditate in an underground cell. This small village where Guru Tegh Bahadur revealed himself subsequently, came to be called Baba ¬Bakala. The Gurudwara has many beautiful paintings pertaining to the Sikh history. People gather in thousands on every amavas night. Besides an Annual Fair (Jor Mela) is held on Rakshabandhan (Hindu festival) day when many people throng this holy place from all over the country. It is situated only 3 km away from Butari railway station and is well connected by roads to important towns of Punjab.