Mela Achal Vatala

Falling under the district of Gurdaspur in the state of Punjab, Gurudwara Achal Sahib is situated along the boundary of the villages of Chahal and Saho. It is a place of great religious and historical significance and is one of the main religious sites for the followers of Sikhism. This Gurudwara attracts a large number of pilgrims from far and wide areas. It falls on the Jalandhar-Batala road, around 7 km south of the city of Batala. The legend of Gurudwara Achal Sahib is older than the gurudwara's physical existence. The annual fair on the occasion of the holy festival of Shivratri had and has been taking place near the site of the gurudwara since years. During one such annual celebration, Guru Nanak- the first Sikh Guru and the founder of Sikhism- came to visit the place himself become a part of the celebration. Siddh yogis used to live in the area in huge numbers at that time. Since the Shivratri fair had made a great name for itself for its grandeur and spiritual fervor, the great Guru Nanak traveled to witness it all in front of his eyes. It is said that the moment Guru Nanak entered the town, word of his presence spread all across town and people started chanting the Nanak name. Earlier, only songs and hymns to honor the holy saint were heard and sung by the townsfolk but never had any of them seen him in person. Therefore, when they found out that it was actually him, they flocked to catch a glimpse of the divine soul in great numbers and meet him in person to seek his blessings. Seeing all the attention of the public focused solely on Guru Nanak, the yogis felt jealous and got offended. They decided to confront him in front of everyone so that they could assert their superiority and went to meet Guru Nanak with Bhangar Nath, their leader.